Took Possession 21 August 2012

The purchase was done via internet bid request including complete description of the make/model/colour/options/accessories to all four city dealers with the lowest bid accepted. Visited that dealer May 28 to place order and remit deposit. Did not speak with the dealer again until last Thursday when arrival was announced.

As there was no trade-in I was picked up at my home by a salesman and taken across the city to the dealer. I examined the car and found no evidence of damage. Using the agreement to purchase document I confirmed that all accessories ordered were present and installed. The salesman overviewed with me the car's controls and features. Papers were signed, keys and bank draft exchanged, fuel tank filled and I was on my own. Easy-peasey lemon-squeezy. The best, lowest stress car purchase since I first participated in the process in 1977.

Zeal red GT with sand interior and tech package. The colours suit - although deep green would have been better appreciated. When compared to the test drive, the ride home revealed the following. The cowl shake appears gone. The left exterior mirror quiver remains but is no more annoying than before. The moon roof does brighten the interior. Any performance disappointment resulting from the car's automatic shift decisions can be overcome with use of the manual mode. The rear outboard headrests do reduce position awareness when preforming lane changes and will be removed following the acquaintance ooh-aah period.

On getting home Sirius was contacted and the radio was activated for the dealer-brokered six month free service. At the end of this I will arrange the reduced service fees realized by also having Sirius in my MX-5. Adjusting the sound system options has resulted in a personally pleasing output from the Bose system. Still, with my age and ears the tweeters could likely be removed without notice. The manual is thick like a brick (bilingual) and once digested will be stored with the spare. Mazda supplies separate, smaller, quick reference and the Nav system manuals which will remain in the glove box. There is a host of user set system options which I have only begun to explore.

As for accessories, the rear mud guards are substantial and apper effective; the front much less so. The carpeted flo
 
As for accessories, the rear mud guards are substantial and appear effective; the front less so. The carpeted floor mats are typical Mazda (not a compliment). The form-fit winter interior trays appear flimsy, but are the same quality as those in my '99 Volvo which have seen many winters. The cargo tray is better quality than the Volvo's, and was a surprise. The rear bumper guard has already proved valuable. The cargo cover is a slick piece of kit and is effective. The trailer hitch and wiring harness are a tidy install, although I was surprised that Mazda's install would require cutting the rear fascia. The receiver is smaller than the Volvo's and will require swapping out the platform for the bike rack. As another surprise, the car included not ordered and not paid for wheel locks.

When using a keyed-in destination, the nav system works well - but don't take my word for it (I wouldn't) as it is the first I have used. I made my living doing software maintenance prior to retirement, and I am no Luddite. Still, I did not find the Tom-Tom system particularly intuitive. It does appear to be trip-time sensitive, as the evening trip calculated an out-bound route at rush hour that minimized distance on the main city through fare while the return route maximized distance on this road. The lady has some problems with pronunciation but was never impossible to understand. She also mutes the sound system to make route announcements, which is just as well as I play it loud when alone.

The BSM system is too efficient. This complained when moving safely back into a lane after passing a car. I am still convinced of the utility and safety of this feature and am happy to have it.

If there is an annoyance beyond the rear window view and mirror quiver, it is that the key fob for the CX-5 is identical to that for the MX-5.

Some of my car purchases have been emotional (my first and the Miatas are examples) while others have been purely practical. The CX-5 is one of the latter. It was a four year wait to find a CUV with the features and fuel economy I was looking for. I am not "thrilled" with the buy. I am convinced that the internet bid process resulting in an all-in drive-away price of 39530$ Cdn was value. Perhaps not the lowest price possible, but obtained without negotiation. This car seems solid, well engineered, and carefully assembled using better quality parts. It has a balance of features, utility and performance that matched my specific wants. I believe it will last the ten years I will require of it. I would recommend it.

Brian
 
Wow great write up. You definitely take your car buying serious :) I did extensive research as well but in the end it came down to interior/exterior style, standard options, handling and MPG. Nothing in its class beats the CX-5 in my opinion.
 
Congrats on the new CX-5 bamirault, I'm sure you will enjoy it.

Gio26NJ - As you said when comes to attributes like styling (inside and out), handling and MPG the top choice is obvious to me.
 
I appreciate your thorough and well written review. I hope the car services your needs well. I would welcome another post in say 30 days to see how it fairs.
 
I appreciate your thorough and well written review. I hope the car services your needs well. I would welcome another post in say 30 days to see how it fairs.

Followup post regarding your new CX-5?......
 
Followup post regarding your new CX-5?......

I have had the CX-5 for 2 months. In that time I have only traveled 2,600 km as my summer ride (MX-5) will only go into winter storage this weekend; and I take every possible trip in the convertible. In that time I have gotten to know the trucklet only a bit better given the short distance traveled in it. My discoveries.

There is a button on the right underside of the rear hatch handle that allows you to lock the truck (but NOT unlock it) from there.

You get to know your vehicle when you clean it. Having completed the pre-winter preparation of the CX-5 I have found that some of the exterior plastic pieces feel flimsier than I would have wished. This does not disturb me as these are not really wear items and I expect that they are of an appropriate quality for the usage and price point. Wax easily stains the plastic bits, but this is readily corrected with a Magic Eraser followed by an application of 303.

As to operation, the truck has grown on me. The view everywhere except rearward is excellent. The view to the rear has been corrected by the removal of the rear headrests. These aren't needed as the spawn has grown and left home. The handling continues to satisfy. I have given up very little in that regard compared to the Volvo it replaced. The seats still are not as comfortable as the Volvo, and the CX-5 is quieter about town while noisier on the highway. As this is also haul-the-boat-for-the-winter time, I am really pleased with the utility for the CX-5 over the previous sedan. With the back up camera, this is the first vehicle that my spouse has been able to reverse-park successfully. Still, the camera is no substitute for prudent operation and a physical walk around before reversing - while backing in the boat yard I could clearly see the boat behind me and handily avoided it while still giving the truck its first boo boo when I did not see the tongue of the trailer it was resting on. The mark on the rear bumper corner is hardly noticeable. The yard is muddy and there has been a lot of rain here, and the mud guards are effective and I am pleased with the investment.

I am still unsure about fuel economy. My trips have all been urban/suburban and have seen economy of 9.9 to 8.8 l/100 km. I am still hoping for better than this but these are early days. I have always bought my family haulers new and my toy cars used. The CX-5 exterior driver's mirror quiver is still an annoyance, but it will be dealt with at the December servicing. Aside from this my ONLY problem has been a failed rear signal bulb. This makes the CX-5 the most trouble-free new car I have ever bought. I feel good about this car.

Pending is the purchase of 16" steel wheels and winter tires. The latter will likely be Xice3.

That's all I got. To date this has proven a good purchase. I am happy with the performance. My spouse is not a driver but she has adapted to this car better than to amy other vehicle we have owned. I doubt I will ever be thrilled with the CX-5, but it was not that kind of purchase. This is value for dollar and meets my needs to a 'T'.

Brian
 
Thanks bamirault for your thorough report. Sound like you will put it to greater use this winter, enjoy!
 
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