2024 Mazda CX-5 Turbo Signature: Will It Dog?

The 2024 Mazda CX-5 has effectively been around, with a few refreshes, since 2017. It’s perennially praised as one of the better-driving and prettier small SUVs on the road. I concur that it still looks good. It’s also dog-friendly but not exactly dog-optimized.

I have to admit I’m not quite as enamored with this car’s driving dynamics as my industry colleagues seem to be. My old buddy Travis Okuski went so far as to say “If you need the room of a crossover but still want something that can feel sporty, the CX-5 is the best one to drive this side of the Porsche Macan.”

This Mazda provides a decent driving experience, and yeah, the paddle shifters let you squeeze some essence of sportiness out of it when you get a back road to yourself. But I can’t say this was a car I itched to fire up as it sat in my driveway. Still, as daily transport with good comfort and great design? It’s totally solid.

Featured Dogs

Bramble's appearing solo this week. She's becoming more of a diva every day — she's even on YouTube now.

Interior Materials and Layout

The CX-5 has a completely traditional cockpit and interior configuration. Bench seat in the back, two buckets up front, center-console shifter in the middle with clear and simple controls between driver and passenger.

This brings me to another disagreement I have with other reviews I’ve seen, calling the CX-5 interior “dated.” I think it’s great! Mazda’s got a classy small screen up top for Apple CarPlay and infotainment, but all your key controls (climate, volume, drive modes) are easily within reach at all times as nicely shaped physical buttons.

There are some tracts of glossy black plastic, but most of the materials have a much warmer and more elegant look to them. The Nappa leather on the Signature model I tested has a soft yet robust feel to it. The center console didn’t seem easily scratched by paws or claws.

Touch surfaces, on the Signature at least, are all pretty darn nice if slightly light-feeling. But this model’s almost $10,000 more than the base CX-5, so make sure you scrutinize the cabin carefully and make your own judgments if you’re test-driving a lower spec.

Speaking of which—this Turbo Signature model is the top of the range, and pretty spendy listing just over $40,000. You do get the trappings of a real luxury car for your money—legitimately nice seats, heated front and rear seats, cooled front seats, high-quality leather, and clean and quick infotainment. I think the main value proposition here is that you get that luxe essence without, in theory, the running cost of something from a brand like BMW or Mercedes. Personally, I would rather buy something like a used last-gen X3 and pay a little more for parts and service. But I understand the appeal of this car.

In the back, you can fold the rear seats down to make a large cargo area or keep them in place and still have decent storage space behind the second row.

Climbing In and Out

The CX-5’s rear doors open wide, making plenty of space for even large animals to get in and out. However, the back seats are also pretty high off the ground. You’ll need a somewhat athletic pet to jump themselves in or out of this thing. Same goes for the cargo area.

Bramble here, with months of agility training, powerful hind legs, and the spryness of youth, was hopping in and out of the side doors no problem. But even she had to get a bit of a run-up to hop into the hatch. There’s not an abundance of space in the rear footwells, but smaller dogs might be able to hop up that way before getting to the back seat.

Driving With the Dog

Bramble generally behaved herself in the back seat of the CX-5, and the rear windows rolled down plenty low enough for her to get her snout out for low-speed sniffs. However, she did avail herself of the center console, using it as a stepping stool to sneak up on me a few times when she wasn’t belted.