I am a longtime Mazda driver who still owns the Mazda5 and love the look of the Mazda CX5. My only reservation is the mileage. 80% of my driving in the city, and Hybrid models provide much more potential savings.(24 mpg vs 42 mpg). Planning to drive around 6-8 thousand a year. Looks like Hybrid technologies are the way to go. I can get Mazda at a discount today but there is a dealer markup and wait time for hybrid Kia. Want to hear some expert opinions here. Thanks.
Another great option is the Mitsubishi Outlander; under the radar, ultra reliable, born from the DNA of the legendary Panera… and they pretty much plagiarized the Range Rover Evoque exterior. I just can’t stand the uninspiring CVT… it hums along like a lawnmower lol. Slap a SkyActiv 2.5 turbo or any inline 6 in there and I’d swap my CX-5 sig turbo for a Mitsubishi in a heartbeat. Don’t forget, the Japanese take pride in their Mistubishi’s… who were making war planes before they lost WW2.