Anybody tow with a Mazda CX-5?

H

Hollis OCardell

Member
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mazda
I'm a bit of a 'lurker' on here and get loads of useful hints and tips, so hoping somebody may have experience of towing with a Mazda CX-5? I've got one to try for a few days but no towbar so can't sneakily hitch trailer up and try! It ticks all the right boxes so I could have it as my Company car and get rid of old Shogun (think its on its last legs). Only tow 1 horse, 16.1 TBX so weight shouldn't be an issue ...towing capacity of 2000kg and have a 511. However, it's the 2WD version, I only tow on roads and to venues with car parks so don't need 'off road' and probably only 6-10 times a year, but would be good to hear from anybody who has any experience? Thanks...early Easter eggs to one and all!

fri
 
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It certainly is a good towcar when you have a diesel. Not sure that's all that relevant to you though as the diesel engines aren't available in North America. I find it stable and with lots of low down power. The rear-view camera is very useful for hitching up.
 
Mountkeen said:
It certainly is a good towcar when you have a diesel. Not sure that's all that relevant to you though as the diesel engines aren't available in North America. I find it stable and with lots of low down power. The rear-view camera is very useful for hitching up.
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+1 - The main reason I bought the Touring with the 2.5 engine. I'm about to leave on a 6 week trip across the country and back towing my teardrop trailer - will let you know how the CX5 did at the end of July...
 
Hollis OCardell said:
I'm a bit of a 'lurker' on here and get loads of useful hints and tips, so hoping somebody may have experience of towing with a Mazda CX-5? I've got one to try for a few days but no towbar so can't sneakily hitch trailer up and try! It ticks all the right boxes so I could have it as my Company car and get rid of old Shogun (think its on its last legs). Only tow 1 horse, 16.1 TBX so weight shouldn't be an issue ...towing capacity of 2000kg and have a 511. However, it's the 2WD version, I only tow on roads and to venues with car parks so don't need 'off road' and probably only 6-10 times a year, but would be good to hear from anybody who has any experience? Thanks...early Easter eggs to one and all!

fri
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Not suitable.

The towing capacity of the CX-5 is 2000 lbs. and your empty trailer weighs 2200 lbs.
 
The CX-5 has a tow rating of 1000# with no trailer brakes, 2000# with trailer brakes. Also 200# tongue weight limit. I have towed at the 2000# limit and was pleasantly surprised at how well the CX-5 tows. The very low 3200rpm torque peak is ideal for towing and the CX-5 never labored from a stop or at highway speed. The European CX-5 rating is 3600#, but I wouldn't try that in US.
 
Mountkeen said:
It certainly is a good towcar when you have a diesel. Not sure that's all that relevant to you though as the diesel engines aren't available in North America. I find it stable and with lots of low down power. The rear-view camera is very useful for hitching up.
Click to expand...

You can see the hitch ball in the rear view camera. I can backup and be perfectly aligned everytime without getting out of the car to check. Nice.
 
Don't forget the 2,000lb limit not only includes the trailer but all passengers and cargo inside the vehicle as well. With the CX-5, it is very likely that you will need to get trailer brakes if you dont already have them. 1,000lbs sure adds up fast.
 


This what I tow on the weekends- Fishing Ski/bikes/normal weekend luggage packed in the back. The CX5 drives comfortable with the load, I do notice that it alters the rear vehicle height,so I'd think your CX5 would be the same with a horse trailer on the back. Fuel consumption goes up to 13.5L to 100k's when towing,but I do use the manual mode on the gearchange more when towing,up the hills.
 
Moking said:


This what I tow on the weekends- Fishing Ski/bikes/normal weekend luggage packed in the back. The CX5 drives comfortable with the load, I do notice that it alters the rear vehicle height,so I'd think your CX5 would be the same with a horse trailer on the back. Fuel consumption goes up to 13.5L to 100k's when towing,but I do use the manual mode on the gearchange more when towing,up the hills.
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What's the total weight of your load?
 
The Ski is 400kg,plus 70litre's fuel in the Ski(if I fill it before we leave). I suppose with everything packed in the car plus the Ski,it would come close to 500kg.
 
Don't forget the weight of the trailer itself. In total, it must be around 1500 lbs. you are towing.
 
JonW said:
+1 - The main reason I bought the Touring with the 2.5 engine. I'm about to leave on a 6 week trip across the country and back towing my teardrop trailer - will let you know how the CX5 did at the end of July...
Click to expand...

I'm back from 8,000mi. coast-to-coast trip, towing my 750lb. teardrop trailer with my CX-5 Touring (2.5l engine). Got an oil change before I left and the car performed flawlessly - absolutely no issues towing.

If you're interested, here's a photo album/slideshow - press the big Slideshow button/triangle on the right to begin, and after each Yellowstone video clip resume the music by clicking on the audio play button on the top right.
 
JonW said:
I'm back from 8,000mi. coast-to-coast trip, towing my 750lb. teardrop trailer with my CX-5 Touring (2.5l engine). Got an oil change before I left and the car performed flawlessly - absolutely no issues towing.

If you're interested, here's a photo album/slideshow - press the big Slideshow button/triangle on the right to begin, and after each Yellowstone video clip resume the music by clicking on the audio play button on the top right.
Click to expand...

Very nice. What kind of trailer did you build it on? I just got a Harbor Freight folder... not for a tear drop, but just to have stuffed in the back of the garage just in case.
 
L7D4R said:
Very nice. What kind of trailer did you build it on? I just got a Harbor Freight folder... not for a tear drop, but just to have stuffed in the back of the garage just in case.
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Most people do build on a HF trailer, but I didn't. My intent was to be as simple (no sink, fridge, A/C) and as lightweight as possible. I went with marine plywood floor (3/4in.) and walls (5/8in.). The tongue is bolted thru the floor and the torsion axle is bolted thru the floor and a cleat attached to both the floor and the wall. Think unibody construction.

You can see how I did it in this build journal
 
No metal frame... just wood for structural integrity? You're a braver man than I. :) I definitely don't have that kind of confidence in the stuff I build.
 
JonW said:
I'm back from 8,000mi. coast-to-coast trip, towing my 750lb. teardrop trailer with my CX-5 Touring (2.5l engine). Got an oil change before I left and the car performed flawlessly - absolutely no issues towing.

If you're interested, here's a photo album/slideshow - press the big Slideshow button/triangle on the right to begin, and after each Yellowstone video clip resume the music by clicking on the audio play button on the top right.
Click to expand...

Looks like you had a blast! I've considered a teardrop. Made a platform so I could sleep in the CX-5 for now. Only problem is California where speed limit is 55 if you tow anything. See you did a teardrop meet, those are cool. Many probably don't know what a teardrop is. You should post a pic. Great job on the teardrop!
 
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