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" On-Sale Date: February 2012  Price: $20,000\u2013$26,000  Competitors: Honda CRV, Ford Escape, GMC Terrain, Kia Sportage  Powertrains: 2.0-liter I4, 160-hp (est.), 155 lb-ft; six-speed auto or manual; FWD or AWD EPA Fuel Economy (city/highway): 24\u201327/31\u201334 (est.) What&amp;#039;s New: A compact crossover designed to infuse Mazda&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;Zoom-Zoom&amp;quot; spirit into the mainstream, the CX-5 will be introduced at the Frankfurt Auto Show on September 13. Rarely are the words &amp;quot;all new&amp;quot; used as truthfully as they are when applied to the CX-5. From its Kodo design language down to its lightweight chassis and Skyactiv engines and transmissions, the CX-5 is a harbinger of a coming throughout the Mazda brand, with an emphasis on weight reduction, fuel efficiency and fun-to-drive character. The CX-5 replaces the Tribute\u2014essentially a warmed-over Ford Escape\u2014in Mazda&amp;#039;s lineup, and it represents a new direction in product development for the company&amp;#039;s post-Ford era.  Tech Tidbit: The Skyactiv gasoline engine&amp;#039;s 13:1 compression ratio and Atkinson cycle technology yields exceptional efficiency in both output and fuel economy (the FWD base CX-5 may achieve 30 mpg in the EPA combined metric). In other markets where regular-grade gasoline is rated at higher octane than it is in the U.S., the ratio is actually 14:1. However, Mazda says most Americans won&amp;#039;t buy a car that demands premium fuel, and even 13:1\u2014will run on regular-grade 87 octane fuel at a small loss in peak output\u2014is exceptionally high. It was designed in parallel with a 2.2-liter twin-turbo diesel that runs at a relatively low (for diesel) 14:1 compression. With this engine, the CX-5 could be a leading candidate to fulfill Mazda&amp;#039;s pledge to offer diesel in the U.S. in the 2013 model year. (The other leading candidate is the next-generation Mazda6.) Driving Character: Mazda aims to cut the weight of each of its products by 220 pounds by 2015, and our drive in prototype CX-5s shows that the weight reduction can benefit driving feel as much as fuel economy. It&amp;#039;s the most engaging compact crossover we&amp;#039;ve driven, with great steering feel and responsive handling, good control of body ride motions and a general sporty character you&amp;#039;d never expect in this class. The engine&amp;#039;s broad torque band, the new transmissions and the reduced weight work together to deliver good acceleration (we estimate 0\u201360 mph in the low 8-second range). Though you won&amp;#039;t mistake the CX-5 for a performance car, we never felt the need for a six-cylinder as we often do in other compact crossovers. Favorite Detail: The new six-speed transmissions are driver&amp;#039;s pleasures. Drawing inspiration from the MX5 Miata&amp;#039;s terrific manual shifter, the engineers deliver on the promise of short throws and crisp shifting action. The automatic combines technologies from traditional slushboxes with the character of more responsive dual-clutch transmissions. It selects the right gear nearly every time, making the manual mode seem all but unnecessary. Driver&amp;#039;s Grievance: Noise control isn&amp;#039;t the car&amp;#039;s strong suit. The prototypes we drove in Iceland let too much road roar into the cabin (though that might have been the product of summer tires and the country&amp;#039;s coarse roads). There was also more wind noise than we&amp;#039;d like. To improve forward visibility, Mazda mounts the exterior mirrors away from the A-pillar, and we suspect that the wind coursing through that gap may be part of the problem. We&amp;#039;ll keep our ears open when we get to drive U.S. spec cars on all-weather tires around the time of the pre-Thanksgiving L.A. Auto Show. The Bottom Line: Compact crossovers have become so common that it&amp;#039;s a breath of fresh air to climb behind the wheel of one that caters to the driving enthusiast. The technologies that make this possible will spread throughout the Mazda range (beginning with a version of the Skyactiv gas engine in the 2012 Mazda3). Those who worry that rising fuel-economy standards will suck all the fun out of driving need look no further than the CX-5 for evidence to the contrary. And the diesel CX-5, with a 5200 rpm redline and abundant torque, could arrive 18 months after the gas version and be a very worthwhile addition. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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