2014 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring AWD Long-Term Road Test

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2014 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring AWD Long-Term Road Test

Will our 2014 Mazda CX-5 hold a 6-foot Christmas tree?

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evodad

things sure are different in CA, i've never seen a tree come like that: a) wrapped in plastic, b) not wrapped with twine to make it significantly smaller and easier to handle and c) with a preinstalled stand.

quadricycle

@evodad: I didn't even notice those things until you pointed it out. That's pretty humorous!

stovt001_

Our new C-Max fit a 6 foot tree (sans pre-installed stand, but bound in a net, not in a bag) with just the 60 portion of the seat dropped, my toddler in her car seat in the 40 section, and the top stopped at the back of the driver's seat. I was pretty impressed.

quadricycle

@stovt001: How do you feel about the C-Max now that you've owned it for a while? A family member is considering buying one, albeit with a diesel (Euro market).

stovt001_

So far we're liking it because it hits all of the priorities for us. My wife uses it to commute 30 miles each way in heavy traffic, dropping our toddler off at daycare on the way. So we're in the demographic that the hybrid actually makes financial sense for, though of course that's not applicable in your family's case. The tall ceiling and keyless entry have made loading little stovt002 into her rear-facing Recaro much easier than it was with our old wagon. I really like the visibility out of the car. The greenhouse is huge, not like most modern cars. The car has "blind spot" mirrors set into the side mirrors but I find them totally unnecessary. Ride and handling are fantastic! It is very composed, very little body roll despite being tall and narrow, and soaks up bumps pretty nicely. The engine is powerful, but a little crude and thrashy and lugs like crazy when transitioning from EV to ICE coming off of a stop. Again, not applicable to your situation. Cabin is nice, pretty ergonomic, top-notch materials. The seats are comfortable so far, but I'll be doing a 6-8 hour drive next week so I'll really know how they are after that. Sync/MFT are a little slow and complicated but so far not as bad as others have made them out and not as bad as the Sync/non-MFT interface I had in a rental Fiesta 2 years ago. It is amazingly accurate with the voice commands, you just have to be patient while it processes. And it also at least has redundant buttons for the important stuff. The typical Detroit industrial-grade AC is there. I'm waiting until after our big trip north later this month to write up my full review. We chose it over the CX-5, but only because of the particulars of my wife's commute and our needs. For most people, I'd default to recommending the Mazda.

quadricycle

Thanks stovt001, I really appreciate the feedback! I'm glad to hear about the ride and interior quality. The media interface isn't a big deal, as it is my father considering the C-max, and he doesn't even listen to the radio while driving, except to occasionally check traffic conditions on his commute into Brussels. We managed to get him to treat himself to an A6 wagon last time he went through buying a car (He's been very successful, but doesn't bite into luxury items at all) but I think he wants to revert to small hatches again.