[BMW F22]

Anyone have experience with this CUV? Any quality or realiability issues to be aware of? We had a Mazda MPV a decade ago and it had a lot of problems. We are thinking about picking up the CX-5 but would like to see is there is anything we should be awared of.

The other alternative would be Toyota Venza. Test drove both and the Mazda handled so much better (I was impressed!). The suspension was firm and nice (can't attest to how it would feel on long trips). The Venza was more of a cruiser (comfortable, very roomy) and of course didn't handle as well. It gets lower MPG as well (22 combineds vs 28 on the Mazda). Thoughts?

[carve]

Mazda has handling figured out much better than most, particularly with FWD. I hear the CX-5 is great to drive, efficient and reliable, but a bit underpowered and with less cargo space than its competitors. I believe they just increased the displacement so power should now be similar to the competition.

[i dunno]

cx-5 seems to be top of the class right now. if driving dynamics matter, why not get a used e91?

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by i dunno

cx-5 seems to be top of the class right now. if driving dynamics matter, why not get a used e91?

The vehicle is for my brother and he wants an SUV/CUV. He doesn't like wagons.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by carve

Mazda has handling figured out much better than most, particularly with FWD. I hear the CX-5 is great to drive, efficient and reliable, but a bit underpowered and with less cargo space than its competitors. I believe they just increased the displacement so power should now be similar to the competition.

Yeah, the displacement is now 2.5L making 184hp. Overall, it seems like a good car. I'm just curious about the reliability and durability of Mazda as we haven't had a Mazda in over 10 years.

[richardbb85]

Originally Posted by BMW E90

Yeah, the displacement is now 2.5L making 184hp. Overall, it seems like a good car. I'm just curious about the reliability and durability of Mazda as we haven't had a Mazda in over 10 years.

My little sis has one, n I drive it occasionally. Great car, good on gas, reliable, drives good. Definitely recommended

[bbbbmw]

I've had Mazdas - they seem like second-tier Japanese cars to me (IMO - don't flame me). I'd go for the Toyota, or the Honda CRV or Pilot. Resale is also much better.

[Seminole]

I actually traded my 328i in on one back in February.

Here's my CX-5:





The biggest complaints on the Mazda forums are the following:

1) Driver side mirror vibration at highway speeds. Seems like it's a 50/50 chance that people have it. Mine has a slight vibration but I've gotten used to it and it's not that bad.
2) TomTom/USB Interface. A lot of people bitch about the TomTom navigation, but I haven't had any issues whatsoever. The other thing is that in the 2014's they updated the USB software for the head unit and now when you have a USB drive or iPod plugged into the USB port it resets every time you turn the car off and doesn't pick up where it left off. Plus there is a little lag now where it can take 10 seconds to a few minutes to load depending on how many songs there are. I just use Bluetooth streaming with Spotify 99% of the time so it doesn't bother me. Both these issues are supposed to be rectified with the 2015 model which will be getting the updated software from the new Mazda3.

Let me know what other questions you have and I'll gladly answer them.

[BMW F22]

^ niice! We're looking at getting it in white with black interior (pretty much like yours) and moonroof w/Bose package. We're contemplating on the tech package with nav and adaptive bi-xenon. I've heard that the nav sucks and that the Bose system is mediocre. We tested out the Bose sound today and it was okay- I wasn't impressed but it wasn't horrible either.

I'm just mostly concerned about Mazda's reliability and durability as we haven't had one in so long. It handles very well for an SUV/CUV and gets great MPG. It's funny that you traded in your 328i for it because I told my brother I wouldn't mind doing the same thing.

[Seminole]

I got tired of the maintenance costs with the BMW. The final straw was my AC evaporator needed to be replaced and I was quoted $3k. I was almost at 100k miles and the car was gonna take a big hit value wise so I cashed out and traded it in.

So far it's been rock solid reliability wise and I love it even more than my BMW. I went with a fully loaded Grand Touring with Tech and would do it again. The keyless entry and HIDs alone are worth it. All in for $30.5k MSRP is a real value when you consider that most other CUVs don't even offer some of those options and the ones that do (Escape) are around $35k when comparably equipped.

I drive it just as hard as my BMW and I'm averaging 27mpg over 12k miles which is spot on for the EPA combined mpg.

[Seminole]

Oh yeah, and I have the beige/black interior. I think it makes the interior look really classy compared to the all black one.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by Seminole

I got tired of the maintenance costs with the BMW. The final straw was my AC evaporator needed to be replaced and I was quoted $3k. I was almost at 100k miles and the car was gonna take a big hit value wise so I chashed out and traded it in.

So far it's been rock solid reliability wise and I love it even more than my BMW. I went with a fully loaded Grand Touring with Tech and would do it again. The keyless entry and HIDs alone are worth it. All in for $30.5k MSRP is a real value when you consider that most other CUVs don't even offer some of those options and the ones that do (Escape) are around $35k when comparably equipped.

I drive it just as hard as my BMW and I'm averaging 27mpg over 12k miles which is spot on for the EPA combined mpg.

Yeah agreed. Maintenance was something that turned him off about BMW. Mine car kept going to the shop. I think the CX-5 does offer the best bang for the buck. I will have to look into the beige/black interior. Thank you for mentioning that!

[EyeGuy]

How is the back seat space and cargo??? Would you recommend with 1 child and a baby seat??

Also, any info how it handles in snow would be greatly appreciated.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by EyeGuy

How is the back seat space and cargo??? Would you recommend with 1 child and a baby seat??

Also, any info how it handles in snow would be greatly appreciated.

I'm not sure how it handles in the snow personally because I've never driven it in the snow. However, from the youtube videos I've seen it seems to be fine.

The back seat space is great. It's pretty roomy and should fit 3 people comfortably. We looked at every CUV/SUV in the segment and the CX-5 seems to be one of the top contenders (it's on top of our list). It will for sure fit one child and a baby seat comfortably. Cargo room is about 34 cubic feet. It's a bit smaller than some other ones like Honda CR-V but not by much. As far as styling, interior, and handling go, it's the best vehicle we've looked at. I suggest you go check it out in person.

[Seminole]

Originally Posted by BMW E90

Yeah agreed. Maintenance was something that turned him off about BMW. Mine car kept going to the shop. I think the CX-5 does offer the best bang for the buck. I will have to look into the beige/black interior. Thank you for mentioning that!

Here are two quick pics of it:





Only the seats and the door inserts are beige so the carpets are black don't get ruined as easily.

Originally Posted by EyeGuy

How is the back seat space and cargo??? Would you recommend with 1 child and a baby seat??

Also, any info how it handles in snow would be greatly appreciated.

Backseat space is really good. Plenty of legroom and I think it's around 66 cubic feet of cargo space with all seats down and 35 or so with them up. I don't have kids (bought it for the extra space when tailgating) but a baby seat should fit back there just fine. If you are seriously considering it I would bring your car seat One of the main selling points for me was the seats fold 40/20/40, so I could drop the middle seat for longer items and still have both full size outboard seats open for passengers. Compared to every other small CUV out there that has 60/40 seats the 40/20/40 mean if you need to have two people in the back someone doesn't get crammed in the middle seat.

I live in the South so I don't have to deal with snow, but it has 8.5 inches of ground clearance which only the Subaru Forester can compare with. The guys on the Mazda forum have been saying it handles awesome in the snow.

I found this on Youtube as well:

[BMW F22]

What's this issue about the windshield cracking Seminole?

[Seminole]

Originally Posted by BMW E90

What's this issue about the windshield cracking Seminole?

A few people with early builds complained of windshields cracking, but in almost every instance there was evidence of some sort of rock strike. I haven't seen too many reports of it lately and with 12k miles, most of them highway, my windshield doesn't have so much as a nick or pit on it.

[BMW F22]

Great, thank you for the info! I wonder if we should get it now or wait until February or so. I heard that MY2015 might come out in Jan or Feb with a new head unit (navi).

[Seminole]

Originally Posted by BMW E90

Great, thank you for the info! I wonder if we should get it now or wait until February or so. I heard that MY2015 might come out in Jan or Feb with a new head unit (navi).

That's the rumor. If you can wait, it's worth it to see what improvements they will make. They will likely add memory seats and a power passenger seat too, but the main thing will be the entertainment unit. Go play with the one in the CX-5 a lot and then ask the dealer to let you mess with a new Mazda3. If you really like the one in the new 3 and it's that much more of an improvement then hold out for the '15 model. If it was like the '14 update last year they should start hitting dealers early to mid February.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by Seminole

That's the rumor. If you can wait, it's worth it to see what improvements they will make. They will likely add memory seats and a power passenger seat too, but the main thing will be the entertainment unit. Go play with the one in the CX-5 a lot and then ask the dealer to let you mess with a new Mazda3. If you really like the one in the new 3 and it's that much more of an improvement then hold out for the '15 model. If it was like the '14 update last year they should start hitting dealers early to mid February.

I will definitely do that. Thank you for the advice! If the new MY will be coming out in Jan or Feb we will wait for it. Otherwise we will have a new addition to our household by the end of this year.

[b0bab0i]

The Mazda CX5 is built in Japan!

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by b0bab0i

The Mazda CX5 is built in Japan!

Troll?