The Santa Ynez Mountains are just to its northeast and are the home to many wineries producing excellent wines. Of note, Santa Barbara sits on a south-facing section of coastline and enjoys very sunny weather. Ocean front Santa Barbara sits in California’s central coast. The CX-5 got a touch over 30 mpg for the 100-mile trip which bettered the EPA highway rating of 27 mpg by 10%. This “slower” highway driving made for lower fuel consumption. Posted speed limits along Route One are mostly 45 mph and 55 mph with couple spots at 65 mph. Along the way Malibu made for a good lunch break location on the nearly 100-mile drive. If you use 93 octane you’ll get 250-hp and increased torque for even more performance.Īfter a couple days in Santa Monica we drove up the coast taking the very scenic Pacific Coast Highway, California Route 1, to Santa Barbara. Take note that the 227-hp engine rating is with 87 octane gasoline. Mazda prides itself in delivering an engaging and lively driving experience in its vehicles. There are a lot of SUVs on the market that might best have the “S” for Sport left off of their designation. With 227-hp coming from its 2.5-L turbo engine and a 6-speed automatic getting the engine’s power and torque to all four wheels the CX-5 is plenty responsive and fun to drive.

2021 mazda cx 5 review