So we got a 2018 Mazda CX-5

The other day, as I parked this candy-red Mazda CX-5 tester, an older European couple came up to me and commented that it’s a good-looking car. They proceeded to ask me if it’s a Toyota, which is when I realised how much brand recognition Mazda has right now. Mind you, they were impressed by the car, inside and out, and they’re folks who were shopping for a Mercedes-Benz.

The CX-5 looks good for a small crossover, maybe nothing special in terms of profile, but livened up with sharp details such as the thin-headlights front-end, huge grille and arching fenders.

Inside, it has the most well-appointed interior in its class, although this is the top-spec model, so we don’t know how the base models offer.

Mazda has improved on the complaints we had with the noisy old model as well. More on that in the full review.