AUSTIN -- Mazda has given the CX-5 SUV a bigger engine with more power, and that has fixed about the only serious complaint.

The 2014 CX-5, on sale for about a month, now uses a 2.5-liter engine as standard on the models most people buy. A low-level version carries on with the original 2-liter engine.

Not a freebie; prices have gone up.

The base Sport models rose $500, even though they don't have the new engine. CX-5 has been selling so well for Mazda — second only to its Mazda3 compact — that there's no reason not to bump up the sticker, at least from the view of an automaker.

The new engine adds roughly $600 to $700 to the starting price of the up-level Touring and Grand Touring models on which it's standard, vs. similar 2013 models with the 2-liter engine. Almost all buyers pick Touring or Grand Touring.

It's disappointing to see the CX-5 lose a bit of its value appeal. But you still get a fair amount of hardware for the dollar.

The common view of the CX-5 when it joined the Mazda lineup as a new vehicle about a year ago was: nice car, needs an engine. Quite a few shoppers were willing to put up with that because CX-5 does most things quite well.

Mazda engineers, however, were stung by references to the CX-5 as underpowered. They thought they had the perfect balance of power and fuel economy. Not for the U.S., where despite publicly voiced devotion to mpg, drivers demand some scoot.

The new engine, shared with the redesigned 2014 Mazda6 sedan, sacrifices 1 or 2 miles per gallon, but gives you a quite noticeable 29 hp more: 184 hp vs. 155 hp for the 2-liter.

Meant to do that, Mazda says. Always planned the bigger engine. Not a reaction to complaints. No, sir.

Well, then, the company has wasted a lot of time insisting the 2-liter was sufficient.

The extra power makes the CX-5 relevant to people who live in hilly terrain or high altitudes and people who routinely tote several passengers or hundreds of pounds of cargo.

For others, it comes down to this: The 2.5-liter has the lively personality, spirit and eagerness that Mazda has long claimed as its hallmark. The 2-liter doesn't. At least not in a vehicle that weighs 3,200 pounds and more, as the CX-5 does.

The 2-liter and 2.5-liter four-cylinder engines both are the Skyactiv design that Mazda uses to boost mpg. Mainly, it's based on much higher compression ratios than other engines. A higher ratio means the pistons squeeze the air tighter in the cylinders and that causes the gasoline-air mix to burn more forcefully.

High compression ratios always have been a magic bullet to get more out of an engine, but they've generally demanded premium fuel as a price.

Skyactiv engines run fine on regular, however. That's a feat. If it were easy, everybody would be doing it.

Other automakers instead use turbochargers that simulate high compression ratios by force-feeding more air into the cylinders. But turbo engines are more complicated and generally less responsive and smooth in everyday driving than a non-turbo such as the Mazda 2.5-liter Skyactiv.

In Test Drive's wheeling through the Texas Hill Country, the new CX-5 felt complete, as if something missing had been restored. That's a good thing, because, except for power, it's been an easy vehicle to like.

Some reasons :

Roomy interior. Hard to find in compact-size buggies, but CX-5 has a rear seat with generous real estate, both for your rump and your legs.

Admirable approach to standard features. For instance, no cheap steel wheels with wretched plastic hubcaps. Even the base models get 17-inch alloy wheels standard.

Outside rearview mirrors are body color, not black as on some makers' base models. Tilting and telescoping steering column, not just the more common tilt-only, is standard.

And even low-end models have power locks that automatically activate as you start driving.

Pleasant handling. SUVs, because of their high centers of gravity, tend to lean like drunks in fast or tight corners. CX-5, while not a sports sedan, doesn't give you topple anxiety if you get a little frisky.

Those attributes might not sell you in the first place, but they make you appreciate a vehicle as you own it.

Some new technologies distinguish the CX-5 even more.

Smart City Brake Support, optional on the Grand Touring, will stop the car at low speeds if it's about to whack the car ahead.

I-ELOOP, coming soon, is a system that generates electricity when you use the brakes, in the same way as a gas-electric hybrid does. In this system, however, the juice goes to a capacitor, not a battery. Capacitors are small and light, though they store less electricity. But Mazda says it'll be enough to run the electric accessories, such as air conditioning and power steering, for "minutes" under ideal conditions. That takes a load off the engine so it uses a little less fuel.

That's commendable thinking and represents Mazda's progressive approach to satisfying, fuel-efficient vehicles — of which the CX-5 with its new engine is a very good example.

What? New engine and some newly available tech and safety features for the popular compact, four-door SUV launched just a year ago.

When? On sale since January.

Why? Initially, it was underpowered.

Where? Made in Japan.

How much? 2.5 Touring FWD starts at $25,440, including $795 shipping; top-end Grand Touring AWD with all factory options, $31,590.

What makes it go? 2.5-liter four-cylinder shared with the new Mazda6 sedan and standard in the CX-5 Touring and Grand Touring models is rated 184 horsepower at 5,700 rpm, 185 pounds-feet of torque at 3,200. The original 2-liter four, still offered in the base model, has 155 hp, 150 lbs.-ft. The 2.5 comes only with six-speed automatic and front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD). Six-speed manual available only on the 2-liter.

How big? An inch longer, wider than Honda CR-V. CX-5 is 179.3 inches long, 72.4 in. wide, 67.3 in. tall on a 106.3-in. wheelbase. Passenger space, 103.8 cubic feet. Cargo: 34.1 cu. ft. behind rear seat, 65.4 cu. ft. when seat's folded flat. Weighs 3,194 to 3,532 lbs.

Rated to carry 1,005 to 1,062 lbs. of people, cargo, accessories.

How thirsty? The 2.5 engine is rated 25 mpg in the city, 32 mpg highway, 27 in city/highway mix (FWD), or 24/30/26 (AWD) — one or two mpg lower than the 2.0.

FWD test vehicle driven with spirit through Texas Hill Country registered 24.9 mpg (4.02 gallons per 100 miles).

Burns regular, holds 14.8 gal (FWD) or 15.3 gal (AWD).

Overall: The new engines makes an OK SUV very, very good.