CX-5 vs. CR-V and Escape

Just wonder how people decide on the CX-5 vs. the new CR-V and the upcoming Escape.

The powertrain (with 6MT) and the design are the biggest draw for me.

I made that decision with CX-5 over Escape and CRV. The CRV was ruled out first.

The CR-V was not on my radar because it is boring to drive and look at. Simply not what I wanted.

As for the Escape, I think it does look nice. But I doubt it will be any better to drive and it is certainly more expensive. Recent Ford vehicles have impressed be a lot in terms of their styling, but I've found they seem to give up a lot in practicality and interior simplicity. Besides, we're not going to see Escapes in reasonable numbers for awhile, I imagine.

I might get an Escape later (the discounts for my family are very deep). I think the Escape will please those that need lots of power, given the available 2.0L turbo with nearly 240 hp.

I chose the CX-5 one because of the 6spd and two because I wanted something fun to drive. Yeah the new escape looks nice but really the only fords that are fun to drive are the mustangs and the F150 Raptor. And well the Honda is Honda and I refuse to drive one.

If you mean the Escape hybrid, I chose the CX-5 because the gas mileage was better on the CX-5 for highway (35 versus 30), and it was a lot less expensive. Same thing for the CR-V - plus we needed the additional ground clearance that the CX-5 has.

No, most are talking about new and redesigned 2013 Escape not available until May.

It will offer 3 engines, all 4-bangers (2 wturbo) no hybrids.

top vehicles for us were:
- Forester
- CRV
- Outback

Sorry, I wont go with Kia/Hyundai just have too many bad memories still and their not proven in reliability for the long term in my book.

Forester/Outback- great packages especially with the 5SP Manual but nothing inspiring about it and gets horrible ~25MPG... the outback got too pricy for us

CRV is a Honda. no I mean it. I've owned about a dozen Honda/Acura models and each have similar attributes. Every Honda is very lousy on the highway, very crude firm suspension, and cheaper and cheaper made materials (to the point its a no thrills feeling). Over the years, I experience the downfall of Honda and after test driving the 2012 CR-V and even the Acura RDX I felt it getting worse and wont stand for it any longer. Yes, it had 30HP more, but never could tell and the engine is much louder inside the cabin. Hate sunroofs are forced on you in EX and up models, I rather have the additional headroom. On Hwys, I had to scream to talk to the person next to me. What is up with the Green illumination light surrounding the entire instrument cluster? It gets lighter and darker automatically depending on instant car MPG economy and nope you cant turn it off. LX model fabric was subpar. And finally the emergency brake is RIGHT above the dead pedal?!?! what?!? there is only 2-3 inch clearance between them.... unacceptable. its right on top of it, I even took a pic of it during the test drive if anyone is interested in seeing it.

Escape - Just price it out. To get the Eco boost engine your getting into the 26K range and thats just for a FWD model. Basic engine is a joke, really? why bother.... I also dont like the dashboard, way too busy and funky, takes away from the enjoyment of driving.

I checked out the following:

Honda CR-V
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This was my first choice. I eagerly anticipated the arrival of the new model, but I was disappointed. It's an excellent vehicle and probably a bit more refined in looks and ergonomics. The exterior styling is good but a bit too conservative. The engine was okay. It probably has a bit more pep than the CX-5 but I definitely felt and heard the downshifts when I pushed on the gas pedal. If I didn't know the Horsepower/Torque numbers of the CR-V and CX-5, I wouldn't really be able to tell you which had the bigger engine. The highway noise was quite noticeable. On the testdrive, my wife noticed it immediately and she doesn't normally keep an 'ear' out for these things. I'm not a Honda hater (I own an Accord right now) and this was my first choice, but in the end, the CR-V did not live up to my expectations.

Subaru Outback/Impreza
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The Impreza wagon was an intriguing option, but it was ultimately too small in the cargo area to fit my dog and the concern about the rear seat comfort for my two close to teen kids ruled it out. We didn't even test drive it. The Outback was a definite contender. We liked the space and the looks (a bit outdated though). It's a bigger car than the CX-5, so it's more expensive and the gas mileage is worse. We don't need AWD, so the price and mileage penalty were negatives. Also, I didn't like the center stack looks. The siver really bugged me. It reminds me of a cheap '80's Hi-Fi system. After all that, though, I was just about to go fight it out with the dealer when we decided to go check out the Mazda dealer.

Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI
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Another strong contender. We liked the mileage of the TDI and it probably would have been less expensive than the CX-5. The exterior was okay, nothing to brag about. The interior was excellent and my wife fell in love with the radio - the salesman definitely did his job on that one! Again, we were concerned about the family fitting comfortably in a couple of years. Also, the reliability/quality issues were a big worry. I asked several friends who own VW's about it, and they were happy with theirs, but it still weighed heavily on our minds.

Mazda 5
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I made my wife check this one out. I thought the space, versatility, and sliding rear doors were great. And the kids would have liked the separate captains chairs that slid and reclined. The engine was okay but the mileage was not great. Ultimately, my wife said she didn't want another mini-van. She's always liked SUV's. But there's no denying that the Mazda 5 is a great package that meets the needs of a small family.

The funny thing is that we went early on a Saturday morning to check out the Mazda 5 and Jetta since the two lots were close to each other. My wife chose to look at the VW first, but they were not open yet (What? They don't think people go shopping on Saturday mornings?) so we walked over to the Mazda dealership, and we saw the CX-5 sitting out front. I had read about it, but did not know that they were already available in early March. It was not even on my radar of vehicles to check out. Fate is a funny thing.

For me the choice was based on 3 things

Looks
Full economy
Price/features

The CRV was ruled out pretty quick, took a look at some pics and did not even bother to check it out in person

The escape was not available and for a fully loaded model it is nearly 10k more then the CX5.

For the same price you loose a lot of the bells and whistles.

I really don't get the engine selections on the Escape. Why does Ford want to doom some buyers to an old 4-banger with poor gas mileage? That doesn't seem to vibe with the affordable-premium feel they're trying to put in to their cars. The new Fusion, which is beautiful, looks like it is going to have the same problem.

Perhaps Ecoboost really is that cost prohibitive for them, but if that's the case, maybe they should have thought of that earlier.

2013 Escape's mainstream engines will be 1.6 Ecoboost (turbo) and 2.0 Ecoboost (turbo). The old base 2.3 4-banger will be sold almost exclusively to rental or fleet customers. It's expected that the 1.6 Ecoboost will have highest EPA gas mileage ratings, probably very similar to EPA ratings of CX-5.

I think the use of turbo is going to bite Ford in the ass five years down the road, by the way. I see the turbos eventually failing and buyers getting angry about it.

Too early to tell about new Ecoboost 4's. The 2.0L turbo is in the Edge, Explorer and Range Rover Evoque but none have been out long enough to acculate big miles.

Since this is a Mazda forum, what's the durability like on the Mazdaspeed turbo engines?

It's not bad but it is worse than NA Mazdas. Most of the turbo versions of vehicles I've seen rated for reliability on Consumer Reports and Truedelta seem to be less reliable than the NA version, which is why I'm skeptical of EcoBoost.

Certainly, Ford is in unexplored territory. I'm not aware of anyone ever pushing turbos on virtually all models across an entire brand. Except for the Germans...and it often hasn't work out well for them, reliability-wise.

Yes, German automakers in US market have mixed results with turbo engines (Audi head gaskets, BMW fuel pumps, newer Mercedes turbos tbd).

Ford turbos (Ecoboost) still too early to know.

Maybe same can be said for Skyactiv engines and trannys, maybe still too early to know (high compression, light weight pistons, small torque converters, clutches in auto tranny, direct injection, who knows....). Certainly Mazda has a better track record than Ford in recent years with reliability.

I'm still open to a new Escape in a couple of years (if one of my family members wants my CX-5), but I'm z-plan so the discounts are deep.

Having driven a Honda Element for the past 5 years, the CRV (as well as the Escape) were on the radar. I'm a Honda Guy, having worked for the corporation of 20+ years (in the Motorcycle division). My pension counts on them doing well! I was sorely disappointed with the recent make-over. Little to no advances technically, frumpy styling etc. My wife wanted something with the same utility. As news of the CX5 started leaking out, I became intrigued with the ground up development and the whole Skyactiv package. My daughter has a Mazda 3 5 door and I've had 3 Miata's as well, so I had good Mazda experiences. The CX5 turned out to be everything I'd hoped it would be. This is my 64th car so I've been around the block a little!. We've had it a few weeks and 1000 miles now and we both love the car. Great handling, terrific mileage, attractive styling. I couldn't be happier with the choice. My Honda sales guy was not so happy though...Honda's been off their game for a few years now. I have no doubt the CRV will wildly outsell the CX5 in the grand scheme of things though just due to Honda's footprint and reputation. Those that make the CX5 choice will be getting the better car though..

Modshack said:

My Honda sales guy was not so happy though...Honda's been off their game for a few years now. I have no doubt the CRV will wildly outsell the CX5 in the grand scheme of things though just due to Honda's footprint and reputation. Those that make the CX5 choice will be getting the better car though..

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The Odyssey and CR-V were on my radar as well. I've always been a fan of Honda products. They're one of the Japanese brands I would consider. Toyota, Honda and Mazda are typically up the top in terms of reliability. I have owned two Mazda's myself, and my Mum has had several Mazda's going back to the early 60's. But I have driven many a Honda and Toyota as well.

Toyota is instantly struck for me. Although they're reliable, they have poor styling, terrible seating positions and the majority of their cars lack any excitement. Jumping into a Lexus brings in another step in quality, bells and whistles - but of late the styling is awkward and the driving experience feels very assisted electronically.
Honda gets thumbs up for style in some of their vehicles. The Accord Euro (Acura TSX in US), drives well and has received a Car of Year award in Australia. The CR-X was awarded car of the year, this year.
But having driven the Odyssey and the CR-V, I was left scratching my head before promptly falling asleep from boredom.
Jumping in the CX-7 instantly made me feel alive again. And the CX-5 was a more mature version of that (albeit a lot slower).

after owning a VW Jetta 1.8 Turbo, i will never ever buy a car with any kind of turbo. The extra hoses, excessive heat, oil consumption, requirement of using premium fuel far outweighs the fun factor esp as the car ages and picks up more miles.

So I priced out a a FWD 2013 Escape 1.6 SE FWD and tried to build it the same as our Touring FWD. The major differnce between the two is that the CX-5 comes with Bi-Xenon headlamps. The CX-5 comes in 27,205 MSRP and the Escape 29,2XX! $2000 is alot of coin. Not to mention the escape has 3inches less legroom in the back. Plus you have to realize that sure a turbo engine can get great gas mileage, but once you get into boost the mileage will tank. You'll have to baby the Escape to get the EPA numbers.