10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: 2021 Mazda CX-5 Gets Farther Than Most Fuel-Efficient Cars

If you look out the window at the next five cars that drive by, you’re almost certain to see a small SUV. There’s a ton of competition out there, with more emerging all the time. And to the benefit of anyone shopping compact SUVs, the class leaders are all pretty appealing — which means their manufacturers need to stay on their game if they hope to remain competitive. The updated 2021 Mazda CX-5 continues to stake its claim on a near-luxe cabin and overall fun-to-drive factor, but it gives up precious ground on other fronts.

Related: 10 Biggest News Stories of the Month: Cadillac Escalade, Ford F-150 Battle for Best of 2021

In the most popular Cars.com article of the past week, reviewer Brian Normile acknowledges the CX-5’s formidable strengths but ultimately characterizes its shortcomings as no-gos in a nearly $40,000 vehicle like the top-tier Signature trim he tested. The main culprit is Mazda’s updated multimedia system: While the new setup comprises a welcome 10.25-inch display across all trims, the screen eliminates all touch functionality — even when the vehicle is stopped — with all inputs performed through a frustrating, console-mounted knob.

“There’s a lot to like about the CX-5,” Normile writes. “Its interior is high-quality, if a bit cramped in back, and with the optional turbocharged engine, it has a sportier feel than its rivals. But the switch to a center display without any touch capability is a total deal-breaker for me; I never looked forward to dealing with it, which made driving the CX-5 feel like a chore.”

For Normile’s comprehensive critique, follow the link below to the No. 1 article of the past week.

Coming in a close second place on this week’s countdown is our roundup of the 15 vehicles that get the best gas mileage for the 2021 model year, broken down by gas-only, hybrid and plug-in-hybrid categories. The Mitsubishi Mirage, with its 39 mpg combined rating, ranks No. 1 among gas models; the Hyundai Ioniq tops hybrids with a 59 mpg rating; and the Toyota Prius Prime bests all plug-in hybrids with its 133 mpg-equivalent. To see the other models ranking among the top five in each of the three categories, along with their respective fuel-economy ratings, follow the link below to the week’s No. 2 finisher.

Rounding out the top five articles this week are a trio of stories chronicling Cars.com’s purchase of the vehicle that earned our top annual award, Best of 2021: the Ford F-150. Follow the link below to the No. 3 news story to learn what we got for the nigh $78,000 price tag on the latest member of our long-term test fleet; to the No. 4 story for a recap of the malfunction warnings already popping off just nine days and 242 miles into our ownership experience; and to the No. 5 story for all the rust, er, rest … well, actually, there was rust.

Beyond that, we have headlines on the Acura MDX, Volkswagen Passat, Hyundai Veloster and Hyundai Tucson, so keep reading. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:

1. 2021 Mazda CX-5 Review: A Decent Compact SUV With Deal-Breaking Tech

2. What Are the Most Fuel-Efficient Cars for 2021?

3. We Bought a 2021 Ford F-150: See How Much We Paid

4. Our 2021 F-150 Had Problems After 9 Days, 242 Miles

5. See the Rust Under Our Brand-New 2021 Ford F-150

6. 2022 Acura MDX: 5 Things We Like and 3 Things We Don’t

7. 5 Reasons We’ll Miss the Volkswagen Passat (and 4 Reasons We Won’t)

8. What’s the Most Fuel-Efficient SUV?

9. I Bought a 2021 Hyundai Veloster N

10. 2022 Hyundai Tucson Widens Appeal With Plug-In, N Line Models

Related Video: 2021 Ford F-150 Review

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