ArcaMax

But it's the little CX's optional engine, or version of it, that really stands out. It's the same size (2.5) liters and type (an inline four) but with a turbo boosting its output to 250 horsepower and 320 foot-pounds of torque.

So equipped, this Mazda can get to 60 in 5.7 seconds.

It also goes almost as far on a gallon of gas -- 22 mpg city, 30 mpg highway -- as the standard (non-turbo'd) version goes, which is 26 city, 33 highway. You exchange 3-4 mpg for almost 60 more horsepower, which isn't a bad trade-off.

The standard 2.5-liter engine (without the turbo) also goes a little farther on a gallon than the slightly less powerful version (186 horsepower) of that engine in last year's CX-30 went, which was 24 city, 31 highway. That's a gain of about 2 mpg, and a gain of 5 horsepower, which isn't a trade-off at all.

On The Road

Crossovers are fundamentally about practicality.

But that doesn't mean they can't also be fun, at least a little bit.

Mazda puts more effort in here than most. Echoing the Miata, Mazda's popular sports car, the CX's suspension tuning invites pushing it a little. The steering feel has just the right weight to it. Everything syncopated and focused not on the getting-there so much as having a little fun getting there.

Also: This Mazda's six-speed automatic doesn't have too many gears (just six) and so it does not have to shift down -- and back up -- as often as automatics with eight (or more) speeds.

At The Curb

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