Newbie - seriously considering the CX-5

Hello,

I came across this forum while I was reading about the tech package offerings in the CX-5 and I thought I would join. I have never been a car guy, my first vehicle was a 94 Chevy Astro van that I bought from my dad and I drove it until it was not drivable and then I got a Hyundai Accent because it was cheap. It wasn't until 2010 when I was working in Colorado for two weeks and rented a Mazda 3 that I found a love for driving. For a small car that thing was fun to drive, and I ended up over there weekend while I was there taking a drive from Denver to Boulder in it and just loved the way it handled and the power on the highway.

My car will be paid off in a few months, I am making a lot more money than I was when I bought that Hyundai in 2008, and I wanted to treat myself to a new car. So again I started looking at the Mazda3, I had heard about the Skyactive and was impressed with the gas mileage and the hatchbacks looked pretty cool. However, while reading about Skyactive I came across the CX-5. I was impressed that for an small SUV the FWD model actually gets the same highway gas mileage as my Accent.

I haven't driven one yet, but have been doing a lot of research and I am hoping that this forum will prove helpful. Honestly getting one soon will depend on if we get bonuses at work in March or not, otherwise it will have to wait until this summer; however, for better or worse when I get something in my mind I spend countless hours researching it so I hope to get to know some of you owners and maybe learn a thing or two.

Keep in mind that the Mazda 3 is due for a complete redesign later this year. Hopefully they'll solve some of the packaging issues (rear seat legroom) of the old model and it will be a good alternative to the CX-5.

Hi SXA,

I'm happy to hear about someone finding the love of driving. I think the CX-5 is the most fun to drive compact SUV on the market, even more fun to drive than a lot of passenger coupes and sedans out there.

If you need the extra space and functionality of an CUV and still want something fun to drive, CX-5 will do no wrong. But if you are comparing only the driving dynamics of the CX-5 against the 3, the 3 will win out.

Good luck, my friend.

NinjaNoises said:

Hi SXA,

I'm happy to hear about someone finding the love of driving. I think the CX-5 is the most fun to drive compact SUV on the market, even more fun to drive than a lot of passenger coupes and sedans out there.

If you need the extra space and functionality of an CUV and still want something fun to drive, CX-5 will do no wrong. But if you are comparing only the driving dynamics of the CX-5 against the 3, the 3 will win out.

Good luck, my friend.

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Couldn't have said it better! Agree 100%

I appreciate the input. I am really leaning towards the CX-5 over the Mazda 3 Hatchback. Yes the Mazda 3 would be slightly more fun to drive, but for longer trips I think the CX-5 would be more comfortable. There are more times than not in which I wish I had a bigger vehicle. I don't need a truck or a large SUV, but having something with more cargo space and a bigger back-seat for friends/family who are with me would be nice.

Honestly it is going to boil down to how I feel after I test drive the CX-5, since buying is still some time off I probably won't test drive just yet; however, I will be browsing this forum in hopes of getting information. Owning only one vehicle makes the final choices an important one. While fun is more of a factor now than it ever was for me in the past I also have to consider overall utility.

I bought my wife a CX5 last year and we both love it. Plenty of room for kids and hauling stuff plus it gets awesome gas mileage.

I had a Mazda 3 5-door before we had kids, and then got a Mazda5 when our second was born (I had some other cars in between, but aside from my Scion xB, I have blocked them out). The CX-5 is like the best of both worlds- lots of versatility in the touring model, zippy drive (even with the current engine), great handling, and no sliding doors that were contributing to my early midlife crisis. (cheers2)

After taking a hard look at my finances this evening, I have decided to take what I will be saving from paying off my current car and saving for the next year for a nice big down-payment on my next vehicle. In the past I have been very impulsive with my spending, and I could easily go to the dealer and get financing but my interest rate would be a bit higher. If I can put a hefty down-payment and take care of some other things at the same time I will have a much better interest rate. This allows me to not penny pinch and should allow me to get whatever is hot at the time and be overall more comfortable money wise.

I do appreciate all the advice here, and I will stick around and live vicariously through all of you happy owners for awhile