The IT Nerd

In my review of the Mazda3 Sport GS, I got the chance to try the Mazda Connect infotainment system, and I had this to say during part 4 of my review:

After several days of using Mazda Connect, I am going to declare that this infotainment system has replaced Chrysler’s UConnect system as the easiest to use infotainment system on the market today. If I were Mazda, I would take this system complete with the HMI and use it in everything that they make. I would also promote it to death and get people to use it. They will find it to be simple to use and it works exceptionally well. Kudo’s to Mazda for coming up with this system.

I say that because Mazda came up with a system that is quick to learn and very easy to use. The system comprises the following components:

A touchscreen that is mounted to the top of the dash as is the case here. This particular screen is 7″ in size.

Then there’s the HMI (Human-Machine Interface) Commander Switch behind the shift lever. The controller is surrounded at the front by five buttons: Audio, Home, and Navigation along the top, and Back and Favorites on either side. Next to the commander is a rotary volume knob that can also be pushed in to mute the audio system.

The user interface for Mazda Connect is suited to the use of the HMI commander switch:

As you can see, it has five icons on a curve which is a natural metaphor for the use of the HMI commander switch as you can use the HMI to move to the function that you need without having to think to much about it. The functions that you get are:

• Applications: When I tested this system in the Mazda3 Sport GS, it had a HD Traffic Map, fuel economy monitor, an app to let you know when to service the car, and another app that gives you guidance on any warnings that the car generates. Other apps can be added to Mazda Connect once they become available.
• Entertainment: When I tested this system in the Mazda3 Sport GS, it had Aha Radio (which allows you access to Facebook and Twitter), Stitcher Radio along with Pandora. All of these work with apps that are installed on your smartphone to bring you Internet radio to your car. You also get Bluetooth audio as well as the ability to plug in two USB devices such as a pair of iPhones so that you can have lots of music on long drives.
• Communication: This function allows you to make or receive phone calls, or grab messages from supported phones. This is also where you can pair your phone to the system via Bluetooth and it takes seconds to do.
• Navigation: This function which is powered by TomTom Nokia HERE will help you get from point A to point B easily.
• Settings: This will allow you to customize the system to suit your needs.

Below each icon are one or more menus that are easy to navigate in a up and down fashion. Plus you can use the HMI as a joystick by pushing the entire knob in whatever direction you need to quickly navigate through sub menus. The net result is that this is a very natural way to navigate a system that could easily be complex and overwhelming for the average user. Besides the HMI Commander switch, you can also use the 7″ touchscreen to do what you need to do as well. However all touch functions are disabled when the car is in motion. That’s a very good safety feature. There’s also voice commands that are quick and easy to learn as well.

Anyone I exposed Mazda Connect to was able to figure out how to use it in a minute or two and they never had to open the manual to do so. That highlights how well designed this system is as one of the top frustrations from car owners is how complex infotainment systems can be. Another thing that Mazda gets points for is how smooth and fluid the system is. All the graphics move smoothly and everything is quick whether it be moving between menus or plugging in your iPhone to play tunes. It is clear that Mazda put a lot of time and effort to make sure that every aspect of this system is perfect.

Mazda has a winner in the form of Mazda Connect. It’s only available in the Mazda3 as far as I am aware, but one hopes that it will make its way into other Mazda vehicles soon. It’s truly something that will drive sales towards Mazda vehicles when prospective customers try it out.

The Mazda3 Sport GS that I’m driving this week has one key piece of technology that I am going to focus on. That’s the infotainment system. But before I get to it, let me talk about the safety technology that comes with the car:

• You get anti-lock brakes, traction control, stability control
• You get dual front air bags, dual front side air bags and dual side air curtains

Then there’s the fact that you get auto-off headlights and keyless entry w/push-button ignition which makes life easier. But the real star of the show is the infotainment system called Mazda Connect. It’s got a 7″ touchscreen that sits on top of the dash. That’s much bigger than the 5.8″ screen that comes with the Mazda CX-5 or the Mazda6. As an aside, the first time my wife saw it, she said that it looks funny just sitting there on top of the dash like that. My response was “if this were a BMW 3 series or a Mercedes Benz B Class, would you make the same comment as they do exactly the same thing with their infotainment screens?”

There was no response as she knew I had a point.

You can use the screen to your heart’s content unless the car is in motion. In which case the touchscreen gets disabled for your safety. Thus if you need to adjust something, you need to use Mazda’s HMI (Human-Machine Interface) Commander Switch behind the shift lever. It’s a knob with redundant buttons around the sides that is quick to adapt to and use. You can use rotary, push and tilt operations to do what you need to do. It works very well and I adapted to it very quickly. There’s also voice commands that worked well to allow me to do things such as make phone calls.

Now the user interface is geared towards the use of the HMI as it has large icons and clear text to let you know what each function is at the top level. The menus below them are equally as clear. That allows you to figure out where everything is quickly. Now you get controls for the entertainment, communications, navigation, and an application section along with a setting section that allow you to change the settings of the system. Moving around the infotainment system is easy and fluid.

Now one thing that I would like to point out to you is the application section. My test car had apps for the HD Traffic Map, fuel economy monitor, an app to let you know when to service the car, and another app that gives you guidance on any warnings that the car generates. Other apps can be added to Mazda Connect once they become available.

In terms of entertainment, you get Aha Radio, Stitcher Radio along with Pandora. All of these work with apps that are installed on your smartphone to bring you Internet radio to your car. You also get Bluetooth audio as well as the ability to plug in two USB devices such as a pair of iPhones. One thing that I loved was the fact that once you plugged in your phone (in my case an iPhone 5s), the playlists and songs on the phone were almost instantly available. That was in stark contrast to the system that Mazda uses in the CX-5 or the Mazda6 where it could take minutes to accomplish the same thing. The sound from the six speaker audio system was decent. But those who are serious about their audio will want the optional Bose audio system with 9 speakers. Now there’s one other trick that’s interesting. You can use Aha Radio to access your Facebook and Twitter accounts. It’s not something that I would do, but Generation Millennial I am guessing would be very interested in this functionality.

The navigation system (which is powered by TomTom Nokia HERE) is easy to enter destinations into and the directions it gives are clear. Though it doesn’t read out the street names. It however makes up for that by displaying the names of streets at the top of the screen regardless of what mode you happen to be in. Still, having street names read aloud would be nice.

It also has these features:

• 2D or 3D perspective for landmarks and city views
• On-screen speed limits
• Advance notice of upcoming exits and appropriate driving lane

All of this makes the navigation system easy to use and you’ll appreciate having it.

One final thing, it took me a minute to pair my iPhone 5S to the system and I believe anyone can do it without a problem. You can also get your e-mail and receive and send text messages from your phone if you’re so inclined.

After several days of using Mazda Connect, I am going to declare that this infotainment system has replaced Chrysler’s UConnect system as the easiest to use infotainment system on the market today. If I were Mazda, I would take this system complete with the HMI and use it in everything that they make. I would also promote it to death and get people to use it. They will find it to be simple to use and it works exceptionally well. Kudo’s to Mazda for coming up with this system.

The final part of this review will tie up some loose ends and I’ll give you my final verdict.

You’re looking at the Skyactiv 2.0 L engine inside the Mazda3 Sport that puts out 155 horsepower and 150 pound feet of torque. A six speed automatic transmission takes the power from the engine and uses it to motivate the front wheels. Now my head knows what the spec sheet says, but my right foot and the seat of my pants weren’t convinced. That’s because the Mazda3 Sport felt way more powerful than than what the numbers would suggest. Off the line there was plenty of power on tap. If I needed to pass another car on the highway, all I needed to do is put my foot down and I could blow by the slower vehicle. The transmission was completely smooth and always had me in the right gear. Handling is first rate. You sit low in the car (in fact it feels like you drop into the car when you get in) so you can fully feel what the car feels which allows you to duck and dive between cars on the highway with ease. At the same time, it’s exceptionally easy to handle at slow speeds such as what you would find in a parking lot. I keep saying this every time I drive a Mazda vehicle, but the weight of the steering is perfect and the suspension is absolutely perfectly dialled in. It filters out anything that would be jarring, but it lets the right amount of road feel through to the steering wheel. But what really got my attention is the fuel economy. So far in mixed city and highway driving, I am getting 7.9 L/100 KM. Mazda’s SkyActiv suite of technologies that encompasses the engine, transmission, and body are clearly coming through to give you plenty of Mazda’s trademark “Zoom Zoom” while saving you gas. If you want to go into finer details, check out my in depth look at SkyActiv technology here. But take it from me it works exceptionally well in the Mazda3 Sport.

The only thing that makes it way into the cabin in terms of sound is some wind noise at highway speeds. Tire noise is at very low levels on most surfaces. There is a growl from the exhaust under acceleration that sounds cool, but disappears when the Mazda3 Sport is up to speed. That’s a very nice touch. Visibility is also good from the drivers seat. The rear window is on the small side, but that didn’t really affect my ability to see out the back. Though I had to play with the position of my rear view mirror to feel truly comfortable. Other than that, there was nothing that impaired my vision in any direction. Finding a position that allowed me to drive comfortably was easy.

Tomorrow, I’m going to give you an overview of the interior which is a very good one. Stay tuned for that.

I love compact hatchbacks. I love the fact that they give me the performance and handling of a car with the ability to load more cargo than I would be able to with a car and it’s a shame that there’s not a lot more choice in the marketplace. Mazda has an very good entrant in that segment in the form of the Mazda3 Sport that I have the latter this week:

The Kodo Design language helps the Mazda3 stand out from the crowd.

The long hood and the way the rest of the car is sculpted looks like it’s moving even when it’s standing still. It also reminded me of a certain hatchback like crossover from a certain Bavarian car company. That’s not a bad thing by the way.

The good looks continue to the rear end where you get cool looking taillights and dual exhausts.

The Mazda3 Sport that I’m driving this week is the GS trim level. Unlike most press vehicles I get, this one doesn’t have every option known to man. That’s a good thing as this is a fair reflection of what one would actually purchase at your local Mazda dealer. But don’t worry, there’s a fair amount of technology in this car that I will be writing about this week.

I’ll be posting a multi-part review that will cover the following sections:

• Engine, transmission, handling, fuel economy, and driving comfort
• Interior
• Technology in the vehicle
• Wrap up

I’m already impressed by the handling, power and the fuel economy of the Mazda3 Sport. Let’s see if that continues for the rest of the week.

So I’ve come to the end of the review of the Mazda CX-5. First let me wrap up a few loose ends. At the end of my week with it I registered a more than decent 9.8 L/100KM in mixed city and highway driving, a lot of which was in rush hour traffic. I should also mention that I did not drive any different or try to save fuel. Also, when compared to my Toyota Matrix AWD, it was roughly 1.3 L/100 KM better in terms of fuel economy. Considering the CX-5 has more power (23 HP more) and is heavier than the Matrix, this is no minor accomplishment. It also shows that Mazda’s SkyActiv technology works to save gas which is appreciated in this age of skyrocketing gas prices.

Now the CX-5 that I am driving retails for $35,095. But you can get into one with a 155HP 2.0L engine and front wheel drive for $22,995 which is less than its competition. Speaking of its competition, you can list the Ford Escape, Honda CRV, Hyundai Tucson, Toyota RAV-4, Volkswagen Tiguan, and Nissan Rogue as its main competitors. But if you look at the standard and optional features that each of those comes with, the only one that can be considered a direct competitor is the Ford Escape. The Ford has multiple engine choices including a 2.0L turbo and like the CX-5 it has the ability to stop itself. But you’ll pay several thousand dollars more than you will with the CX-5. The only other competitor that I’ll mention is the Jeep Cherokee that I recently reviewed. It has an optional V6 and an off road capable 4 wheel drive system. Again you’ll pay several thousand more than the CX-5 and you have to be serious about going off road to make that price difference worth it.

If you’re looking for a compact SUV, you need to visit your local Mazda dealer and test drive the Mazda CX-5. You’re going to find a SUV that has great fuel economy, superior handling, and lots of technology including Smart City Brake Support. Compared to the usual compact SUV suspects out there, Mazda has a winner on it’s hands that I guarantee that you’ll love.

The Mazda CX-5 is filled with all sorts of technology that I have to cover.

Let’s start with actually driving the car. The GT trim level gives you a proximity key with push button start. Thus all you have to do is press a button on the driver’s door handle. Press it and the car will unlock. Get in, hit the start/stop button and drive away. When you’ve reached your destination, press the start/stop button to turn off the car. Then get out of the car and press the button to lock the car. You never need to pull out the key fob to do any of this. But the key fob does have the ability to lock and unlock the doors, plus it has the ever useful panic button. As an added bonus, it has a backup key inside the key fob should you need it.

Now onto the safety features. This Mazda CX-5 comes with a lot of safety features:

• Blind Spot Monitoring: This system keeps an eye out for cars in your blind spots so that you don’t hit them when changing lanes. It works well as the area of detection was large enough to keep me safe, but not so large that it created false positives.
• Smart City Brake Support: Let’s say that you you do not react in time to a car that panic stops in front of you. This Mazda is capable of coming to a stop at low speeds, or slowing down to make the impact less severe. You can get more details on this system here.
• Adaptive Front Lighting System: I wrote about this previously and I have to admit that on some of the back roads that I drive at night, this feature comes in handy. I was always able to see what was in front of me clearly. I should also note that this trim level comes with Bi-Xenon HID headlights as well The lighting can be set to automatic so that you never have to worry about turning the lights on and off. I found that the levels where the lights might turn on to be better than most cars that I’ve driven as on a dark overcast day, the lights would come on in this Mazda. That’s something that would not happen in a lot of cars in similar systems.
• You get anti-lock brakes, traction control, stability control, and electronic brake force distribution
• Finally, you get dual front air bags, dual front side air bags and dual side air curtains

Now let’s move on to the infotainment system. The Mazda CX-5 has a 5.8″ touchscreen that allows you to control the radio (AM/FM and Sirrus), Bluetooth, USB, and Pandora. The latter requires you to have the Pandora app on your smartphone to make this feature work. Though at the moment, Pandora is only available in U.S., Australia and New Zealand. If that changes, the Mazda CX-5 is ready to go. Now this was similar to the Mazda6 that I drove recently with one exception. There was no HMI (Human-Machine Interface) Commander Switch behind the shift lever to make it easy to interact with the touchscreen. Thus you have to use the touchscreen to do everything. I could have used HMI Commander Switch as the touchscreen is sometimes “interesting” to use when someone like me has big fingers as I ended up sometimes pressing more than one thing at the same time. It also attracted fingerprints the more I used it. What makes up for that is a very good voice command system. Tip: there are several tutorials that will help you not only use the system, but pair your phone via Bluetooth. Spend some time listening to them to get the most out of the system. A comment from my wife was that the ringtone generated from the system every time a phone call came in (which I did not find a way to change) was high pitched and jarring. It didn’t bother me though. Thus your mileage may vary on that front.

I plugged my iPhone 5s into the USB port and all my tunes and playlists were accessible. Though I did have to wait about 5 minutes for the contents of my iPhone 5s to be accessible. But in any case, everything worked perfectly. No matter what song I tossed at it, be it MP3 or AAC, it worked. One oddity that I found was that on a few occasions when I plugged my iPhone 5s into the USB port and it finished scanning, it would sometimes not display my playlists. Unplugging and plugging back in would solve the problem (though I will have to wait 5 minutes for the contents of my iPhone 5s to be read again which was annoying). I was able to reproduce this with my wife’s iPhone 5 so this is clearly a bug that Mazda needs to address. Since we’re talking about music, this Mazda has an 9 speaker Bose sound system. I have to admit that regardless where I was in the Mazda, the sound was excellent as the highs and lows were perfect and the audio was well balanced. Phone calls were clear on both ends of the conversation as well. For those of you who still use CDs, there’s a CD drive as well which is located just above the touchscreen.

When it comes to navigation, the system is powered by Tom Tom. Some things I really liked about this system:

• It always asked me if I wanted to use toll roads and high occupancy lanes when coming up with routes. That’s a very nice feature as you don’t have to fish into the options to turn off or on the ability to avoid toll roads. It also offered to avoid roads that were closed.
• Traffic was always accounted for and it would re-route me if it could find a faster route.
• The audio directions are clear and the screen offers guidance as to what lane you should be in.
• Maps can be updated via a SD Card

Now the touchscreen also doubles as the screen for the backup camera. It was easy to manoeuvre into a space as its field of vision was very good. Though I will note that the actual camera is exposed to the elements. Thus I have to wonder what the video quality would be like if the Mazda gets really dirty. Another observation, unlike most cars these days there’s no option for cross traffic alerts (handy in mall environments) or backup sensors to warn you of objects that you might hit while reversing in the CX-5.

The Mazda CX-5 has a lot of technology packed into it. It can stop itself if you don’t react in time, it has great audio and a good infotainment system. It’s going to appeal to many who look at it.

The final part of this review will tie up some loose ends and I’ll give you my final verdict. Watch for it on Friday.

The interior of the Mazda CX-5 is a great place to spend some time in. Here’s why:

The drivers seat is very comfortable. Though it could use some additional bolstering. But that’s me being picky. I suspect that you won’t complain. It’s 8 way power adjustable and is heated. The front passenger seat is also heated but adjustments are manual. As an aside, I really like the leather that Mazda used.

Controls for the mirrors, door locks and windows are on the driver’s door.

Mazda lets all who step into the vehicle know that it comes with Bose audio that I have to admit sounds pretty good.

The release for the flap that covers the gas cap is on the floor in front of the driver’s seat.

Controls for the traction control, blind spot monitoring, setting the tire pressure monitoring system and the adaptive front lighting system are to the left of the steering wheel.

Speaking of the steering wheel, it is leather wrapped. Plus it has controls for audio, phone, and cruse control among other items.

The gauges are simple and easy to read in most lighting conditions.

The center console has a 5.8 inch touch screen, HVAC controls (which are dual zone by the way) and a handy storage area that has a 12V jack. As an aside, the wood accents make this dash look classy.

You get two cupholders behind the shifter (which has a good amount of leather along with the parking brake)….

And as you can see here the cupholders will hold a pair of Starbucks Venti sized coffees. The reason why they’re at two different heights is that Mazda includes a small disk that will boost the height of smaller coffees. Nice touch!

Another nice touch is the center console. It includes this removable tray for change or a proximity card that gets me in and out of my parking garage in my case, or anything else that you might want to have handy.

Underneath that is a deep storage area with a 12V, USB and AUX in ports.

A decent sized glovebox is included.

Overhead, you get a holder for your sunglasses and controls for the moonroof…..

 Which is pictured here.

The back seat will host three in a pinch and you get good amounts of headroom and legroom.

If you don’t need to seat three, the middle section flips down revealing a pair of cupholders.

 The rear seat has a 40/20/40 split that allows you to configure it to hold whatever cargo you have while still seating people.

Speaking of cargo, you get a lot of space for your stuff in the back.

For a bit of perspective, here’s what it looks like with our usual picture of the baskets that we use when my wife and I go grocery shopping.

One nice touch is the 12V jack on the right hand side of the cargo area.

Another nice touch is the handle to remotely flip down the seats and the lights in the cargo area.

The nice touches continues with a handle on the hatch (which is manual by the way) that allows you to close it without getting your hands dirty.

All the surfaces that you touch are soft. Plus the fit and finish is excellent. Everything that the driver could possibly need falls easily to hand as well. In short, everything interior wise is well thought through.

In part four of this review, I will cover the technology in the car. And there’s a lot of it to cover. Stay tuned!

Under the hood of the CX-5 is the Mazda 2.5L SkyActiv engine. It’s a 4 cylinder engine that puts out 184 horsepower and 185 pound feet of torque and it’s mated to a six speed transmission. When compared to most vehicles in this class such as the Honda CR-V, it is completely in line. But I can say that it doesn’t drive like anything else in its class. Power was available anytime I needed it and the way it pulled, it felt like it was way more powerful than the spec sheet suggests.  The six speed automatic transmission shifts gears in a smooth manner and it seemed to be always in the right gear regardless of my driving style. You can thank Mazda’s SkyActiv suite of technologies that encompasses the engine, transmission, and body to give you plenty of Mazda’s trademark “Zoom Zoom” while saving you gas. If you want to go into finer details, check out my in depth look at SkyActiv technology here. But take it from me it works. Not just in terms of getting the CX-5 going, but in saving gas. At the moment in mixed city (with stop and go traffic) and highway driving, I am getting 10 L/100 KM. Given that this a SUV, that is pretty good. Let’s see if that holds up for the rest of the week.

How about handling? For a SUV, it’s exceptional. The weight of the steering is perfect, and there’s a great amount of feel and precision that I typically don’t find in a SUV. I can just dart through traffic with ease. It also corners flatter than an SUV should. Not only that the suspension is absolutely perfectly dialled in. It filters out anything that would be jarring, but it lets the right amount of road feel through to the steering wheel. Impressive!

Another thing that’s impressive is the all-wheel-drive system. The system which is completely automatic and has no buttons to press uses real-time input data on steering angle, yaw rate, lateral G force and engine status to determine road surface and driving conditions. The active torque coupling mounted in front of the rear differential is electronically controlled accordingly, adjusting front/rear wheel torque distribution between 100:0 and 50:50 to deliver optimum drive power to each wheel. To test this, I went to my usual location which is in Belfountain just north west of Toronto. The road in question is a gravel road that has very steep uphills, downhills and sharp turns. It’s usually frequented by the pickup trucks and SUVs that are owned by the farmers in the area. The rough winter that we had really made this road rougher than normal. In the past, it was a challenge to drive this road. Now I feel it’s only recommended for vehicles designed for going off road. My plan was to tip-toe through this road and if I felt that the road was going to be too much for the CX-5, I’d bail out. Having said all of this the CX-5 actually handled this well. I had to go slower than I normally would, and I had one occasion where on one of the sharp turns I lost traction and a combination of a quick correction of the steering wheel and the traction control bailed me out. But it handled it well. I think that this AWD system is best suited for maintaining traction in slippery situations like heavy rain and snow and not for hard core off roading. That’s fine for the target audience of the vehicle.

The only thing that makes it way into the cabin in terms of sound is some wind noise at highway speeds. Tire noise seemed present at low levels which is a pleasant surprise. The exhaust note is a very pleasing growl under acceleration that sounds cool, but disappears when the CX-5 is up to speed. That’s a very nice touch. Visibility is also good from the drivers seat as there was nothing that impaired my vision in any direction.

This SUV drives way above it’s weight class. I am extremely impressed by the Mazda CX-5 thus far. And that continues with the interior, which I will cover tomorrow.

The compact SUV space is a competitive one with lots of entrants hoping to get a piece of the pie. Mazda brings a very formidable vehicle to the fight in the form of the CX-5:

From the front, it has the unique Mazda Kodo Design language that is appearing on all their vehicles.

I must admit that I really like the look of Mazda vehicles. It’s very dynamic and different without being polarizing.

Even from the side, it looks well sculpted. I also like the choice of wheels.

The back looks good as well. It’s topped off by dual tailpipes.

Honestly, you need to go to your dealer to see a CX-5. It looks good in these pictures, but it’s even better in person.

The Mazda CX-5 I have this week is the GT variant and it has every option box checked. So as a result I will get to write about a host of technology and comfort options including Mazda’s Skyactiv technology which saves you fuel while giving you lots of Zoom Zoom which Mazda is known for.

I’ll be posting a multi-part review that will cover the following sections:

• Engine, transmission, handling, fuel economy, and driving comfort
• Interior
• Technology in the vehicle
• Wrap up

Now the question is, will it scare the likes of the Toyota Rav4 or Honda CRV who are the big players in this segment? Let’s find out.