Once upon a time, we received box after box of men’s underwear to review.
Next, came the invitations for spa treatments to reverse the signs of aging and lull us into deep states of relaxation.
Well, now, apparently we’re in our New Car Era because auto brands have begun reaching out for us to give our stamp of approval on the latest and greatest models in their lineups.
So, now that we’re getting to experience so many cool vehicles, we’re proud to launch the new Must Cruise section of He Said Dallas. You’ll find a selection of our past car reviews, but we will also begin regularly featuring the latest and greatest four-wheel finds.
To kick off this new section, we’re excited to introduce you to the Mazda CX-50 Hybrid Premium Plus. Not only was our 8-day test drive our first-ever Mazda experience, it was also the first time we’ve gotten behind the wheel of a hybrid.
First and foremost, we are completely sold on the hybrid aspect. We drove 220 miles over the eight days we had the car and didn’t even use half a tank of gas. Our regular car almost depletes an entire tank at that point.
But beyond the practical and economical, we truly loved all the comfort and tech features of the Mazda CX-50 Hybrid.
Bluetooth Apple CarPlay makes navigation and access to our SiriusXM satellite radio app such a breeze. Wireless charging keeps us juiced up, too.
One feature we missed out on while driving this car is one we wish we’d known about, but next time we’ll access it immediately. Through the MyMazda app, you can find your car, lock and unlock the doors and even start the engine—all from your AppleWatch or iPhone. Hello, Jetsons!
Even Alexa comes standard. Check your calendar, ask to start navigation, change the cabin temperature or play your favorite playlist.
The roomy backseat let us tote around three friends very comfortably, and our two dogs got to spread out when we took them for an open-moonroof joyride around Dallas.
In fact, the only downside we experienced with this car is a truly American problem, we suppose. The positioning of the cup holders prevented us from using our super-size Stanley because the gear shift gets in the way when parked. How’s a gay man supposed to get his 40-ounce iced coffee fix?
Otherwise, we found the overall driving experience to be far superior to even more expensive cars we’ve owned or leased over the years. We genuinely have nothing negative to say about our debut Mazda experience.
Except the fact that they didn’t let us keep the CX-50 Hybrid forever.
Mazda CX-50 Hybrid Premium Plus
From $33,970
$41,926 (the specific model we drove)
mazdausa.com
