Coming from a Nissan Frontier 4x4 truck, so the CX-5 is definitely different. The Frontier was my first auto tranny, so it's good to be back with the manual after 5 years (besides forgetting to push in the clutch the first time I tried to start it, it's been smooth sailing).
The CX-5 is what I expected it to be after reading this forum and test driving three of them. I never considered another vehicle, and it was either buy it or keep the truck. The great mpgs, the manual tranny, and the cheap price caught my attention. I was going for cheap, so not having access to other features wasn't a big deal to me, although more color options would have been nice.
This thing is fun to drive. The steering is light while parking, and heavier and stable at high speeds. It stays flat through the corners and hugs the road. I was expecting some of the roads where I live to be bone-jarring, and yes I do feel the bumps and such, but overall it handles them quite well. Shifting gears is smooth, and my timing has gotten much better after a few days. I do have some resistance at times when going from 3rd to 4th and when putting in reverse, but not enough at the moment to concern me (I will be watching it).
Not many things stick out that really bug me. All the doors, including liftgate, have to be given a little extra pressure to close fully, and the little cargo light on the left side is pitiful. I'm not used to having such a sharp cutoff from the low-beam headlights, so that is an adjustment.
By the way, the car measured 36.9 mpg on the one hour trip home from the dealership, and that included a stop to grab something to eat. Definitely pleased with the mileage, and can't wait to fill up such a small tank compared to the Frontier.
The CX-5 is what I expected it to be after reading this forum and test driving three of them. I never considered another vehicle, and it was either buy it or keep the truck. The great mpgs, the manual tranny, and the cheap price caught my attention. I was going for cheap, so not having access to other features wasn't a big deal to me, although more color options would have been nice.
This thing is fun to drive. The steering is light while parking, and heavier and stable at high speeds. It stays flat through the corners and hugs the road. I was expecting some of the roads where I live to be bone-jarring, and yes I do feel the bumps and such, but overall it handles them quite well. Shifting gears is smooth, and my timing has gotten much better after a few days. I do have some resistance at times when going from 3rd to 4th and when putting in reverse, but not enough at the moment to concern me (I will be watching it).
Not many things stick out that really bug me. All the doors, including liftgate, have to be given a little extra pressure to close fully, and the little cargo light on the left side is pitiful. I'm not used to having such a sharp cutoff from the low-beam headlights, so that is an adjustment.
By the way, the car measured 36.9 mpg on the one hour trip home from the dealership, and that included a stop to grab something to eat. Definitely pleased with the mileage, and can't wait to fill up such a small tank compared to the Frontier.