#drivesti Archives - Look What Mom Found

2015 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring AWD Recap #DriveSTI

August 13, 2014 by Melissa

I have reviewed Kia’s, Ford’s, Mitsubishi’s and now I can add Mazda’s to my list. Back in June we reviewed the 2014 Mazda3 S Grand Touring 5 door which we really liked and this time we reviewed the 2015 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring AWD which was a really nice vehicle.

This is only my second time driving a Mazda and I must admit I really liked how they felt, drove and handled. If I was in the market for a new vehicle I would be buying either a Mazda3 or Mazda CX-5 for sure. But since I am not in the market let me just dream and tell you what I thought about the Mazda CX-5.

The Mazda CX-5 wais loaded and I mean loaded with awesome features like push button engine start (which I love), dual zone auto climate control (which rocks since Melinda is always cold and I am always sweating), bluetooth hands free phone/audio, Skyactive technology, sweet audio system plus a ton of other stuff.

Every vehicle we have reviewed including the Mazda CX-5 has had Sirius satellite radio which never gets old because I love all of the different types of music offered as well as Howard Stern. I also loved the touch screen display with navigation and back up camera so I could see what was behind me.

We are a family of 5 so having plenty of leg and cargo room is essential and the Mazda CX-5 didn’t disappoint. Shaun (11 yrs old) and I are pretty tall dudes (me – 6’3 and Shaun – 5’6) and we fit in the Mazda just fine so that means if we are able to fit and be comfortable anyone can fit and be comfortable. I also loved the leather interior and the front heated seats. It’s summer and hot here in Delaware so I didn’t test the heated seats but after the winter we just had I would have killed for heated front seats, LOL.

The Mazda CX-5 had so many features that I didn’t get to test every single one but I did test as many as I could. I feel it takes months to discover everything that a new vehicle has to offer but like I mentioned I really liked every feature that I was able to test.

Overall the Mazda CX-5 was an awesome vehicle that didn’t disappoint and I would give it 5 stars. It met all of our families needs and wants and didn’t lack in comfort what so ever.

2014 Mitsubishi Outlander #DriveSTI

August 2, 2014 by Melissa

Most of you know by now that I love cars and I love doing car reviews since I have done at least 10 if not more. I don’t care that I only get to keep the vehicle for a week because for that week we like to use them to travel to different places that we have never been to before. During the week we like to put the car to the test and see what we like and dislike about the vehicle.

Three weeks ago we received the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander 2.4 SE S-AWC for review and we really put it to the test. The first test was to drive 625 miles to Charleston SC to catch a cruise to the Caribbean and see how five people plus luggage would fit. I am happy to report that all five of us fit as well as our luggage. The 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander does have a 3rd row but we found that by using that 3rd row it took away from the cargo space ALOT. What we did instead was put all three kids in the second row which was tight and folded down the 3rd row to give us more cargo room which was great since we had a ton of luggage. Don’t get me wrong it was tight (due to overpacking, LOL) and the luggage barely fit but it fit and to me that is all that matters.

The 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander had a lot of nice features and a few that I absolutely hated. The first thing that I loved was the way that the Mitsubishi drove as well as the acceleration. I expected it to be weighed down with the five of us as well as luggage but it moved just fine with no problems.

Another great feature that I loved was the entertainment system which consisted of 7 inch touch screen with navigation and SiriusXM as well as a 710 watt Rockford Fosgate premium sound system (9 speakers including a 10 inch subwoofer with punch control). Melinda and I loved the sound system but not Shaun. While on our way to South Carolina Melinda caught Shaun leaning his head on the back or her seat and every time she would tell Shaun to sit back. The problem was that every time Shaun would sit back in his seat he said the bass from the sound system made him nauseous. I guess Melinda and I like a lot of bass in our old school rap music.

I also loved the power remote tail gate, rain-sensing wipers, fast key passive entry system and the one touch start/stop engine switch. All of these features are not necessary items but let me tell you they are very nice features to have a just add to the overall appeal of the 20144 Mitsubishi Outlander.

There were two features of the Mitsubishi that I understand how and why they worked but I didn’t care for the feature at all.

The first was the lane departure warning system. Like I said I understand why this feature may be important to some but to me it was really annoying. Any time I was just a touch near the lane line the system would notify me with a loud annoying beep. The good thing was this feature was able to be turned off and on with the touch of a button so as you may have guess this bad boy was turned off every time I drove.

The other feature that I liked and disliked at the same time was the adaptive cruise control. I do love using cruise control especially on this trip since it was 625 miles one way but the thing that was a little bit of a pain was the forward collision mitigation. The system would detect when there was a car in front of me (not sure at what distance but it was a good distance away) it would slow the cruise control down until the car in front of me was no longer detected then it would continue back to my set cruising speed. The overall function of this feature I liked but at times the car would slow down at such a rapid pace that it would actually jerk you in your seat. I could understand this is happening if I was on the bumper of the car in front but this would happen when we were maybe 4 to 5 car lengths out. Overall a really nice feature but at time it was a touch annoying for me.

Overall I really really enjoyed the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander and everything that it had to offer. If we didn’t over pack I am sure the cargo space wouldn’t have been an issue for us but that didn’t take anything away from this vehicle. It was packed with more features than I was able to use but every feature that I did use I really enjoyed. It definitely was a very nice vehicle and got us to and from our vacation in style and comfort.

2014 Mazda3 S Grand Touring 5-door Recap #DriveSTI

June 9, 2014 by Melissa

My two favorite smells are pizza and new car smell, LOL. I know that sounds weird but who doesn’t love a new car and how it smells as well as pizza? A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of test driving the 2014 Mazda3 s Grand Touring 5-door and I must say I was really impressed.

I have never driven a Mazda and to be honest I’m not sure that I have ever even driven in a Mazda but I was really happy and enjoyed the driving experience. My typical problem with a new car is it’s difficult learning all the new features of a car but the Mazda seemed like it was laid out really well and it was easy to learn.

This car was loaded with features like leather seats attractive red stitching, satellite radio, Mazda Connect infotainment system, active driving display (shows your speed & navigation on the small flip up screen so you don’t have to look down), navigation, power everything and the list goes on and on. I will say that this Mazda wasn’t lacking when it came to features. It had just about everything a person would need in a car.

Like I said the Mazda was a blast to drive; It handled awesome and the pickup was really amazing. I enjoyed all of the head and legroom that the Mazda had to offer since I am 6’3 and a roomy car is a must.

In addition to the awesome head and leg room the truck was ridiculously huge. As you can see from the below picture Melinda was able to fit $350 worth of groceries in the trunk with no problem at all. We also used the Mazda to go to one of Shaun’s lacrosse games and the truck easily accommodated all of his gear as well as chairs, a cooler and a ton of other stuff that we needed for the day.

We had the opportunity to test how well the Mazda did on gas because Shaun had a lacrosse game 2 hours away one way and let me tell you it did awesome. It was inexpensive to fill and it seemed like it went forever on a tank of gas which is great compared to our vehicles.

My overall experience with the 2014 Mazda3 S Grand Touring 5-door was very very positive and I would recommend anyone looking to buy a new car to give this Mazda a look because it will not disappoint.

We’re still a couple years away from getting away from the minivan but this would be a great 2nd car.

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