Price from £15,000 Our pick 2.0 SE-L Nav
In the pantheon of desirable used SUVs, ranging from the weeny Suzuki Ignis at one end to the mighty Bentley Bentayga at the other, you might think that picking out just one as an exemplar of the breed would be hard work. But as it turns out, it’s surprisingly easy, with the Mazda CX-5 standing head and shoulders above all others.
Now in its second generation, Mazda’s distinctive family SUV has always been one of our favourites. For starters, keen drivers who aren’t ready to sacrifice their ideals on the altar of family-friendly transport will love it for its agile handling. The CX-5 has built up a reputation over the years as one of the better driver’s cars in the SUV sector, and it’s well deserved, with echoes of Mazda’s marvellous MX-5 sports car in the way it can attack roundabouts or dispatch a winding country road. It’s much more fun to drive than larger rivals such as the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento, for example, and more economical than both of those to boot.
Meanwhile, families will love its interior. For the driver, it offers a lofty seating position and easy-to-use controls, including an intuitive dial between the front seats for operating the infotainment system; this is easier and less distracting to use than a touchscreen when on the move. Occupants get to enjoy acres of space, too; indeed, the CX-5’s slightly larger dimensions give it the edge on practicality over five-seat rivals such as the Seat Ateca and Skoda Karoq. Furthermore, the CX-5 is handsomely equipped, robustly built and full of high-quality materials.
Not only does the CX-5 have an excellent reliability record, but when it comes to value, few can match it in any class. What do we mean by value? Well, you can put a 2018 CX-5 on your driveway now in our favoured 2.0 SE-L Nav trim for as little as £15,000 – less than half the price of a new one – while a 2019 example will set you back only around £17,000 and a barely used 2020 model a very reasonable £20,000. At such prices, it easily fends off the likes of the BMW X1 and Volkswagen Tiguan, both of which are far more expensive to buy at the same age.
BEST FOR LUXURY
Audi Q5
2017-present
Price from £20,000 Our pick 2.0 TDI 190 Sport
■ If you want a premium SUV that majors on comfort and luxury, the Audi Q5 is a great choice. It looks and feels wonderfully plush inside, and all the materials on show are top notch and nicely tactile. Meanwhile, it’s blissfully quiet at motorway speeds and rides superbly; indeed, it’s more comforta
