New owner of a Soul Red 2015 CX-5 Touring...random questions/thoughts

F

freelyfallin

Member
Hey all,
I traded in my 2005 Mazda 3 Hatchback for a 2015 Touring CX-5 (w/ Bose/Moonroof) last Friday. We just had our first snowtorm in Northern Colorado today, and so far I'm happy with the CX-5 in snow even though I haven't yet picked up snow tires.

Some random thoughts:
1) Mileage: I commute everyday, about 66 miles. I'm curious to see how far a tank of gas gets me in the CX-5. I could drive about 330 miles on a tank with the Mazda 3. According to the EPA, the CX-5 is more fuel efficient, and has a bigger tank than the Mazda 3. So I'm hoping to get about 400 miles out of a tank, but time will tell...

2) The Mazda 3 would show on the dash the gear the car was in. It seems that the CX-5 will only do this when in manual mode. Anyone know if there's a way to get the CX-5 to display the gear while in "drive?"

3) This is a bit random, but I've noticed that along the side of my car there is a stripe of paint, very thin, stretching from the front door all the way to the rear, below the mirrors. It's on both sides of the car. Weird thing is, I don't see it on any pictures of CX-5's...so where did this come from? I'll have to take a photo if you're curious to see specifically what I'm talking about.

4) I'm planning on getting snow tires. Any recommendations? More specifically, I'm curious if it'd be ok to get the snow tires mounted on the original 17 inch rims? Tirerack recommends getting smaller rims for snow tires, but I'd like to avoid the added expense of a second pair of rims if I can! Anyone forsee any problems with mounting snow tires on the original rims?

Thanks!
 
freelyfallin said:
Hey all,
I traded in my 2005 Mazda 3 Hatchback for a 2015 Touring CX-5 (w/ Bose/Moonroof) last Friday. We just had our first snowtorm in Northern Colorado today, and so far I'm happy with the CX-5 in snow even though I haven't yet picked up snow tires.

Some random thoughts:
1) Mileage: I commute everyday, about 66 miles. I'm curious to see how far a tank of gas gets me in the CX-5. I could drive about 330 miles on a tank with the Mazda 3. According to the EPA, the CX-5 is more fuel efficient, and has a bigger tank than the Mazda 3. So I'm hoping to get about 400 miles out of a tank, but time will tell...
You should have no trouble getting 400 miles/tank. Just about everyone here does.
2) The Mazda 3 would show on the dash the gear the car was in. It seems that the CX-5 will only do this when in manual mode. Anyone know if there's a way to get the CX-5 to display the gear while in "drive?"
Can't be done.
3) This is a bit random, but I've noticed that along the side of my car there is a stripe of paint, very thin, stretching from the front door all the way to the rear, below the mirrors. It's on both sides of the car. Weird thing is, I don't see it on any pictures of CX-5's...so where did this come from? I'll have to take a photo if you're curious to see specifically what I'm talking about. No idea what you're talking about.
4) I'm planning on getting snow tires. Any recommendations? More specifically, I'm curious if it'd be ok to get the snow tires mounted on the original 17 inch rims? Tirerack recommends getting smaller rims for snow tires, but I'd like to avoid the added expense of a second pair of rims if I can! Anyone forsee any problems with mounting snow tires on the original rims? No recommendation on snow tires, but of course you can use the OE 17' rims!
Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
1) I had a 2013 Mazda3 rental with the old non-SkyActiv 2.0. More efficient than the 2.5 you had in your MZ3 5 door. I can definitely get better range per tank in the CX-5, but the Mazda3 would get 1-2 more MPG. Expect better range AND gas mileage with your CX-5 compared to your 2.5 MZ3.

2) Gear number only shows in manual. Though it is very easy to tell which gear you are in with this responsive transmission.

3) Sounds like a dealer installed pin-stripe. Ugh, this isn't the 1980's any more. Hopefully it's just a vinyl stripe that can be removed.

4) Haven't had the need for snow tire yet, but will look into it for next season. Sorry, no help here.
 
The problem with using the same rims for both summer and winter tires is it involves multiple tire mounts/dismounts. This can make the tires less reliable over time (not to mention the extra labor of doing seasonal mounts/unmounts).

I like my Goodyear Ice grip WRP for winter driving around here. They are not as capable on snow and ice as a more narrowly focused winter tire but they perform superbly on bare pavement, you won't know you have winter tires on until you drive on snow or ice. And with a car like the CX-5 that is naturally good in the snow, you will likely not miss the extra snow/ice performance of winter tires that are narrowly focused but you will enjoy the better driving experience on bare pavement..
 
3) This is a bit random, but I've noticed that along the side of my car there is a stripe of paint, very thin, stretching from the front door all the way to the rear, below the mirrors. It's on both sides of the car. Weird thing is, I don't see it on any pictures of CX-5's...so where did this come from? I'll have to take a photo if you're curious to see specifically what I'm talking about.

I think I know what you are talking about. I had a thin white stripe going down the side of the car & on the hood. My first thought was I got keyed by someone but it was perfectly straight.
What I guessed it was where they removed the protective shipping plastic wrap. Some dirt or some adhesive sometimes builds up along the outer edge and when they pulled off the wrap, the thin line remained.
It disappeared after my first good wash
 
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Obviously something the dealer installed, most likely a vinyl sticker?? Not sure why they would install? I guess some people think it looks good. It was there when you bought it, so it can't be that bad. Personally not for me, but hey, everyone has different tastes. If for some reason you decide you don't like it, vinyl is easy to remove when it's new.

As for snow tires, there's all kinds of opinions and options on what to buy. But definitely get another set of rims. There is the upfront charge but you'll get your money back after one season change over. After that no more waiting in line at shops, you can change them at home when ever you want. Right now it's quite comical up here, everyones on this winter tire band wagon, and the tire shops have 2-3 week waiting list to get in. For me, I installed my winter rubber on the OEM rim and purchased aftermarket rims for the summer.
 
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freelyfallin said:
Maybe. Here it is. Anyone have any idea what this is, or if it's removable?
Click to expand...
Yes, it can be easily removed. Take it back to the dealer and have them do it. Can't believe someone would do this in this century. This may have been all the rage in the 80s, but not 30 years later!!! Just curious freelyfallin, in what area of the country was this thing purchased in?
 
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Holy crap, thats not I was imagining. Hello 1985. I remember dealers bragging back then they would have the local pinstrip kid do a car in about 10 minutes, pay him $35 and charge $200 to the customer. Did they charge you for it? It can removed, most likely with a hair dryer.
 
SayNoToPistons said:
1) I had a 2013 Mazda3 rental with the old non-SkyActiv 2.0. More efficient than the 2.5 you had in your MZ3 5 door. I can definitely get better range per tank in the CX-5, but the Mazda3 would get 1-2 more MPG. Expect better range AND gas mileage with your CX-5 compared to your 2.5 MZ3.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the replies, all. First of all, my old Mazda 3 was 2.3 L, not 2.5.

I am on track to get about 330 miles from my first gas tank on the 2.5 CX-5, which seems awfully low to me. The trip computer says I'm getting a bit less than 25 MPG. I'm commuting across Northern Colorado from Fort Collins to Greeley (33 miles one way), so back country roads(for maybe 27 of those miles) where the speed limit is 55, but in good weather conditions I typically go 60 MPH+. Four miles of the commute may be stop and go traffic, but stopping every mile or so, and going about 40 MPH in between stops. Isn't 330 miles on a tank extremely low?

A couple things could be influencing this low mileage--I'd appreciate any feedback/experiences with how these variables impact MPG:

1) Super cold temperatures: It's been below zero, as low as -9F.
2) Snow: It's snowed the last couple of days, which added about a half hour on to my commute at least two times.
3) AWD: Given the snow, I think the CX-5 has been kicking into AWD.
4) High winds: During at least one leg of the commute, the winds may have been gusting across the highway at over 50 MPH.

5) Finally, a question for you all. The CX-5 has a fuel tank of 15.3 gallons. If the fuel gauge goes all the way to empty, would the CX-5 be out of gas, or is there an additional gallon or two of gas in there? I ask because it seems like typically cars can be on empty for 20+ miles and still have gas. Is the "range" calculation until fuel tank empty accurate?

Thanks!
 
freelyfallin said:
Thanks for the replies, all. First of all, my old Mazda 3 was 2.3 L, not 2.5.

I am on track to get about 330 miles from my first gas tank on the 2.5 CX-5, which seems awfully low to me. The trip computer says I'm getting a bit less than 25 MPG. I'm commuting across Northern Colorado from Fort Collins to Greeley (33 miles one way), so back country roads(for maybe 27 of those miles) where the speed limit is 55, but in good weather conditions I typically go 60 MPH+. Four miles of the commute may be stop and go traffic, but stopping every mile or so, and going about 40 MPH in between stops. Isn't 330 miles on a tank extremely low?

A couple things could be influencing this low mileage--I'd appreciate any feedback/experiences with how these variables impact MPG:

1) Super cold temperatures: It's been below zero, as low as -9F.
2) Snow: It's snowed the last couple of days, which added about a half hour on to my commute at least two times.
3) AWD: Given the snow, I think the CX-5 has been kicking into AWD.
4) High winds: During at least one leg of the commute, the winds may have been gusting across the highway at over 50 MPH.

5) Finally, a question for you all. The CX-5 has a fuel tank of 15.3 gallons. If the fuel gauge goes all the way to empty, would the CX-5 be out of gas, or is there an additional gallon or two of gas in there? I ask because it seems like typically cars can be on empty for 20+ miles and still have gas. Is the "range" calculation until fuel tank empty accurate?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

New car will get less mileage than a broken in one. I started seeing better numbers after first oil change. Cold weather is going to lower mileage a lot. 330's not bad. It has ~1.5-2 gal in reserve.

I had a 2006 2.3L mazda3...usually ran about 28mpg on highways going 75mph. CX-5 gets 32 on same trip.
 
Mileage will be lower because your car is new and the cold weather. I usually get 27 to 28 mpg in summer but winter is 24 to 26. that is even with a warm engine and a 50 mile commute. Wind is another factor here in Iowa a strong wind which is a lot of the time will also lower your mileage
 
craigo said:
New car will get less mileage than a broken in one. I started seeing better numbers after first oil change. Cold weather is going to lower mileage a lot. 330's not bad. It has ~1.5-2 gal in reserve.

I had a 2006 2.3L mazda3...usually ran about 28mpg on highways going 75mph. CX-5 gets 32 on same trip.
Click to expand...

Interesting--I didn't know new cars get less mileage. I am hopeful to get numbers like you're seeing. My 2005 2.3L mazda 3 could get about 330 miles on my current commute before getting to empty, so I would expect the CX-5 to do significantly better, more like 400 or so. It's cool that the CX-5 (in theory) can get better gas mileage than the 2005 Mazda 3 even though the CX-5 is substantially larger and has AWD.

So given the 1.5 to 2 gal reserve, I should be thinking that from a full tank to empty on the CX-5 is maybe around 13 gallons, not the full 15 or so that's listed in the specs...
 
To me the only way to see how far you can on a tank is to fill up and drive until you run out of gas, then check miles driven. Your method just seems inaccurate to me.
 
Martyd said:
To me the only way to see how far you can on a tank is to fill up and drive until you run out of gas, then check miles driven. Your method just seems inaccurate to me.
Click to expand...

Clearly, you don't literally mean driving until you run out of gas, yeah? You mean driving until the low gas light comes on? That makes sense, as right now I'm going off of how far I've driven on this tank plus the estimate of how much gas I have left. My 2005 Mazda 3 had a 14.5 gallon tank, but I hardly ever put in more than 12 gallons of gas. I drove until the low gas light came on, perhaps more than I should have. I'm just trying to get a sense of how far I can get on a tank...
 
You should have 450 miles in the tank, including the 2 gals left after the range to empty figure is at zero. Pretty much the same situation as your 3.
 
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