Does it come with a manual option, and is it a Toyota after-thought or does it feel like a genuine Mazda 6spd?

good question, but since its direct injection I’m willing to bet its not totally unusable under 4000rpm

Nice! now if only they could figure out a way to convince over-protective wives to let their husbands get in on the 2-wheels-good bandwagon...

I just got a decent deal on an R9 380 2gb... yesterday. If I had seen this article, I might have saved my money and waited till next year to buy something with more power and more memory.

I have used the sandpaper trick for two scenarios:

Right on. I used to live in Los Angeles and had an even more anemic Toyota Matrix and when I drove over the mountains into Nevada once I did notice a significant loss of power. Turbo definitely makes up for altitude, so the advantage goes to the likes of Audi/VW and the turbo Subarus.

Do you live in Colorado? Just curious, because you make valid points and it is interesting how the conditions you state can be very commonplace for one location (and a detriment to this car), but a non-issue for another state.
For example; I live in Florida where there are no significant elevation changes, and the…

yeah, if you like your cars so hot they spontaneously combust :-x

Agreed. Mazda is full steam ahead on the MPG game ever since the introduction of Skyactiv technology. This is great for the commuter like me (just shy of 300 miles per week), but not so important for you. Hell, if I didn’t have this commute, I’d have bought a WRX for the fun factor.

ah, you hit the nail on the head: you are spoiled by your current car.You may not be happy with the base 2L. And there is nothing wrong with that!

Interesting. 1.5turbo? how many horses?

And you know what? It might be terribly fun to drive. Seriously, the Mazda3 with the 160hp and a 6spd manual is great fun, and the CX5 in the same driveline configuration is not bad at all.

Nothing wrong with that [making it more sporty]. Driving the 2L with a manual is quite fun, but I find myself sometimes wishing for the output of the 2.5L while still maintaining a manual gearbox.
and yes, I am a former “boy-racer”

How are you liking your CX5 so far? I’m 65k miles and still enjoying mine.

This CX5 owner gives you The Nod of approval.

This is the only sore point in recent Mazda history, denying us the 6 wagon. That said, I would take a 6 wagon or the Koeru mentioned in this article. If either drive better than my CX5 and also have 6spd manual, I would be one step closer to practical driving nirvana.

Have faith, it IS Mazda we’re talking about here and not Toyotasaurus or Hondud. The manual will remain an option... I hope.

Dear Mazda and Dave Coleman, I love you guys, and I love my CX5 Sport. I will be holding onto this vehicle until you deliver on your Koeru concept becomes a purchasable option here in the USA.

I thought it was agent Ziva David from NCIS for a second there... in which case I’d agree!

Sooo badly want this engine in my CX5... Drool