Car critics tend to love the Mazda CX-5. It provides all the day-to-day practicality of a small SUV but has an edge most competitors don’t — sporty handling that makes it fun to drive. A certified pre-owned CX-5 can be a great way to get an affordable daily driver you enjoy owning, get it with a warranty, and get it for a bargain price.
The compact SUV space is crowded with good vehicles like the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, and Nissan Rogue, but the CX-5 has them beat in the fun category and offers an upscale cabin.
Mazda Certified Pre-Owned
Every certified pre-owned (CPO) Mazda CX-5 is under six years old and shows less than 80,000 miles on the odometer. A certified technician conducts a 160-point quality inspection before certifying it, and the vehicle must have a clean vehicle history report to qualify.
Extended Warranty
Because a dealership has inspected the car in detail, Mazda covers a certified pre-owned CX-5 with at least 12 months or 12,000 miles of warranty coverage. Even better, if the 3-year/36,000-mile new vehicle warranty still applies, this extended coverage doesn’t kick in until the original warranty expires.
The powertrain (meaning the engine and transmission — the expensive moving parts) is covered for seven years or 100,000 miles from the vehicle’s original sale date. Emergency roadside assistance is included for the same length of time (or mileage). Should you sell the car during that time, the warranties transfer to its new owner — which helps you sell it for more. Mazda charges no deductible for covered repairs and even throws in a 3-month trial of SiriusXM satellite radio.
Premium Cabin for an Affordable Price
Critics love Mazdas for two reasons. One we’ll get to in a minute. The second is their cabins, which consistently feel more expensive than their sticker price justifies. From the driver’s seat, the CX-5 looks almost like a luxury SUV – particularly if the model you’re looking at has leather upholstery.
Sharp Handling
Plenty of compact SUV buyers just want to get to work and back with no drama. The CX-5 will do that for you, just like most of its competition.
What sets it apart is its sharp reflexes. This one is fun on a winding road in a way no Hyundai Tucson or Ford Escape can be. The secret is Mazda’s G-Vectoring system, which brakes each wheel independently to minimize body roll. Some luxury cars have it, but no other affordable SUV does.
Available All-Wheel Drive
If you’re shopping for an SUV, you may be looking for the added grip of all-wheel drive (AWD). Mazda makes it standard on all its current SUVs, but it was still optional during the 2020 model year. If the model you’re looking at is a Grand Touring Reserve or Signature trim level, AWD is definitely there. If it’s something else, you’ll have to check — but it’s worth it if your regular driving involves snow or ice.
Optional Turbocharged Engines
Nearly every affordable compact SUV has a 4-cylinder engine with around 180 horsepower. The CX-5’s base engine fits that description, giving you 187 horses (though it’s normal for used cars to have lost a little oomph over the years).
But Mazda also offers a turbocharged 4-cylinder with 227 horsepower with regular gasoline and 250 with 93 octane premium. It’s not necessary for most drivers, but it’s a lot of fun if added power is important to you.
Mazda also offered a 2.2-liter 4-cylinder turbodiesel, making 168 horsepower in 2020. It was an extremely slow seller, so you’re unlikely to find it on CPO lots.
Standard Safety Features
Every 2020 CX-5 came with Advanced Smart City Brake Support with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist, and a rearview camera.
Excellent Safety Scores
The 2020 Mazda CX-5 earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s highest award, Top Safety Pick+ status. It received a score of “Good” — the Institute’s highest — in every crash test. The IIHS gave the base headlights an “Acceptable” score, and the upgraded headlights found on the Grand Touring, Grand Touring Reserve, and Signature trims earned a “Good” score. The CX-5 earned “Acceptable” for ease of use of its LATCH child safety seat anchors. The 2020 CX-5 also earned a 5-star safety rating from National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration.
More Mazda CX-5
You can read our full review of the 2020 Mazda CX-5, but also keep in mind vehicles up to 6 years old are eligible for certified coverage. If a certified pre-owned CX-5 sounds like the perfect fit for your budget and driving needs, then check out the CPO Mazda CX-5 models offered for sale near you.
