2019 Mazda CX-5 Signature - Inching Ever Closer to Perfection

Does a crossover really need to be good to drive, or is mere competence good enough to win buyers? Most carmakers settle for “good enough,” and yet they keep selling.

Mazda, of course, doesn’t settle. Performance is baked into everything it offers. I’m certain that if Mazda offered a panel van, some fool out there would start racing a Mazda Los Pollos Hermanos truck.

Thus, I had high hopes when a turbocharged crossover was announced. Already the best-driving crossover available, the 2019 Mazda CX-5 Signature adds power and class to family hauling perfection.

I could likely cut and paste my review of the naturally-aspirated CX-5 from a year ago, using find-and-replace to amend any mention of power. The CX-5 remains the best-looking small crossover by far, with just a few plush touches to justify the Signature label. Few details on the exterior betray this Signature from lesser models – only a tailgate badge.

As an aside, while the Snowflake White Pearl finish on this CX-5 Signature is quite attractive, I’d like to publicly request to Mazda’s public relations team to start stocking press fleets with cars painted something other than white or a variation on Soul Red. This is the ninth Hiroshima product I’ve had the privilege of testing on these fine digital pages, and they’ve all been white or red.

The interior has a few new touches – the heated front seats now add ventilation for my sweaty tail, a lovely shade of dark brown for the Nappa leather seats, and handsome wood trim on the dash all add a touch of class. The rear seats now have heat, as well.

Most notably, Mazda finally adds Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity to the familiar infotainment system. The touch/click/spin wheel mounted on the console is growing on me; with the familiarity a new-car buyer would gain within a few weeks, it seems to be a more precise and less-distracting method of adjusting audio and navigation controls.

The big change is the turbocharged 2.5-liter engine. Adding (at least) forty horsepower over the naturally aspirated base engine, a whopping 310 lb-ft of torque is available barely off tickover at 2,000 rpm. Should the 227 hp not be adequate, spring for 93 octane unleaded and the full potential of 250 hp will make itself known.

Your cheapskate author did not spring for premium fuel. If we had facilities for instrumented testing, I might – but few are buying a CX-5 Signature for drag racing. The extra power is nice when merging into traffic, and especially when making a pass on a country two-lane.

Mazda sticks with a six-speed automatic transmission, while most of the competition has moved on to eight or more forward cogs. No matter, really – the powerband keeps the shifting to a minimum, making for more pleasant cruising compared to eight- or nine-speed ‘boxes that constantly hunt for the ideal gear.

That’s where the CX-5 is simply brilliant. It’s elegant to look at, great to drive, and easy to live with. Mazda has been steadily moving upmarket with its entire lineup – where it was once a mainstream brand chasing a volume it could never quite manage, Mazda has shown with impressive cars like this CX-5 Signature that it’s worthy of a “premium” brand label.

I can’t think of a compact crossover, no matter the price tag, that I’d rather live with.

[Images: © 2019 Chris Tonn/TTAC]