The latest arrival to the Zoom-Zoom family and the first to fully incorporate the full suite of SKYACTIV® technologies, the all-new 2013 CX-5 has earned Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) its 16th overall Drivers’ Choice Award, as announced by MotorWeek at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show.
Expected to go on sale in early Spring 2012, the compact crossover SUV offers the best highway fuel economy of any SUV sold in North America at 35 miles per gallon (mpg) and features class-leading overall fuel economy performance versus its direct competitors.
“The 2013 CX-5 is entering the fiercely competitive SUV market with a very pronounced ‘knock’ on the door,” said Jim O’Sullivan, president and CEO, MNAO. “To be honored with an award naming CX-5 the best of its segment exemplifies Mazda’s spirit for creating purposeful vehicles for consumers who expect nothing less than passion, performance and precision in their new car.”
“The CX-5 has both the looks and the fun-to-drive nature we’ve come to expect from Mazda,” added John Davis, host, MotorWeek. “Add in best-in-class fuel economy and available 19-inch wheels and you’ve got a compact crossover SUV that’s as practical to own as it is stunning to look at, making it a real winner.”
The 2013 CX-5 is equipped with a SKYACTIV-G 2.0-liter gasoline engine, which features a 13:1 compression ratio – the highest of any mass-produced car in the world – and delivers 155 horsepower and 150 lb-ft of torque. Available with a SKYACTIV-MT six-speed manual transmission or SKYACTIV-Drive six-speed automatic transmission, the vehicle has a 2,000-pound towing capacity as well as an all-new active torque split all-wheel-drive (AWD) system. Mazda’s first vehicle fully engrained with SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY, the brand’s breakthrough engineering and manufacturing approach to its next generation of vehicles, CX-5 offers unprecedented non-hybrid best-in-class fuel economy for all transmission and drivetrain configurations.
Front-wheel-drive (FWD) models equipped with the standard SKYACTIV-MT six-speed manual transmission are EPA rated with an estimated fuel economy of 26 city/35 highway/29 combined mpg – the highest highway fuel economy rating of any SUV in North America, including hybrids. When equipped with the optional SKYACTIV-Drive six-speed automatic transmission, FWD models receive an mpg rating of 26 city/32 highway/29 combined. SKYACTIV-Drive is standard on AWD models, which return an estimated EPA fuel economy rating of 25 city/31 highway/28 combined mpg.