Counterpoints

As an auto writer, I should hate that Mazda is building another compact crossover, but the CX-50 is just so damned pleasant. Longer, lower, and wider, the CX-50’s design, inside and out, speaks to me more than the CX-5’s. Both enjoy skillful chassis tuning, a gutsy 2.5-liter turbo, and a six-speed automatic rather than a CVT. So I can accept that Mazda fields a CX-5 and a CX-50. But if it’s considering a CX-500, that had better be a diesel, manual station wagon. —Joe Lorio

I usually find drive modes annoying because they tend to amplify unpleasantries—stiffer, jumpier, twitchier. But we always check to see whether a mode makes a difference at the track (they rarely do in mainstream vehicles). So I was pleased when Sport mode put a little pep in the CX-50’s step. Activating it shaved 0.2 second from the otherwise lazy amble off the line—even with a brake-torque launch. Now I am left wondering why Mazda didn’t make the Sport tune standard. —K.C. Colwell