Fri, Mar 22, 2019 - 5:50 AMThe CX-5 still comes with two engine choices , with two levels of trim for each. All four models now have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which are practically must-haves in this day and age. Plug your smartphone in and the Mazda's entertainment system becomes an extension of it, and given how your phone is an extension of you, it's tough to see why anyone would countenance buying a car without that sort of connectivity.
It also gets an updated version of Mazda's G-Vectoring Control doohickey, which cuts engine power by a tiny amount when the driver turns the steering wheel just to make the car feel better planted to the road. The new GVC Plus system now also lightly brakes the outside front wheel as the driver exits the turn, to help straighten the car up again.
Yet, things only get plush with the 2.0L Premium and up. Those variants get new features such as a digital speedometer and a 360-degree camera, also known as God's gift to parallel parking. Nineteen-inch wheels make the ride slightly busy over rough surfaces, but the Mazda otherwise lopes along in a smooth way that would befit a more expensive car.