Test-drove a CX-5 today

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2012 Mazda5 Sport AT
Copied from the CX-5 forum:

Road noise is greatly suppressed compared to my Mazda5, so much that I initially thought something was wrong in my Mazda5 when I got back in it to drive home. The CX-5 has a much smoother ride than the 5, too, but I was surprised by a bit of choppiness on the highway that I had not expected. The 6AT had a bit of lag in first gear from a stop, reminding me of the DSG in the Focus, but it wasn't nearly as pronounced or annoying. I also clocked just over 2,000 rpm at 60 mph. I was watching the instant fuel economy readout during my drive: cruising at 60 mph the CX-5 was rock solid showing 40 mpg. Driving on surface streets I was usually in the low to mid 20s, though I did see in the 14-15 range from a standstill going up a hill, but that's to be expected.

The engine felt fine to me. I drove the heaviest model CX-5 at 3426 pounds, with the moonroof, and it responded the same or better than my Mazda5. I'm coming from a vehicle that has roughly the same horsepower (157) but slightly more torque (163) while weighing more (3457 pounds). The Sky-AT shifted nicely, not harshly but noticeably. It was a different feeling of shifting than my Mazda5, which for the most part is less noticeable but slower shifting. The engine itself sounded substantially better than my Mazda5's 2.5, which even has a Corksport intake. The 2.5 is a pretty coarse lump.

At 6'2" I fit in my Mazda5 but I would like a bit more seat travel. The CX-5 has much more front seat travel, so much that I can fully extend my legs out in front of me. I fit in the rear seat just fine, though the headroom is less than in the Mazda5. I had plenty of it but I noticed the difference. I liked the 40/20/40 split seat and I especially liked the rear latch release in the cargo area for folding the seats forward. That's a really useful feature, if the seats would always fold down without having to fiddle with the headrests and front seats. I'm sure I could figure out the perfect arrangement if I owned one but as it stands I had to adjust the second-row headrests and the travel of the first-row seats to get things to lie down correctly.

The interior materials are nicer than my Mazda5, though still not as nice as I had expected. The dash is soft-touch, the door fabric looks and feels good, the seat material is attractive and feels sturdy, the front seats are very nicely bolstered, but the trim at the top of the door/bottom of the window is hard and doesn't look that great. I don't really care, but it is a point of contention for most auto reviewers. The sight lines out of the CX-5 are decent, but the visibility isn't as good as in my Mazda5. The windows are bigger than in many contemporary cars but smaller than the Mazda5. The belt line is higher than the Mazda5, which compresses the windows. You sit up higher in the CX-5 than in the Mazda5, though, so that helps to compensate. (Ground clearance is 8.5 vs. 5.6 inches by the way.)

I took a couple pictures for comparison. Not as many as I would like but they'll work for now.

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CX-5 cargo area with torque wrench for scale:
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Mazda5 cargo area with torque wrench for scale:
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Thanks for the review. I saw one in the showroom when we were buying our 5. I inspected it too, and sat in it, but didn't go for a test drive. I was surprised at how big it was, vs. how high the mpg was. I could see this being a real winner for Mazda. But alas, no 3rd row, no sliding doors, so it doesn't quite work for us right now.

i am SO going to kick myself if the 5 gets upped to these standards in a couple months.
 
I don't expect to see the Sky-G in the Mazda5 until the 2014 model year, but I could be wrong. I'm waiting on the Sky-D really, in both the CX-5 and the Mazda5.
 
Comments about the noise levels of the 2012 Mazda5 vs other cars confuse me...

The measured tests from Insideline seem to contradict what many say about the 5.

These are the results at 70mph cruising speed:

Mazda CX-5: 67.0db
2012 Mazda5: 65.8db
2006 Mazda5: 70.0db

No suprise that the 2012 is quieter than the 2006 - but is it really quieter than the CX-5?
 
If the '12s come with the same junk Toyos that the earlier ones had, then you will be amazed when you switch to a quality tire. I put Michelins on mine at 100 miles because I hated the Toyos so bad. Our car is very quiet now.
 
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