Poll Did you choose the CX-5 over a German SUV?

Did you choose the CX-5 over a German SUV?

  • Yes

    Votes: 51 64.6%
  • No

    Votes: 20 25.3%
  • I have both

    Votes: 5 6.3%
  • In the market and leaning towards the CX-5

    Votes: 3 3.8%
  • In the market and leaning towards a German SUV

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    79
I never would have considered a German make car to be honest. At the time (2013) I was only comparing the CX-5 to like priced/marketed CUVs like RAV4, Rogue, CR-V, Escape, etc. It was the clear winner.

Definitely different from what they are trying to market the CX-5 as now adays.
 
My neighbor has a GLC43 AMG. I am not sure what year, but newer. 2017 is the oldest I could imagine it being. My CX5's interior has less creaks and rattles, but doesn't look quite as sexy. Both feel equal quality with t he CX5 having more soft-touch surfaces, but I find the seats in the 'Benz look nicer while they both feel similar quality to sit on, I believe the leather in the AMG is better than in my GT-R, and maybe the signature, too.View attachment 223683. Overall, I would believe the vehicles cost the same, just by riding in them. The DCT and turbo 6 cylinder in the GLC43 AMG are where I'd say nearly all the money difference went, IMO, as well as the NAV screen and seats.View attachment 223682
Awesome response, thanks for the comparison @Unobtanium (y)

I never would have considered a German make car to be honest. At the time (2013) I was only comparing the CX-5 to like priced/marketed CUVs like RAV4, Rogue, CR-V, Escape, etc. It was the clear winner.

Definitely different from what they are trying to market the CX-5 as now adays.
Good point...Times have changed since the first gen CX-5 came out except it's still a winner! 😁
 
Xmas 2019 emptied my wallet on a BMW X3 M40i and CX-5 GT. Wife drives the beemer, I got the CX. like them both, but one is a lot faster than the other...

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My previous 3 cars were VW's. I was kind of fixated on the Tiguan until I drove it back to back with the CX-5. My dealer is a VW & Mazda dealer. I was sold on the CX-5. I like it enough that when my first 2019 CX-5 GTR was rear ended & totaled at 4 months, I replaced it with it's clone.
 
Tried a multiple different SUV including Tiguan. Hated it for harsh ride, road noise. Knew that the reliability was going to be terrible having owned another German car before. Mazda CX5 was far more refined. It still is after 3 years.
 
Dieselgate and the flagrant disregard for excessive vehicle emissions is my reason for not buying a vehicle in the Volkswagen group. (VW, Audi, Skoda, Seat, Porsche - ha ha! Affordability on that one also)
 
Back than, I wanted a Tiguan, but the space in the back, wasn't much bigger than my 08' VW Rabbit, so I had to look somewhere else. I'm not stuck with Mazda. I'm not sure what I will be buying in the future, maybe some electric SUV(I can't believe that I'm saying that out loud).
 
Recent responses seem to indicate quite a few CX-5 Owners might have also been considering a VW when shopping...Interesting, I wouldn't have assumed that before...Very informative, keep those votes and responses coming! 😁

I'm not sure what I will be buying in the future, maybe some electric SUV(I can't believe that I'm saying that out loud).
Have you seen the Weekly Poll? ;)
 
The cars I have owned in my life 2001 Corolla 2007 Scion tC 2013 Corolla 2015 Camry and 2016 CX-5. I am not in the market for anything German and mostly will never be unless I start doing my own maintenance and even then nothing that Competes with CX-5. Mostly would lean towards cars that are a bit unique still safe like A3 Cabriolet or an Audi TT. Problem I see with most German cars is depreciation is painful and owning it after warranty is painful too. So there is no escape out unless you do most of the regular maintenance and save on it. CX5 so far has been better than all Toyota's I have owned except 2013 Corolla but that was such a drag to drive.
On VW, VW is not even on my radar. My friend did buy the Atlas due to size, he has had multiple issues with safety warnings while driving on an empty highway at night. I would not buy VW with 15 year 200k warranty as well mostly because time is money and warranty runs cost time.
 
I briefly looked at the previous gen vw tiguan, but the cargo space was too small and i didnt want the 2nd gen 2.0t engine it had. If it had the 3rd gen 2.0t ea888 motor out of the current gti, i would’ve probably bought it over the cx-5.
 
Xmas 2019 emptied my wallet on a BMW X3 M40i and CX-5 GT. Wife drives the beemer, I got the CX. like them both, but one is a lot faster than the other...

View attachment 223715View attachment 223716

What do you think of the road noise difference? My wife has a 2016 X3 and I find it much quieter than my 2019 CX-5 on the highway. There is a lot of tire noise on the CX-5 (perhaps better tires will help, I have the stock Yokohama). The X3 has better overall sound insulation but it's really just the tire noise that bothers me.
 
I bought a BMW SUV two years ago but soon afterwards saw the 2nd gen CX-5 and have regretted it ever since. The only reason I didn’t seriously cross shop the CX-5 earlier was because I was coming from a CX-7 and wanted to try another brand. I also disliked the 1st gen and didn’t realize that they updated it (not surprised given Mazda’s terrible marketing).

Now I’m shopping for a used CX-5, but also considering the Volvo XC60 for a little more space for the family.
 
I find it really interesting to read everyone's thoughts and to see the Poll results progress...Please keep it coming! (y)

I wonder, how different are the interiors of German SUVs compared to the latest CX-5? Mazda has been improving their interiors (especially with the new 3 and CX-30), are they closing the gap or are the Germans in another league (regarding interior fit and finish, quality, design, materials etc)..?

In my experience, the interiors compare well with the BMW and Audi of the same size class, except for obviously the infotainment screens. What a lot of people don’t realize is that the Q3/5 and X1/3 aren’t that fancy in the inside...especially their base or second tier trims. They’re nice, but not “luxurious” by any means. In fact, I found the current Q5 cold inside - I don’t think they put any leather on the doors except for the Prestige trim.
 
Love the range of responses...Hopefully all this food for thought is helping people in the market as well...Great stuff, keep it up!

I mentioned the interior previously, how about the driving experience (including engine power and smoothness) and paint...Are there major differences in those two departments?
 
Love the range of responses...Hopefully all this food for thought is helping people in the market as well...Great stuff, keep it up!

I mentioned the interior previously, how about the driving experience (including engine power and smoothness) and paint...Are there major differences in those two departments?
Power, not within its class. You have to step up to the AMG/M/S-line to honestly best the GT-R and Sg models.

Paint? I don't think that's fair, as I see a great disparity in paint on the same make/model vehicle, from year to year, etc. Japanese paint has always been known for being very fragile, though, although Mazda does decent compared to the bulk of Japanese options, it's not in the same league as my American cars have been for paint durability.
 
I mentioned the interior previously, how about the driving experience (including engine power and smoothness) and paint...Are there major differences in those two departments?

German cars tend to have harder paint, while Japanese paints tend to be softer. Domestic cars fall somewhere in the middle. This basically means that a German car will hold up to rock chips a little better, and is much less likely to show swirl marks in the paint - but, that makes the paint harder to correct. With Japanese paint, it tends to swirl easier, but it's much easier to correct. If you were to detail a Japanese CUV and a German CUV, for example, the former would take 1-2 hours while the latter might take 3-6.
 
German cars tend to have harder paint, while Japanese paints tend to be softer. Domestic cars fall somewhere in the middle. This basically means that a German car will hold up to rock chips a little better, and is much less likely to show swirl marks in the paint - but, that makes the paint harder to correct. With Japanese paint, it tends to swirl easier, but it's much easier to correct. If you were to detail a Japanese CUV and a German CUV, for example, the former would take 1-2 hours while the latter might take 3-6.
Wouldn't harder paint be more prone to chipping than soft? You'd think soft would be more susceptible to scratches and smearing, but should be less prone to chip.

Has somebody actually measured the hardness of respective paints?
 
Wouldn't harder paint be more prone to chipping than soft? You'd think soft would be more susceptible to scratches and smearing, but should be less prone to chip.

Has somebody actually measured the hardness of respective paints?

You could be right, but based on what I've seen, it's the opposite. I've seen quite a few Audis, BMWs and Mercedes in person and they have been chip-free for the most part. Meanwhile, I've seen a lot of Lexus/Toyota, Acura/Honda, Infiniti/Nissans with rock chips on the front bumper/hood/fenders/side mirror caps.

I don't know if anyone has actually measured the harness. Most of the detailers on autogeekonline.net will do test spots to get an idea of paint hardness since it can vary from car to car (with some being accident free and others having had full repaints done due to hail claims - a body shop repaint will almost always be soft). But generally they report that German paint is the hardest and Japanese paint the softest.
 

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