The novel coronavirus, or what we know now as the COVID-19, left us no choice but to get holed up in our houses and do indoor activities instead of driving around and visiting places like we used to. That’s fine. We need this, and it’s the very least we can do to help not spread the disease.
As a silver lining, I am able to catch up with the other thing that I love doing apart from writing and listening to music: watching movies. I am not a film critic – not that I pretend to be – but I know a good movie when I see one. While watching the second movie installment of Sex and the City, I realized one thing – cars are like movies; movie genres to be more specific.
There are the classics, like the Jaguar MK, which can be likened to The Godfather – a classic mafia movie that I will continue to enjoy over and over again. Then there are the classics that have modern versions or continuations like Star Wars, which I think is a perfect parallel to the Ford Mustang. Now, whether the latest Mustang and Star Wars movies are up to par with the old ones, that would be entirely up to you.
Minivans and midsize SUVs, on the other hand, are like family movies made to be enjoyed by the whole kin. Whether your family car is an Enteng Kabisote or a Tanging Yaman, again, it is entirely up to you. On the other end of the spectrum, mind-boggling movies like Netflix’s The Platform or the Oscar-winning Parasite cater to a selected few who can understand the plot fully, just like your Porsches and Ferraris.
Crossovers tend to be more of a chick flick. Chick flicks, as defined, are movies about love and romance that appeal mostly to young women. Now, I’m not saying that crossovers are solely for women but they indeed have an appeal to the gender for reasons I’m not sure of.
Among the crossovers you can buy in the Philippines, the Mazda CX-5 isn’t your regular chick flick. Most chick flicks lack substance, or might even lack depth or creativity in its story. Those hold true for some crossovers, especially the smaller ones. Some may look attractive, to the point that it can even elude male buyers into checking out these small SUV-esque machines – but not the CX-5.
You see, the CX-5 may look pretty on the outside, but after testing it for a full week, I’ve come to realize that even its entry-level variant is filled to the brim with features that you won’t find in some of its rivals at the same price point. At P1,730,000 for its front-wheel-drive Pro variant, the CX-5 already comes with a full array of LEDs and leather-trimmed power-adjustable front seats plus other convenient features like rain-sensing wipers, power-folding side mirrors, brake hold, automatic headlights, auto-dimming rearview mirrors, all one-touch power windows, and dual-zone climate control. These little things matter, just like the small things that make a great movie.
And it doesn’t end with features, mind you. The CX-5’s driving dynamics is one of, if not the best out there. Its 2.0L inline-4 engine produces enough power to pull its laden weight, plus, considering its size, it handles like a small car. You can thank its G-Vectoring Control for that, which is present across all CX-5 models. Yes, even the entry-level variant.
The CX-5 is an overall good car. It is the The Notebook of crossovers – still a chick flick but has the depth and substance of a great film. After all, when did chick flick go out of style? That’s right – they don’t.
