Last week, Brad and I headed down to Portland for a couple days (we’ll be talking about this trip later) but for the lovely drive to and from Portland we got to enjoy the 2016 Mazda CX-5.

The Mazda CX-5 is a 5-passenger Crossover SUV. The first thing I noticed about this vehicle was the fun wheels. These vehicles are getting a more aggressive look with each model year and the wheels definitely fit into this look.

The steering wheel features controls for the phone, radio and cruise control. Brad was a huge fan of the adaptive cruise control during the trip to Portland as he could set it and it would adjust based upon the distance to the car in front of us.

The large touch screen is not a touch screen but controlled by a knob in the center console. I actually prefer this to the touch screen because it keeps the screen cleaner and I always touch the wrong thing with the touch screen. I’ve also noticed that more vehicles are moving to this button parking brake which is nice because you can’t over extend it.

The home screen features many selections such as phone, audio, navigation, apps, and settings. Generally I kept the screen on the audio tab because I tend to flip through stations while I’m driving.

The heated seats were super comfy and the dual climate control helped for those moments when Brad was warm but I wanted a bit more heat. The seats had 3 levels of heat, because sometimes you only need a little bit of heat.

These two-toned seats were definitely fun but I would be terrified to have white leather.

One of my favorite features was this trunk cover. It moved automatically with the door which was really cool.

Overall, I enjoyed my week and a half with the 2016 Mazda CX-5. It was a comfortable and smooth ride both in long distances and when we were simply driving around town.

Thanks to Mazda for the opportunity to try out the 2016 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring AWD. All opinions are my own.