Thanks to Driveshop and Mazda, we had the opportunity to drive around the 2016 Mazda CX-5 for a few days last month.

The 2016 Mazda CX-5 is the first Mazda I’ve driven and I have to say I was impressed. My initial reaction was that it is a super cute, fun little crossover. Read on to find out five awesome things about the 2016 Mazda CX-5.

Sporty Design

As a mom of two little ones, I don’t often get the feeling that I’m driving a “fun” vehicle. That may not seem like a big deal, but it is. I love the fun, sporty design of the 2016 Mazda CX-5. Did you notice the wheels? The aluminium alloy wheels really do make it look even cooler!

I really like the color of the one we drove. It’s called Titanium Flash Mica and is a color I don’t often see driving down the road.

The Mazda CX-5 has a pretty good get-up and go feel to it, but if you need a little more, you can switch to Sport Mode!

Inside the car, we had parchment colored leather trimmed sport seats. They look really nice, but that color isn’t my top choice on the inside of a car. I think it just makes me nervous with kids.

And who doesn’t love a moonroof? Since it was 70° F here in December (odd, but enjoyable), I was really able to test out the moonroof! The kids love the fresh air and Mom definitely agrees!

Safety Features

Of course, we all want to ride in a vehicle with awesome safety features! To me, I definitely consider all of the controls on the steering wheel a safety feature. Being able to change the radio station, control volume, and make phone calls without taking my hands off the wheel is a big win.

One thing this vehicle has that I have never seen is an electric parking brake. It’s a push button next to the gear shift. (see picture of center console below) To turn the parking brake off, you just need to have your foot on the brake and then you can push the parking brake button to turn it off. It sounds odd, but apparently this is going to be changing in a lot of vehicles.

The 2016 Mazda CX-5 is very highly rated when it comes to safety and we can all appreciate that. With two little ones in convertible car seats, I always pay special attention to the LATCH and anchor placements, as well as how much room there is in the car after the seats are in there.

This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware. The middle seat is able to borrow anchors from the other seats, but then you cannot use those anchors with the side seats. Lucky for us, we only need two big car seats and they were easy to install in this vehicle.

Some of my favorite safety features are the blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert!

Navigation and Audio Systems

During the week of before Christmas, I was loving the sound system! I could have been listening to XM Radio, but I opted for a little throwback with my MTV TRL Christmas album

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We’re so used to touchscreen everything these days, but the audio and navigation systems in the 2016 Mazda CX-5 is controlled by a knob next to the gear shift. I thought this was really odd at first, but quickly grew to love it. I didn’t have to worry about accidentally tapping on the wrong thing on a touchscreen.

The Grand Touring Tech package included in the vehicle we drove has the navigation system. I love having maps at my fingertips! We found several addresses to plug in while we were on our search for Christmas lights and displays. The kids love checking out the lights!

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My only complaint here doesn’t have anything to do with the audio or navigation, but that the cup holders are awkwardly placed. It is almost like you have to reach backwards to get your drink. Then again, that could be because I’m short and have to move the seat up more than most people.

Spacious

The trunk of the 2016 Mazda CX-5 is larger than I originally thought. I was able to pack a ton of Christmas presents in the trunk to take to my mom’s house for a wrapping day.

Although the trunk is spacious, you can put down the back seats if you need even more room. And what I really love about the trunk is the cargo cover that lifts with the hatch. This definitely came in handy when I had the car before Christmas. I was able to pack it full of Christmas presents and shut the door and no one was able to see what was inside!

Without the car seats, the 2016 Mazda CX-5 offers a lot of room for a comfy ride. As the driver, I never felt cramped for space like I have in other vehicles I have owned.

Comfort

Like most marriages, the hubby and I don’t agree on absolutely everything. Climate in the car is definitely one of those things. The 2016 Mazda CX-5 offers dual climate control and heated seats, ensuring both the driver and passenger are comfortable!

In the backseat, there is an armrest between the seats that makes the back even more comfortable for your passengers.

The Mazda CX-5 is a crossover vehicle, meaning it’s between a car and an SUV, but the way it drives is definitely more like a car. I’m not a fan of driving huge vehicles, so this really put me in my comfort zone as far as space and drive-ability go.

Would we buy it?

I love the Mazda CX-5, but at this stage in our life with two big car seats, it’s not what I would choose for my main vehicle with the kids. For a long drive, we would not have quite enough room for everyone to be comfortable (Daddy’s legs were a little cramped because of Owen’s car seat behind him).

That said, I think it would be a great choice for Daddy! Both kids do fit and there is plenty of room in the trunk. The “other” car in the driveway needs to be able to be used as a family vehicle too, but maybe not all the time. Daddy would have fun driving this without looking like he’s driving a “mom” car, while still being able to pull Daddy duty!

Have you driven a Mazda CX-5?