Popular Mechanics - USA (2019-05)

39

HOW MANY TIMES do we have to tell you? Drive a
Mazda CX-5. Seriously. Please. We know you’re
considering that other thing, but just humor us and
drive the CX-5. Then, if you want something else, fine.
But the Mazda CX-5 is awfully hard to beat. You could
have argued, last year, that maybe it needed a more pow-
erful engine, some kind of option for drivers who desire
a turn of speed that the perfectly zesty 2.5-liter natu-
rally aspirated engine can’t deliver. Done: There’s now
an available turbocharged version, with 250 horsepower
and a bruising 310 lb-ft of torque. There’s also a new Sig-
nature trim with an interior that would befit any Euro
luxwagen, decked out in brown nappa leather and lay-
ered wood trim. It’s so loaded, the only options are snazzy
paint jobs (which are also of luxury-car quality). But
this isn’t just a posh, isolated
cruiser. The CX-5 is wonder-
ful to drive. One statement

MAZDA CX-5

of intent: There’s no CVT trans-

mission, because Mazda decided

CVTs aren’t fun. The CX-5 even

uses its stability-control system to

enhance driving pleasure, cutting

torque on turn-in and braking the

outside tire as you straighten the

wheel. You don’t notice any of this

happening—you just perceive that

the car feels good to drive. This is

really our platonic ideal for a cross-

over: the material quality, features,

and behind-the-wheel gratification

of a luxury ride, in an affordable

car that’s not begging for badge-

snob attention. Drive a Mazda CX-5.

Seriously.

CROSSOVER OF THE YEAR

SPECIAL

ACHIEVEMENT

IN BRAKING

IRON BRAKE rotors

blacken your wheels with

filthy dust. Carbon brakes

are expensive. Now, there’s

an in-between option:

Porsche Surface Coated

Brakes, which use iron

rotors coated in a 0.1-mm

layer of tungsten carbide.

You get 30 percent more

wear, 90 percent less dust,

and shorter stopping dis-

tances. Oh, and if brakes

could brag about how little

dust they throw, this is

how they’d do it: Cars with

PSCB rotors get white-

painted calipers.

PORSCHE

SURFACE COATING

PRICE

$28,490

POWER

228 hp (premium

fuel), 258 lb-ft

of torque

WE’D ORDER

IT WITH

Manual transmission,

plaid cloth interior

LAST YEAR, Vol k s wa g e n
announced that in 2026 it’ll
debut a new generation of internal-
combustion engines. Which will also
be its last, since V W is going big on
electrification. We suspect they won’t
fiddle too much more with the GTI,
which is still the reference point for
the genre it created. If a GTI doesn’t
make you smile, your face is broken.

HATCHBACK OF THE YEAR

BAS E PRI CE

$26,795

POWER (2.5T)

227 hp (regular gas),

250 hp (premium),

310 lb-ft of torque

S TI LL

WAI TI NG F OR

The twin-turbo diesel