2020 Mazda CX-5 Garners Car And Driver 10 Best Status For A Third Consecutive Year

Repeating its accomplishments from 2018 and 2019, the Mazda CX-5 has once again earned the lofty status of a Car And Driver 10 Best winner.

Only this year, accomplishing that feat was much more challenging. No longer will Car And Driver have a separate category for 10 Best Cars and another for 10 Best Trucks & SUVs. All vehicles are lumped in together – only 10 winners now; not 20.

Notoriously critical, Car And Driver's 10 Best competition is fierce. All new and significantly revised vehicles are entered into competition with reigning 10 Best winners, and all vehicles are priced under USD $90,000. This year, that meant the CX-5 faced off against 91 direct and indirect competitors.

In 10 Best, there are no categories, only a recipe for victory. "Every winner must deliver exceptional driving engagement," Car And Driver says, "offer indisputable value and/or practicality, and fulfill its mission better than any of its competition." 

To put it simply, becoming a 10 Best vehicle is hard. It's difficult. It's challenging. Most vehicles don't come close. But the CX-5 is on a three-year winning streak.

Why?

Here are five of the reasons Car And Driver cited in this year's edition.

• "It's just more perfect than everything else its size."
• "Once you've driven a CX-5, everything else in this class feels clumsy and burdensome."
• "With effortless and accurate steering, a controlled ride, and a carefully crafted interior, the CX-5 compares favourably with entry-level models from luxury brands like BMW and Mercedes."
• "Mazda's continued commitment to building classically attractive, luxuriously appointed, satisfying-to-drive vehicles doesn't stop when a hatchback car becomes a high-roof crossover."
• "Mazda offers a quick-footed turbo version of the 2.5-liter, which adds some serious sportiness to your lifestyle."