Or is it just another mall-crawling poser? I'm focusing on roughly 2015 models. Does it have enough power? Does the transmission have frustrating shift calibration and can I shift it myself? Is the interior pleasant after twelve hours on the road? How's the stereo? Is it achieving the factory mileage claims? Are they reliable? Are the easy to work on?
In short, do I want one? How does it compare to a Ford Escape or Edge (both with the 2.0 turbo)?
Thanks!
One thing to know about the CX-5 is that is has undergone very rapid evolution of late - to the point of there being mid-year models with differences on each one. 2016, 2016.5, 2017, etc. Pay attention to which one you test drive, as they got better and better. I think 2017 was when it took a big step in NVH levels and interior design. This rapid evolution hasn't helped resale, so it does open up some good opportunities for used bargains.
The traction control/ AWD system is really good. It's predictive and enabling, letting you do stuff that other cars will shut down. I had a chance to compare it on a closed snow track against a Forester and a CRV and the difference was spectacular. There were no Ford products in attendance.
I would recommend you try driving to see if it has "enough" power, as that's not an absolute number as we all know.
We has a 2014 Grand Touring. I thought it was a great car, but as Keith said -- the resale sucks. I bought it new, maintained it fanatically....so one-owner, no stories, perfect maintenance history and no needs -- I got $10.5 out of it.
No zoom-zoom, but probably very sky-active.
No direct experience, but even our 2015 CX-9 is actually quite fun to drive in the twisties and the AWD system is excellent. Granted this is totally different form all the stuff on the CX-5, but I think it's good proof that Mazda can even make their biggest SUV pretty fun to drive.
Have had a 2013 and now a 2016 CX-5 and love(d) them both. Does not compare to my ND MX-5, but still a nice drive.
I did cross-shop the Escape back when I got the '13, but thought the Mazda was funner to drive.
We have a 2014 that we really like. It's suspension is surprisingly tight and it handles pretty well for what it is. Mileage is close to 30 on the highway. It's an automatic, but you can shift it manually. Can't say whether they are easy to work on or not, I've only done oil changes, haven't had any issues that needed fixed. It doesn't have great power, passing when you are already at highway speeds takes a little planning.
I drove it for 13 hours from Tucson to home in CO and thought it was plenty comfortable for that amount of time. It's actually a pretty decent road trip car.
DWNSHFT said:In short, do I want one? How does it compare to a Ford Escape or Edge (both with the 2.0 turbo)?
CX-5 has a LOT less power and torque than both of those.
I 2nd what Keith said about driving it. you'll know immediately if it's not enough power for you.
transmission is a 6 speed with a torque converter mated to an electronic lockup clutch. has nice smooth takeoff and then locks up the clutch for 6 direct gears and good fuel economy. In Manual mode it will not upshift without your command to do so.
2016 IMHO is the best deal out right now. got the larger screen mazda connect system. These cars might have a chance at getting an android auto/apple carplay upgrade at some point while the 2015's have zeo chance with the older stereo system.
The new CX5 is about to get the turbo engine from the 6 and i think it will be in the top ranks of 'enthusiast suvs'.
Regardless, i've recently driven a 2.5/6spd Mazda Tribute which is similar power/weight and probably same trans as the CX5 and i found the power surprisingly good.
Vigo said:The new CX5 is about to get the turbo engine from the 6 and i think it will be in the top ranks of 'enthusiast suvs'.
Regardless, i've recently driven a 2.5/6spd Mazda Tribute which is similar power/weight and probably same trans as the CX5 and i found the power surprisingly good.
as far as i'm aware the Mazda3/CX-5/Mazda6 trans shares nothing in common with the Ford based products. The CX9 was the final holdout after 2014 from the Ford days before the refresh of the 2016 model year.
only problem with the new turbo 4 is going to be price against the used ones.
My wife has been driving a 2017 CX-5 Grand Touring AWD with the tech package for the last year and absolutely loves it. It gets about double the MPG of the 2012 Grand Cherokee Overland V8 we traded in, and it has enough punch to be brisk for daily driving activities. If they’d offer a 6-speed manual with the upcoming turbo motor, I’d rock it as a DD in a heartbeat.
We grabbed a new one when Mazda was offering 0% financing...doesn’t solve for depreciation, but she’s planning on keeping it for awhile.
Short answer - we’ll probably buy another one next time around. Great car, lots of value for the money, and worth driving to see if it’s quick enough for you.
My sister is on her second one. Perfect soccer mom car. I drove the first one a few times. My biggest takeaway was the steering was very difficult to get use to. It had a very quick ratio. Slightest adjustment on the highway and it would want to move into the next lane. Perfect for a sports car, but required constant attention to maintain your lane. I was more than happy to give back her almost new Mazda and jump back into my 15 year old Range Rover.
Haven't read it all, I have a 2017 CX-5 GT AWD as well. It drives great, the sport mode wakes it up. MPG is OK in the GT AWD, much better in FWD. In sport mode it lets you do A LOT of sliding. As stated somewhere the NVH on it is fantastic and we have the adaptive cruise which is fantastic in stop and go traffic (and the main reason we go the car). It's NOT fast, I think they're adding the turbo engine in it soon though, so you might be able to wait for that one. The car does a bit more downshifting than I'd like to maintain speed on the highway if it gets rolling.
My wife has a 2018 CX-5 Touring 2.5L FWD.
Handling: Does it feel like my Miata or RX-8? No, but you can definitely feel the DNA and can tell the designers care about that fun handling feel. The first time she let me drive it, we were heading through some twisters and I was impressed with its capabilities. It's not a sports car, but it is one of the best handling CUVs on the market.
Transmission: As mentioned above, it is a six speed torque converter with electronic lockup. In Drive, it acts like a normal auto tuned for fuel economy. It jumps to a gear higher than necessary, but is willing to kick down easily. It does allow manual shifting with the shifter (unsure if GT trim adds paddles or not), but it also has a sport mode. As a manual driver, I don't even bother manually shifting it any more, I just put it in sport mode when I want to have fun. Sport mode holds gear longer and locks up the converter earlier. In sport mode it will usually shift around 5k and has no issue holding 3000-4500 with engine breaking in the twisties.
Power: I would say it is adequate, most would probably say it is low. Think about the Mazda lineup and Zoom-Zoom feel. They don't make a lot of power. They make cars with adequate power that you can use regularly. Part of the Mazda philosophy and zoom-zoom feel is having an engine that loves to rev and has no issue running in the upper half of the rev band. If you are used to a big V8, then you will probably not like it. If you are used to Mazda sports cars, it will feel natural and perfect. Again, it is part of the Zoom-Zoom DNA.
Fuel Economy: My wife doesn't pay attention to it, but on a trip to Florida we were in the upper 20s close to 30 on the highway.
Conclusion: Is it a sports car? No. Is it a fun handling car that is comfortable on the highway, can carry 4-5 comfortably and can be taken to Lowes/Ikea/road trips? Definitely.
Or is it just another mall-crawling poser?
Posing as what? What does mall-crawling early mean?
I prefer the term Mall Terrain Vehicle 
Really, it's just the evolution of the passenger car, people have decided they like the packaging of what is essentially a tall hatchback and the foul weather capability of AWD.
I'm looking forward to the 2.5T, because it makes the CX-5 a plausible option for our household. Janel loves her 2000 Grand Cherokee with the V8, and she has a mental problem with going from a V8 to a four. A turbo would help a lot there - and even more so when you take our 5000' elevation into account. Right now she wants a new GC and she'd probably accept the V6 there, but it's considerably more expensive and a reliability nightmare. I would much, much rather take care of a CX-5 for the next 20 years, never mind actually driving one.
We just bought a 2018 CX-5, but I drove a couple used ones (2015 and 2016). They made HUGE improvements on the 2017 and up version in terms of NVH and overall it just feels more premium. However, both iterations drive great - very zippy for a little CUV. If it had a manual transmission, I'd swear that I was in a hot hatch.
Honestly I'm a Honda fanboi so the CRV was my first choice but I just couldn't get past their current 1.5 turbo issues. That was the only other CUV that didn't drive like dog crap.
I can confirm that a 2016 CX-5 GT AWD will play along with lift-throttle rotation transitioning into a gentle four-wheel powerslide on gravel. The three other college students in the back on the other hand...
the 2.5 is pretty powerful and will do FWD burnouts with the electric e-brake on with no problem.
Tyler H said:We has a 2014 Grand Touring. I thought it was a great car, but as Keith said -- the resale sucks. I bought it new, maintained it fanatically....so one-owner, no stories, perfect maintenance history and no needs -- I got $10.5 out of it.
Wow. How many miles? That is pretty staggering depreciation.
G_Body_Man said:I can confirm that a 2016 CX-5 GT AWD will play along with lift-throttle rotation transitioning into a gentle four-wheel powerslide on gravel. The three other college students in the back on the other hand...
That was my experience on the snow course - you could throttle steer the CX-5 quite nicely. Like I said, it enabled you to do what you wanted instead of trying to control you. The Forester didn't want to play and the CRV had a highly intrusive stability control system that totally shut down any fun. The CX-5 also felt far more nimble than the Subaru, which almost felt trucklike by comparison. If you're driving on loose surfaces and you like driving, you'll really like the CX-5.
Hi DWNSHFT,
I know you said you’re looking at 2015’s but if you get up to 2017, be careful with the Candy Apple Red (Soul Red Crystal Metallic in Mazda speak) car’s as there’s a known issue with the paint chipping on the first few months of model year production.
Today I test drove a 2016 CX-5 Grand Touring AWD with all the extra packages, dealer asking price of $21,900. I also drove a 2016 Ford Escape 1.6 turbo and a 2015 Ford Edge SEL V6.
Yes, the CX-5 drives better than the others. The Edge in particular feels "Big American" but not really in a bad way, just heavy and substantial. The Mazda has an excellent interior design but my initial impression is the Edge has a better driver interface. The Mazda has, by far, the best transmission controls. The Edge will shift itself, even in manual mode, the worst example being WOT at 3000 RPM it will downshift, even while using the paddle shifters in sport mode. The Escape, however, has the stupid shift buttons on the shifter and several times it was so busy shifting itself while I was shifting it that we got completely lost in the gears. The Mazda had the best stereo by far, although this was the premium stereo while the others had more standard stereos. The Mazda had a little more than adequate power with two people, no luggage and flat roads. Loaded down in the mountains it would strain. The Escape had barely adequate power with just a driver. The Edge V6 had enough power but you had to rev it.
The Escape ruled itself out. It was noisy and cramped and the transmission would drive me crazy. I love Mazdas and I wanted to like the CX-5 and I did. But it was not head-and-shoulders better than the Edge. The Edge had more passenger space and more luggage space, a better driver interface (you know, how you control the radio and A/C), and a more substantial feel. Better dealer network matters since I don't live in a major metro area, and the Edge has a larger pool of vehicles to choose from. The base engine in the Edge is the 2.0 turbo and while I haven't driven it, I think it will provide better power than the Mazda. Yes, the Mazda is a better "driver's car" but that's not a primary consideration for this vehicle.
Vehicle will be a daily driver doing the school run, plus road tripping, for four smaller-than average passengers, including two in car seats. I'll probably keep it for more than five years. I don't want to drive something that makes me frown every day.
I like an Edge as much as the next guy but the real problem with it is that the Lincoln version exists. Because, once you've decided that the better driver's car is not top priority, you're pretty much straight to "there's nothing about an Edge that's not better in an MKX". Unless it's too expensive, i guess. I think any 2011-up MKX is a pretty nice place to be.
Vigo said:I like an Edge as much as the next guy but the real problem with it is that the Lincoln version exists. Because, once you've decided that the better driver's car is not top priority, you're pretty much straight to "there's nothing about an Edge that's not better in an MKX". Unless it's too expensive, i guess. I think any 2011-up MKX is a pretty nice place to be.
Vigo, I think you're right. Especially because the Lincolns (I think) have ventilated seats, which I (ashamedly) like. But it does push into a different price range.
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