Our family was wild about our recent test drive – check out the scoop in our 2017 Mazda CX-5 AWD Video Review and Photos to hear all about this awesome family car that is super affordable too. Hooray! A few weeks ago we hit the road in brand new 2017 Mazda CX-5, a compact SUV with AWD, and it surpassed all of our expectations. An absolutely WONDERFUL family car with lots of bells and whistles in their Grand Touring package that met all our family needs. This vehicle was AMAZING! Our entire family was in love with the car we didn’t want to let it go when our week test drive ended! The kids were asking me to please buy this car as they were obsessed with the backseat “bum” warmers – a definite bonus during the frigid and snowy winter!
2017 Mazda CX-5 AWD Video Review
The very first car I owned was a Mazda 626 way back in 1998 & my husband used to own a Mazda Miata and a Mazda hatchback so it was awesome to get behind the wheel of a Mazda again. The Mazda CX-5 took the kids and I all over town to swim practice during the week and then to a big swim meet during a snowstorm too. The AWD was perfect and handled beautifully.
What I love best was that the CX-5 has the space, comfort, and AWD I’m looking for in an SUV but the ride and drive felt even smoother. I also love that it is a crossover vehicle so drives a bit more like a car vs. a truck and it’s literally a more compact SUV and I prefer a smaller car when it comes to getting in out of parking lots too! As for the bonus features we adore – that would be the heated steering wheel and my kids were obsessed with having HEATED rear seats for the first time ever. HOORAY for that when they come out wet from swim practice at night and the temperature is only 15 degrees!
Heated Steering Wheel
I’ve never owned a car with a heated steering wheel so honestly did not know what I was missing. WOW! Heated steering wheels with any temps below 30 degrees are now essential in my book. Much like a “butt” warmer or heated/cooling front seats for the driver, a heated steering wheel is the ultimate luxury. Such comfort and such a simple additional feature. I am now officially obsessed with Heated Steering Wheels! I grew up with luxury cars and always thought I bought some higher end vehicles but clearly I’ve been missing out!
And for my cold hands that are prone to Raynaud’s Syndrome anytime temps are even below 40 degrees, heated steering wheel is now on my “want” list!
Soul Red Crystal Paint for the win!
Isn’t this color stunning? Love it! Soul Red Crystal Paint is new for 2017 and it’s a gorgeous red that works! We all loved the color.
Freedom & Heat for Kids in the Backseat
Hello to my warm seated rear kiddos! Heated seats in winter are GLORIOUS according to my daughter! Need I say more? The kids even could control this feature themselves thanks to the dual climate zones. Yay!
There are also additional USB ports in the backseats which was great for our long drive to the swim meet too as the kids were able to charge their devices as well.
Large Trunk Space
I snapped a photo showing all the boxes I could fit into my trunk when I was off to the recycling center. Lots of space and an automatic trunk door lift too which I love when I’m coming out with the kids or grocery store.
AWD Keeps Us Going in the Snow
Awesome to have this feature on those snowy winter days! It keeps us going where we need to be too and kept us on track for the swim meet. Yay!
Safety Features with Alerts
Lots of fantastic safety features including these few that I thought were extra good as far as being high tech and extra safe.
– Smart City Brake Support (SCBS)
– Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keep Assist**
– Smart Brake Support (SBS)**
– High Beam Control (HBC)**
– Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Cross Traffic Alert*
Mazda CX-5 Pricing Thoughts
I always think it’s worth talking money when it comes to cars. As you know, a great family car can be expensive and is always a big investment for families. You need the car to function to meet the needs of your family, but we all also need to meet our monthly budget with our purchase and payments too. I truly believe the price point on the Mazda CX-5 gives families a ton of flexibility to have the safety, ride, and AWD features they want combined with a larger size that’s more comfortable for families and works for carpools or vacations given the great trunk space.
MSRP starts at $24,045 for the Mazda CX-5. The MSRP for the standard equipment with our AWD Mazda CX-5 is $30,695, owever, the sticker price on the CX-5 we drove and are showcasing in our video and photos is $34,380 with all the options like heated rear seats, heated steering wheel and so on included.
Learn more about the Mazda CX-5 on their website here.
Note: Thanks to Mazda for coordinating a 1 week test drive for us of the Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring AWD so we could experience this new vehicle. As always, all thoughts and opinions are our own.