It’s good to keep an eye on the various special reviews and rankings that are coming out all the time in the auto industry, as various cars usually manage to stand out from other models in the same market segment due to their exceptional value in certain areas. The 2016 Mazda CX-5 was known to be a good model for a while, and now critics are confirming this with various reviews as well, including the recent move to mention the crossover in the recent Editors’ Choice Awards by “Car and Driver” magazine.
The model has been noted as an excellent choice for families in particular, with its high-raised back seats and other special features that should improve the riding performance for everyone. In the rear, owners will find square cargo areas, which should further add to the model’s convenience in certain circumstances.
It’s also a vehicle that should work very well for general daily use as well, as it comes with various added utility features that should be noticeable over a long period of use. It even has some features that bring it over into the sports cars area, and it actually performs quite well on the road, perhaps even surprisingly well for its looks.
Under the hood, it has a 2.0 liter engine powering a front-wheel-drive transmission, and it’s offered in a stick shift configuration as well. There’s also a variant with a 2.5 liter engine, AWD, and an automatic transmission instead, which might be a better option for those investing in a car that’s primarily going to be used for family purposes.
The 2016 Mazda 6 was similarly noted for its qualities by the magazine, and it’s also described as a pretty capable family vehicle, despite the obvious problem of it being a sedan. It’s not so much of a problem as it is an inconvenience really, as sedans don’t tend to be popular among family car owners for various reasons.
And yet, the Mazda 6 seems to be an exception to that, as it offers a great configuration of features for someone using it in such circumstances, and it comes with fantastic looks and solid handling. Its appearance has actually been improved quite a bit over the company’s previous models, and that doesn’t just go for the exterior – the car looks really nice on the inside just as well.
All in all, Mazda scored a big number of titles this year, more than the majority of their competitors. Honda were really the only company that managed to come close to Mazda in terms of their reception on the market, especially by critics. It’s clear that Mazda are well in touch with the current trends and know how to bring out releases that interest their potential buyers.
Both vehicles are also the first models by Mazda to feature the new Mazda Mobile Start feature. Priced at $500, it gives the car a more thorough integration with smartphones, allowing the user to practically control every feature of the vehicle through a mobile device.
The feature is available through all standard Mazda dealerships, and it also comes with a one-year subscription to the Mazda Mobile Start App, available at the iOS App Store and Google Play. The app costs $65 annually, which some have commented is a bit too high for a service of this type, but people seem to be interested in it to some extent. However, it maybe wouldn’t hurt the company to revise their pricing plans into something more reasonable.