Ride & Handling

The Mazda5's steering response is designed to engage the driver. A turn of the wheel delivers a quick change of direction, and there's a fair amount of feedback. The suspension is on the firm side, but it provides a tolerable ride even on the broken pavement that's prevalent near Cars.com's Chicago headquarters.

    See also:

    Class-leading aerodynamics
    We adopted a new approach, called "airflow management," to optimally control the flow of air. Conventional car designs create a large amount of drag, a loss that adversely affects aerody ...

    Six-Speed Manual Transmission
    Both engines feature a manual six-speed transmission with a compact three-shaft design carried over from the original model. It has triple-cone synchronizers for first, second and third gears, and ...

    An SUV With Zoom-Zoom?
    One of the best things about the CX-9 is its drivetrain. Every CX-9 comes with a 263-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine that teams with a six-speed automatic transmission with a clutchless-manual mo ...