Driving new cars every week has helped me treasure a few engineering decisions Mazda made with the CX-50. As automakers increasingly try to convince consumers their cars are advanced and futuristic, some make the mistake of putting form over function for everyday controls. Not with the CX-50.Instead, it focuses on being the best traditional SUV it can be.Many new cars replace simple physical controls with sleek touch controls. In the CX-50, a well-placed slanted handle helps you close the door as you get in, while a volume knob between the driver and front passenger makes it easy for either person to turn it up. Nudge that same knob left or right to skip backward or forward one track. Some automakers have tried to reinvent the steering wheel, resulting in attractive touch-based controls that don't function well. The CX-50's steering wheel, meanwhile, employs simple tabs to control various systems.
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