While Mazda might not sell as many cars in the United States as other Japanese car manufacturers, the brand is steadily becoming increasingly popular. Many people who have purchased a Mazda in the past love having a vehicle that fits into their budget, suits their personal needs, has a high degree of reliability, and handles like a much more expensive sports car.

The 2021 Mazda CX-5 is a perfect example of this. Its price tag is surprisingly low, especially when you look at the overall quality of the vehicle and how many delightful features come standard.

What the 2021 Mazda CX-5 brings to the table

The Mazda CX-5 has kind of been the unsung hero in Mazda’s pack of vehicles. The company’s pride and joy is the recently developed CX-30. While the CX-30 is a nice vehicle, the truth is that the CX-5 deserves a great deal of love. 

Rate Hub revealed that the 2019 CX-5 was one of the top 10 SUVs in Canada. The following year, Cansumer ranked the 2020 Mazda CX-5 as the fourth-best compact SUV. Cansumer described the 2020 Mazda CX-5 as a fun vehicle to drive and was pleased with the amount of comfort and space inside the cabin and that it was a nice and safe SUV.

The 2021 Mazda CX-5 is in the same generation as the 2019 and 2020 models, but that doesn’t mean it’s an exact replica. Mazda made some impressive tweaks that many drivers will love.

The most obvious change is that there are some new color options available this year. Other changes you’ll love include getting Mazda’s off-road traction assist system as a standard feature. The 2021 CX-5 produces fewer CO2 emissions while getting better gas mileage than earlier years. 

How reviewers have responded to the 2021 Mazda CX-5

Simply put, most reviewers have been impressed with the 2021 Mazda CX-5. 

“That puts the CX-5 in line with the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, and Nissan Rogue, all of which are viable competitors,” Andrew Krok wrote in his MSN Auto review.

“However, the CX-5’s biggest rivals are pretty milquetoast, offering little in the way of an interesting drive. The Mazda might be a little low on cargo space compared to the rest, but the tradeoff is a compact crossover that’s engineered with more than rote transportation in mind.”

He wasn’t the only one who was pleased with the vehicle.

“The 2021 Mazda CX-5 is an excellent compact SUV for those who appreciate luxurious styling, a solid powertrain, and dynamic handling first and foremost,” Guillaume Rivard stated in The Car Guide write-up. “It continues to evolve and improve, and that’s great.”

Consumer Reports gave the 2021 Mazda CX-5 an overall score of 83 out of 100. It scored a 78 out of 100 on the road test, on the consumer satisfaction review four out of five, and a five out of five for predicted reliability.

The biggest complaint that most reviewers had with the 2021 Mazda CX-5 was that there wasn’t much storage space in the cargo area.

Giving you a luxurious vibe on an economic budget

One of the things that sets the Mazda CX-5 apart from the competition is Mazda’s attitude regarding features. Many car companies barely install any features in the base-level trim option. Companies hope that the lack of features will convince buyers to look at more expensive models.

Mazda takes a different approach which is why you’ll enjoy many features that make the base-model 2021 Mazda CX-5 feel like a luxury vehicle. The features you’ll find on even the most basic 2021 CX-5 include Advanced Smart City Brake Support, G-Vectoring Control Plus, a 10.25-inch infotainment screen, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, automatic LED headlights, All-Wheel Drive, Mazda Radar Cruise Control, blind-spot monitoring, and 2 USB charging ports.

The starting price of the 2021 Mazda CX-5 is $25,270. Not a bad price for a car that is fun to drive and comes with a ton of standard features.