Review of the 2019 Mazda CX-5 Signature: A Little Something For Everyone

[Drew Dowdell]

2019 Mazda CX-5 Signature

Mazda is on a mission lately to make their products feel more premium. They have been tuning their vehicles to be quieter and more refined in order to give them an air that they are above their class. This second generation of the Mazda CX-5 debuted for the 2017 model year with a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder producing 187 horsepower and 186 lb.-ft of torque.  For 2019, Mazda added the 2.5-liter turbocharged engine from the CX-9. On regular gas, the engine produces 227 horsepower and 310 lb.-ft of torque, but if you fill it up with 93 octane, the horsepower figure bumps up to 250.  Available only on the Grand Touring and Signature trims, the 2.5-T makes the CX-5 the compact crossover with the most available torque.  Mazda sent a CX-5 Signature for me to try for a week to see what I thought.

There’s no replacement for displacement… maybe

The biggest CX-5 news for 2019 is the engine options. There is the 2.5-T mentioned above and a 2.2-liter turbo diesel. Both are exciting entries into a relatively conservative segment.  The 2.5-T is the second-largest displacement engine available in the segment, behind the 3.2 liter V6 in the Jeep Cherokee.  This 4-cylinder puts out quite a bit more torque than the bigger V6, though the Jeep produces more horsepower (271 @ 6,500 rpm). Even among 4-cylinders, this is the largest displacement you can get, but none of those others offering 2.5 liters also offers a turbocharger. This engine is rated by the EPA to get 22 city / 27 highway.  I got about 24 mpg in mostly city driving. Zero to 60 is a claimed 6.2 seconds.

Under normal driving, the engine is quiet and composed, with torque coming on quickly when called for. When the pedal is mashed at speed, the CX-5 leaps forward with minimal turbo lag and gives off a strong growl from under the hood. The only time you can really feel any lag in the turbo is if you are starting from a dead stop. Overall, you never feel without power at the tip of your toes and the sounds, and lack of sounds, from the engine room is quiet and refined.

One area the CX-5 falls behind on is in the transmission department. Although the transmission offers smooth shift and is willing to downshift when called upon, a 6-speed automatic almost feels anachronistic in a time when all of its direct competition is sporting 8 or 9 speeds. I never thought there would come a day when 6-forward gears aren’t enough, but here we are. Adding 2 or 3 more gears to the CX-5 would further liven up the already sporty crossover and help keep the turbocharged engine firmly in the good places of its torque band.

Ride: Al dente – Firm but tender

If there is a brand that Mazda is looking to emulate here by being premium without the premium badge, it would likely be BMW.  The ride is firm, but not so harsh as to spill your latte. Steering is on the heavy side with precise control and great on-center feel.  Body roll is minimal. Pushing the CX-5 into corners is fun and the standard G-Vectoring Control Plus makes sure you stay planted where you intended to be.  The i-ACTIV all-wheel-drive mostly runs in front-wheel-drive mode until microscopic amounts of wheel slip are detected and then some torque is instantly transferred to the rear wheels.  Mazda programs the AWD system to always have at least a little bit of torque going to the rear in order for the transfer of torque to happen faster. 

It’s what’s inside that matter most

Inside the CX-5, the premium story continues. There is a distinct lack of cheap plastic even in places where they could probably get away with it. The dash and door panels are made of soft-touch material and there is a tasteful amount of chrome trim. Though the seats look black in pictures, they are actually a very dark brown that Mazda calls Caturra Brown Nappa leather. This leather is a feature of the Signature trim level and they are both heated and ventilated.  Rear passengers get heated outboard seats as well, controlled from inside the fold-down center armrest. Also, a feature of the Signature trim is the real wood dash inlay and ambient cabin lighting. The seats in the CX-5 are very comfortable with just the right combination of support and cushion. They would be most welcome companions on a long road trip. The rear seats are fairly flat and do not offer a lot of legroom.  There is no adjustment fore and aft.  Wind and tire noise has been kept to a minimum.

There are 4 USB ports, two in the up front armrest and two in the rear armrest. Only one of them allows a connection to the infotainment system.  Oddly, the USB ports don’t seem to put out much juice as my phones were very slow to charge from them.

The infotainment system is another area similar to BMW.  The unit is controlled by a large dial in the center console or touch screen controls. I found the touch aspect to be laggy and a long reach, so I found myself using the dial. Using the dial to navigate is simple enough, but the menus and layout of the screen could probably use a re-think.  Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both here, for some reason only Apple CarPlay can be activated by touch. Operating either system is frustrating with the dial however, this is especially true for Android Auto which I found frustrating to use without touch screen functionality. At least, unlike BMW, Mazda doesn’t charge you an extra subscription fee to use them. Sound from the Bose speakers was clear, but not especially great.

There was a time when people mostly bought crossovers for the utility of hauling lots of bulky stuff home from the store, however, these days are different. Now, crossovers are a fashion statement.  Still, the CX-5 has 59.6 cubic feet of space with the rear seats folded and 30.9 cubic feet with the seats up.  That is at the high end of mid-pack in the segment with the Honda CR-V being the leader, while the Toyota RAV-4, Chevy Equinox, and Ford Escape all have less. 

Do you need a safe space? This may be it.

The Mazda CX-5 Signature comes with a whole host of safety equipment and the center of it all is the heads-up display that keeps the driver informed.  Blind Spot Monitoring, Lane-Keep Assist, and Radar Cruise Control, all have status lights in the heads-up display.  I found the blind spot monitoring system to be especially helpful when I was backing out onto a busy street with limited visibility.  Radar Cruise control is one of my favorite systems of all and I feel it should be standard equipment on all cars. The CX-5 can even read speed limit and stop signs as you approach, changing and updating the local regulations in the heads up display.

The Signature also comes with active headlights that turn when you turn to help see around corners. They helped me spot a deer on the side of the road I normally would not have seen.

The Verdict

The CX-5 Signature is the top of the CX-5 line, so naturally, the price is reflected in that. With an MSRP of $36,890 before any options, the CX-5 may seem pricey, but it comes with everything you could possibly want.  However, when you compare it to other small crossovers with similar equipment it actually ends up comparing favorably to others in its class. I priced out Jeep Cherokee Overland with the 2.0T and technology group and the MSRP is $41,685. A GMC Terrain Denali with all the same option boxes checked? $41,430.  A Honda CR-V can’t even be equipped like the CX-5 because there is no up-level engine option, yet it still rings up to $38,147.

Overall, Mazda has produced a handsome, sporty, fun to drive crossover with enough utility to remain competitive. They’ve loaded it with safety equipment and kept the price in check. It is definitely worth a look.

 

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[caddycruiser]

GREAT review, and a favorite in this class. It oozes upmarket, well polished, comfortable, refined, "I just enjoy driving this everyday" that makes Mazda great.

Favorite of friends, and referred often. Even the normal non turbo models in Touring trim level, etc. with leatherette, full & same safety, etc. with a $30k sticker...just make an Equinox/Terrain/Escape/CR-V/etc. seem that much more plebian.

Nice ride & well baked.

[regfootball]

Your review is very good here.  And it is true the other competition is priced high like this.  The new normal.  It is also why they needed a powertrain with more gusto to justify the MSRP.  Particularly since you can at a certain price point upgrade to a larger vehicle and depending on the equipment, get big power in a bigger package but maybe sacrifice a few niceties.

[frogger]

These are really nice rides.  It was between this and two Subarus for my wife but she ended up picking a Subie.  Not sure where you got the cargo numbers, I've read smaller?  Around 31/56 seats up and down.

 

[smk4565]

From everything I read, the CX-5 is one of the best small crossovers, and the turbo gives it more power than a lot of others.  But I think $40k for any small crossover is a lot.

[Drew Dowdell]

25 minutes ago, frogger said:

These are really nice rides.  It was between this and two Subarus for my wife but she ended up picking a Subie.  Not sure where you got the cargo numbers, I've read smaller?  Around 31/56 seats up and down.

 

I've corrected the article.  There is clearly a typo in the little brochure Mazda gave me with the car. It mentions cargo room with second and third rows folded.  Someone at Mazda clearly copy/pasted from the CX-9 brochure.

[regfootball]

Even though the styling is dated, and apart from the awful plood + Chinese style dash, I would definitely take an Envision over this if you wanting to stay in the compact class. Myself I find Mazda design very cold while knowing it is still pretty well done. 

Edited November 21, 2019 by regfootball

[Drew Dowdell]

1 hour ago, regfootball said:

Even though the styling is dated, and apart from the awful plood + Chinese style dash, I would definitely take an Envision over this if you wanting to stay in the compact class. Myself I find Mazda design very cold while knowing it is still pretty well done. 

I don't give the design dated at all. The plood in the signature is real wood. I wouldn't take an envision over this.

[Paolino]

Awesome write up.. I am a very big fan of Mazda.  I would have considered a 6 if it had a V6 still.  I love their design, materials, and I've only read good things about them.

[Drew Dowdell]

9 minutes ago, Paolino said:

Awesome write up.. I am a very big fan of Mazda.  I would have considered a 6 if it had a V6 still.  I love their design, materials, and I've only read good things about them.

The 6 has this same Turbo-4 in it as an option on the top model. You wouldn't like it though, too firm of a ride.