Comments by "Stephen Hendricks" (@stephenhendricks103) on "" video.

  1. Very attractive vehicle. And probably the best application of Mazda's ubiquitous 2.5L Turbo. The CX-9 is in a competitive space with vehicles almost all of which offer standard or optional V6 engines. The Mazda6 is also an attractive offering but it has much tougher competition in the form of the Accord with 2.0L turbo engine and the Camry V6. In all three vehicles the attractive looks stem in large part from a comparatively long distance from the firewall to the front bumper and resulting reduced distance from the base of the windshield to the rear bumper. In the Mazdas it's necessitated by a massive exhaust manifold located behind the turbo engine but it has the additional benefit in a profile that automotive designers have used for about a century in sports cars and sedans to imply potency and performance. Unfortunately, that stylish profile comes with significant design challenges, especially in a compact SUV category with "utility" in the name. At 179" in length the CX-5 is about an inch or two shorter than the its main competitors, the CR-V and the RAV4. But the CR-V has up to 39.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row and a whopping 75.8 cf of total cargo space. In comparison the CX-5 has only 30.9 cf behind the second row and 59.6 cf overall. That's a whopping deficit in total cargo space of over 27% (!). In fact, the CX-5 has only about six cubic feet more overall cargo space than a VW Golf. The only consolation is that the massive CX-9, twenty inches longer than the CX-5 also trails the CR-V (and the Subaru Forester) with only 71 cubic feet of total cargo space. The bottom line is that the CX-5 has a great looking profile and a seriously upscale interior in the Signature trim. The 2.5L turbo engine is tuned to provide massive torque at a low rpm giving it an almost diesel-like character that's appealing in off the line acceleration even if it falls off a cliff at high rpm's. MPG's aren't the best, especially if one takes advantage of the turbo but they're not awful. The infotainment system is dated but for 2019 the CX-5 finally offers both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. And it will probably be updated to keep up with the Mazda3 next year. So for those who neither need nor want the actual utility and versatility offered by several other compact SUV's but feel the need to join the SUV crowd, it's an appealing choice.
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  2. Except at 179" in length it isn't a mid-size SUV. In fact, it's the smallest compact SUV on the market.
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  3. Not available in the US, unfortunately.
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  4.  @Justin87878  Well, there is the fact that the Subaru Forester and Honda CR-V each has about 25% more overall cargo capacity than the CX-5. But if actual "utility" in a "Sport UTIILITY vehicle doesn't matter it's a fine SUV.
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