Considering a New CX-5 and I have a Few Questions

nj01

Member
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Mazda 3
I really enjoy the driving dynamics that Mazda offers and am quite happy with my two Mazdas. I currently own a 2010 Mazda3 2.5 hatch and a 2009 Miata.

Now I'm in the market for something bigger and narrowed it down to either a 2016 Mazda CX-5 AWD Touring or 2016 Subaru Forester Premium. I test drove both and liked the feel of the Mazda. Like other Mazdas, it's enjoyable to drive. The Forester didn't excite me all that much in terms of it's drivability but I felt like, overall, it's a good car for what it is. I like the visibility, the gigantic moon roof, the proven AWD system, and some of the extras (heated seats, remote start etc.). What turned me away from the Subaru were the reports of excessive oil consumption. It sounds like Subaru has improved on it but I was still seeing reports (owner reviews) of it on 2015 models on site's like Edmunds so the verdict seems to still be out. Bottom line, I really don't want be adding oil every 1k miles in a brand new car.

So that brings be back to the CX-5. It's a great looking car and I haven't heard anything that concerns me about reliability or weaknesses, so I thought I would check in with you owners to see what your experience has been so far. A few topics I'd really like to know more about:

Visibility. The design of the CX-5 seems to lend itself to a few blind spots. My Mazda3 has a few blind spots as well, but it's manageable. Just wondering what your thoughts are after owning a CX-5 for an extended period of time. Any concerns or frustrations with lane changes or general visibility in this car?

Reliability. How many miles do you have on your CX-5 and what problems have you encountered since owning?

Rear legroom. We have an infant and a rear-facing car seat so we want to make sure we don't have to have the front passenger seat all the way up to get the car seat in the back (which is currently the case with our Mazda3).

Cargo space. I know it has to be better than our 3, but still always concerned we won't have enough space. Ideally, we want to be able to fit a stroller, two suitcases and still have room for odds and ends (computer bags, tennis rackets, diapers bags, etc).

AWD system. I'm guessing the Subaru has the real edge in this category, but how has your CX-5 been in the snow? Pretty good traction? We're in CT and can get some decent snowfall, so I want to make sure the CX-5 can handle it.

Thanks in advance.
 
You should read through this forum to find your answers. This many questions will I think limit the responses you get since this has all been covered before. I'll answer your reliability question. In my case my 2013 is at just over 60,000 miles and it's never been in the shop. I do my own maintenance, but other than that not a single problem.
 
It sounds like you already know the primary differences between the Forrester and CX-5. Your decision should be based on what your priorities are. Do you want a practical car with good cargo capacity, excellent visibility, average driving dynamics and boxy styling, or do you want a fun car with acceptable cargo capacity, acceptable visibility, excellent driving dynamics and great styling?

One major advantage of Subaru is the availability of their excellent safety features on their mid-level models. Most manufacturers, including Mazda, force you into their highest level model to get these features.

A couple of other considerations:
The Forrester doesn't offer blind spot monitoring in any of its models. In my opinion, blind spot monitoring in the CX-5 makes up for any visibility differences in the two cars.
The Forrester has a CVT which takes a lot of the fun out of driving (in my opinion).
 
You should read through this forum to find your answers. This many questions will I think limit the responses you get since this has all been covered before. I'll answer your reliability question. In my case my 2013 is at just over 60,000 miles and it's never been in the shop. I do my own maintenance, but other than that not a single problem.

Really great to hear about the reliability. I keep doing as much research as I can for this car purchase and I really haven't heard of many reliability issues with the CX-5. It's definitely making me feel better about pulling the trigger.
 
I agree with the blind spot monitoring, I cant say I have an issue with blind spots on the car. Backup camera is nice too with the smaller back window, but coming from a truck with a bed cover, looking through 3 panes of glass, 2 of which were pretty well tinted, i can still see better out the back. Side mirrors are slightly worse than that truck (2001 Nissan Frontier) but definitely better than my parent's Cmax.
 
It sounds like you already know the primary differences between the Forrester and CX-5. Your decision should be based on what your priorities are. Do you want a practical car with good cargo capacity, excellent visibility, average driving dynamics and boxy styling, or do you want a fun car with acceptable cargo capacity, acceptable visibility, excellent driving dynamics and great styling?

One major advantage of Subaru is the availability of their excellent safety features on their mid-level models. Most manufacturers, including Mazda, force you into their highest level model to get these features.

A couple of other considerations:
The Forrester doesn't offer blind spot monitoring in any of its models. In my opinion, blind spot monitoring in the CX-5 makes up for any visibility differences in the two cars.
The Forrester has a CVT which takes a lot of the fun out of driving (in my opinion).

I wasn't loving the CVT on the test drive. To be fair, it wasn't as bad as I was anticipating, especially around town and at highway speeds, but getting on the on-ramp left something to be desired.

As for priorities, I'm very open with this purchase, as I already have a Miata and Mazda3, which are very enjoyable to drive. I just want something that strikes a nice balance between reliability and not boring me to death on long trips. I have to admit, I was more impressed with the Forester than I thought I would be -- mostly just because it seems like a Swiss army knife of small SUVs. It does everything it's suppose to do—with great visibility. It's really just a simple little workhorse. But those possible oil consumption issues really bother me.

Sounds like, all things considered, the CX-5 is the better bet. I'll sacrifice good visibility and some cargo space for better driving dynamics and better reliability.
 
To be fair, if now given a choice I would seriously think CR-V since its mileage is as good if not better than CX-5. If I want off road and performance the Forrester turbo. CX-5 is truly a good car but having bought it, using it and looking at my MPG values, certain missing convineance features (especially if you are driving with family and kids in the back) and what this forum shows - I am not sure. The engine is loud, hear it from outside .. you'll know. I have recently driven the CR-V, 2000 miles on ODO and its very smooth... and good.
 
If mileage is a priority, and you're not going off-roading, consider a FWD CX-5 and get winter tires and wheels for the snow season. Depending on your choice of tire/wheel combo you probably will pay less than the cost of AWD and not suffer the AWD mileage penalty year around.
 
Check AT behavior at many speeds and driving situations - it might not be to your liking.
Check the seats - same as above. Many have found them too tight.

Other that that, I don't see why you might not like a new CX-5.
 
I can chime in about the rear leg room and cargo room and how it pertains to child seats and strollers and what not. Last spring I bought the '16 GT AWD tech w/ I-activsense as a larger vehicle for a soon to be growing family. I had a 2003 protege5 5spd that I loved and enjoyed driving but with a 3 year old and the new baby arriving in October it was time to upgrade to something a bit bigger. So the little one came and I've had several months now with 2 children in the back. The three year old is in a Chicco Nextfit forward facing and the LO is in a Chicco Keyfit rear facing in the base. The 3 year old is behind me and I did not have to move my seat at all. The infant carrier is behind the passenger seat and it is moved slightly up. My Wife is about 5'8" with long legs and is plently comfy. Could the front seat be a bit better a bit farther back? Sure but her knees don't hit the dash and she is plenty comfortable. We have a BabyJogger city mini GT stroller and it will fit straight in on either side of the rear cargo if we take the large infant seat adaptor off, it comes off really easy. We have plenty of room in the back for all our gear plus the dog. Chirstmas was a good test as we had all sorts of stuff to take places for parties and family gatherings. Several large bags of gifts, dishes to pass, a crockpot, cookie tray, breastpump, travel boppy, diaper bag plus the 60lbs dog all fit easily in the back with the two kids in there seats and my wife and I up front.

As far as visability goes, I have no problem with seeing around me. The rear window is a bit small and the headrests encroach a bit on rear vision but I can still see just fine and the side mirrors are more then adequate. I also have blind spot monitoring for when I can't see a car in out the rear or in the mirrors but I think every vehicle has some sort of blind spot. It's no worse then my P5.

We recently had our first big snow fall of the season and the AWD along with my WS80 Blizzaks performed flawlessly! The car didn't bat an eye at the 6" of snow on the ground and felt very composed and stable with very minimal lose of traction when I really pushed it.

I can't really comment on reliability yet as I have a little less then 7,000 miles on it. I suspect it will be good. The only things I ever did to my last mazda was routine maintence, replaced a bad thermostate at 100,000+ miles and did the timing belt service.

Hope that helps some.
 
I really enjoy the driving dynamics that Mazda offers and am quite happy with my two Mazdas. I currently own a 2010 Mazda3 2.5 hatch and a 2009 Miata.

Now I'm in the market for something bigger and narrowed it down to either a 2016 Mazda CX-5 AWD Touring or 2016 Subaru Forester Premium. I test drove both and liked the feel of the Mazda. Like other Mazdas, it's enjoyable to drive. The Forester didn't excite me all that much in terms of it's drivability but I felt like, overall, it's a good car for what it is. I like the visibility, the gigantic moon roof, the proven AWD system, and some of the extras (heated seats, remote start etc.). What turned me away from the Subaru were the reports of excessive oil consumption. It sounds like Subaru has improved on it but I was still seeing reports (owner reviews) of it on 2015 models on site's like Edmunds so the verdict seems to still be out. Bottom line, I really don't want be adding oil every 1k miles in a brand new car.

So that brings be back to the CX-5. It's a great looking car and I haven't heard anything that concerns me about reliability or weaknesses, so I thought I would check in with you owners to see what your experience has been so far. A few topics I'd really like to know more about:

Visibility. The design of the CX-5 seems to lend itself to a few blind spots. My Mazda3 has a few blind spots as well, but it's manageable. Just wondering what your thoughts are after owning a CX-5 for an extended period of time. Any concerns or frustrations with lane changes or general visibility in this car? I used to drive a 370Z. Nothing has blind spots, llol!

Reliability. How many miles do you have on your CX-5 and what problems have you encountered since owning?
40K. Zero.
Rear legroom. We have an infant and a rear-facing car seat so we want to make sure we don't have to have the front passenger seat all the way up to get the car seat in the back (which is currently the case with our Mazda3).
No clue. Not into kids.
Cargo space. I know it has to be better than our 3, but still always concerned we won't have enough space. Ideally, we want to be able to fit a stroller, two suitcases and still have room for odds and ends (computer bags, tennis rackets, diapers bags, etc).
Not into kids, again, but it works pretty well for camping with several adults, and I can pack a fair amount of guns, body armor, and ammo into it, so I'm happy.
AWD system. I'm guessing the Subaru has the real edge in this category, but how has your CX-5 been in the snow? Pretty good traction? We're in CT and can get some decent snowfall, so I want to make sure the CX-5 can handle it.
I have not driven in the snow, yet, but on slick wet pavement and on gravel it does great. I will know more about snow when it gets to be snow season this year.
Thanks in advance.
Replies in red.
 
My car seat, which is a all in one is rear facing and in the middle and I have to keep the front seats pretty much straight up for it to fit correctly. . Now the smaller infant rear facing fit fine in back leaving plenty of room to move the front seats back. You'll just have to test out your seats first. They make so many different ones.

She should be front facing in May- 2 years old, so that will make a huge difference in comfort.
 
My car seat, which is a all in one is rear facing and in the middle and I have to keep the front seats pretty much straight up for it to fit correctly. . Now the smaller infant rear facing fit fine in back leaving plenty of room to move the front seats back. You'll just have to test out your seats first. They make so many different ones.

She should be front facing in May- 2 years old, so that will make a huge difference in comfort.

That's really good to know. We are about to jump to the next level of car seat, which i believe is a convertible. we're pretty tall people, both over 6 feet tall, so I'm wondering if that will pose a problem. Sounds like we have to purchase the new car seats and go try them out at the dealership.
 
If you are both 6ft and have any child seat rear facing you will definately lose some leg room. We have two diono radians one front one rear facing ( 2 and 3 yo). The RF is behind me as the driver. At 5ft 8.5" i give up leg room and mylegs are short. The car seat is up against the back of the driver seat. Ive adjusted and found a seating position that works on three hour drives but cannot really adjust the seat while driving if needed.

I tbink the cx5 just works ok for a family of four, specifically with two small children. The doubls BOB just doesnt fit in the back with luggage and everything else needed on a multi day trip. The single stroller does fit with luggage and th 3yo can walk most of the day so not a huge deal.

As the kids get older you just dont have to haul around that much and it will be better suited for family of four.

Reliability i think is good after 7000 miles

AWD dont have

BSM helps with restricted rearward visibilty. I have no issues using side mirrors with the small BS mirrors i bought at the store.
 
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