Mazda CX-5 Review: Traveling Mom Gives Her Approval

Recently I had the opportunity to travel to the city of Dallas, Texas for a Conference.  It’s a place that I had never visited before and I planned to be driving and exploring the big city on my own and connecting with local bloggers.  I knew I needed a pretty smart guide to help me navigate the city and find all of my planned attractions and friends to visit.

DriveShop reached out to me to explore the city in one of their vehicles, a Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring and share about it with you. The Dallas Visitors Bureau provided me with a City Pass to explore the City of Dallas. All opinions expressed are my own about the vehicle and sites.

Mazda CX-5 The Perfect Sized SUV

Driving around the city, traveling with friends and with luggage in the back of my car I knew I needed a car that had enough space.  It was so convenient to have the Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring and quite frankly felt like a luxury.  Knowing that Mazda ranks high in design and fuel efficiency I was certainly expressed with my experience driving the vehicle.  The Mazda CX-5 comfortably seats five plus your gear with more rear legroom, passenger volume and cargo volume.  I wish I had the kids with me on this trip because it would have been a perfect fit for their carseats and all the treasures that come with kids and luggage.

Did you know that the 2016 Mazda CX-5 was named a 2015 Top Safety Pick Plus by the IIHS when equipped with available Smart City Brake Support?

Smart Break Support

Available Smart Brake Support helps minimize or possibly prevent frontal collisions when driving at speeds over approximately 10 mph. The system automatically applies the brakes if it determines that a collision with an obstruction ahead is unavoidable.

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A post shared by Kim Vij (@theeducatorsspinonit)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Having so much fun driving this Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring around Dallas sight seeing #ad #mazda #travelbloggers #drivemazda @driveshopusa #driveSTI #driveshop #travel #dallas @mazdausa

A post shared by Kim Vij (@theeducatorsspinonit) on Aug 1, 2015 at 5:18pm PDT

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Here we go! Off to visit the George W. Bush Presidential Library in @visit_dallas today with my @citypass Still can’t believe I had the chance to meet @laurawbush on Saturday at #fsSPLASH15 #ad #DallasBIG #travel #travelbloggers #americanhistory #museum #presidentiallibrary @thebushcenter #mkbkids

A post shared by Kim Vij (@theeducatorsspinonit) on Aug 3, 2015 at 9:09am PDT

Dallas Road Trip with Friends

I had the chance to visit with blogging friends around Dallas while I was there.  One trip was to the George W Bush Presidential Library.  It was a treasure to see all of the US history held within the walls of the library.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Any guesses where I am? Using a Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring FWD to explore @visit_dallas today. At 103 degrees the air conditioning is amazing in the car and this special spot at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science #ad @driveshopusa #driveshop #drivemazda #DallasBIG #travel #travelbloggers #downtown

A post shared by Kim Vij (@theeducatorsspinonit) on Aug 3, 2015 at 2:53pm PDT

Downtown Travel with Mazda CX-5

I had thought it would be fun to go to the Perot Museum of Science and Natural History while I was driving through downtown.  Texas summers can get a big hot and finding an indoor museum was a smart choice!  I was impressed by how quickly the air conditioning cooled down in the Mazda CX-5 in the heat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Exploring the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in @visit_dallas with my @citypass #ad #DallasBIG love how it has so many different floors with several exhibits. My kids would love this. Remembering to pack extra clothes for the kids area outside with running water too. #citypass #museum #travel #travelbloggers #mkbkids #kbnmoms #vijfamilyroadtrip #trekarooing

A post shared by Kim Vij (@theeducatorsspinonit) on Aug 3, 2015 at 4:12pm PDT

The museum itself you could have spent hours and hour there exploring with your kids.  I only had a little bit of time before my flight be home. With the help of the navigation system I was on my way to the airport in on time and back home to see my kids.  So sad they didn’t get a chance to explore Dallas with me, next Texas trip we’ll be using our Dallas CityPASS to explore together as a family.

Extra Help During Rush Hour with Mazda CX-5

I’ll admit I live in a pretty small city in Florida so Dallas rush hour traffic on the freeway was a bit busy to me, but totally manageable.  The side mirror indicators in were so incredibly helpful as I navigating my way to the airport and throughout my days around Dallas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Survived rush hour traffic in Dallas. Loving the side mirror indicators in this Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring and navigation controls so close to me to make it feel like I’m making safe choices in this busy traffic. #ad @driveshopusa #driveshop #drivemazda #safedriver #travel #smartdesign #rushhour @mazdausa

A post shared by Kim Vij (@theeducatorsspinonit) on Aug 3, 2015 at 4:30pm PDT

• Mazda Advanced Keyless Entry
• Bluetooth handsfree capability
• Bose Centerpoint Speakers
• HD Radio with Pandora and XM Sirius Satellite Radio
• Mazda Navigation System
• Rearview camera
• Audio menu voice command

This experience with the 2015 Mazda CX-5 left me and my peers in love with the vehicle.  I have a feeling when it’s time to trade in my minivan this will be the car of my choice.  Perfect size with tons of luxury features for my family of 4.

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Disclosure: A big thank you to my friends at DriveShop for loaning the vehicle to me to use.  I did not receive any compensation for this post.  All opinions expressed are my own.