2021 CX-5 GTR - After 1 week/500 miles

I have had my 2021 GTR, Snowflake + Black Leather for 1 week now and out on around 500 miles

I know the Cons/Annoyances are abundant, but with how good the vehicle is, you tend to focus on what annoys you but you push through those because the vehicle is superior anyway.

Pros:

Exterior - Sleek and refined. Not clunky or too gaudy. Turbo badge added. Rims are pleasing to look at.

Interior - Elegant. All the padded surfaces and accent stitching make it top notch and feel premium - nothing is really plasticy. People getting in always say "ooh this is pretty nice!" My seats are still breaking in. The luxury feel is definitely there!

Driving - Turbo engine is responsive and just feels smoother getting to speed/passing than competitors. I drove a 2021 RAV4 XLE for a week and didn't like how the engine felt driving or getting on the gas, even its 200+ HP. I have driven in pretty wet conditions and never felt any slippage. It feld good and fun on 4+ hour trips!

Headlights - the tilting/turning headlights are GREAT...and help a great deal in very dark areas

Infotainment - More fluid and responsive than in prior years. IMHO it looks better than before. It connects bluetooth quickly and without issue - I'm saying this because I have had other cars where it was finicky and had to stop/start bluetooth on phone or restart car. The new 10.25" screen size is nice! The Bose speaker set up is pretty good - do know you have a small subwoofer located in the spare tire area.

Backup camera is clear {I guess better than prior years)

Lane Assist - the rumble feedback is nice when you veer off a bit - I guess great for sleepy/distracted drivers. Does this vehicle have the ability to help keep you IN the lanes like most others?

Adapative/Radar Cruise control - works great and never made me feel in danger. I have NOT used the stop and go function.

HUD - absolutely awesome. I've only had HUDs in my Camaros prior. This hud will display speed, cruise, cruise radar, blind-spot detection, lane assist and I bet stock GPS turn by turn. The height, position, brightness, etc are all configurable.

More configurable seat fold-down options than the competitors, as the middle portion has its own control.

90 degree rear doors are a PLUS!!! But tell your guests/kids to be careful!

Annoyances/Cons:

Seats - Could be more hugging, form-fitting sports type. I sometimes feel like I am sliding around. Could use more options on leather colors

Infotainment / Andriod Auto - Had it tell me a few times when hooking up my phone that I needed to be parked or to engage my parking break in order for it to start, when I was just parked in the driveway! If you have a Google maps already going with directions, when hooking it up it will not continue or remember what you were doing, you have to start over. At least most times the destination comes up in the last two history list. The screen is no longer touch, but I'm ok with the knob since I'm used to driving a BMW.

HUD: I have Ray Ban polarized sunglasses, with HUD on 100% brightness it is barely visible :( HUD does not display speed limit (RAV4 did)...either that or the car is not detecting speed limit signs like the dealer told me it would (maybe Signature model). HUD does not incorporate Android Auto/Apple Car Play Nav turn by turn.

(Option cringe) Going in reverse, using the backup camera, the system senses/can sense vehicles about to pass by in the rear and will indicate on the screen from where and give alert beep...if the system can do that then it should also incorporate/be able to be used as parking sensors with distance beeping...All those safety feature and parking radar is an option unless you buy a Signature??

Forward collision detection - When you are behind someone, and they go to turn, lets say right into a parking lot and slow down, even though I know I have control and not going to clip them and already hitting the brakes, the system flashes BRAKE on the hud and beeps...somewhat annoying

USB ports: In the driver's area, why not have one near the 12V power port like every other vehicle?? In the back seat, they are useless if you need to fold the middle portion/armrest down for storage - or even stowed up, if you need to fit a third person. Should be located near the vent, etc.

Rear Seat Warmers - Again useless if you need to have the middle portion/armrest folded down or stowed up :( The fact that they float on the armrest, which may have frequent movement bothers me. Again, should be relocated near the rear air vents.

Front Seat Warmers/Rear Defrost/Heated Mirrors & Wipers - Do not have a last use memory or option to turn on with remote start

Mazda Connect - Remote start and functions received much slower than competitors and fewer options. I also received a message that I left my lights on from the app, and it told me to click to view the issue but does not show up in the list nor can you do anything about it (even though they will auto-shutoff after 30 secs). As most may know, if you remote start the vehicle, it will shutoff after opening a door :( If someone is in the vehicle, and the doors are unlocked you cannot remote start the vehicle, it will tell you it failed.

Rear Seat Fold Downs - Yes this was a Pro before, but they don't fold all the way down flat, either. The back seat is cramped as it is, so when laying them down you may have to remove headrests or moving front seats up a bit. When configuring the middle seat fold-down, you may encounter having to deal with a metal loop extruding from the left seat (if up). This can be possibly bent or broken or scratch/damage objects if you dont realize its there...it also holds you back from maximizing cargo as you can set items flush against the side of the seat! It may not be present if you leave the right seat up. You have to hold the latch open and release to lock seats back, which is annoying.

I will add more as I go
 
USB ports: In the driver's area, why not have one near the 12V power port like every other vehicle?? In the back seat, they are useless if you need to fold the middle portion/armrest down for storage - or even stowed up, if you need to fit a third person. Should be located near the vent, etc.
Rear Seat Warmers - Again useless if you need to have the middle portion/armrest folded down or stowed up :( The fact that they float on the armrest, which may have frequent movement bothers me. Again, should be relocated near the rear air vents.
I’ve been pointing these two flawed designs out since gen-2 CX-5 just came out. Rear USB ports and rear seat warmer controls should be located on the back side of the center console, like everybody else does. This’s another example that Mazda is trying too hard to be different from everybody else.
 
Your HUD should display speed limits. Mine does. Is it possible the speed limit signs in your area are a different configuration from the standard type? Not sure if SL signs have to match in all areas like STOP, YIELD, etc signs do.
 
The speed limit and all the stop signs, at least on my "17 Mazda 6 (canadian) is based on the traffic sign recognition camera and it doesn't have anything to do with the navigation. If you have the TSR function then it should work.
 
The speed limit and all the stop signs, at least on my "17 Mazda 6 (canadian) is based on the traffic sign recognition camera and it doesn't have anything to do with the navigation. If you have the TSR function then it should work.
Correct, it recognizes speed limit signs. I know for a fact because the speed limit dropped on the road near my house and my HUD picked up the change immediately.
 
Your HUD should display speed limits. Mine does. Is it possible the speed limit signs in your area are a different configuration from the standard type? Not sure if SL signs have to match in all areas like STOP, YIELD, etc signs do.
The signs here in NC seem pretty standard. But I read in the manual that you need to have a Nav card for the TSR to work/display....

One thing I noticed is that my Lane-keep assist does not seem to work either, but my lane departure warning is working just fine. I may need to recheck tire pressures...
 
The speed limit and all the stop signs, at least on my "17 Mazda 6 (canadian) is based on the traffic sign recognition camera and it doesn't have anything to do with the navigation. If you have the TSR function then it should work.
In the states you need the SD Nav card.
 
In the states you need the SD Nav card.
It probably needs the NAV speed limit database until it detects a sign. It would make sense if you turn onto a road and there's no speed limit sign around then it would need to hit the DB otherwise you'd be driving with the last speed limit posted to the HUD. Once it detects a sign it would post that value.
 
I have had my 2021 GTR, Snowflake + Black Leather for 1 week now and out on around 500 miles

I know the Cons/Annoyances are abundant, but with how good the vehicle is, you tend to focus on what annoys you but you push through those because the vehicle is superior anyway.

Pros:

Exterior - Sleek and refined. Not clunky or too gaudy. Turbo badge added. Rims are pleasing to look at.

Interior - Elegant. All the padded surfaces and accent stitching make it top notch and feel premium - nothing is really plasticy. People getting in always say "ooh this is pretty nice!" My seats are still breaking in. The luxury feel is definitely there!

Driving - Turbo engine is responsive and just feels smoother getting to speed/passing than competitors. I drove a 2021 RAV4 XLE for a week and didn't like how the engine felt driving or getting on the gas, even its 200+ HP. I have driven in pretty wet conditions and never felt any slippage. It feld good and fun on 4+ hour trips!

Headlights - the tilting/turning headlights are GREAT...and help a great deal in very dark areas

Infotainment - More fluid and responsive than in prior years. IMHO it looks better than before. It connects bluetooth quickly and without issue - I'm saying this because I have had other cars where it was finicky and had to stop/start bluetooth on phone or restart car. The new 10.25" screen size is nice! The Bose speaker set up is pretty good - do know you have a small subwoofer located in the spare tire area.

Backup camera is clear {I guess better than prior years)

Lane Assist - the rumble feedback is nice when you veer off a bit - I guess great for sleepy/distracted drivers. Does this vehicle have the ability to help keep you IN the lanes like most others?

Adapative/Radar Cruise control - works great and never made me feel in danger. I have NOT used the stop and go function.

HUD - absolutely awesome. I've only had HUDs in my Camaros prior. This hud will display speed, cruise, cruise radar, blind-spot detection, lane assist and I bet stock GPS turn by turn. The height, position, brightness, etc are all configurable.

More configurable seat fold-down options than the competitors, as the middle portion has its own control.

90 degree rear doors are a PLUS!!! But tell your guests/kids to be careful!

Annoyances/Cons:

Seats - Could be more hugging, form-fitting sports type. I sometimes feel like I am sliding around. Could use more options on leather colors

Infotainment / Andriod Auto - Had it tell me a few times when hooking up my phone that I needed to be parked or to engage my parking break in order for it to start, when I was just parked in the driveway! If you have a Google maps already going with directions, when hooking it up it will not continue or remember what you were doing, you have to start over. At least most times the destination comes up in the last two history list. The screen is no longer touch, but I'm ok with the knob since I'm used to driving a BMW.

HUD: I have Ray Ban polarized sunglasses, with HUD on 100% brightness it is barely visible :( HUD does not display speed limit (RAV4 did)...either that or the car is not detecting speed limit signs like the dealer told me it would (maybe Signature model). HUD does not incorporate Android Auto/Apple Car Play Nav turn by turn.

(Option cringe) Going in reverse, using the backup camera, the system senses/can sense vehicles about to pass by in the rear and will indicate on the screen from where and give alert beep...if the system can do that then it should also incorporate/be able to be used as parking sensors with distance beeping...All those safety feature and parking radar is an option unless you buy a Signature??

Forward collision detection - When you are behind someone, and they go to turn, lets say right into a parking lot and slow down, even though I know I have control and not going to clip them and already hitting the brakes, the system flashes BRAKE on the hud and beeps...somewhat annoying

USB ports: In the driver's area, why not have one near the 12V power port like every other vehicle?? In the back seat, they are useless if you need to fold the middle portion/armrest down for storage - or even stowed up, if you need to fit a third person. Should be located near the vent, etc.

Rear Seat Warmers - Again useless if you need to have the middle portion/armrest folded down or stowed up :( The fact that they float on the armrest, which may have frequent movement bothers me. Again, should be relocated near the rear air vents.

Front Seat Warmers/Rear Defrost/Heated Mirrors & Wipers - Do not have a last use memory or option to turn on with remote start

Mazda Connect - Remote start and functions received much slower than competitors and fewer options. I also received a message that I left my lights on from the app, and it told me to click to view the issue but does not show up in the list nor can you do anything about it (even though they will auto-shutoff after 30 secs). As most may know, if you remote start the vehicle, it will shutoff after opening a door :( If someone is in the vehicle, and the doors are unlocked you cannot remote start the vehicle, it will tell you it failed.

Rear Seat Fold Downs - Yes this was a Pro before, but they don't fold all the way down flat, either. The back seat is cramped as it is, so when laying them down you may have to remove headrests or moving front seats up a bit. When configuring the middle seat fold-down, you may encounter having to deal with a metal loop extruding from the left seat (if up). This can be possibly bent or broken or scratch/damage objects if you dont realize its there...it also holds you back from maximizing cargo as you can set items flush against the side of the seat! It may not be present if you leave the right seat up. You have to hold the latch open and release to lock seats back, which is annoying.

I will add more as I go
I have a 2018 GT with preferred, so similar features.

I overcame 2 of those concerns.

1: polarized lenses vs. HUD. I find the HUD indispensible, one of the best features of the car. But I also really liked my Smith Optics sunglasses. Turns out this place in Australia will ship -worldwide- replacement lenses based on make/model. I paid something like $30 or $35 for some non-polarized lenses that fit my frames. https://www.thesunglassfix.com.au/custom-cut-lenses-outside-australia

2: Rear seat fold/down. I bought Japanese Domestic Market headrests which are lower profile but the same leather and stitching as the original. These are a few inches shorter when stowed and allow the seats to drop all the way without removing them. It was about $170 delivered for the pair: JAPANPARTS.COM
HEADREST K157-88-240 02
Item# 479-100-008
 
The signs here in NC seem pretty standard. But I read in the manual that you need to have a Nav card for the TSR to work/display....

One thing I noticed is that my Lane-keep assist does not seem to work either, but my lane departure warning is working just fine. I may need to recheck tire pressures...
The lane keep assist is subtle, it isn't semi-autonomous driving like some cars.
 
The speed limit and all the stop signs, at least on my "17 Mazda 6 (canadian) is based on the traffic sign recognition camera and it doesn't have anything to do with the navigation. If you have the TSR function then it should work.
Yes, the TSR system uses the cameras ... but the system did not function in my 2020 CX-5 GT(PP) until I added (an aftermarket) navigation card. I don’t need to be using Mazda’s navigation for the system to work (I use CarPlay 95% of the time), but I do need to have the card installed to see speed-limit and stop signs (and once a “do not enter” sign) on the HUD.

STOP sign recognition though is garbage. By the time my car recognizes the sign and displays it, I’m already coming to a stop or have blown through it.

Essentially, it just confirms your passengers’ argument that “I think you just blew through a stop sign”.

Never has it detected a sign in time for me to stop at one if I waited until the notification to begin breaking.
 
The lane keep assist is subtle, it isn't semi-autonomous driving like some cars.
Lane keep assist is minimal at best. Unlike the 2020-2021 Toyotas I’ve been given as rental cars when traveling (or when shopping for my CX-5 this past summer), which constantly try to wrestle the steering wheel out of my hands if I don’t signal a lane change; my Mazda has quickly learned how I drive (frequently changing lanes without signaling unless there is someone around to signal to) and no longer pulls at the wheel unless my lane departure is so subtle, and my steering inputs less active than normal, that it figures my impending lane departure isn’t intentional on my part.

i believe the “learning how you drive” feature is programmed in, and mentioned in the manual somewhere.

Regardless, the Mazda will never bounce you back and forth between lane markers, especially around corners, like the Toyota system will. But that’s okay by me. I HATE the Toyota system (even at it’s least sensitive). Didn’t we buy Mazdas because we enjoy driving?
 
Option cringe) Going in reverse, using the backup camera, the system senses/can sense vehicles about to pass by in the rear and will indicate on the screen from where and give alert beep...if the system can do that then it should also incorporate/be able to be used as parking sensors with distance beeping...All those safety feature and parking radar is an option unless you buy a Signature??
The rear cross-traffic warning system uses the radar sensors in the side mirrors that primarily perform the blind-spot detection function.

The rear parking obstacle detection uses a different set of sensors in the rear bumper — so they need to be installed, and they are only factory installed on the Signature (for model year 2020).

The sensors on your side mirrors cannot see behind your bumper.

Considering my car already has a wide-angle rear-view camera, I think a rear parking warning would be unnecessarily redundant. Given the choice, I would rather a *front* parking warning since I can’t see below the hood.
 
STOP sign recognition though is garbage. By the time my car recognizes the sign and displays it, I’m already coming to a stop or have blown through it.
The stop sign recognition feature as well as the speed limit feature on my 2019 GT-R work very, very well. But I don't depend upon them to make my driving decisions.
Just how many stop signs are you blowing through ?
 
The rear cross-traffic warning system uses the radar sensors in the side mirrors that primarily perform the blind-spot detection function.

The rear parking obstacle detection uses a different set of sensors in the rear bumper — so they need to be installed, and they are only factory installed on the Signature (for model year 2020).

The sensors on your side mirrors cannot see behind your bumper.

Considering my car already has a wide-angle rear-view camera, I think a rear parking warning would be unnecessarily redundant. Given the choice, I would rather a *front* parking warning since I can’t see below the hood.

Both sets of sensors are actually located in the rear bumper. There are no sensors in the side mirrors, but the RCTA system does use the BSM indicators in the side mirrors as well as the infotainment display to alert the driver. Note the detection field in the image below:

technology_active-safety_bsm_2nd-row_img_1601.ts.1602150246027170.jpg
 
I have a 2018 GT with preferred, so similar features.

I overcame 2 of those concerns.

1: polarized lenses vs. HUD. I find the HUD indispensible, one of the best features of the car. But I also really liked my Smith Optics sunglasses. Turns out this place in Australia will ship -worldwide- replacement lenses based on make/model. I paid something like $30 or $35 for some non-polarized lenses that fit my frames. https://www.thesunglassfix.com.au/custom-cut-lenses-outside-australia

2: Rear seat fold/down. I bought Japanese Domestic Market headrests which are lower profile but the same leather and stitching as the original. These are a few inches shorter when stowed and allow the seats to drop all the way without removing them. It was about $170 delivered for the pair: JAPANPARTS.COM
HEADREST K157-88-240 02
Item# 479-100-008
I agree, I find the HUD a very nice feature. However, I wear polarized Raybans and have absolutely zero issues with brightness and visibility of the HUD. In fact, I have mine turned almost all the way down on the brightness scale, otherwise it's too distracting. Perhaps the OP hasn't realized there is auto dimming and manual brightness controls and his is set at the minimum....?

EDITED Nov. 2022: I now have a new pair of polarised prescription sunglasses and cannot see the HUD at all when wearing them. Polarised are absolutely critical to me so I won't be giving them up. I do miss the HUD and it took a while to get used too not having in when wearing them, but all good now. I'm thinking my first pair of glasses were only very slightly polarised, as there really was no issue at all seeing the HUD with them.
 
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If you do these settings, it keeps the track.
 

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