New Car Update

A little over three months in and I'm still enjoying my new Mazda CX-5. It is comfortable, safe and getting excellent gas mileage at close to 33 mpg in an even mix of highway and street driving.

It did get a jolt of real world experience recently though; someone backed into the car at a local mall, resulting in about $1500 in damage to the rear bumper and quarter panel. The person who damaged the car drove off. That was frustrating, but the repair was done expertly and the car is a good as new.

I've owned (and financed) many new cars in my life, but few have been as satisfying as this car; the only the exception was the Ford Explorer Sportrac that I replaced with this car. I'm amazed at how much technology is now going into even "economy" cars these days. Hands free Bluetooth connections, rear back up cameras, navigation, blind spot warning systems, satellite and HD radio, multiple air bags, leather power seats and more are all often standard equipment. And the power and gas mileage these cars are getting is amazing. It remains to be seen how these engines will hold up in the long run though with the heat and high compression they produce.