I went out today and took three test drives, back to back to back. My Mazda dealer sits across the street from the local Toyota dealer. I wanted to get a good handle on how the new 2014 2.5L stacks up against the 2013 2.0L and the just released, redesigned Toyota RAV4, XLE level. All had six speed automatics. Drove all three on the same roads.
The RAV4 felt pretty tame. It is a nice vehicle, with more interior space than the CX-5. It has 3 driving modes, ECO, normal, and Sport. The differences are subtle but there. ECO held higher gears longer, Sport held higher RPMs in the same gear longer and had a more responsive feel to the steering wheel. Seats were comfortable. Dash layout was good. The new transmission shifted smoothly. It's a very nice general purpose SUV which would very good for around town or on trips. But it wasn't much fun to drive. It had decent acceleration but didn't have much punch. Around turns it was well behaved but was well short of feeling like you were sticking to the road and zipping out of them looking for the next turn. Honestly, I was bored within the first mile. I wasn't taken by the styling. If I had one I would appreciate it's comfort, utility, and reliability, but I wouldn't look forward to driving it.
I'd driven a 2013 2.0L CX-5 before. I find it comfortable too. I like the dash but maybe it isn't quite as stylish as the new RAV4. The transmission shifts were more noticeable (not quite as smooth) as in the Toyota. It wasn't quite as quick as the RAV4 up an interstate-like entrance ramp. But on turns it stuck better and felt quicker coming out of them. The engine sounded like it was working harder. When using the select shift in pseudo-manual mode, I felt like I had a little more feel of the road than when I did the same in the RAV4. It was more fun to drive even though it wasn't quite as quick. I think it looks better than the Toyota.
Then it was into the 2014 2.5L CX-5. I know others have reported feeling only subtle differences, that wasn't the case with me. There was definitely more power up hills and coming out of turns. You could feel that torque coming on at reasonable RPMs. When I accelerated up the entrance ramp, it threw me back more into my seat than the 2.0L or RAV4. Combined with the better handling and wider tires, it was much more fun to scoot through twisty curves at speed. Certainly still not like driving a Miata, but so much more fun than the RAV4. The leather seats were nice too and I'm usually not all that particular. I recently drove a VW Jetta Sportwagen with the TDI diesel. I would have to say that the Jetta was even a more sporty ride through curves and over hills, but the gap wasn't that great.
I could see going with the RAV4 if one wants a people mover with great utility. Reliable. Peppy enough. Safe.
But if you enjoy driving. If you sometimes like to slice through a curve and sometimes choose to take the back roads instead of the interstate, then the CX-5 is far more likely to put a smile on your face. And still be a well-mannered commuter.
The RAV4 felt pretty tame. It is a nice vehicle, with more interior space than the CX-5. It has 3 driving modes, ECO, normal, and Sport. The differences are subtle but there. ECO held higher gears longer, Sport held higher RPMs in the same gear longer and had a more responsive feel to the steering wheel. Seats were comfortable. Dash layout was good. The new transmission shifted smoothly. It's a very nice general purpose SUV which would very good for around town or on trips. But it wasn't much fun to drive. It had decent acceleration but didn't have much punch. Around turns it was well behaved but was well short of feeling like you were sticking to the road and zipping out of them looking for the next turn. Honestly, I was bored within the first mile. I wasn't taken by the styling. If I had one I would appreciate it's comfort, utility, and reliability, but I wouldn't look forward to driving it.
I'd driven a 2013 2.0L CX-5 before. I find it comfortable too. I like the dash but maybe it isn't quite as stylish as the new RAV4. The transmission shifts were more noticeable (not quite as smooth) as in the Toyota. It wasn't quite as quick as the RAV4 up an interstate-like entrance ramp. But on turns it stuck better and felt quicker coming out of them. The engine sounded like it was working harder. When using the select shift in pseudo-manual mode, I felt like I had a little more feel of the road than when I did the same in the RAV4. It was more fun to drive even though it wasn't quite as quick. I think it looks better than the Toyota.
Then it was into the 2014 2.5L CX-5. I know others have reported feeling only subtle differences, that wasn't the case with me. There was definitely more power up hills and coming out of turns. You could feel that torque coming on at reasonable RPMs. When I accelerated up the entrance ramp, it threw me back more into my seat than the 2.0L or RAV4. Combined with the better handling and wider tires, it was much more fun to scoot through twisty curves at speed. Certainly still not like driving a Miata, but so much more fun than the RAV4. The leather seats were nice too and I'm usually not all that particular. I recently drove a VW Jetta Sportwagen with the TDI diesel. I would have to say that the Jetta was even a more sporty ride through curves and over hills, but the gap wasn't that great.
I could see going with the RAV4 if one wants a people mover with great utility. Reliable. Peppy enough. Safe.
But if you enjoy driving. If you sometimes like to slice through a curve and sometimes choose to take the back roads instead of the interstate, then the CX-5 is far more likely to put a smile on your face. And still be a well-mannered commuter.
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