New CX-8 Released - More Than Just A 7 Seat CX-5?

No, you can't blame only on consumers. It's Mazda's problem that they can't keep the customers after they have tried Mazda, hence very low customer's loyalty or customer's retention rate. Automakers average 53-percent loyalty, but Mazdas brand loyalty was just 39 percent in 2016. So why so many consumers who have owned Mazda and then decided not to buy another one? Quality and reliability issues? Or something else? (uhm)

I'd wager it's likely multi faceted.

There's probably some left over negative sentiment from those that bought during the less than ideal 'Ford era' for starters.

Then there's that they're a relatively small company and have somewhat limited offerings for buyers to 'move up' to. If you've outgrown your current Mazda and need 'more'...there's simply limited options there.
 
I'd wager it's likely multi faceted.

There's probably some left over negative sentiment from those that bought during the less than ideal 'Ford era' for starters.

Then there's that they're a relatively small company and have somewhat limited offerings for buyers to 'move up' to. If you've outgrown your current Mazda and need 'more'...there's simply limited options there.

This and another factor is choice:

1. No Hybrid
2. No electric
3. No Diesels (soon to change a bit)
4. Very few choices : Miata, 3 , 6 CX3 5 9. So no Ford Edge equivalent, no Mazda 2 type city car, No trucks, No 4 Runner equivalent, No true offroader, No Van (5 was killed).

So even if you like it - you wont buy a car if it does not fit the cateogry. There are so few models available - all with 1 or max 2 engine options only.
 
unfortunately not in the car market. many buyers only stick to one brand like toyota or honda, and eventually move to something upscale. with the introduction of the 2016+ models Mazda definitely moved upscale, but we need to wait for their next generation chassis where they will really make their leap into the luxury market(which reportedly looks similar to the old one, but was basically more focused on how the vehicles chassis absorbs bumps between the seat and your ass) personally, I think this is an awesome design because they are not really adding on any more weight with the new platform. if they add some sound deadening and keep up the excellent recent interiors, Mazda, is finally not far off from being recognized in the car market. it's such a damn shame, because their vehicles are well built.

People are creatures of habits which can be :(
 
This and another factor is choice:

1. No Hybrid
2. No electric
3. No Diesels (soon to change a bit)
4. Very few choices : Miata, 3 , 6 CX3 5 9. So no Ford Edge equivalent, no Mazda 2 type city car, No trucks, No 4 Runner equivalent, No true offroader, No Van (5 was killed).

So even if you like it - you wont buy a car if it does not fit the cateogry. There are so few models available - all with 1 or max 2 engine options only.
Limited choice should contribute very little to low customer loyalty. Customer loyalty means repeat customers. I know many friends and family who keep buying the same vehicle such as Honda CR-V and Toyota Camry one after another, but I don't see too many keep buying the same Mazda CUV or Mazda sedan. Like Mazda, Subaru is a small automaker from Japan with limited choice but their brand-loyalty ranking is the highest in the US!

As for moving up to luxury segment, the stats for customer loyalty won't count Toyota owners or Honda owners moving up to Lexus or Acura. The stats treat these brands separately.
 
This and another factor is choice:

1. No Hybrid
2. No electric
3. No Diesels (soon to change a bit)
4. Very few choices : Miata, 3 , 6 CX3 5 9. So no Ford Edge equivalent, no Mazda 2 type city car, No trucks, No 4 Runner equivalent, No true offroader, No Van (5 was killed).

So even if you like it - you wont buy a car if it does not fit the cateogry. There are so few models available - all with 1 or max 2 engine options only.

All of these are tied into the fact that they are a small, fairly independent (hello Toyota 5% stake) company. If they were bigger then these would not be such a factor as they could do pretty much all of this.
 
Like Mazda, Subaru is a small automaker from Japan with limited choice but their brand-loyalty ranking is the highest in the US!


Didn't know Subaru had the highest brand loyalty in the USA. That's VERY impressive for a company that's even SMALLER than Mazda...

Meanwhile @ the Mazda247.com board, forum members make excuses for Mazda's poor customer loyalty and blame it on ignorant consumers.(lol2)
 
Didn't know Subaru had the highest brand loyalty in the USA. That's VERY impressive for a company that's even SMALLER than Mazda...

Meanwhile @ the Mazda247.com board, forum members make excuses for Mazda's poor customer loyalty and blame it on ignorant consumers.(lol2)

Pickledchile, I can really only think of one, maybe two members who fit that description. I'm guessingyou don't spend much time on the AWD/tuning communities. Otherwise you'd be bery familiar with the problems with the EJ engines such as ringland failure. Melted piston. You will also find consumer blamers there. Subaru keeps loyalty because they offer a consistent type of vehicle whereas Mazda lost its performance brand over the years, lagged on a new suv, lost it's van, and trucks, ans wagons. Subie still offers the same types of vehicles it pretty much always has. Mazda has to recover it's loyalty.
 
Subaru's Legacy/Outback sedans and wagons developed a large following here in the Northeast because of how their cars handled bad weather, especially snow. They also used to be relatively reliable and long lasting, and didn't suffer too bad from rust problems that afflicted other Japanese brands. We have well over a dozen friends and family who have owned them, and most are repeat owners. Their praise convinced my wife that she had to have one and we've held on to it for ~185k miles. However, it will be our last. For us, the cost of ownership has been outrageous: relatively short service intervals, premium fuel only, and we've replaced the turbo, radiator, AC, front calipers, front springs (!), and pretty much every bearing, bushing, ball joint, and other wearable item in the chassis. The airbag light's been coming on and going off for a few years and nobody knows how to fix it except swapping expensive parts until it goes away. However, it has no rust, still feels solid, and drives about the same as when new.

I've also known a lot of people who have owned Impreza-based Subarus, but can't think of anyone who has owned more than one of them. IMO, they feel cheap, they're noisy and unrefined, they develop rattles and squeaks with age, and just don't seem to stay on the road as long. Nevertheless, Subaru sells A LOT of Crosstreks around here.
 
Subaru's Legacy/Outback sedans and wagons developed a large following here in the Northeast because of how their cars handled bad weather, especially snow. They also used to be relatively reliable and long lasting, and didn't suffer too bad from rust problems that afflicted other Japanese brands. We have well over a dozen friends and family who have owned them, and most are repeat owners. Their praise convinced my wife that she had to have one and we've held on to it for ~185k miles. However, it will be our last. For us, the cost of ownership has been outrageous: relatively short service intervals, premium fuel only, and we've replaced the turbo, radiator, AC, front calipers, front springs (!), and pretty much every bearing, bushing, ball joint, and other wearable item in the chassis. The airbag light's been coming on and going off for a few years and nobody knows how to fix it except swapping expensive parts until it goes away. However, it has no rust, still feels solid, and drives about the same as when new.

I've also known a lot of people who have owned Impreza-based Subarus, but can't think of anyone who has owned more than one of them. IMO, they feel cheap, they're noisy and unrefined, they develop rattles and squeaks with age, and just don't seem to stay on the road as long. Nevertheless, Subaru sells A LOT of Crosstreks around here.


I agree with this 100%. We had a WRX when we lived in England and got an Outback when we moved back to the states. Both cars were very expensive to maintain. The outback especially - for which every visit to the dealer ended up being $1000-1500. Loved all the AWD performance- best I have ever experienced but it would burn out the viscous fluid if you used it too much! May just be me, as others seem to love them and have no problems.
 
I realize that this is an extremely small sample size, but I have known a few people that owned Subaru's over the years, one of them being my son,
and everyone of them was a one and done owner.
They all switched brands, and for all the same reason: long term reliability (poor), and expensive repair bills.
 
Pickledchile, I can really only think of one, maybe two members who fit that description. I'm guessingyou don't spend much time on the AWD/tuning communities. Otherwise you'd be bery familiar with the problems with the EJ engines such as ringland failure. Melted piston. You will also find consumer blamers there. Subaru keeps loyalty because they offer a consistent type of vehicle whereas Mazda lost its performance brand over the years, lagged on a new suv, lost it's van, and trucks, ans wagons. Subie still offers the same types of vehicles it pretty much always has. Mazda has to recover it's loyalty.

Yeah, it's not that Mazda makes a bad product (though a certain someone you quoted thinks so), but admittedly some of the consumer base that Mazda had in the past are not currently served by Mazda's lineup. Think people that owned Speed3/6, RX-x, wagons, etc. I admitedly like Mazda's current lineup, but wouldn't mind seeing a new Speed 3, or other performance car.

Subaru's Legacy/Outback sedans and wagons developed a large following here in the Northeast because of how their cars handled bad weather, especially snow. They also used to be relatively reliable and long lasting, and didn't suffer too bad from rust problems that afflicted other Japanese brands. We have well over a dozen friends and family who have owned them, and most are repeat owners. Their praise convinced my wife that she had to have one and we've held on to it for ~185k miles. However, it will be our last. For us, the cost of ownership has been outrageous: relatively short service intervals, premium fuel only, and we've replaced the turbo, radiator, AC, front calipers, front springs (!), and pretty much every bearing, bushing, ball joint, and other wearable item in the chassis. The airbag light's been coming on and going off for a few years and nobody knows how to fix it except swapping expensive parts until it goes away. However, it has no rust, still feels solid, and drives about the same as when new.

I've also known a lot of people who have owned Impreza-based Subarus, but can't think of anyone who has owned more than one of them. IMO, they feel cheap, they're noisy and unrefined, they develop rattles and squeaks with age, and just don't seem to stay on the road as long. Nevertheless, Subaru sells A LOT of Crosstreks around here.

Same here and fully agree with you last paragraph. Ever since the 90's Subarus have been extremely popular here. Mostly Outbacks. Now you see a lot of Foresters and Crosstreks as well. My mom has a Crosstrek. The interior is definitely a cheapo econobox compared to my CX-5, and mine is a 2014!

Subaru is also kinda the joke car of the state too. I mean, I won't even consider one. Growing up it was always a damn Green Subaru Outback driving 10 under the speed limit in the passing lane holding up traffic. Just go check-out the Subaru jokes in the Denver Circlejerk subreddit (mostly Denver related s***-posting).
 
I'd wager it's likely multi faceted.

There's probably some left over negative sentiment from those that bought during the less than ideal 'Ford era' for starters.

Then there's that they're a relatively small company and have somewhat limited offerings for buyers to 'move up' to. If you've outgrown your current Mazda and need 'more'...there's simply limited options there.

Mazda lost its performance brand over the years, lagged on a new suv, lost it's van, and trucks, ans wagons.

This too.

They're basically starting over after divorcing Ford and are basically a 'qausi-new' company. And a small one with limited capability to offer a wide range of products and/or products that speak to it's core 'performance' identity.

Baby steps.

They're having to reinvent themselves to something like a modern version of their original selves while countering remnants of backlash from the early 2000's.

You can't really compare that with a brands that's been able to stay pretty focused on their core brand identity over the same time.

Honestly it's probably more apt to compare them to the Korean upstarts in that regard.
 
Steering the thread back on topic, picture of rear seats for CX-8 :- IMHO looks pretty classy:

00.jpg
 
Agreed. Very classy.

This in a diesel or 2.5T, with Apple CarPlay and ventilated seats, 18" wheels, and panoramic roof would be almost ideal for our USA family. A 5 seat option - with 30sq. feet of cargo space behind second row - would be ideal. OK, I could easily forego the panoramic roof.

The CX-9 is just a bit too long.
 
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Agreed. Very classy.

This in a diesel or 2.5T, with Apple CarPlay and ventilated seats, 18" wheels, and panoramic roof would be almost ideal for our USA family. A 5 seat option, would be ideal. The CX-9 is just a bit too long.

19" wheels would be better :)
 
A rough quote from a a recent Car & Driver segment called “bulls***”: The fact that Mazda is not the top selling brand. Those who know are aware of the quality and superior drivability of Mazdas and often write about in their reviews of our cars also lament that more people don’t regard the little company from Japan’s cars for what they really are.

I believe Mazda could reach more of the niche market with some small additions like Apple Car Play, an updated Bose system, and some other little things that brands like Lexus includes as standard equipment.

Those of us who drive Mazdas (I own 3 currently, 3 previously) know what they are about: they drive like a sports car...even the CX-9. Just do a side to side comparison of a CX-5 and a Lexus CUV and compare drivability and fun: Mazda wins. Look at bling: Lexus wins; look at price: DUH!
 
Actually cx9 third row is for toddlers only

3rd row can be used for more than just toddlers.

As for the CX-8's third row, apparently "The third-row seats are purportedly designed so that an adult 170cm (5'7") tall can fit comfortably"
 
A rough quote from a a recent Car & Driver segment called “bulls***”: The fact that Mazda is not the top selling brand. Those who know are aware of the quality and superior drivability of Mazdas and often write about in their reviews of our cars also lament that more people don’t regard the little company from Japan’s cars for what they really are.


Funny how people don't buy Mazda's because they are a 'little company from Japan', yet people buy plenty of vehicles from Subaru, which is even smaller than Mazda? Maybe some of you should stop blaming the consumer for Mazda's failures and blaming Mazda itself.
 
A rough quote from a a recent Car & Driver segment called “bulls***”: The fact that Mazda is not the top selling brand. Those who know are aware of the quality and superior drivability of Mazdas and often write about in their reviews of our cars also lament that more people don’t regard the little company from Japan’s cars for what they really are.
Well, Mazda as an automaker is still a little company from Japan after 94 years in business with automobile production for the last 53 years. Meanwhile Honda started its business 71 years ago with the first production automobile in 1963 had been the second largest automaker since 2001 now is the third largest automaker from Japan. The other little Japanese automaker Subaru helped by Fuji Heavy Industries started automobile manufacturing in 1953 now with top customer loyalty rating it has been out-selling more vehicles than Mazda in the US which has a much below average customer loyalty or customer retention rate. This's the fact and nothing to "bulls***" about it.

I believe Mazda could reach more of the niche market with some small additions like Apple Car Play, an updated Bose system, and some other little things that brands like Lexus includes as standard equipment.
This I couldn't agree with you more but unfortunately Mazda North American Operations have been doing the opposite by deleting many nice features, which are available in other regions on CX-5, to the US customers.

Those of us who drive Mazdas (I own 3 currently, 3 previously) know what they are about: they drive like a sports car...even the CX-9. Just do a side to side comparison of a CX-5 and a Lexus CUV and compare drivability and fun: Mazda wins. Look at bling: Lexus wins; look at price: DUH!
Just rode with a friend in a brand new 2017 Lexus RX 350, paid $47K before TTL and bought for his wife, to Fort Worth yesterday for 60 miles attending a wedding. The color matching (I always like Lexus' color selection and matching scheme but hate the recent big black "X" front fascia) and the feel of interior quality is much more superior than our CX-5, and better than CX-9. The handling is as tight as it can be with 20" factory BridgeStone tires. Although this one is far from full loaded RX but it has everything feature wise CX-5 GT or CX-9 Signature has and more. Seating on the cool front ventilated seat in the 96F hot Texas afternoon is a breeze to enjoy just to name one. Although Toyota's GPS sucked and failed to direct us to Weston Gardens in the end, and we had to use Google map to get to the final destination. :)
 
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