The V&R Machine Ownership Diary: Chapter 2

You’ve seen our video finally introducing our 2021 Mazda CX-5 “team car.” It took a while, but now you got a true visual on what the V&R Machine is all about…

Without spoiling anything, we now have the V&R Machine up to short of 19,000 miles. It is holding up very nicely! 

It’s always good to welcome the V&R Machine back to the Saint Paul headquarters. It gives me more time to test out its Certified Pre-Owned self to see about reliability, quality, and overall response to use. Not to mention driving up and down that blasted apron off of the alleyway onto the parking pad. 

It had two stints in my care. The first was a brief one to swap a vehicle I was working with for George to do some video content on it.  It certainly got some use for the day job, taking me to Minneapolis and Bloomington for stories in an upcoming issue. In all three runs, the CX-5 did very well in handling traffic and not being harmed while parked on the street on one occasion. At the end of its brief stay, I swapped it with George again for the next vehicle. 

A week later, George followed me in the CX-5 along with our CX-9 tester to Road America for the Midwest Automotive Media Association Rally at Road America. After we surrendered the larger three-row vehicle, the CX-5 became our transport to and from the track. It was a handy part of our coverage strategy at Road America – all stickered up with our friends from back home on the C-Pillar glass.

One of our communications colleagues from Mazda asked whether the J.W.P. Automotive, Drive Cartel, and Kannonball Rally stickers were “sponsors.” Nope. They’re just friends and supporters. 

While at Road America, we discovered a crack on the passenger side of the windshield. George may have taken on a rock while en route to Elkhart Lake. The crack expanded under the sun at Road America onto a line stretching about five inches from the passenger side A-pillar. Luckily, George reported it to the vehicle’s insurance, and they are covering it. He had the auto body and glass shop leader in the Twin Cities, LeMettry’s, do the work to replace it with a Mazda OEM windshield. 

Our drive back was uneventful. George recently discovered the best route between the Twin Cities and Elkhart Lake via Chippewa Falls, Wausau, Stevens Point, and Fond Du Lac. Driving on that route, we got home at a reasonable time with the sun still up. 

When we returned from the #MAMA23Rally, George had us drive up to Eich Mazda in Saint Cloud, Minnesota to pick up some parts he ordered from them. The V&R Machine now has a cargo cover and net. George now has a supply of the better Moly oil and a proper spec of oil filter for future maintenance. 

The V&R Machine stayed with me through Memorial Day Weekend. I managed to attend one car show in Chanhassen…and that was it. I had to admit being exhausted from a lot of things going into that weekend, so my activity with the CX-5 was quite limited. With traffic enforcement increased in our highways, why risk driving when you’re not 100% to do so?

My latest stint with the CX-5 was uneventful. Yet, it has definitely grown on me, as a great errand runner and a road tripper. There is room for more adventures, but the time will come later on. 

In our video “introducing” you to the V&R Machine, I stated that we’re not doing any drastic customization to it. First off, it’s the naturally aspirated Skyactiv G engine, so boosting it to kingdom come is out of the question. Off the table are suspension drops, bigger wheels, performance tires, exhaust and other modifications some of you have done to your rides. Nothing against anyone customizing their ride, we wanted to concentrate on a pure ownership experience by reporting fuel usage, along with measuring maintenance, wear and tear along the way. 

The V&R Machine is for practical use and ownership evaluation only…bro. It’s happy where it’s at. 

Which brings me to an interesting observation. During the year this CX-5 was delivered to its previous owner, the V&R Machine was one of 168,383 units sold. With over 1,000,000 units sold of this second-generation model, it is no wonder why you can see so many on the road. There are times when I’m driving around that there were more than a few of them going in the opposite direction and few more on my side of the road. 

Even at any given parking lot, you can find more than a few within rows of the V&R Machine. 

It does give us some comfort in knowing that we have a popular vehicle where parts and servicing will be plentiful. Even in a post-pandemic world, this is a huge comfort to take stock in. 

From the driver’s seat, it has a comfortable and commanding throne where the highways and streets are its domain. Needless to say, the V&R Machine is starting to grow on me. 

So far, it is providing its reliability. Fuel economy continues to meet its targets. We experienced a 30.0 MPG rating on the drive between the Twin Cities and Elkhart Lake. 

There will be more tales to tell about the V&R Machine. Between George and myself, I think we chose the right SUV for our work.

All photos by Randy Stern and George Torline