Test drive Concerns for CX-5

U

udayse

Member
I love the interior and exterior of the car. It seems like thought was put into this.

I have 2 concerns.
1) Engine noise: The CX-5 does not give you a luxury feel at all. The start up is noisy and the noise still seems to be there even after going a mile. I test drove the grand touring, I love the leather and everything that comes with it, but I am disappointed by the cheap car feel to driving it. Dont others feel this way?

2) Driving torque: When I had to accelerate from 40mph to a highway 65mph it seemed like it did take a lot of effort, granted, I am used to driving my honda accord and you cant really compare the two, But still, I feel this will limit me on how I drive on the highway.


Fuel gauge had one dot over the 1/2 way mark, with 15 gal tank, leaving two for reserve, lets say that is 7.5 gals left in the tank, The range showed 191 miles, which translates to about 25mpg, which is pretty good.

Do others share the same concerns? I am still on the fence, about buying this, because of the noise. It is very irritating, when you are talking on the phone and you have to repeat yourself, each time because there is so much noise.

Just curious what others think.
 
I agree there is quite a bit of racquet at startup, but once the engine reaches normal operating temperature, it quiets down to acceptable levels to me.
 
Compared to my Mazda5 the CX-5 is silent. No matter how many thousands of dollars in moonroofs and cowskins you add, though, fundamentally the CX-5 is still just a $20,000 tall Mazda3 with a small, naturally aspirated four-cylinder. The most fancy stuff you add, the more weight you add, the harder the engine has to work against that mass. Combined with an automatic tuned more for mileage than performance, you're going to have something that doesn't feel fast, because it isn't. Look at the CX-5 for what it is at its core, not what it is when you start ticking off options boxes and raising the price into territory reserved for larger, more powerful, more refined vehicles.
 
CodyZoom said:
I agree there is quite a bit of racquet at startup, but once the engine reaches normal operating temperature, it quiets down to acceptable levels to me.
Click to expand...

If you read the manual, it notes that upon startup there are some valves that open up to reduce emissions, and that the sounds are normal. After the engine is on for a few moments, the sound goes away. (It almost sounds like there is an exhaust leak.)
 
The engine noise is there at start up and after a few minutes. I asked the dealership about it and they said it was the engine design. I was still uncertain about and we checked other Skyactiv Mazda 3s and they all had the same engine noise at start up. My mom has a new Mazda 3 and confirms that hers makes the same noise at startup. The noise does go away after a few minutes.

As far as highway driving, the little that we have driven this car on the highway we haven't had any issues with it on the highway. It has plenty of get up and go when you need it. It's not the fastest in the world but it does what it needs.

We are at roughly 850 miles on our CX5 now and on the third tank of gas. The low fuel light comes on at about 11.5 gallons, which it seems like the computer is reading off of. We averaged 27.6 MPG on the first tank and 28.5 MPG on the second with about 90% city driving.

For me I don't get the cheap car feel. We went from a 08 CX9 GT to the CX5 Touring and this in my opinion feels like its better quality material and better made. The CX9 had the paint chipping off of all the interior pieces and the hard plastic pieces. The CX5 has the soft touch dash and it seems like better materials in my opinion. I loved our old CX9, but for my family needs this is a better car and seems like a lot batter quality.
 
I'm pretty sure, CX-5 (Touring) is the best choice in it's segment (when you need AWD, cargo space , utility) at the moment. What i mean by "best" is most economical to own over period of time as a primary consideration, with a reasonable amount of compromise when it comes to power, "fun" factor , interior/exterior quality/fit and included features. Big part of it is the fuel consumption for such a relatively big car. While , say Kia Sorento may offer better space and warranty at comparable purchase price - it's resale value and poor gas economy will make it significantly more expensive to own. New Ford Escape, while may math in MPG dept will have a price tag premium. CR-V is the one that comes close...maybe new Santa Fe as well, when they reveal it in 2 weeks... well, overall i see a lot of positive competition showing up in this segment. Will be interesting couple of years
 
cptkloss


have you driven a CX-5? How does it compare to your Q5 in terms of feel and driving?
My old folks are looking for something this size and are interested in CX-5, Q5, and Tiguan

Thanks in advance
 
CodyZoom said:
I agree there is quite a bit of racquet at startup, but once the engine reaches normal operating temperature, it quiets down to acceptable levels to me.
Click to expand...

My new GTI is the same way..You'll find this a pretty common situation with direct injection cars.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. I guess i wasnt clear. I am not so worried about the interior looking like a luxury vehicle. I'd rather have a quieter car. I think I need to test drive it one more time to see if I like it.
 
udayse said:
Thanks for the replies everyone. I guess i wasnt clear. I am not so worried about the interior looking like a luxury vehicle. I'd rather have a quieter car. I think I need to test drive it one more time to see if I like it.
Click to expand...

The engine does have a pronounced clatter when it's warming up, but it's quite refined and pleasant once at proper temperature.
 
Canadian-ES-GT said:
cptkloss


have you driven a CX-5? How does it compare to your Q5 in terms of feel and driving?
My old folks are looking for something this size and are interested in CX-5, Q5, and Tiguan

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

i'd not compare them really, Q5 is not, by any mean a "perfect" car - it's got a long list of irritating things. But it's a very pleasurable experience to drive one. In CX-5 i didnt feel that. Just a solid mean of transportation, that will get a job done. Gives you that good feeling of getting a great value for your $$$.

I'm pretty sure (didnt drive one, but i did own a Golf) Tiguan is a middle-of-the-road solution here... both money/performance wise.
 
The engine noise seems to go away within 30 seconds, or as soon as I shift out of P. I usually let it do it's thing for 30 seconds before driving away. I find the engine surprisingly quiet afterwards. The ride is much quieter than my old mazda 3 2004 and 2005 honda civic.
 
udayse said:
Thanks for the replies everyone. I guess i wasnt clear. I am not so worried about the interior looking like a luxury vehicle. I'd rather have a quieter car. I think I need to test drive it one more time to see if I like it.
Click to expand...
Two notes here:
1. In ours the engine noise went down considerably over the first 300 miles or so.
2. You can expect elevated rattle from all directly injected gas engines.

Having said so I do not feel like I'm driving cheap car. I feel like I'm driving underpowered car (or rather car with too little torque). I bet you wouldn't have those feelings at all in diesel version.
 
As ModShack and others had stated, the engine clatter is typical of direct injection engines and especially this one with it's high 13:1 compression.
 
From what I have read, it is hard for a direct injection engine to get the catalytic converters up to temp. That is why the new Toyota/Subaru has both types of injection, traditional injection for startup.
 
udayse said:
I have 2 concerns.
1) Engine noise: The CX-5 does not give you a luxury feel at all. The start up is noisy and the noise still seems to be there even after going a mile. I test drove the grand touring, I love the leather and everything that comes with it, but I am disappointed by the cheap car feel to driving it. Dont others feel this way?

2) Driving torque: When I had to accelerate from 40mph to a highway 65mph it seemed like it did take a lot of effort, granted, I am used to driving my honda accord and you cant really compare the two, But still, I feel this will limit me on how I drive on the highway.
Click to expand...

I don't think the noise is too bad. If you look at Mazda's report card, it's top of the class in terms of reliability and driving feel. It has historically been bottom of class for noise.
The CX-5 though is recorded at idle is recorded under laboratory conditions as being 1 decibal louder than the Tiguan - which is an amazing feat.

Not sure what you mean by "cheap feel to driving it". It's the lightest in the class, but if you drive it and then drive the CR-V side by side, you'll be surprised at how much more accurate the steering is and the feedback it gives. The suspension and road soak up is very good. The CR-V feels quite boring in comparison.

Regarding torque.... the petrol is economic before it is performance. I wish you could drive the diesel. It has more torque than anything in the class (and the class above it). It feels like twice the car the petrol is.
 
I haven't decided on the CX5 yet, but did take it for a test drive today. I was really dissapointed by the acceleration. I owned a 2006 Rav4 which also was a 4 but it would run circles arount he CX5 in acceleration, and quieter as well when acclerating. To be honest that 3 mile test drive essentially made up my mind. Shame since it has all the bells and whistles i'd want, plus decent MPG.. Better than my Rav4 for sure, but that acceleration. I'd be concerned not realizing what i was driving, trying to merge or pull out somewhere and basically not move out of my own way.
Sorry, my opinion based on this brief driving experience. But it really is a nice looking vehicle. I'm really dissapointed.
Actually might next test a Toyota Prius V. sat in one, and great room. not my ideal manly vehicle, but, 45 mpg, i could live with that. Who knows, maybe i'll do nothing.
I'm sure all Mazda CX5 lovers will wonder why i posted this, but potential buyers need to really consider the acceleration part. May kill any decision for me on Prius V too, no sure yet.
 
I drove the manual CX-5 yesterday and I though the acceleration was fine. Floored it, watched the revs go berserk, chirped the tires out of second. No sports car, but it does what I expected it to do, and going around revin' the snot out of a little 4-cylinder is my idea of fun.

It's a lot quieter than my current car and I actually wish it wasn't. I don't want to hear road noise but I do want to hear the engine purr. But you can't have it all.

With this said, I can't say I begrudge Curly his sentiment. Unless gas prices continue to climb quickly, I think Mazda's conservative 40,000 unit sold (in North America) estimate is accurate. Most people do not want to have to rev an engine over 3000 RPM to get decent power and I've heard the automatic is hesitate to shift at times. Americans are power obsessed and will frown on a car this slow off the line.
 
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