Hugely disappointed.

J

Joe Las Vegas

Member
I just went to the Motortrend auto show and checked out all the CUV's, looking forward to checking out in person the CX5, was all good outside, looks good, great ground clearance, but all that good stuff came to a halt when I opened the door, all was flimsy plastic everywhere, seats were narrow and thin, Nav looked like it was OK on a car made in 2005, all was black and didn't look good overall, center armrest was good for nothing. I thought Mazda was driver focused, but they didn't take into account the seats and armrest, I would gladly give up a cupholder in the middle to get a good long armrest. My wife was disappointed as well, we had already seen the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage, and for the same class and price range, they were much better overall inside, Santa fe was the best of them all, under 40 grand, nice everything, inside looked great. I was thinking of the CX5, since all the reviews said it drives very well, but now it's off my list, so are the sportage and tucson, nothing wrong with them, but the seats are all the same in those CUV'S, no width, no thinckness and no lateral support, just like the CX5. I hope they'll make huge design improvements in the interior of the CX5 for 2014, till then the CX5 is off my list.
 
Luckily there are lots of other vehicles for you to choose, which is great, since that means that you can make sure to pick a car that doesn't use 0W-20 engine oil during your research period.
Good luck to you.

BC.
 
(cool)

Luckily there are lots of other vehicles for you to choose, which is great, since that means that you can make sure to pick a car that doesn't use 0W-20 engine oil during your research period.
Good luck to you.

BC.
 
I also considered the santa fe before buying the cx5.

coming from a mazdaspeed 3, I was hoping that the 2.0t from the santa fe would be a good transition to the suv segment. and the power would help me with this transition.

After driving the santa fe I was ok with the performance, but felt the steering was awful, very vague, even in sport mode. i liked the finish of the interior. It was just a tad too big for my transition from a compact car.

for the price of the santa fe, I would have probably gone for the acura rdx.

I finally chose the mazda, because of its driving dynamics, steering feel, fuel efficiency and price.
Its still amazing to me how I can drive this thing in curves, almost the same feel as I had in my speed (power aside).

my father purchased the sante fe 2.0t limited, and driving both his and mine back to back, the power difference is not as big as the numbers would logically make it.
My father, without me saying anything to him, actually asked about the steering at the dealership, as he felt he had to constantly adjust the angle when driving on the highway. they said they did a update on the system that would fix this... but it didnt change.

For me, the cx5 interior/exterior is very tastefully done (reminiscent of recent bmw). the seats could have a little more side support, but again, coming from sport seats in my speed, I understand that seats in a SUV will not be designed with the same intention.

If comfort and space is a priority, go with the santa fe, if driving dynamics, and fuel economy is important, the CX5 is hard to beat. specially for the price.
 
I looked at a Kia Sportage before I went to the Mazda dealer. I liked the inside, but IMO KIA and Hyundai vehicles generally have mediocre styling; they look like (poor) pair ups between other vehicles and the lines usually don't flow well at all. Like I think the rear of the Sorrento looks garbage compared to the front (eg a poorly emulated looking Audi Q rear).
 
I concur with some of you comments Joe LV. The seats could be better, the armrest is poorly designed and the interior color options are Ugg. However; after driving the competition, I now drive a 2014 CX5 touring with a Bose/sunroof package. I choose a red exterior so I could get a light interior instead of the drab black. I disagree with you concerning the interior material and think it is good quality and equal to or better than the competition. JMO. Ed
 
Having been in a few recent kia and hyundais, I think they're nice until I press the gas pedal.

Satisfaction depends on what your priorities are.
 
I owned a 2011 Hyundai for 2 years, never again. Seriously, go to a Hyundai forum and see all the ridiculous problems they have. One of the more popular techs said most of the time is spent doing warranty work, reworks, or service bulliten work. Transmissions get replaced with transmissions that aren't upgraded and then repeat the same failures. And then there's the notorius wheel alignment problems across many model types. Problems are described as "performs as designed". Granted, all car companies have problems, but Hyundai makes and art out of wriggling out of warranty complaints.
Out of my last 5 new vehicles, including 2 Toyotas, 1 Plymouth, and the Hyundai, this CX 5 is by far one of the best vehicle I've owned. Great gas mileage (close to 38 mpg on a trip), ample power, great looks, smooth ride even with snow tires. Good luck finding a car these days without the "flimsy" plastic. See that term a lot. Don't know what kind of plastic a vehicle in this price range is supposed to have.
Hyundais are cheaper for a reason. Do better research.
Oh, and that wonderful 10/100,000 waranty they have is up to their interpretation of what is warranty and what is considered normal wear and tear. Good luck finding someone who had a major warranty repair close to the 100,000 mile mark.
 
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I know I'm in the minority here, but I've never once seen/felt an issue with the center armrest. I guess I sit differently from most people? I put my elbow on the center armrest and my hand rests on my right thigh. Feels perfect to me.
 
I have no problem with the arm rest either. Comfortable for me. I tend to keep my hand on the shifter though as well.
 
It would not matter what we state - Joe LV has made up his mind and that is in this market already a great step forward to paying the piper. I like the new Santa Fe as well, I used to drive a 2012 model with 278 or so HP. I love the CX5 as this is really the first time my wife and I agree to a purchase. Yes I drove all cars in the segment and so our mutual choice was the CX5. I have no issues with the seating / armrest etc. Driving in this car, with the fuel mileage and the usefulness is key for me, it will not be the same for others. I am an on-road roller so I do not go for 4WD - the only luxury I permitted was to go with the GS model and purchase the TomTom (now I can kick myself for spending that money and not purchase an after market unit - alas I learn by making mistakes).
 
I go to about 2 car show per year. And more importantly I actually drive many SUVs and cars (including CRV, Escape, Sportage, GLK).

In the case of CX-5 GT, no issues with armrest or seats in 24K miles so far.
 
I don't have any issues with the seats or armrest. I'm coming from a 08' VW Rabbit which had worse seats then this SUV. The arm rest it was the greatest that I have ever seen. It could be pulled out(toward the shifter) and had (multiple)angle adjustments also. But I still like the CX5 armrest, nothing wrong with it. I had a Jaguar Vanden Plas in the past and I can still say that this arm rest is fine.
I have really considered the Santa Fe 2.0T, but to me it didn't feel fast considering the numbers would indicate. Felt big and heavy, steering wheel was off center also.
 
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McFlyfi said:
You could've driven one at the LA Auto Show.
And a BMW i3, various Toyotas, and various Volkswagens, among others.
Click to expand...

Yes, many of the automakers at SF and SJ international autoshow are setup for test drives outside. Sometimes electric car makers also allow indoor test drives on indoor track.
 
weak rant as all is a matter of preference.

/thread
 
^ and Laziboy recliner criteria doesn't always apply to cars...
 
When I was shopping for the 2013 CX-5 I narrowed the competition down to the Toyota Prius V, VW Jetta Wagon (Deisel), Chevy Equinox, Ford Escape. I found the GT CX-5 with it's 8-way adjustable power seat the very best of the bunch. The seats were rigid with noticeable lumbar support and that extra tilt you can give the seat to take pressure off your lower back. The other cars and the lower trims of the CX-5 don't have that final adjustment. The 40/20/40 fold down back seats allowing my skis, wake boards and 2x4's to fit between my 2 kids were a huge factor in my decision. There also was a lot of bang for the buck with the AWD, Bose and the Tech package. Yes the seats are narrow and a larger person may feel constricted but all in all the CX-5 out dueled the others for my needs.
 
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