I was sent on an all-expense paid trip for Mazda. All opinions are 100% my own.
On June 4th, I was invited out to beautiful San Diego, California for the Mazda Press event. They were showcasing the 2017 CX-5 and the MX-5 RF.
Upon our arrival to San Diego Airport, we were driven in a CX-5 to the Rancho Valencia Resort and Spa. What an amazingly beautiful resort! The staff of the resort treated their guests like royalty!
Later that evening, we were greeted with a reception and met the Mazda staff. They were truly warm and welcoming to all of us!
The next morning, we had breakfast and were then given a presentation on the cars, the company’s history, detailing their constant strive to build the best car owner-friendly vehicle. I truly think they’ve accomplished that!
Julian Montousse – Director of Design for Mazda North American Operations (Presenter)
After the presentation, we were then placed in cars for our road trip. Our road trip would take about 2 hours, where we would stop halfway, and switch drivers. My driving partner, Matt, and I were given the MX-5 RF to start out!
The only negative thing I found with this car, is if you’re a bigger, or taller size person, there’s not a lot of room in the car. Other than that, the MX-5 handled wonderfully around tight curves, had incredible acceleration, and the colors of the cars were spectacular!
We drove to Temecula Olive Oil Farm, for some olive oil tasting (I honestly had never heard of such a thing!) and lunch. The scenery was a beautiful desert setting.
We enjoyed tasting different flavors of olive oils, paired with different vinaigrettes. It was truly a unique experience!
After lunch, we changed vehicles to head back to Rancho Valencia. Matt and I drove the CX-5 back. Now, this vehicle was my jam! The entire driver’s side is designed for the driver: heads-up display controls on the steering wheel (these are also on the MX-5 RF). It was spacious, easy to enter and exit the vehicle. It made life easier for me with being that I’m a bigger guy!
The origin of the name heads-up display stems from a pilot being able to view information with the head positioned “up” and looking forward, instead of angled down looking at lower instruments.
Upon arriving back to the resort, we were treated to a meditation session, then dinner. There was a clay sculpting display, where one could opt to try their hand at sculpting, like what was mentioned in the presentation that morning.
Overall, the whole experience was amazing; the resort, the olive oil farm, and the cars!
A few things about the cars:
- Mazda’s engineers focused on the driving experience. Driving should be fun, relaxing, an adventure, not a chore! I felt they really captured that in both models
- Six months is spent on interior design
- The cars were specifically designed with the driver in mind: Insulated frame, to reduce the amount of outside noise, so it’s easier to have a conversation between the back seat and front seat.
- The camera-based feature was a cool aspect of the cars
I really enjoyed my time learning about these awesome cars and my stay in San Diego!
