Post sponsored by Green 4 Motor Company

As a growing family who love days out and exploring the country, it is essential that we can get to our destinations in a comfortable and safe way.  As we make most of these journeys by car, we are always keen to explore the options for travel.  So when we were given the opportunity to review the new Mazda CX-5 Family Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) from Green 4 Motor Company over the recent bank holiday weekend, we were really pleased to have the chance to try the car out for size.

Adventure awaits

We have recently become a one car family, and with my husband Greg working mainly from home for the past 15 months, it had made financial sense to let one of our cars go.  It has been a while since we have test driven any other vehicles, and as a former Mazda owner, Greg was particularly keen to get behind the wheel.  We took delivery of the CX-5 on the Friday evening, and we had planned a busy day out that would give us the chance to test the features of the car fully.

Plenty of boot space

We set out on the road on Saturday morning, and we had chosen to head for North Wales.  The first thing that really impressed us about the CX-5 was the amount of space inside the boot.  As a family of four, we rarely travel light and so it was important that the in-car space was plentiful.  The car had a large amount of space that easily held our day’s belongings, and the boot would be perfect for a couple of suitcases or several holdalls if we were heading for a break away for a week or two.  The automatic opening tail gate was also a bonus, perfect when carrying lots of items.

A very comfortable ride

The first part of our journey involved a fair amount of traffic as we tried to enter Wales with what seemed like most of the West Midlands!  It did however give us a chance to test some of the comfort features of the car.  The leather seats gave the car a luxurious feel, and even though we didn’t test them the seats were also heated, perfect for cold, winter mornings!  The boys had plenty of space in the back, and their car seats fitted well, giving decent leg room for them both.  The front passenger seat also had plenty of leg room, meaning that the sit in traffic queue didn’t feel uncomfortable.  It also gave us the opportunity to test out the in-car entertainment and having remembered to pack our USB drive full of music, the Bose 10-speaker sound system provided us with great tunes to listen to as we made our way slowly across the border.

Reassuring safety features

We finally managed to get on our way once the initial traffic had cleared, and it was during this next leg of our journey as we headed for Bala and Capel Celyn that we were able to try some of the safety features of the CX-5.  Mazda have really made good use of technology in the car to ensure the safety of all passengers, and we particularly liked the ‘heads up’ display on the windscreen that was visible to the driver.  Without taking your eyes off the road, you can see the current speed that you are driving at and the speed limit of the road you are on.  This works in conjunction with the integrated satellite navigation system, and is highly intuitive, updating the speed limit as you move into different zones on the road.  This is particularly useful when driving on unfamiliar roads as we were at this point.

Other safety features which really impressed us on the CX-5 were the lane assist notifications, which indicates to the driver if you have drifted across the lines of the road at all.  There are also overtaking warning lights built into the wing mirrors, helpful for checking blind spots on motorways.  Another smart feature of the CX-5 linked to the speed monitoring is a small light on the speedometer that changes depending on the limit of the road.  If the limit is 70mph, a small light appears next to the 70mph marker on the speedometer so that you can see if you have reached this.  The light moves when the speed limit changes, so that you always know what speed you should be limiting to.  This was a very clever feature for ensuring a smooth drive.

We reached our first destination, Capel Celyn reservoir, and after a couple of hours on the road snaking our way through the peaks of Snowdonia National Park, it was a great chance for the boys to stretch their legs and explore the countryside.  We then updated the satellite navigation system once again and set a course for our ultimate destination of the day – we had promised the boys a trip to the beach, and they were very excited!

User-friendly infotainment system

After a quick pit stop for some snacks and drinks, we then made our way to Harlech beach on the west Wales coast.  The inbuilt display screen is a very generous 10.25″ in size, and we were really impressed with the speed at which the system was able to re-route us around the odd bit of traffic or obstruction that we encountered in our journey.  It was easy to find locations, and Olly was very impressed with the graphics that were displayed, with local landmarks and the sea being graphically represented! Controlling the infotainment system was also highly intuitive, with a small jog and push wheel controller located by the gearstick.  This was very easy to control and enabled us to flip between navigation and other on-screen features easily.  

Cameras make parking a doddle!

We also really loved the front and rear cameras for parking, and probably the feature that we were most impressed with here was the all-around camera angle which allowed us a 360-degree view around the whole car when manoeuvring in car parks and reversing.  All in all, we felt incredibly safe in the CX-5; we felt that Mazda hadn’t left anything to chance in the design features of the car.

As we headed for home after a busy day of exploring, sandcastles and paddling in the chilly sea, we again made our way through the Welsh hills in comfort.  With two sleepy boys in the back, the satellite navigation guided us smoothly home, and with our tank of fuel still lasting well within the mileage of our round trip, we were a tired but happy family who parked up at home after a wonderful road trip.  The Mazda CX-5 had been a terrific family car for us, and we thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of our weekend out in it.

We loved the Mazda CX-5

With all the features included in the car, our overall verdict is that the Mazda CX-5 is a fantastic SUV for a family like us to travel in.  The comfort of the car is very good, and the safety features and storage space make it a fantastic vehicle for days and weekends out or longer road trips away.  The drive was very smooth, and the car handled motorways and main roads just as well as it took on the twisting and rolling Welsh countryside lanes.  The infotainment system was as good as any we have seen in any car and the CX-5 got the definite thumbs up from our car-mad boys.  The CX-5 was a fantastic family car that we were very sorry to have to hand back!

The model that we reviewed was the GT Sport SkyActiv-G 2.0 Petrol 6-Speed Manual Front Wheel Drive edition in Soul Red Crystal Metallic paint.