2017 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring AWD First Test

When you follow the NHL as closely as I do, you often hear talk about a player's "intangibles." Take New York Rangers forward Tanner Glass, for instance. At face value, he could be seen as a waste of salary space; he costs the Rangers $1 million per year and only scored one goal in the 11 regular season games he dressed for. Yet Glass brings a level of grit to the ice and comradery to the locker room. His value isn't added by the number of goals he produces but by the intangibles he brings to the team.

The 2017 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring AWD can be looked at similarly. Mazda redesigned its worldwide best-seller for the 2017 model year, and if you look at it by the numbers, it's both heavier and smaller than the model it replaces—yet it's by far a much better family crossover than ever before. It's the intangibles that the Mazda CX-5 excels at.

Before we delve too deep into what exactly makes the new CX-5 better than the old, let's take a quick look at the changes made. Signaling Mazda's shift upmarket, the exterior gets sharp new sheetmetal while the automaker ups its game inside with high-quality materials (especially on top-trim CX-5 Grand Touring models like our tester), more sound deadening, and a clean new Audi-esque design. The 2017 CX-5's wheelbase has shrunk ever so slightly, from 106.3 inches to 106.2 inches, but overall length and width have grown 0.4 and 0.1 inch, respectively, to help boost headroom and legroom inside. Under the skin, the CX-5's sublimely sporty chassis carries over with some extensive revisions, and the previously optional Skyactiv 2.5-liter I-4 becomes the new base engine. Power is upped from 184 hp to 187 hp, but torque is unchanged at 185 lb-ft. A six-speed automatic is the sole available transmission, and our CX-5 tester was equipped with optional all-wheel drive. A Skyactiv-D turbodiesel I-4 will be joining the CX-5 lineup this fall.

See All 4 Photos4

See All 4 Photos4

Most new models follow the "bigger and faster is better" mantra, but not the Mazda CX-5. We tested an identically equipped 2016 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring AWD about a year ago, so we can directly compare the performance of the newcomer to its predecessor. Despite the 2017 CX-5 Grand Touring AWD's 3-horsepower advantage, its extra 141 pounds of curb weight work against it. The 0-60-mph acceleration run takes the new CX-5 8.4 seconds to complete compared to the old CX-5's 7.8-second run. The same story continues at the dragstrip. The 2017 CX-5 needs 16.4 seconds to run through the quarter mile, hitting 83.8 mph; its slightly older brother needs 16.0 seconds and blows through the gates at 85.0 mph.

The same trend continues through the rest of our instrumented tests. In 60-0 braking the 2017 CX-5 needed 126 feet to come to a complete stop, 10 feet longer than its predecessor. Although the new CX-5 matched the old in skidpad performance (0.81 g average), it weirdly trailed far behind in the figure eight—28.5 seconds at 0.58 g average compared to the 2016 CX-5's 28.0 second at 0.59 g performance. The culprit is the 2017 CX-5's nondefeatable electronic stability control system. "Although there's absolutely some dynamic goodness in this SUV, it's really hampered by its stability control system," noted road test editor Chris Walton. "The steering is crisp and clear, the nose tucks in nicely, the midcorner balance is remarkably good, but the entire skidpad portion of the figure eight is an exercise in frustration because of the stability control." According to a Mazda rep, stability control is an integral part of the automaker's i-Activ predictive all-wheel-drive system and thus can't be disabled. Traction control can be disabled, though.

See All 4 Photos4

It might be easy to damn the new CX-5 for being less of a performer at the track than its predecessor, but the 2017 model is actually much more enjoyable to drive on the street than the previous-generation model.

Around town, the 2017 CX-5 feels zippy and quick. The naturally aspirated I-4 revs quickly and makes a decent chunk of power right off the line, so the driver is never left wanting more power. Stay buried in the throttle, and the CX-5's engine will sweetly sing all the way to its redline, before the six-speed transmission rattles off a quick shift. With many of its competitors moving to CVTs, Mazda deserves particular praise for how well tuned the CX-5's automatic is; it's near impossible to trip up. "The transmission is super quick and smooth when changing gears, and it doesn't hunt much," noted associate editor Scott Evans. "It'll even drop a cog or two immediately when you want even just a little more power—it's clearly tuned for performance."

That performance tuning rears its head in our fuel economy tests. Although the EPA rates the 2017 CX-5 all-wheel drive at 23/29/26 mpg city/highway/combined, our Real MPG testing saw the new CX-5 Grand Touring AWD achieving just 18.4/29.9/22.3 Real MPG. For comparison, the 2016 CX-5 Grand Touring AWD was EPA-rated at 24/30/26 mpg and achieved 23.4/27.7/25.1 on the Real MPG cycle.

Fuel economy might not be its thing, but at least the CX-5 shines on a good back road. You can tell that a car enthusiast tuned the CX-5's chassis, suspension, and steering. From behind the wheel, there's a ton of on-center feel, with the wheel loading up quickly like a sports car as you corner flatly through turns. The steering wheel is always talking to the driver—always feeding the fingers information on what the front wheels are doing. "This car is so sharp it's almost nervous," Evans said. "It wants to turn so badly and reacts so quickly that the CX-5 can feel darty if you don't consciously slow your hands down; it wants a smooth, slow touch."

See All 4 Photos4

The previous-generation CX-5 was great on a back road, too, but it was one of the loudest crossovers in the class on the freeway. The extra sound deadening Mazda worked into the 2017 CX-5 really pays off. At freeway speeds the cabin is quiet and serene. The sport-tuned suspension that works so well at keeping the CX-5 cornering flat in the canyons is equally well suited to cruising highways. Good suspension damping filters out road imperfections and takes care of big bumps with ease.

Another area where the new CX-5 Grand Touring drastically improves on the old is in the cabin. The old CX-5 Grand Touring was nice, sure, but the new model is damn near luxurious. The materials (with the exception of the cheapo "wood" trim), fit, and finish are all phenomenal. The leather front seats are comfortable, if a bit flat, and the back seats offer up an executive-like center armrest with two USBs and heated rear seat controls. The rear seats are roomier and more comfortable on the 2017 model than they were before, but any adult around 6 feet tall or taller is going to wish for more legroom and kneeroom. At least they'll be cool, though, because Mazda has finally added rear HVAC vents to the CX-5. Taking a page from the rival Honda CR-V, the CX-5's rear seats now fold completely flat in a 40/20/40 split via three single-pull levers located in the spacious trunk.

See All 4 Photos4

Despite being a more luxurious ride, pricing doesn't change much on the new CX-5. Our loaded 2017 CX-5 Grand Touring AWD starts at $31,635 and stickered for $34,380—a mere $195 more than an equivalent 2016 model.

A lot like the Mazda Miata, the 2017 Mazda CX-5 isn't a numbers car. It's not the quickest or most efficient on paper, but its unique selling proposition versus its segment rivals isn't in the numbers it produces—it's in the intangibles it brings to the table. It's in the way the CX-5 makes you smile when you turn a corner, it's in the way the engine revs when you put your foot into the throttle after dropping the kids off safely at school, and it's in the way the CX-5 coddles those in the cabin. It's the intangibles where the new 2017 CX-5 excels. As for how it stacks up in a head-to-head battle with its chief rival—well, you're going to have to stay tuned for that.