2018 Mazda CX-5 Review

Standard equipment for every CX-5 includes 17-inch wheels, LED headlights, a 7-inch touchscreen, a rearview camera, a 40/20/40-split rear seats (fold and recline), a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a four-speaker sound system, Bluetooth, a four-speaker stereo and two USB ports. Low-speed forward collision warning and mitigation and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert are also included.

The available Sport i-Activsense package adds such features as automatic high-beams, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, upgraded forward collision warning and mitigation, and automatic windshield wipers.

The Touring trim adds a healthy dose of comfort items that most buyers will find appealing, such as 19-inch wheels, keyless ignition and entry, heated front seats, simulated leather upholstery, dual-zone automatic climate control, a power-adjustable driver seat, two additional speakers and two more USB ports. It also gets the i-Activsense suite of safety features as standard. The optional Touring Preferred package adds such items as navigation, an upgraded 10-speaker Bose sound system, a sunroof and a power liftgate.

The Grand Touring gets you all of the above, along with leather upholstery, driver-seat memory settings, a power-adjustable passenger seat, satellite radio, and LED foglights and taillights. The available Grand Touring Premium package includes a head-up display with traffic sign recognition, a heated steering wheel, heated second-row outboard seats and windshield wiper de-icer.

Trim Tested Module

Each vehicle typically comes in multiple versions that are fundamentally similar. The ratings in this review are based on our full test of the 2017 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring (2.5L inline-4 | 6-speed automatic | AWD).

NOTE: Since this test was conducted, the current Mazda CX-5 has received some revisions. Our findings remain broadly applicable to this year's 2018 Mazda CX-5, however.