2016 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring

Japanese cars are regarded as the best on the road. Less maintenance, less expensive maintenance, more reliability, and of course the confidence of driving a car that has that kind of well deserved reputation. One of the less well known Japanese brands, Mazda has long been a quality car that in my personal experience is much more fun to drive than the other economy class Asian manufacturers' cars. In fact, Mazda prides itself on being more intuitive and more connected to the road than most economy brands, and from personal experience I 100% agree with them. When you compare the basic facts, Mazda is as reliable as a Toyota, as gas efficient as a Honda, has crash test safety ratings on par with Subaru, and (in my personal opinion) outperforms Nissan in all aspects. If you factor in the driving factors that Mazda's SKYACTIV suite of technology gives you, there's a large lean towards purchasing a Mazda instead.

Good faith disclaimer: I did work at a Mazda franchise dealership about a decade ago, and Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring (highest trim level) was the absolute king of the SUV crossover market. Our most common customer was the ones who did some research on Japanese models, because they'd always had Hondas and/or Toyotas or knew that they're the ones to buy and were just trying to figure out which one was right for them, but in their research the Mazda kept popping up as an equal despite the customer barely being aware of the brand's existence. Without fail, this type of customer was mildly to wildly impressed with the brand, both for it's longevity and enjoyment factors.

Now here in 2025, this CX-5 still maintains its edge on the competition. A powerful but fuel efficient 2.5L 4 cylinder engine that gets 26mpg in the city and 35mpg on the highway but has enough power (184hp/185lbs of torque) to send you zipping along the roads. The wheels translate road feel into the steering wheel with an intensity that makes you feel safer and more in control as you drive, and the seat itself is a phenomenal hybrid of racecar shape and American leather luxury that we've come to expect on our high trim level vehicles. And again with my own personal opinion, the Deep Blue Crystal Mica color on the exterior of this one is one of the best dark colors on any brand of any car on the road that year!

Overall, I'd rate the 2016 Mazda CX-5 10 out of 10 for the model, but with a used car, the individual VIN is just as important. This is a one owner vehicle with 21 service records, and was a local Petaluma vehicle. There is one accident reported, which is an anomaly here at The Car Dad, as we're very meticulous about the quality of our vehicles, so let's break down why we bought this car and are selling it in total confidence. First of all, the damage was to the front of the vehicle and it was against another vehicle, but very importantly the airbags did not deploy. The accident happened in 2018, and the owner kept the car for another seven years, putting roughly 70,000 miles on it after the incident. These factors indicate that the damage was minimal for the type of collision, and that the repairs were done significantly better than our standards would dictate it must be. On top of that, the car went through a rigorous safety inspection (and passed smog) with flying colors, and the car drives almost exactly the way I remember these cars did back when they had 9 miles as opposed to 90k. Of course as always, I recommend you come in and see the car for yourself.
-Henry, The Car Son

"Finding you the perfect ride, just like Dad would."
-The Car Dad