what other car(s) did you consider?

When you were shopping, which other cars made the running?

We test drove:
Buick Verano - needed a backup camera and lacked any 'wow' factor
GMC Terrain (rented) - a bit louder, but smoother ride, not as good of mpg and could never find the trim/color/options combo we wanted. More expensive, especially for what you get.
VW Jetta (rented) - side mirror whistled, a bit expensive if you get a nicer one
Acura TSX - too big and kinda blah
Acura TL (prior generation, used) - too big and a bit detached
Nissan Rogue - not sporty enough styling
Infiniti G25/G37 - we felt like we 'should' like it, we just didn't. bad mpg too
Chevy Cruze (rented) - passenger airbag wouldn't turn on for my wife, shifted poorly
Nissan Altima (rented) - Kinda Bland
Mazda6 4cyl (rented) - didn't feel like a Mazda
Pontiac G8 GT - felt too big, bad mpg.
Honda Accord 4 cyl - Drove like an older Buick
Buick Regal - dealer tried to jack up the price by $4,000 we walked and lost interest
Lexus IS250 - weren't crazy about the styling, dealer kept trying to play games with the price.

Looked at (didn't bother driving):
Acura ILX - no 'wow' factor and really expensive if you wanted toys
Subaru Impreza - just seemed too basic and cheap interior (except the price)
Honda CRV - didn't 'wow'
Chevy Equinox - preferred the Terrain look

We already had a Mazda3 but considered just getting a 2nd one. But the extra room, smoother ride, higher seating position, better ground clearance just offered too many pluses to not get something 'different'.

When I commented to my wife that we were brand loyal to Mazda after buying our 3rd one she said "not really, we looked at everything else out there first"
 
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WOW, and I thought I agonized over the car choice...
Subaru Imprezza 2012 - good space, but not fun to drive, manual transmission would have been more fun but hard to find in South Flori-duh, oh yeah and SLOW.
Ford Focus 2012 - Wife has one, nice styling, good handling, but autotragic gearbox was very imprecise (it would take a few seconds to move from a standstill) manual transmission hard to find and trunk space was smaller than I was used to.
Ford Focus ST 2013 - almost put down a deposit on this car the same week I committed to my CX5. I was prepared to give up on trunk space in favor of speed, 6spd and recaros in a practical 5dr shape. Insurance wouldda been a b**** though...
Mazda 3 Skyactiv (hatch) - wife sat in the back seat and ruled it our before I could test drive, said it was too small (how many godamn baby seats is she planning for our future? @_@
Audi A3 - too pricey

If you see a trend, you're right on the money: I didn't want a big car, I wanted a 5dr sport hatch/wagon, with just enough utility to take a roof rack for my kayak. The CX5 was the largest car I test drove, but it felt sporty like a hatchback and who could argue with the economy, trunk size, and price!
 
yeah, I drive car salespeople crazy. All I had to do to get them to leave me alone on the lot is when they asked what kinds of cars I'm considering I'd say "Equinox, Mini, Accord" and they'd roll their eyes and wander off.

I kept leaning towards the larger cars hoping for better ride and quieter with more space for long trips then when I saw the CX5 on the lot my first reaction was "it's too big" then I saw how close it was in dimensions to the Mazda3.

We test drove an A3 back about a year after they first came out and ended up with a salesman getting all in my face because we didn't want to buy a used one they had just gotten traded in and wanted to wait for a new one which would have cost us less since it didn't have a bunch of options we didn't want. It left us with such a bad feeling about Audi we never considered another one.

I didn't want a big car,

And it seems nobody quite does small cars like Mazda. They seem to realize that sometimes we buy smaller because we like it, not because we can't afford bigger.
 
Subaru Outback 3.6: fuel consumption, but great car, I had 2 subarus before.
BMW X1 : A bit too expensive when you start to put equipment in....but very nice car.
Audi A3: a bit too small
Mini Countryman S ALL4: see A3
VW Golf Wagon TDI: a bit boring to look at
 
I'm still considering the following (in order) and I'm on the "fence" for longer that I'd like to admit:
1) CX5 6MT - like the size as it will fit nicely in my garage although I 'd have to get a trailer to carry things. The amazing economy/mpg is such a huge plus.
2) (Another) Pickup: Tacoma V6, MT, double cab, 4 x 4, crappy mpg ~ 19mpg but very utilitarian.
3) Jeep Wrangler Unlimited: Hard top, MT: again mpg stinks 'cause the Jeep is a 4200 lb flying brick but its a jeep.
 
I was looking to replace my Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer (4wd) SUV with a modern compact SUV (awd).

I considered 2013 CX-5, 2013 Escape, 2012 Sportage, 2012 CRV.
 
Wow. Some diverse vehicle options in here. I knew I wanted an all wheel drive utility vehicle of sorts.
Considered many early on but narrowed it down to the following for actual test drives.....

Hyundai Tucson
Kia sportage
Ford escape(never drove one, didn't like the front end or interior at all)

Drove the cx5 last, loved it and left the lot with it.
 
Kia Soul
We wanted something different. Now that we've bought a CX-5 (it's on a dock in Vancouver), our family and friends are telling us how ugly they think the Soul is. They didn't want to tell us before....
Man, am I glad we switched.
 
Our criteria was pretty simple. We wanted something smaller and more fuel efficient than our 07 TL... and if it were more fun to drive that'd be a plus too.

We first looked at the Prius. I know I know... Everything about that car screams BORING! But its for my wife, and the idea of 50-60mpg I thought would trump the driving experience, but after driving it, I hated it. And I vowed never to own a CVT transmission (a regular auto is bad enough). BTW, the saleswoman told me the prius didn't have a transmission when I told her I didn't like it (LOL!). So I told her, "well, I really want a transmission in my car, so this isn't going to work".

We both thought a crossover would be practical, but weren't thrilled with the choices.

CRV- boaring
Rav4- didn't like the layout of the interior, or the spare tire on the back
I personally think anything made by GM Ford or Chrysler is garbage.
Anything from Germany scares the crap out of me after checking repair bills from my friends' Mercedes, and BMW's. (my buddy who worked for BMW told me, you lease these, you don't want to own one. LOL)

I knew about the CX-5's MPG rating and I knew it was suppose to be fun to drive. Also, my buddy works for mazda's corporate office, so I knew he could probably give us a discount. After about the 2nd 50mph corner, my wife and I both knew this was going to be the perfect all around vehicle for us.

I just wish you could get the 19" wheels without getting leather! I guess I'll either have to watch out of people selling them, or just be happy that 17" tires are about half of what 19's are! LOL

I also wish the boat carrying our car would hurry the hell up! haha
 
I considered the Range Rover Evoque, VW Tiguan, CRV. Decided on the CX5 as it offers better bang for the buck and better fuel economy and I guess because I've owned nothing but Mazda's.
 
Wanted to get something bigger than my P5. The funny thing was as the minagi concept slowly became a production reality, each of these choices fell off my list.

Considered the following:
2012 Kia Sportage
2012 Gmc Terrain
2011/2012 Ford Escape
 
i was also looking at the mitsu outlander sport and the kia sportage

the wife was looking at the outlander sport, the kia sportage or soul, and the chevy equinox

we both ended up with 5's
 
I am always a loyal Honda owner, this time my wife decided to check out other name plates. Below are ones we test drove:

2012 Nissan Quest: Infiniti like interior. But how Nissan treated the fuel tank problem seem like they don't care customer safety.
2012 Acura RDX: A dashboard panel fell right in front of me.
2013 Acura RDX : Drive like my 06 Pilot.
Acura Tsx wagon : best driver seat but rear passenger seat too tight.
Toyota hybrids: Too boring to drive.
Volvo XC60: Nice but over price based on fit and finish.
Outback: Little worry about its crash ratings.

So we finally went back to Honda for the CRV except none of the dealer within 200 mile radius has the color we want. Went to a Mazda dealer the next week, love the ride of the CX5 and they have the exact ext/int color we like. The rest was history.

Turns out the MSRP of the CX5 GT Tech was similar to the CRV EXL NAV except the Mazda offer 19" wheels, smart key, BSM, HID, tinted windows, twin tail pipes and fun to drive which Honda doesn't. Love the CX5 that it is kinda a stealth luxury vehicle.

Btw, not even the 2013 RDX Offer BSM.
 
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Nissan Murano: Turn it off because of dealers's terrible customer service.
Honda CR-V: the wife does not like the exterior.
Subaru XV: not the wife's type and just look odd.
Ford territory: Bad feedbacks from drivers
Holden Captiva: Too thirsty for such a family car
Volvo XC60: too expensive for out add option :))
Land Rover 2: look just so ugly

We are Aussie
 
2012 Ford Focus - Test drove it, didn't like a thing about it. The transmission felt like it had a mind of its own and it was always lost.

2012 Subaru Impreza 5dr - Meh, too boring.

2012 Mazda 3 Skyactive Hatch - Wife didn't like the interior

2012 Mini Copper Countryman S - too expensive for what it is.
 
2012 Subuara Imprezza wagon - Was about to pull the trigger due to the advertised 36MPG rating with AWD to boot. Then upon further research on subbie forums - it turns out nobody was getting anywhere close to 36 and instead were getting 27-28 mph. Big fail!

2012 Mazda 3 hatch - front passenger seat felt cramped due to high knee bolster - wife shot it down and we instead opted for the CX5!!
 
I never thought I would buy an SUV or CUV. For a daily driver, it just didn't make sense. My top priorities were driving excitement (responsiveness, handling, etc), value, fuel economy, and style. I also preferred a manual transmission but it wasn't a deal breaker. The CX-5 just fit the bill.

Some of the others I've considered:
Honda CR-V - spacious but boring to drive and ugly exterior
Chevy Equinox - surprisingly cramp interior and unresponsive, numb steering
Toyota Rav4 - cheap and ugly interior
Ford Escape - poor value, style is a dated.
Subaru Outback - out of my price range
Subaru Impreza wagon - crappy tranny, both cvt and manual
Mazda 3 wagon - cramped interior
Ford Fusion - cramped interior
Toyota Camry - unresponsive, boring
Nissan Altima - interior seemed plain and dated
 
Considered:
Chevy Equinox-really liked the styling but concerned about reliability rating that is dropping
Toyota RAV4-too common and not unique enough for my tastes
CRV-really didn't consider other than for a moment. Styling was too bland and not sporty enough
Subaru Forrester-really like Subaru's but ultimately styling was too boxy/wagon-like and interior was low-end (IMO)
 
2012 focus: was initially on top of my list, but after test drove it, I found it too cramped inside. and its refinement is nowhere near what auto journalists said
2012 jetta: too disappointed, over priced, the interior sucks.
2012 tiguan: too harsh, too expensive here in Canada
2012 fusion: great price, boring overall
2012 verano: want to see how quiet it is, it's just mehhh...nothing special at all.
2012 camry se: second choice to CX-5, comfortable while sporty, but not as versatile as CX-5, friend has one, don't want to follow.
then the CX-5, test drove it twice and fell in love with it!
Just got mine yesterday, found that it's louder and slower than the demo car. they are the same GT AWD model. Don't understand why.
Today I wanted to merge into highway, really put pressure on the pedal and the engine roared. My friend asked me if I was speeding, I said no it was only 80km/h!
Just not comparable to the demo. Want to see if it perform better over time.
 
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