Product Improvement Thread

I would like to start a thread here for product improvement ideas for our CX-5's.

There are various like and complaint threads throughout this forum, and I have learned a lot from both sides of this. My idea here is to line up the ideas that we USERS have on this vehicle and see what comes along. I guess as this list grows we could email Mazda of the improvements (or just a link to this thread) in our respective regions (Europe, North America, etc.) to let them know what we think. The issue is what we could affect in the improvement process, all of us are essentially real world beta testers for the first full SKYACTIVE integrated vehicle from Mazda. I for one like the thinking behind the design, all of it.

Basic guideline for the posting of product improvement ideas:

List your region, model and trim level with package (tech, no tech, etc.) as well as Engine type (Gas, Diesel) and Drive (FWD, AWD)

List your improvement, based on what you have above. Some things are standard across all trim levels, but with the listing above will let Mazda deduce this for themselves and allow them to discern if it is just an improvement on a trim level only, package level or across the board.

I would like this NOT to turn into a wish list thread, but more for the improvements that may be more realistic for Mazda to incorporate into the future product line.

I will outline my suggestions below as my example.


North America: CX-5 Touring with Moonroof/Bose and Tech Package 2.0 Gasoline FWD

Suggested Improvements:

On the automatic windshield wiper system, I would like it to turn on the headlights when the wipers activate, this would improve safety and assist driver compliance in states with "lights on when wipers on" laws. The lights could stay on 5 minutes minimum to alleviate any on and off when driving in spotty weather.

Cup Holders in front center console could be staggered left and right as well as slightly farther apart to better carry cups in the North American market where cups of 44oz are not uncommon.

Center Dash display system priority should be to the current screen. For instance, when ending a call with the radio on (muted automatically in call) then wanting to place another call immediately, the screen shows the current audio station and displays this for about 15 seconds, covering the tabs for the phone settings. Another example is to get into vehicle while speaking on your phone, turn the vehicle on and wait until Bluetooth establishes link, if vehicle is in reverse (showing rear view camera on center display) the Bluetooth link will over ride the camera display and show the phone status.

The safety lock out on the navigation system should have the option to be bypassed when you have a passenger. This could be effected by using the seat sensor for the passenger airbag, allowing use of the navigation system by the passenger when the passenger airbag is operational.

The tech package could be offered with the Bose system integrated, and the Moon-roof as a separate package, but allow the tech package to be purchased without the Moon-roof package. Alternately, a solid, non glass moon roof (sun roof?) could be offered to replace the glass. This is just my opinion, as I am not fond of glass roofs, but had to get one to get the tech package.

Fix the voice recognition for the entire center dash display system, better algorithms via software updates would bring this system up to the level of the rest of the vehicle, so much tech into the entire vehicle in this major redesign, and so little into the plug and play add on that the driver interacts with every time.

Dead Pedal.....Something mounted where your foot rests on the left....

US GT + Nav. If you included memory for the drivers seat in the teck package, I would have bought the teck package. It should be position unique to key fobs with auto movement of seat to rear for ease of entry and exit for my old bones.

some of the previously mentioned items plus:

better support for mp3 over usb storage; including playlists, sorting/playing by id3 tags and less finicky playback(more robust player)

kicking those dumb swedes @ tomtom to the curb and soliciting other vendors for plug in modules for the navigation(and allowing existing owners to trade in theirs for new ones) or forcing tomtom to improve the system to at least as equivalent as their top of the line freestanding units that cost half as much (and have lifetime maps and traffic included...)

pivoting(or smaller) rear headrests for dropping seats for cargo area without having to remove them even with front seats all the way back

improved under floor storage around spare tire

improved bluetooth reliability (and the ability to disable bluetooth music for selected devices, which i never use, and believe is part of my problems with my phone connecting to cars bluetooth)

remote start with the unlock door button that doesnt kill the engine. rear glass that can open sepperate from the hatch itself.

I agree with everyone else so far. Id add fix the rear hatch so it closes everytime, and add rear cup holders on the sport model.

Auto on headlights when it is dark. Think you have to get the GT model to get this feature. My stock 06 Corolla had this as did my 1998 Old. Just a simple photo sensor, should be std on all models.

Cloth heated seats on the tech touring package. Also include Sirius radio with that tech package.

US -Touring - basic - FWD - Integrate clock into radio display screen so it is at a better height for viewing. The current position is too low.

Canada-GT with tech-AWD
Light up the buttons for the windows and lock buttons on the doors

under200 said:

Auto on headlights when it is dark. Think you have to get the GT model to get this feature. My stock 06 Corolla had this as did my 1998 Old. Just a simple photo sensor, should be std on all models.

Click to expand...

You get auto headlights and wipers with the tech package.

under200 said:

Auto on headlights when it is dark. Think you have to get the GT model to get this feature. My stock 06 Corolla had this as did my 1998 Old. Just a simple photo sensor, should be std on all models.

Click to expand...

its available on touring, i'd give you mine if i could, i'll never use it and find it more annoying than not because to get to just running lights on i have to scroll thru the auto function, and when its dark, it sparks the lights on then off (and its on/off cycles more than run time that shortens HID lifespans)
so it was a really really stupid positioning on the part of the mazda engineers to put it between off and parking lights

it should be opposite the off position;
auto
off
parking
on

or after the on position;
off
parking
on
auto

Overall -

Need to tighten up the body panels. There is different gaps all over the car and edges are not flush with each other. Most visible for example at the rear wheel well and the rear door intersections.

Interior lighting color. I understand the fad is for white lighting, but it doesnt carry well across with the orange lighting on the rest of the dash.

Manual transmission/ motor. First gear is geared too high. Every 1000 rpms is 1/2 in mph - so 3000 rpms is 15mph. If I were to red line the engine I'm only at 33 mph. In regular driving you get up to 3 to 4000rpm and you're just moving at between 15 and 20mph, which is not acceptable. The motor is doing a lot of work for not much return. It becomes a big issue in stop and go traffic... lots of shifting between 1st and second, and when holding it in first it tends to be very easy to upset the car, it becomes jerky, not matter how light you are on the pedal. Solution - bigger motor, lower gearing on 1st. The rest of the gearing is pretty good otherwise

When you shut off the car, everything goes dead. So if the windows are open, you have to hit the start button again to close. There is no way to keep the radio on because the engine start button is on/off.

My trim package Sport (not sure if this is fixed on higher trims):

Interior lighting is pretty non-existant. No lighting on the door switches, center console cubby, glovebox, or in footwells. The dark switches are the biggest fault.

Stock radio needs to better acknowledge how we listen to music. It has no pause button, it doesn't scroll titles (you have to manually do that with button presses), and when searching around you music player it just displays numbers. So if you want to listen to a certain band you have to guess about what number it is alphebetically, then let it select that number, then it will show the band name.

Tires on the US version are noisy.

US Grand Touring AWD, Tech Package, Bose, Remote Start (Everything that could be checked except for the trailer hitch)

I agree with most everything in the posts so far. Memory seats, an auto-close hatch, and remote start which was not totally useless (my opinion), fix the cup holders, etc...

One note about the clock: There is a thread at tomtom support with some hope that it will get put back (since it IS in the manual)
http://discussions.tomtom.com/t5/Bui...ght/true#M1519

"After further research we found the TomTom Mazda devices do not currently have the current time feature. We take all customer feedback received very seriously in the future development of our products. We have passed your comments on to our Product Management Team."

I am in US/I have a Touring with tech and dealer install leather heated seats.

I really, really, really would like a push button, or remote, or both - for the trunk. It's just such as inconvenience to close it manually. I don't mind manually opening it but closing it is a pain. I mean I keep the car clean but I don't wash the exterior every day, so closing the trunk makes my hands dirty, and then in turn I have to grab the steering wheel and drive with dusty hands...
If you guys know a product I could install for the remote trunk closing, please recommend.

Extend the Manual option across all trims and include AWD. Good grief I hate living in such a lazy country where manufacturers don't even sell manuals due to less that 10% of the population even knowing how to use one.

MT Sport:

Heating/Cooling adjustment - there are pretty much 2 levels of it. Warm/Cold that's it. The adjustments within cold (left half) and hot (right half) bring no perceivable change.

MazdaDriverNJ said:

I really, really, really would like a push button, or remote, or both - for the trunk. It's just such as inconvenience to close it manually. I don't mind manually opening it but closing it is a pain. I mean I keep the car clean but I don't wash the exterior every day, so closing the trunk makes my hands dirty, and then in turn I have to grab the steering wheel and drive with dusty hands...
If you guys know a product I could install for the remote trunk closing, please recommend.

Click to expand...

My trunk closes very easily without touching the dirty exterior by putting my fingers in the recess made for hands in the lower right side of the hatch and making a downward throwing motion. Don't worry it will slam too hard - the hatch is sturdy and has a thick rubber gasket all the way around the perimeter.

I'm not sure if this would work for you but it's worth a try.

In the beginning I also had some issue with trunk close, eg. I had to slam door in order to lock, but now it's much better...

Cheers,
Miki

MikeM. said:

My trunk closes very easily without touching the dirty exterior by putting my fingers in the recess made for hands in the lower right side of the hatch and making a downward throwing motion. Don't worry it will slam too hard - the hatch is sturdy and has a thick rubber gasket all the way around the perimeter.

I'm not sure if this would work for you but it's worth a try.

Click to expand...

Thanks Mike, I'll try that next time. I haven't been doing that thinking it won't be enough "throw power" to close all the way, but I'll try.

I just use the recess to close the hatch to within 5 or 6 inches then put one finger on the license plate and close it. It really doesn't take a lot of pushing to close just a steady firm push. The same with the doors. If you throw them shut chances are they won't latch, but a firm few inch push and they latch easily.