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Mazda CX-5

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Comments

  • trailrunztrailrunz Member Posts: 8
    Can anyone comment on the comfort of the CX5 driver's seat during long trips? I'm a sales rep, put 45,000 miles on my '12 Subaru Legacy in one year and planning to sell when it turns 60. Considering the CX5, or biting the bullet and getting a Prius (purely for the MPGs). The seat on the Legacy are great...no soreness or fatigue on a long trip. I test drove a CX5 and the seats felt firm and tipped down towards the floorboards which I don't like on first impression...but test driving and road tripping can produce different results.

    Also, the dealer I went to did not have any "Sport" models on the lot - they said the cloth in the seats is severely inferior to the "premium cloth" found in the Touring. Is that just dealer-speak for "spend more money"?
  • stan6201stan6201 Member Posts: 26
    I have a Touring and have taken a couple of trips with over 400 mile days. The seats are fine and between the power seat and the tilt/telescope wheel you should be able to get and stay comfy.
  • johnptjohnpt Member Posts: 7
    Drove my Touring model from Minneapolis/St. Paul area to San Antonio and the seat felt quite comfortable to me... YMMV :D
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 32,891
    I have found that to be normal on new cars, personally. And heck, some used cars, too, when the dealer sprays everything under the hood with some chemical to make it look shiny.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • irishrmacirishrmac Member Posts: 1
    I am in the market for a new car and want something with good gas mileage, nice appearance, comfort and of course good acceleration. I currently have a 01 Mazda Tribute. Its a V6, drives nice but is noisy and not so smooth. Just wondering how the drivability compares. Is the CX5 peppy or gutless? I thought that perhaps with such great gas mileage it may be a bit wimpy. I am still young enought to want to pass other vehicles on the road. (o;
    ANy thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks,
  • danangmedanangme Member Posts: 24
    I've had mine for 5 months and 5,000 miles.It's a touring AWD and I drive it up and down the mountains of Pennsylvania.It's comfortable and handles like a Mazda 3 with a higher center of gravity.The ride is well controlled and smooth.The engine is the only part of the vehicle that gets criticized but I find it has enough power once you get use to the throttle response,which is to say just stomp it down and let it shift into 4TH gear.5TH and 6TH are nothing but overdrive gears and won't allow enough torque to get to the wheels especially climbing mountains.I've owned 2 Mazda 3's in the past and I'm pretty good with the auto shift so sometimes I just drop it directly into 4TH until I crest the mountains.If you don't stomp it the transmission will keep trying to up shift into a higher gear which I guess is due to the programming.
    The upside to the engine/transmission is a solid 28MPG city/highway average.
    Bottom line is I'd buy it again but if you want more power wait until the 2.5 engine becomes available but don't expect the same gas mileage.
  • janderson10janderson10 Member Posts: 1
    I bought the touring model in Oct. and noticed the vibrating mirrors as well as the whole car vibrating the following day, particularly over 40 mph. I experienced the same dizzy feeling and really felt disoriented. I brought it back to the dealer and they had someone drive it who then agreed with me. They called corporate to find out they are aware of the issue and would be sending parts. I waited about two weeks for the parts to arrive and left it for nearly a week due to Sandy. I went to pick up the car only to find out the fix does not work and that they are currently working on another one. I was told 4-6 weeks they should have it in and that a TSB would be issued. I write two letters to Mazda Corp. and received two phonecalls both stating they are aware of the issue, I must have received a defective car off the line and that there was nothing they could do. I asked for a point of escalation and to my astonishment both responded with they are it and I should speak with the dealer about this. What gets me is Mazda advertises this car as safe. The two useless customer service reps also said my car is not inoperable therefore there was nothing they can do and also mentioned the fix would be in 6 weeks. So, the dealership told me a month ago it would be 4-6 weeks and now Mazda corp is telling me a further 6 weeks. The only reason I drive this car is because i have no other mode of transportation. Mazda doesn't acknowledge this car is not safe to drive. Oh, before i forget the heating is horrible in this car!!!! This car does not fill me with confidence! I am going to fight to return it or get a brand new vehicle. Mazda will be hearing from lawyers soon. I have tried to be patient and waited long enough. I have 9 month old and now expecting. If you are looking to buy this car for safety, look elsewhere. Mazda does not respond to negatives and does not deal with customer complaints at all. I would never buy Mazda again!!!
  • stan6201stan6201 Member Posts: 26
    I am very happy that I am not having the same problems with my AWD Touring model. I bought it last March and am approaching 9000 miles with only one tiny problem. My TPMS light has come on twice in error. It seems I got lucky and you got a lemon.
  • renoclayrenoclay Member Posts: 1
    Hello. I have had my 2013 cx-5 for one month less than 1000 miles and its been in for service twice already for the thermostat freezing shut. Has anyone had or heard of this issue? I have had the car back one day and am waiting to see if the new thermostat last.longer than two days. Other than that I love the car.
  • bec5bec5 Member Posts: 1
    I live in Texas so only recently had the heater on for the first time. There seems to be no air flow from the floor even when on that setting. It sounds like eerything is blocked and a little heat leaks out through the dash vents. I really don't like hot air blowing in my face, so am wondering if others have the same thing, or do I have a blocked vent? The AC works fine, but I never set it to blow on my feet!
  • yiflinyiflin Member Posts: 3
    Hello all,
    I just bought a brand new CX-5 Touring base model the day before. I'd like to seek your help on how to fold the mirrors of this car? I'm not sure whether it's power controlled or manually. I'm afraid to break it if I fold it by hand....Thanks very much!
  • danangmedanangme Member Posts: 24
    Just push them in.They're manual
  • yiflinyiflin Member Posts: 3
    Got it, thanks!
  • yiflinyiflin Member Posts: 3
    Hi all,
    I just got a new CX-5 Touring, but know barely nothing about it....

    A question about the car care/maintenance is that, what item is free, covered by the Mazda warranty?
    e.g. according to the , I should replace the engine oil, engine oil filter, rotate tires, lubricate all locks and hinges...

    1. Are these items free? or I should pay?
    2. Where should I do these maintenance? the same dealer, or any Mazda dealer, or any car maintenance store?

    Thanks!
  • rriittaarriittaa Member Posts: 3
    Hi,
    I have had my cx5 less than 2 weeks and the blue thermostat light has been on for a few days now. I read in the manual that it is a low coolant indicator and should take it to a dealer if it says on. No other concerns, I love driving this car.
  • fffreddy01fffreddy01 Member Posts: 2
    cx 5 GT temp is diff. on right cetner and left cetner...what gives and anyone else? I set the temp for lets say 70. I notice left side is 70, right side feels about 74. If I set diff. temps, like left side 70 right side 66 THEN both sides feel the same.
  • fffreddy01fffreddy01 Member Posts: 2
    ? according to my manual the blue temp light JUST means the engine is still cold and will not produce warm air into the cabin..THATS ALL
  • yuma5yuma5 Member Posts: 4
    I have just finished a 2000 mile three day trip and I feel good. I have a bad back but it didn't give me a problem. It's the basic model. It has a lot of road noise on poor asphalt.
  • yuma5yuma5 Member Posts: 4
    While stopped at a light the car suddenly lurched forward as violently as though someone had hit me from behind. I estimate the car moved forward about one or two feet. I had my foot on the brake pedal and pressed it hard and the car stopped. I don't know where it would have stopped had I not stopped it with the break. This has happened twice with the strong sudden surge and two more times not so violently. One time the engine surged to over 4000 RPM when I started it (In Park of course). The car had only a few miles on it the first time it happened about 1000 miles the second time. I may have had both the accelerator pedel and brake pedal slightly pressed at the time of the surges. A diagnostic check at the dealership indicated no problems.
  • yuma5yuma5 Member Posts: 4
    I got 27 mpg climbing about 3000 feet in 400 miles, Then 32 mpg for a 130 miles going over Donner pass on I-80, Then 40mpg going from Reno to Las Vegas. Felt very confident passing on two lane highways where acceleration was a must and found myself cruising at 80 mph a couple times. Most of the time the cruise control was at 65mph.
  • boutselisboutselis Member Posts: 19
    we have only had the cx5 sport fwd automatic for a few days. so far we really like it. the braking is fabulous. it saved an opossum the second night. We are getting close to 29 mpg almost all around town according to the fuel economy gage but I have read that those can be off by 3 to 8 percent which seems pretty odd to me. I used the manual shift function a few times and think its great and it really boosts pick up speed.

    We ordered roof rails to put on it. My wife thinks they looked very sporty on the red touring we test drove. When they came in they were silver and the service dept. said it was the only way they come. Our car is the mica red and all the trim is black. we are so sure the touring model we saw had black roof rails but its sold now so we can't check. Does any one have a red with black roof rails?
  • boutselisboutselis Member Posts: 19
    One other thing. When some one detailed ours, probably at the last lot it was at before it was shipped to us, they put circular scratches in the hood. Very noticeable especially at dusk. We were told to bring it in and a guy worked on it. while I was at the dealer it looked perfect. he told me he also put some type of protective coating (he didn't say clear coat) I thought he said teflon. when I got home and parked in the garage we could see the scratches but it was very difficult. Could the coating he put on (teflon?) just made them less noticeable like oiling an old wood floor and the effect is going to wear off soon and the scratches will show up again?
  • boutselisboutselis Member Posts: 19
    as a follow up. I have since been told by the dealership that the body guy who put this coating on said it was a commercial 3m product specifically made for blending scratches in clear coat and the effect is permanent. Not certain if I believe that though.
  • bpizzutibpizzuti Member Posts: 2,743
    Sweet, but now I have to decide between this and the 2014 Forester XT. :)

    I was looking around for tires in the 19 inch size Mazda uses and the selection is incredibly slim. Slightly better for their 17 inch option. Love to know what people are doing about replacement/improvement tires. I'm running ContiProContact DWS on my car and would love to get an equivalent for my new SUV.
  • studebaker5studebaker5 Member Posts: 1
    40 mpg! Was this the AWD or FWD?
  • 2013_2013_ Member Posts: 4
    I just got a 2014 CX-5 Touring.

    Just after I shut off the vehicle, only the driver's power window works (if you don't open any doors). I expected the other power windows to work also.

    Question: Do your other power windows work just after you shut off the car? Or only the driver's window? They work fine when the car is running or when set to "ignition" but not when set to 'acc'.

    I am hoping this is a setting that can be adjusted.
  • boutselisboutselis Member Posts: 19
    We have had our new cx5 for less than 2 months. the black plastic trim is faded and whiteish all along the area under the doors. the only thing I put on the plastic was maguires natural shine. I had read on other forums that it was a good choice for interior and exterior plastics. Only used it twice and its been weeks since the second time. the fading turned up slowly since then. It does not seem to have harmed any of the other plastic parts in front or rear. just under the doors. I have a feeling the dealer screwed this area up and covered it with something. Now that "something" is gone and the problem is showing. They had screwed up the hood with really bad detailing and had to fix it. Guess thats why I'm suspicious.

    Any way. Has maquires natural shine ruined anyones plastics? is there a good way to fix this? I am testing a spot with mothers back to black. Man I am so pissed I have a problem like this on a brand new car already.
  • boutselisboutselis Member Posts: 19
    I noticed that before but payed no attention to it. Your question made me think about it so I went and checked mine.
    Motor running all windows work.
    motor off only the driver side worked.
    if I waited a few moments no windows worked.
    I pressed the ignition button one time (with out my foot on the brake) and the diver side window worked. I pressed it twice in succession and then all windows would work.

    So if you do not want to turn on the car but want to open all windows, press the ignition button twice and then all the windows will be useable. Kinda a pain but thats how its seems to be set up.
  • kaybug30kaybug30 Member Posts: 1
    Did you get an answer to the cx5 flat towing? We are contemplating getting a crv and cx5 and I like the mpg posted by cx5 owners
  • danangmedanangme Member Posts: 24
    Picked up a MP3 player loaded it with music,plugged it in and it worked fine.I can use the steering wheel controls to go up and down through the songs in the folder but have to take my eyes off the road to change folders on the touchscreen for more songs in other folders.Anyway to do this on the steering wheel? Really not user friendly the way it is.
  • leowinleowin Member Posts: 18
    Recent purchasers kindly post your opinion:
    In your experience, do you think the screen size is too small?
    I like the one on CR-V, looks great.
    The one on Mazda does not look impressive.

    Thanks.
  • 2013_2013_ Member Posts: 4
    I have a 2014 CX-5 Touring without navigation.

    The screen size is good. The backup camera view is easy to see. The radio controls are decent size. That's all I use it for because I don't have Navi. Oh..I have used it to make/receive bluetooth calls.

    I was a passenger in a new 2013 Toyota Sienna Minivan the other day and the screen size is TINY compared to the CX-5. It had a backup camera but the screen was so small it was hard to see. The CX-5 screen is larger and much easier to see.

    BTW...I average 31.2 MPG with 80% city driving(suburbs) . Much better MPG than advertised.
  • bluzonebluzone Member Posts: 4
    The numbers look great; however....

    I shopped many months for small SUV/CUVs combining fuel efficiency, comfort, attractiveness, and driveability before I settled on the CX-5.

    I commute 300 miles a week on throughway and have a 20/80 city/hwy split. I use cruise control nearly continuously, gently accelerating using short taps on the thumb button. I start and stop like a little old lady. Yet, my combined mpg hangs at 25.0. I even lowered my throughway speeds to 68 or less, to no avail.

    In retrospect, with this car, a 25 with 80% throughway driving is crap.

    I'll happily take suggestions, though. Shame that Mazda won't stand behind their numbers. :(
  • johnptjohnpt Member Posts: 7
    We have the AWD automatic and most of our driving has been around San Antonio. It seems like we need to get onto an expressway to go almost anywhere because of the poor layout of streets but still I would estimate we are at the opposite extreme of bluzone or about 80% city streets and 20% highways. We are getting 27 MPG quite consistently under these conditions. I have been surprised that a 90% highway trip from San Antonio to Austin and back with the air conditioning running did not exceed our usual 27 MPG. :confuse: On the other hand, on a 90% highway trip from Galveston to San Antonio with the air conditioning off (because of cool weather) we did get 30 MPG. :) So I, too, am a little bit disappointed compared to what I hoped for, but I am ecstatic compared to the vehicle it replaced which struggled to get up to 17 MPG at the best of times.

    I think that the video display screen (for backup camera, navigation, and radio controls) is quite acceptable in size. My most significant disappointment with the CX-5 is with the Tom Tom navigation system that we paid a premium to have installed. Even right after downloading a map update the maps seemed significantly out of date. The nav system displays your current vehicle speed in RED if it is more than 5 MPH over the posted speed, however, it seems that almost all the highways in Texas have actual posted speed limits of 5 to 20 MPH higher than what the nav system thinks they are, so it is almost always flagging my speed as excessive. But my biggest complaint about the nav system is that it does not label the names of the vast majority of the streets on the screen. It is sort of saying, "just trust me, you don't need to know the names of the streets you are going past or that are coming up, I know where I am" which is especially frustrating because of the significant number of occasions where it really did NOT know where it was or where my trip destination was located, even though it THOUGHT that it did. Very tough to scroll the map or zoom in/out on the map and to identify the names of the streets that are drawn on the map. There was also a bug in the software in which for two weeks, every time you would start up the vehicle, the nav system would recite "stopping voice control, stopping voice control" and any attempt to use voice control would cause the screen to display an error message about "voice control is not available in the country in which you are currently located". Huh? I never left the USA, and the voice control used to work. I finally fixed it by popping out the SD memory card and re-installing it. Now no more "stopping voice control" recitations, and the voice control works again. Hey, Tom Tom, wake up. I have done some software development in my time, and meaningless, wrong, and downright misleading error messages have no place in quality commercial software. An error message should be informative and correct. :lemon:

    I much prefer the nav software on my Android phone. I wanted something built-in instead of flopping around my dashboard or my lap, but the money I spent on the built-in nav was not well spent.

    But otherwise, I am very satisfied with the vehicle, and pleased with my purchase. :D
  • alenderalender Member Posts: 4
    Good to know, I am in the market for a Touring CX-5 other than the windows, how was the ride? Does it have enough acceleration? Is it fun to drive?
  • alenderalender Member Posts: 4
  • stan6201stan6201 Member Posts: 26
    I have had mine for 14,000 miles and am very happy. I have the 2 liter engine and it is just fine, mainly because the 6 speed auto trans responds so well to your right foot. The sacrifice of 1 mpg makes getting the 2.5 liter engine a great deal but if the price is right the 2.0 is just fine.
  • stan6201stan6201 Member Posts: 26
    I just got back from a 2,00 mile trip and when I washed the CX-5 there were an amazing number of tiny rock chip on the front and hood. I also noticed that I can scratch the clear coat with a fingernail. Has anyone else had similar issues with their paint?
    FYI my mileage has never gone below 28 mpg and is now at 28.9.
  • 2013_2013_ Member Posts: 4
    Mine badly needed a wax as soon as I got it. I waxed it within a week of getting it. The wax will help protect the paint.

    In reply to the person asking about power:
    I have the 2014 Touring/ 2.5. It has excellent power and is very smooth shifting. When you step on the gas, it goes. And the motor isn't loud when you step on the gas. Power/torque was very important to me and this is one of the reason I chose the CX-5 over the CRV and RAV-4. The RAV4 seemed to whine a bit when you stepped on the gas at lower speeds.
  • danangmedanangme Member Posts: 24
    Your dealer should have waxed it before delivery.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited April 2013
    It's funny but some people who really are into "shining up" their cars will tell the dealer not to prep their new car, especially if they've done a factory order. They don't want some lazy tech to wash or wax their new car and put scratches or swirl marks in it with dirty towels, etc.

    Here's my favorite post on the subject (although I must admit it's fun to clay my cars once every year or so).

    Mr_Shiftright, "Teflon Paint Sealants Revisited" #7, 10 Jul 2003 10:33 am
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    "We've cleared 5,000 miles in our long-term 2014 Mazda CX-5. The CX-5 has received a lot of positive commentary so far, and I suspect it will remain a popular and frequently used vehicle in our fleet for the remainder of its stay."

    2014 Mazda CX-5: 5,000 Miles So Far
  • boutselisboutselis Member Posts: 19
    edited April 2013
    Wow.

    We are getting 30 plus and my wife drives a 50/50 mix though a good part of the city driving is rural with few stops because we live in the sticks. I was so impressed with our fuel efficiency that I did not believe the MPG meter on the car so I checked though 4 tank fill ups the old fashioned way. All 4 were over 30 mpg which compared to all other non hybrid suv cross overs is fantastic.

    I could not imagine what your problem could be. Have you tested the mpg at the pump or only by the on board computer. I hear some of them are off. We never use the cruise either. maybe there is a problem with that

    and for comparison sake we have a sport with automatic.
  • danangmedanangme Member Posts: 24
    edited April 2013
    You really have to do the math to get a accurate gas mileage figure.The onboard gas mileage computer is setup for the Grand tourings 19" tires so if you have the touring 17" tires like me, the mileage on the computer will be 2 MPG high.As far a gas mileage goes when I get on the interstates for my often 100 runs,I get around 27MPG mainly because of my lead foot and when I take the same trip on secondary roads up and over some mountains top speed 60-65MPH I get 29MPG,but it looks better when the computer says 31.8MPG.
    As for the nav.I've been having the same problem with the "Stopping voice control" so I'll try what you did.
  • platinoidesplatinoides Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2013 CX5. Bought it in December, and I like it, EXCEPT it absolutely doesn't have enough acceleration! I don't feel confident to pass on the highway, or sometimes to merge onto a highway with limited space - especially on an uphill ramp.

    It's the one single, but very large fly in the ointment on this car.
  • danangmedanangme Member Posts: 24
    I know what your saying had the same experience entering a interstate just after I took delivery last July.Since then I've got use to the unusual throttle response (It always wants to rush into top gear) and if that's not enough I usually drop the transmission into 3rd or 4Th gear when I want to pass someone in a hurry on a 2 lane road.That being said I'm never fully loaded usually 2 people and sometimes a 90 lb Lab.No doubt the 2.5 is more suitable for this vehicle but I can live with the 2.0.especially with the gas mileage running a solid 28-29MPG.From my experience with a 2.5 hatch you won't get anywhere near the mileage of a 2.0 CX-5.
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    2.5 hatch does not have the new skyactiv engine. The 2.5 gets 38 mpg highway in the Mazda6 - way better than the old 2.5 in the smaller and lighter 3 hatch.
  • danangmedanangme Member Posts: 24
    The road test I've seen say the 2.5 skyactive is getting 21MPG ave. in the CX-5 which may be due in part to people using that extra torque more frequently which is what I would do and did with my hatch.
  • lisa122lisa122 Member Posts: 4
    When I first bought this car last June I started having problems right away. I actually posted to this forum about the engine surging on its own. It still does this and no one can figure out what the problem is, the service people actually think I am nuts. While this car is good on gas it is NOT a safe car to drive. These are just some of this issues I have had with this car: surges on its own, slows down on its own, do not even attempt to quickly get to highway speed because you will end up getting hit in the back, warning lights mysterious come on for no reason they go off when the car is turned back on, sitting in a parked position the RPM will rev with no gas pedal push, the anti locks brakes come on while driving on a normal non rain slicked road for no reason. I could go on an on but I am running out of room. I am seriously thinking about trading this car in after only 1 year - if you look on the websites for pre-owned Mazda's you will find there are many 2013 models available - I wonder why. For the safety of yourself and your passengers do not buy this car!!
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