I hope Mazda did some real good stuff for 2017...

[fdew]

This and many other threads seem to come down to the following

If you bought the CX-5 because it is a cheep toaster that would give good MPG then you got burned.

If you bought it because for some reason you needed a CUV but you were not willing to give up having fun driving then you are over the top happy.

For me, I don't know what my overall MPG is but I know every time I drive it, it makes me smile, unless I push it hard, then it makes me laugh out loud.

Zoom Zoom

All children instinctively know it.
A few adults still remember it.
One unique car company refuses to outgrow it.
In grown-up language, it means the exhilaration
And liberation that come from experiencing sheer motion.
But as usual, children put it much better.
And simply call it Zoom-Zoom.
We practice it every day.

It's why we build the kind of cars we do.

Mazda. Always the soul of a sports car.

 

[Unobtanium]

So what mpg are you getting? I average 22.5mpg per tank How fast do you drive? lately, in town typical speeds and freeway 75-80. About a 50/50 mix these days. Stock wheels/tires? Stock 17's with Continental Cross Contact LX20. I've tried 34psi and 38psi with zero difference in mpg.
In summer on stock Toyos I can and sometimes do get 30, but 28-29 and change is avg- and that's clocked miles/gallons filled btw..not just looking at the car's computed mpg..
In winter on 235/65-17 Dunlop Wintersports I get 25-26. This is probably 70% highway driving modestly aggressive (oxymoron?)

Answers in red.

*My hand-calculations are usually within 1mpg of the computer, with them coming in at 1mpg better than the computer states, so actual mileage is 23.5mpg per tank, as best I can tell.

 

[jlx21]

This thread is quite something.

The CR-V is objectively the better family car. More space, better safety ratings, more comfortable, reliability, etc. Yes, the CX-5 is great to drive, but as I remember Jalopnik saying it, it's the most exciting car in the least exciting segment. I traded in my GTI for the CX-5 since we had our first child on the way (wife could not learn stick, and her car is a '15 Mini Cooper S 2-dr Hardtop). If a buyer wants a sporty car, the CX-5 shouldn't be the answer. Like me, I thought I was making a solid compromise, when in fact I should've went all-in on family mode and bought a CR-V, Rogue or Forester instead, and bought a used Z4 with a manual to play around with.

As OP's title suggests, Mazda needs to step it up. Putting the same 2.5L in the new model is borderline offensive.

 

[fdew]

This thread is quite something.

If a buyer wants a sporty car, the CX-5 shouldn't be the answer.

In some cases the buyer (me) NEEDS a compact SUV. The CX-5 is the answer and a very welcome answer. so much so, that it was my firs new car purchase in 50n years of driving.

Zoom Zoom

BTW it isn't that I couldn't have two vehicles with one of them a sports car, for health reasons I need to sit in a SUV or truck, or god forbid a minivan. The CX-5 saved me from driving hell.

 

[7eregrine]

This thread is quite something.

The CR-V is objectively the better family car. More space, better safety ratings, more comfortable, reliability, etc. Yes, the CX-5 is great to drive, but as I remember Jalopnik saying it, it's the most exciting car in the least exciting segment. I traded in my GTI for the CX-5 since we had our first child on the way (wife could not learn stick, and her car is a '15 Mini Cooper S 2-dr Hardtop). If a buyer wants a sporty car, the CX-5 shouldn't be the answer. Like me, I thought I was making a solid compromise, when in fact I should've went all-in on family mode and bought a CR-V, Rogue or Forester instead, and bought a used Z4 with a manual to play around with.

As OP's title suggests, Mazda needs to step it up. Putting the same 2.5L in the new model is borderline offensive.

That's a good post.
My wife drives a C70. So I have that when I need my car fix.

Sent from my LG V10

 

[Kaps]

I traded in my GTI for the CX-5 since we had our first child on the way (wife could not learn stick, and her car is a '15 Mini Cooper S 2-dr Hardtop). If a buyer wants a sporty car, the CX-5 shouldn't be the answer. Like me, I thought I was making a solid compromise, when in fact I should've went all-in on family mode and bought a CR-V, Rogue or Forester instead, and bought a used Z4 with a manual to play around with.

So 1 cx5 = 1z4 + 1 crv? That's two cars. Cx5 is in a niche of its own. It's quoted as best handling cuv under 40k usd. The perfect buyer is someone who values utility, a mature interior exterior and handling but is not willing to fork out for a BMW / Porsche. power is only area where it lacks. But mazda is small, 2.5t will not pay the bills. It will dissapoint certain enthusiast but this is a tough segment. Rav4 too has single engine choice.

In a way you made a not so perfect choice. Better still than the guy selling his 2.5 million dollar vehicle cause his wife hated the poor visibility lol. Read on jalopnik.

Never driven a Lincoln. But a heavily discounted one could compete with cx5 but with Fords reliability i would be careful. Another thing I noticed.. Honda and Toyota have a $2000 reliability premium built-in their prices. Kia Hyundai and Nissan quality+ resale is crap. Subaru awd is overkill in South, its mpg number on my friends is 24. Iwill have to do 2 mile runs on cx5 to get that low. So mazda is different in a slight way.

 

[jlx21]

So 1 cx5 = 1z4 + 1 crv? That's two cars. Cx5 is in a niche of its own. It's quoted as best handling cuv under 40k usd. The perfect buyer is someone who values utility, a mature interior exterior and handling but is not willing to fork out for a BMW / Porsche. power is only area where it lacks. But mazda is small, 2.5t will not pay the bills. It will dissapoint certain enthusiast but this is a tough segment. Rav4 too has single engine choice.

In a way you made a not so perfect choice. Better still than the guy selling his 2.5 million dollar vehicle cause his wife hated the poor visibility lol. Read on jalopnik.

Never driven a Lincoln. But a heavily discounted one could compete with cx5 but with Fords reliability i would be careful. Another thing I noticed.. Honda and Toyota have a $2000 reliability premium built-in their prices. Kia Hyundai and Nissan quality+ resale is crap. Subaru awd is overkill in South, its mpg number on my friends is 24. Iwill have to do 2 mile runs on cx5 to get that low. So mazda is different in a slight way.

I agree with you that the Cx-5 is in its own niche, which leads to my point that the CX-5 doesn't do any single thing that well. Yes, it's sporty, but it's sporty for a crossover (which isn't saying much). Yes, it appears to be a good family cruiser, but not as good as other competitors.

And don't get me wrong, I like my car and it's decent. I was still in the midst of grad school when I bought it and it seemed like a sensible option with a kid on the way, considering that I bought mine new for 24k. I will probably either keep it for the next 9-10 years (and buy a separate fun car) or trade it in within the next 1-2.

 

[jlx21]

That's a good post.
My wife drives a C70. So I have that when I need my car fix.

Sent from my LG V10

C70? Very nice. A CX-5 and C70 is a great combo!

 

[7eregrine]

Can't believe they stopped making it. Ours is a 2013. Plan to keep it a long time.

Sent from my LG V10

 

[Guest2019C20]

Based on your data Subaru uses taller final gear for better fuel efficiency and still makes its AWD performance as good as advertised. Yeah Subaru uses CVT for fuel efficiency which may gain 1~2 mpg advantage, but remember using CVT is also hurting the performance! I feel Mazda should have room to improve the efficiency and still keeping the performance for CX-5 with AWD. Making the final gear ratio taller or better adding more gears in it's automatic transmission should be considered.

Having owned two CVT equipped Subies for the last 5 years, I'd like to point out that their CVT's perform spectacularly, if you know how to drive them. Let them auto shift, and MPG is very good. The CVT will keep the engine at peak torque RPM, which is the most efficient. (Don't confuse efficiency with MPG. Efficient means it gets the most work out of the gas burned. High efficiency at WOT is NOT high MPG.) Put them in manual mode, let them rev till peak HP, and they accelerate very good. I video'd my Imp from 0-60, using the frame count to determine the time. I saw 0-60 in manual mode of 8.5 seconds. It would 'shift' from '1st' gear to '2nd gear' at 6,300 rpm. That's with a 145 HP motor and 3,000 pound plus AWD hatchback. In automatic mode, revs didn't go higher than around 5,000, and that RPM was only hit around 60 mph. Before that road speed, RPM was as low as 3,000. You don't get much accel at 3,000 rpm. In auto mode, 0-60 took something like 10.3 seconds. The 'automotive' mags clearly weren't smart enough to bother with manual shift mode...

I prefer the 6-speed Mazda auto tranny. I wish the CX-5 had paddles...

 

[Kaps]

I agree with you that the Cx-5 is in its own niche, which leads to my point that the CX-5 doesn't do any single thing that well. Yes, it's sporty, but it's sporty for a crossover (which isn't saying much). Yes, it appears to be a good family cruiser, but not as good as other competitors.

It does these best for me in the segment:
Looks
Low end torque
Handling

Handling has saved my bacon once when I missed the suggested 20 mph mark on an exit. Tiguan competes with it but that's not saying much.
Fact that it does so many things well means i would recommend this to a city family as their only car instead of a Camry. Mpg + utility+ ability to merge overtake. I think it handles better than many sedans as well.

 

[Guest2019C20]

You're not talking about handling, you're talking about "feel". I'm talking about the CRV is going to edge the CX5 out if you race them on any track or drag strip or curvy mountain road.

Does this make sense? I don't care about "fun or feel" when I say the CRV is a better handler. I care about the fact that it has higher limits of adhesion and apparently handles direction transitions better (M&T figure 8).

I think most car people would define 'handling' as *feel*, not g-forces. When they say a car handles great, it implies that they enjoyed the haptics. When I was young and foolish, I would hit the grip limits on public roads. I don't think *any* driver of a CUV is doing that, except by mistake. What us CX-5 owners *are* doing, is pushing higher cornering speeds, because the handling dynamics, the feedback, make that so enjoyable. Some of that is delivered by the stiffer comp/rebound damping, some by the stiffer springs, some by the 19" wheels/tires (if so equipped). I've observed many instances of Mazda owners pushing cornering speeds. Followed by me yelling 'stuff that zoom zoom up ya' (I was hyper-miling my Impreza at those times). I've NEVER observed a Honda driver doing that. (Well, except for my CRX...)

 

[Unobtanium]

I think most car people would define 'handling' as *feel*, not g-forces. When they say a car handles great, it implies that they enjoyed the haptics. When I was young and foolish, I would hit the grip limits on public roads. I don't think *any* driver of a CUV is doing that, except by mistake. What us CX-5 owners *are* doing, is pushing higher cornering speeds, because the handling dynamics, the feedback, make that so enjoyable. Some of that is delivered by the stiffer comp/rebound damping, some by the stiffer springs, some by the 19" wheels/tires (if so equipped). I've observed many instances of Mazda owners pushing cornering speeds. Followed by me yelling 'stuff that zoom zoom up ya' (I was hyper-miling my Impreza at those times). I've NEVER observed a Honda driver doing that. (Well, except for my CRX...)

The cx5 does have a twitchy feel to it compared to most vehicles in its class, but that reminds me of a manual transmission when I was a teenager. It sure felt fast, but when I went to the strip I learned a good automatic would beat me handily.

Maybe "fun to drive" should be used in favor of "handling"?

 

[fdew]

One thing that hasn't changed over the years, either you understand and value handeling and what it is or you don't.

My wife never drives hard but she loves a good handeling car. I have watched as she pulled out of the dealership and went around one turn and said no not this one, and carefully drove it back to the dealer. Makes me proud.

 

[yrwei52]

congrats on your new car, I never really likes the old CRV
but the 2017 CRV is on my short list to replace my wife's car,
this new CRV looks really good,
I like the handsfree foot activated trunklid and the new GPS is Garmin based...

man, mainstream cars have really caught up to the luxury segment

Toshiaki Mikoshiba, the new president and CEO of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. is finally steering Honda to the right direction for its car designs sold in the US. New 2017 Honda CR-V used BMW X3 as their benchmark (sorry, not Mazda CX-5) and has made big improvement to every area. 2017 CR-V got chosen by Car and Driver 10Best Award and the Best compact CUV on the market!

Comparing to new 2017 2nd-gen CX-5, 2017 5th-gen Honda CR-V has the following advantages:

1. More LED lighting applications including harder-to-mod LED turn signals.
2. Foot activated power liftgate.
3. Remote start included in the factory key fob.
4. More sophisticated keyless entry system! Locking doors by a finger sensor with no push-bottom mechanical switch; unlocking and opening the door with a nature single-action touch-and-pull to the door handle, no need to push a button like CX-5!
5. Left dead pedal has a protective pad.
6. 12-way power adjustable driver's seat including 4-way power lumbar support like my BMW 528i!
7. 8" infotainment screen is integrated into the center stack not like an afterthought.
8. Front center vents mount high.
9. Engine coolant temperature gague.
10. Full-color high-tech looking TFT display for dash instruments.
11. Available gray color interior perfect for my preferred silver exterior which makes cabin looks brighter.
12. Highly criticized missing volume knob is back. Looks like Honda is listening!
13. Infotainment system supports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto!
14. Garmin based Nav system supports live traffic!
15. Better backup camera with 3 different views including top-down view when you're pulling a trailer.
16. Much better designed center console arm rest which can slide forward.
17. Both front windows are one-touch up-down power windows with illuminated power window switch on all 4 corners.
18. Didn't see any smoke coming out during initial start up and revved the engine in the video like that Japanese CX-5 diesel did!

However, I may still choose new 2017 CX-5 over 2017 CR-V simply because the CR-V uses turbo and CVT!

 

[Ricsta]

Maybe "fun to drive" should be used in favor of "handling"?

Or "driving dynamics"

Let's not forget G vectoring control that Mazda has up its sleeve.

 

[7eregrine]

Why anyone is anti turbo I'll never understand.

Sent from my LG V10

 

[yrwei52]

Why anyone is anti turbo I'll never understand.

Most people who don't like turbo is because they have seen too many turbo failures in the past. Even with current improved technology and quality, still you have a very hot device sitting in the engine bay like a ticking bomb and eventually it'll fail! I'd think if a car owner would like to keep his vehicle long, he'd avoid a turbo as much as possible. It's longevity and reliability issues. I also believe, me included, many people here bought a CX-5 is because its non-turbo SkyActiv-G is an excellent naturally aspirated engine, and a very nice non-CVT SkyActiv-Drive 6-speed automatic transmission to boot!

A turbocharger lives in a terribly hostile environment. The turbine is driven by exhaust gasses that can exceed 1875F (1025C) and which are very corrosive. Exhaust valves experience those same corrosive, high-temperature gasses, but exhaust valves do not approach the peak temperature of the exhaust gas.

I'd rather have a big underworked engine than a small pressurised flogged to death engine for longevity.

 

[Guest2019C20]

One thing I really liked about that CR-V, the digital speedo.
One thing I dispise, the dash glare. OMG.
The center display looked like it was glued on the dash, Mazda's approach is much more attractive.

 

[7eregrine]

I've had 5 turbos. Never an issue although I never kept them past 100k. I like the Mazda NA but I would have gotten a Turbo if there was an option.

Sent from my LG V10