Now I was suitably impressed with the vehicle’s agility, but you should have been sitting next to me as I rode shotgun to Mazda’s Dave Coleman. Assigned the title Director of Technobabble, Dave has had more than a little involvement with the design of the CX-5. He is also a man who can boast a vast amount of experience in both road-racing and rallying (something he could have shared with me before we hit the track!).
To say that he blew my mind is probably an understatement. We were four-wheel drifting in some corners and when we launched into the Corkscrew, we literally “launched” into it. Now I’ve ridden with a lot of drivers over the years, but when you’re next to a man with so much experience of both driving and the actual track you’re on, plus one who knows the vehicle he’s driving inside out and backwards, you couldn’t possibly find a better way of experiencing Zoom Zoom!
I would never have believed that an SUV could perform like that. No wonder some of my colleagues were mouthing SUV and MX-5 in the same breath.
Now the rumour mill is already up to overdrive speed with news that the SKYACTIV-D (D for diesel) engine may one day find its way into the CX-5. I hope it will, as the SKYACTIV-D with its greater hp and torque will transform this vehicle into possibly the best performing compact SUV ever.
Price-wise, the CX-5 will start at $22,995 for the front-drive, 6-speed manual GX model, followed by the GS at $27,895, and topping out with the GT at $32,495. For what’s on offer, I’d deem this highly competitive pricing. AWD is optional on the GX and GS ($2,000), standard in the GT; aside from the base model, every other version getsa 6-speed automatic with manual mode.
The new 2013 Mazda CX-5… Call it agility, call it superb handling if you wish, but I’m tempted to go with the letter F, followed by a U, and ending with an N, and all of those in very large capitals!
To say that he blew my mind is probably an understatement. We were four-wheel drifting in some corners and when we launched into the Corkscrew, we literally “launched” into it. Now I’ve ridden with a lot of drivers over the years, but when you’re next to a man with so much experience of both driving and the actual track you’re on, plus one who knows the vehicle he’s driving inside out and backwards, you couldn’t possibly find a better way of experiencing Zoom Zoom!
I would never have believed that an SUV could perform like that. No wonder some of my colleagues were mouthing SUV and MX-5 in the same breath.
Now the rumour mill is already up to overdrive speed with news that the SKYACTIV-D (D for diesel) engine may one day find its way into the CX-5. I hope it will, as the SKYACTIV-D with its greater hp and torque will transform this vehicle into possibly the best performing compact SUV ever.
Price-wise, the CX-5 will start at $22,995 for the front-drive, 6-speed manual GX model, followed by the GS at $27,895, and topping out with the GT at $32,495. For what’s on offer, I’d deem this highly competitive pricing. AWD is optional on the GX and GS ($2,000), standard in the GT; aside from the base model, every other version getsa 6-speed automatic with manual mode.
The new 2013 Mazda CX-5… Call it agility, call it superb handling if you wish, but I’m tempted to go with the letter F, followed by a U, and ending with an N, and all of those in very large capitals!
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| Price-wise, the CX-5 will start at $22,995 for the front-drive, 6-speed manual GX model, followed by the GS at $27,895, and topping out with the GT at $32,495. (Photo: Kevin Corrigan/Auto123.com) |
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