Best Car for Safe Driving | Thriftanista in the City

10.21.2015

Best Car for Safe Driving

DriveShop generously provided me with the use of a Mazda CX-5  for a short period of time. I'm excited to share my thoughts about an affordable car with amazing safety features. The opinions I have shared are my own.

I love you Atlanta and I need to get something off of my chest. Driving out here scares the crap out of me. My week long adventure driving a 2016 Mazda CX-5 was the safest I've ever felt while navigating the traffic, darkness, and winding roads of my new city.

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Major car accidents are reported on the news practically every day. Being cut off in traffic is a normal occurrence. Texting and driving? I've seen it all and it has made me a little nervous about driving. When I first arrived, I didn't drive beyond what was necessary. I've found my footing somewhat. It can still be a nerve wrecking experience for me but I don't shy away from it. I'm getting use to it and just make sure I'm being a responsible driver.

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When I inquired about reviewing a car to coincide with my two day adventure at Fabulous, I only asked that the car be affordable and able to accommodate a car seat for the babes. In the one week, I drove back and forth during rush hour and late at night so that I can hang out at Fabulous. Yikes! Traffic insanity. Then I did some routine trips out with the family going to dinner, thrifting, and exploring.

The car delivered to me offered so much more than I was expecting. The safety features blew me away. It's no surprise the Mazda CX-5 compact sport utility vehicle was a 2015 IIHS Top Safety Pick.

The Best

I especially loved the Blind Spot Monitoring alerts when a car was in my blind spot or it was unsafe to change lanes. The Mazda CX-5 has tons of radar sensors and measured the distance between my car and the car ahead and used a visual warning to recommend a comfortable following distance if I encroached upon the recommended distance.

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I was super impressed by the Adaptive Front-lighting System as well. The headlight beams turn to improve visibility around corners. The winding streets in Atlanta are very dark so I greatly appreciated this perk in the tech package.


The Bad

The biggest issue I had with this car was the navigation system that was delayed most of the time in the car. My car doesn't have a navigation system so I don't know if this is how it works with vehicle navigation systems. I'm used to Google Maps and ended up using my phone connected via the Bluetooth to navigate.

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Also, the doors are super lightweight and I left the doors and the trunk open several times. There was a visual alert of an open door or trunk but I never noticed until I was already on the road.

The Everything Else

Affordability and safety are what I look for most when choosing a car.  This car is up to par in both those areas. Starting manufacturer's suggested retail price is 21,795.

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The MSRP for standard equipment is $28,220 and includes blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alerts safety features -- the features I was most impressed with. It also has other goodies like rain-sensing windshield wipers, power sliding-glass moonroof, heated side mirrors, heated front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, Bluetooth® hands-free phone and audio capability, Mazda Advanced keyless entry, and much more!

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The navigation system and adaptive front lighting are available in the tech package and adds an additional cost of $1,505. The tech package also includes LED lights and Smart City brake support, and auto-dim mirror with Homelink.

The gas mileage was very good with an EPA estimated fuel efficiency of 33 miles per gallon highway / 26 mpg city. You'll save $1,250 in fuel costs over 5 years compared to the average new vehicle. Personally, I only used a ½ tank of gas in the week I had it for my normal errands of school drop and shopping plus the 117 miles going back and forth to Fabulous alone!

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In summary,  Mazda CX-5 is a great car with amazing safety features. There's lots more to know about the Mazda CX-5 and I highly recommend following @MazdaUSA on Twitter or hashtag #DriveMazda for the the most current information and more reviews.

Do you drive a Mazda? What's your experience?

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