Cruising Around The Bronx in the Mazda CX-5

Earlier this year DriveShop loaned us the Mazda CX-5 for a week. I can’t tell you how much I miss it.

When I first walked up to the Mazda CX-5 I was taken by how sporty it looked. Being a lover of sport and rally type cars, I can be biased towards SUVs.

The Mazda CX-5 is not your average SUV.

With its sleek lines, you don’t feel like you’re behind the wheel of a “soccer mom” car. It feels like you’re driving the next best sporty vehicle in the Mazda lineup.

Mazda’s SkyActiv technology fuels the driving experience with responsive and nimble steering for an SUV. The sport mode provides a grin-inducing driving experience.

The 6-speed automatic transmission gives drivers the feel of a manual transmission by delivering more power per gear when accelerating.

Surprised by how much fun the CX-5 was to drive, I was making excuses just to go out for a ride.

Driving the Mazda CX-5 is fun and functional.

The cockpit offers drivers every amenity you can think of from Bluetooth connectivity for your mobile devices to the leather-wrapped steering wheel.

The steering wheel gives you control of much more than just steering. It provides control to your Bluetooth connectivity and controls the sound system.

You’ll also be pleased with the ergonomically designed console. The console is set up with knob controls and buttons that are positioned conveniently to correspond with each of the fingers of your right hand. Being able to drive and control all the features provided, while you the driver can maintain focus on the road.

After about a day of driving it became so intuitive that I knew what each digit resting on a button controlled. It was like being on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise and I was at the helm. An appropriate analogy when you factor in the CX-5’s blind spot detector, which almost acts like a starship’s warning sensors.

This all made for a solid and enjoyable ride. Seven days and I barely scratched the surface of the Mazda CX-5 capabilities.

Returning the Mazda CX-5 made me feel like a kid having to go home after summer camp. Looking for any excuse to stay with it longer and contemplating how I can go back.