2013 Mazda CX-5 bravely takes on CR-V, Escape

— -- Mazda is about to join a fight so vicious you have to question the automaker's sanity.

Not only that, but the Japanese car company has decided to start from scratch, not only creating a new vehicle, but also basing it on the newly developed and challenging technology blueprint that Mazda calls Skyactiv.

The result is Mazda's 2013 CX-5, a small crossover SUV due in February to battle entrenched favorites Ford Escape and Honda CR-V, both of which are getting overhauls and therefore, presumably, will be even more popular.

Perhaps Mazda also could try standing on its head, humming Ride of the Valkyries while hitting fastballs off Yankee closer Mariano Rivera. Just to keep things interesting.

Hoist one to game Mazda for heroic effort.

But "tsk" a bit sadly to note that the CX-5, a technical stunner, isn't likely to be a home run among small SUVs.

Short take: Handles great; needs more power.

But there are many aspects that make CX-5 worth considering.

•Where does it fit? Mazda swears it will continue to sell the CX-7, also a small SUV, even though the CX-5 represents a major investment to fit it to the Skyactiv template.

•What's Skyactiv? It's Mazda's name for a suite of features intended to boost fuel economy while enhancing driving fun and safety.

CX-5 is first to get the whole nine yards.

The Skyactive gas engine uses a very high compression ratio, which results in more power, but includes some magic around the edges to make it run OK on regular fuel.

The six-speed Skyactiv Drive automatic uses a small torque converter for the smooth starts that you don't get from increasingly popular dry-clutch automatics. Once rolling, the gearbox locks into mechanical-drive mode. That eliminates the drag and power loss caused by a conventional fluid-filled torque converter that remains in play most of the time.

Skyactiv materials and construction techniques also cut weight at least 220 pounds for each new model. There's no previous CX-5, so Mazda notes that it is at least that much lighter than the CX-7.

•What makes it handle so sweetly? Skyactiv's remarkable attention to chassis details, changing suspension pivot points and tire angles from what would have been the normal layout on a small SUV, and reconfiguring the underbody layout.

Worked well. The preproduction, all-wheel-drive CX-5 tested around the Los Angeles area, including a spirited run along the snaking, hilly Angeles Crest Highway, was composed under hard acceleration and deceleration, danced through tight, fast corners with little body lean, steered quite well, and delivered its modest amount of power smoothly and with enthusiasm.

Caution: The ride's a bit jiggly over some surfaces. The driver, being entertained by the vehicle, overlooks it, but passengers might not.

•What's wrong with the engine? Despite the efficiencies that should come from Skyactiv design, the 2-liter four-banger is rated just 155 horsepower, or a hefty 30 hp less than rival CR-V, on sale Dec. 15.

The 2013 Escape, coming early next year, also trumps it, offering an expected 168 hp in the base engine, 173 hp in the optional 1.6-liter turbocharged engine and a bracing 237 hp from the 2-liter turbo.

CX-5 is likely to prove more fuel-efficient, but enough so to sacrifice the joy and safety that power brings?