Recent content by jabba

Thanks for the tip, I'll have to go re-test a GT CX-5. The one I tested had the 17 in tires I guess, and I wasn't too impressed with the road noise. Somewhat better than my Mazdaspeed 3, but definitely louder than our CX-9, a Highlander I had just tested, and an Avalon I had recently rented...

I recently test drove a Forester XT, the one positive is the power once you switch it out if "intelligent" mode. The interior is a bit tacky with all the plasticky paddle shifters around the steering wheel, and the nav system is pretty bad. The ride is a bit jiggly, but that big sunroof and...

OK, you owe me a new shirt for all the coffee I spilled on myself laughing.

Contacting Mazda is probably the best you can do at this point, but there are other avenues as well, such a posting your dislike on their Facebook page. I had done this for my aftermarket Clarion system that had a bluetooth issue, and within a day there was a response from Clarion (suggesting I...

On our CX-9, my wife wishes she could put her purse in the console, but the latter is far too small to do that. That way it would stay hidden, and I wouldn't have to step over it when she drives and keeps the purse in the passenger foot well (she doesn't put it in the back seat area when she...

The issue is that car companies don't really give 2 hoots about the stereo system in cars, they see it as a selling point when they stick a "premium" system in there, but have little incentives to help fix bugs. Which is why updates take so long. Look at Ford with the Sync MyTouch systems...

I believe that Consumer Reports loads up the car to represent what could happen in real life. So 7.0 is when fully loaded, I believe, and 8.5 is when no one is in the car.

I agree, and in fact the only change truly required is to simply change out the NAV with something else. A panoramic sunroof would be nice, too, but one can dream.

Probably trying to figure out how to void your warranty....! Nah, just kidding. Never had a dealer hassle me with an aftermarket exhaust while I was still in warranty.

A police report is not absolutely necessary, the insurance company will process a claim without it (I know from experience). The adjuster might ask you more questions, that's all.

Did not find a published logbook on their website for the CX-5... Now I'm not saying that the Forester is not a nice SUV, it's just that car mags out there are consistently placing the CX-5 above it (even MotorTrend complains about the jittery ride of the Forester and the awful stereo (they'd...

It funny that Consumer Reports ranks the Forester so high, yet on their website they have a page called "From the Logbook", where the staff puts down their impressions. And it's full of negatives, like "engine power is just adequate; steering feels soggy; crosswinds blow it around; CVT is too...

If you scour the internet, you will find that NAV systems are more or less craptacular in many vehicles, unless you go premium like Audi. Discussion forums and car mags all have bad things to say (right now the hate is on the Forester it seems, but the Ford MyTouch system is also a source of...

That seems to be normal, you're basically describing how the AC works in our CX-9 and Mazdaspeed 3: it goes on recycled air in order to be more efficient, and blows hard for a few minutes before settling down and cooling more slowly to reach the desired temperature. Sometimes it'll stay on...

The Highlander has the hatch window that opens right up! Maybe trade in the CX-5 for that? Kidding aside, how about just securing it to the roof rack? Or did you not get the roof rack...