New to forum trying to decide on 2015 CX-5, Forester, or Outback

volvovod said:
I guess it very much depends on the level of performance that you are used to. 2.5 (with CVT) works for me (my other car is Mazda 5 with a manual transmission, a car before it was a Volvo 850 - none of them are speed demons but I cannot call them unsafe either). Again, you would not win too many street races but calling the performance inadequate does not seem fair either. I suggest if you have not driven one yet go and give it a try and then decide whether you can live with it.
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Most of my cars have not been speed demons usually more handling then speed like my 95 Miata, 12 Fit, 92 318ic. I do like the looks of the current Outback on the 2.5l the performance was from what I read in articles and some references made on the Outback forum when people had posted the question of purchasing the 2.5l vs 3.6l. I have been waiting for the 2015 Outback to debut was hoping it would come out at the Detroit Auto Show but now hear it will be the New York Auto Show.

How is your mileage on the 2.5l?

Thanks.
 
cjecpa said:
Most of my cars have not been speed demons usually more handling then speed like my 95 Miata, 12 Fit, 92 318ic. I do like the looks of the current Outback on the 2.5l the performance was from what I read in articles and some references made on the Outback forum when people had posted the question of purchasing the 2.5l vs 3.6l. I have been waiting for the 2015 Outback to debut was hoping it would come out at the Detroit Auto Show but now hear it will be the New York Auto Show.

How is your mileage on the 2.5l?

Thanks.
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Both, CX-5 and Outback, handle fine. If you are happy with your Fit, you probably be fine with either one (none of them can compete with your Miata though). A 3.6L engine will not get you better handling. As for the gas consumption - 22 (mostly city), I am still hoping to see better numbers when the engine breaks in and the air warms up a bit...
 
The Fit handles fine it is lowered on Eibach ProKit, Koni yellows in the back, Progress rear sway bar and camber set at -1 in the front to improve handling. Miata has coil overs, Racing Beat swar bars front and back, Racing Beat end links, Enkei RPF01 14x7 wheels that weigh 8 lbs a piece. So usually I do not increase the HP just try to improve on the vehicles attributes.
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I had a great deal on a 2014 Forester ($500 under invoice). I was sold, until I read about the oil consumption. Rather than roll the dice and wonder if my brand new forester would be sipping oil throughout the term of my ownership, I decide to pull back and go with a CX-5. The MotorTrend year long time with the CX-5 helped :) Now on to find a good deal and options.
 
seag33k said:
I had a great deal on a 2014 Forester ($500 under invoice). I was sold, until I read about the oil consumption. Rather than roll the dice and wonder if my brand new forester would be sipping oil throughout the term of my ownership, I decide to pull back and go with a CX-5. The MotorTrend year long time with the CX-5 helped :) Now on to find a good deal and options.
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I got a quote on a Forester Premium with winter package around $2,500 below the manufacturers suggested retail price and read on the oil consumption, jittery ride and some people had issues with the front seats as to comfort, then looked at a few really did not do anything for me. Decided to look at the CX-5 which I looked at when it first came out but the 2.0l and no manual in the AWD version turn me off. Now with the 2.5l and my priority has changed about the manual transmission I am back looking again. Just waiting for the 2015 to come out to compare to the 2014 to determine which to get.

Another problem choosing a color the CX-5 colors all seem great was looking for a poll here to see what colors owners prefer or would choose if they had to buy over again.
 
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cjecpa said:
I got a quote on a Forester Premium with winter package around $2,500 below the manufacturers suggested retail price and read on the oil consumption, jittery ride and some people had issues with the front seats as to comfort, then looked at a few really did not do anything for me. Decided to look at the CX-5 which I looked at when it first came out but the 2.0l and no manual in the AWD version turn me off. Now with the 2.5l and my priority has changed about the manual transmission I am back looking again. Just waiting for the 2015 to come out to compare to the 2014 to determine which to get.

Another problem choosing a color the CX-5 colors all seem great was looking for a poll here to see what colors owners prefer or would choose if they had to buy over again.
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I had trouble locating an AWD model down here in FL, so I asked the dealer to locate either a white one, black one, or liquid silver one. I ended up with white with black interior and I love it.
 
My wife probably wouldn't notice on the car, she'd notice in the bank account. :)
 
cjecpa said:
Now if I can get similar wheels and lower it without my wife noticing I will be set.
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Serious question. Why lower an SUV vs buying a Mazda3? Wanted AWD? Correct me if I'm wrong, but the CX5 isnt that much bigger on the inside than a 3 right? I guess I've never seen the point in lowering unless its a track car. It normally really ruins the suspension, ride quality and camber curves (on strut suspensions).
 
The Mazda 3 hatchback has 20.2 cubic feet with the rear seats in use and 47.1 cubic feet. The Mazda CX-5 has 34.1 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats in use and 65 cubic feet when the rear seats are folded.
 
Just signed the papers tonight. Should get my 2014 CX-5 Touring w/ Moon Roof and Bose sounds system in a few days. The incentives and .9% financing on the 2014 worked for me.
 
Congrats. Hoping to see something on the 2015 CX-5 if nothing major has changed may try to get a 2014 maybe discounts will be a lot more with the model year change over.
 
I just brought home my new 2014 CX5 AWD T this week. I traded in a 2012 Tacoma 4wd for it. Loved the Tacoma, but the gas milage was pretty bad (17 average) and my wife and daughter hated driving it. Looked at and drove a Forester, Forester XT, Outback, Cherokee, Patriot, Escape and Tiguan. The CX-5 was something we drove on a lark, and found it to be the best handling of the bunch. I really didn't want a turbocharged car, especially for a newish driver, and CVT's are the Devil's Spawn, so the XT, VW and Ford were out. I really like the new Cherokee, but if you look at the transmission issues they are having with those, the one's reported in the CX5 are minimal by comparison. We still have a Liberty for dirty truck duties, and a Golf TDi 2 door, which to me is the gold-standard of fun, economy and build quality in a car that costs $25K. Only 200 miles so far, but the CX5 is a nice driving car- let's hope it stays that way.
 
deuxdiesel said:
Looked at and drove a Forester, Forester XT, Outback, Cherokee, Patriot, Escape and Tiguan. The CX-5 was something we drove on a lark, and found it to be the best handling of the bunch. I really didn't want a turbocharged car, especially for a newish driver, and CVT's are the Devil's Spawn, so the XT, VW and Ford were out. I really like the new Cherokee, but if you look at the transmission issues they are having with those, the one's reported in the CX5 are minimal by comparison.
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Congratulations on the new CX-5! Thanks for your impressions on the other vehicles as well. If the Cherokee were available in a manual, I might have to break my vow never to buy a Chrysler product again. It looks that nice, especially inside. The way it is, with the 9-speed issues, only solidifies my resolve not to. I may try to locate a Tiguan manual to drive. Being a VW owner, should I be concerned? I hear they drive wonderfully, but reliability is marginal.
 
volvovod said:
I guess it very much depends on the level of performance that you are used to. 2.5 (with CVT) works for me (my other car is Mazda 5 with a manual transmission, a car before it was a Volvo 850 - none of them are speed demons but I cannot call them unsafe either). Again, you would not win too many street races but calling the performance inadequate does not seem fair either. I suggest if you have not driven one yet go and give it a try and then decide whether you can live with it.
Click to expand...

I was wondering if you got your Outback at Planet Subaru? I see they give a free 10/150 mile warranty, tires, car washes and batteries for life a little far for me.
 
cjecpa said:
I was wondering if you got your Outback at Planet Subaru? I see they give a free 10/150 mile warranty, tires, car washes and batteries for life a little far for me.
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No, I did not - I needed a car quickly and they did not have the model I wanted in stock. I contacted a number of dealerships in the area and most of them (except for one or two) seemed to be easy to deal with. Eventually, I got the car at Ira.
 
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