My take on the CX-5 after 20,000 miles

StealthWyvern said:
No i didnt. I take it you missed the part where no longer have the car. This is the only car out of about 35 cars that I've had to have this issue. It's not user error but poor adaptive programming if you have to make it shift not to bog down.
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I much prefer the CX-5's transmission shift logic above any other auto I've ever driven (and I've driven a lot).

The "issue" you complain about actually solves a problem most automatics have. Specifically, their tendency to downshift unexpectedly when it's not called for or desired. The CX-5 puts the control in the driver's hands (but obviously you have to know how to let it know what you want). Unexpected and unwanted downshifts are a thing of the past and yet I can still downshift on command.

It's really smart programming.
 
StealthWyvern said:
Nothing wrong with my ankles bud. I'm not entirely sure how you got that. Lmao I'm not the only one that has experienced that issue in my 2015 2.5l fwd cx5. I'm just used to driving something with a lot more power and not used to almost having to floor it to get the Trans to shift to accelerate. The Trans programming is setup to hold the higher gear for way to long and causes the car to bog down at times.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
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It only bogs down if you have ankle mobility problems. Yes, I'm used to much faster vehicles, as well, but I've not had any untoward opinion of throttle input. In fact, I love it. It's very NOT shift-happy, which is my main complaint about underpowered vehicles like the CX-5.
 
MikeM. said:
I much prefer the CX-5's transmission shift logic above any other auto I've ever driven (and I've driven a lot).

The "issue" you complain about actually solves a problem most automatics have. Specifically, their tendency to downshift unexpectedly when it's not called for or desired. The CX-5 puts the control in the driver's hands (but obviously you have to know how to let it know what you want). Unexpected and unwanted downshifts are a thing of the past and yet I can still downshift on command.

It's really smart programming.
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Well, at least one thing we agree on.
 
make certain that you know that 2015 and up there is a KICKDOWN SWITCH at the MAX end of throttle pedal travel that will immediately kick down the trans.
 
mazdadude said:
make certain that you know that 2015 and up there is a KICKDOWN SWITCH at the MAX end of throttle pedal travel that will immediately kick down the trans.
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All CX-5's will kickdown (maximum downshifts) when the pedal is floored. THE "switch" is not really a switch, it just provides tactile feedback so the driver can floor it most of the way and not cause the transmission to do maximum downshifts when that's not desired.

However, using the technique I've previously described, a downshift can be achieved with a much shorter (but quicker) stoke of the accelerator pedal. Since this is a feature not available on most (any?) other cars, it gives the driver more shifting control but this feature largely goes to waste if driven in the same manner as cars without this feature.

So, yes, there is no free lunch, you have to be able to learn new things or you will be a bumbling idiot who blames their own obliviousness on the manufacturer who decided the driver deserves more control of the auto shift points. It never ceases to amaze me that some people believe anything that doesn't work as expected is faulty. Never once do they consider they just don't understand it.
 
MikeM. said:
All CX-5's will kickdown (maximum downshifts) when the pedal is floored. THE "switch" is not really a switch, it just provides tactile feedback so the driver can floor it most of the way and not cause the transmission to do maximum downshifts when that's not desired.

However, using the technique I've previously described, a downshift can be achieved with a much shorter (but quicker) stoke of the accelerator pedal. Since this is a feature not available on most (any?) other cars, it gives the driver more shifting control but this feature largely goes to waste if driven in the same manner as cars without this feature.

So, yes, there is no free lunch, you have to be able to learn new things or you will be a bumbling idiot who blames their own obliviousness on the manufacturer who decided the driver deserves more control of the auto shift points. It never ceases to amaze me that some people believe anything that doesn't work as expected is faulty. Never once do they consider they just don't understand it.
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Looks like you are correct Mike, the switch is just tactile feedback for the driver and no connection to the ECU or Trans. Below is an excerpt from the Mazda Special service regarding the ACCEL kickdown switch..

A kickdown switch (A) has been adopted to determine that the customer has fully depressed the throttle pedal for maximum acceleration. A load can be felt while the accelerator pedal is being depressed and when it is further depressed the kickdown switch is activated. A click is felt when the kickdown switch is activated.



The driver can control the kickdown by knowing the amount of accelerator depression. The kickdown switch is only a measure of the kickdown. An electrical signal is not transmitted by the kickdown switch turning on/off, and vehicle control is not affected.
 
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All of the above explanations about the controlling the trans behaviors with the gas pedal should be in the "Easter egg" thread :) It's funny how the car is programmed to work well for a "common/normal" driver as it tries to understand the driver intention (e.g. thrust on the pedal to make it accelerate hard), but an advanced user from other brands might fail because s/he tries to overthink and applies (wrongly) what s/he learned from other cars. But then again, this kind of incorrect assumption/close-minded happens all the time.
 
sillyxone said:
All of the above explanations about the controlling the trans behaviors with the gas pedal should be in the "Easter egg" thread :) It's funny how the car is programmed to work well for a "common/normal" driver as it tries to understand the driver intention (e.g. thrust on the pedal to make it accelerate hard), but an advanced user from other brands might fail because s/he tries to overthink and applies (wrongly) what s/he learned from other cars. But then again, this kind of incorrect assumption/close-minded happens all the time.
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The CX5 works like any other automatic car I've driven. What vehicle are people coming from that sucks so much donkey that accelerator force/speed does NOT influence shifts proportionately!?
 
Unobtanium said:
The CX5 works like any other automatic car I've driven. What vehicle are people coming from that sucks so much donkey that accelerator force/speed does NOT influence shifts proportionately!?
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To name a few F250, genesis, focus, ranger, durango, tempo, mustang,silverando, ram 1500, protege5, cavalier, ats, sedan deville, grand am, Mazda 6, sonta, civic, and the list goes on... non of which bogged down under normal driving in traffic like my old 2015 cx5.

Don't get me wrong the cx5 is a great car but I highly recommend a 2016 with sport mode if you want to have some fun

The cx5 works like every other car except when your under light throttle conditions were the car bogs down. Then you almost have to floor it to get it to downshift. Go test drive one and see for yourself. It's a completely different animal and really wakes the car up.

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StealthWyvern said:
The cx5 works like every other car except when your under light throttle conditions were the car bogs down. Then you almost have to floor it to get it to downshift. Go test drive one and see for yourself. It's a completely different animal and really wakes the car up.
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When you test drove the 2016, did you find the normal mode different from the 2015's normal mode?

To me, it's not really bogging down, just a weak spot around 35-40mph, where I think the trans shifts a little bit early into 4th (or 5th?). The car can enter an uphill ramp smoothly and quickly from stop, but getting into around 40mph where it slows down a bit comparing to other cars in line, and that's where I have to step on the pedal just a tiny bit more, slowly. I've also tried shifting down myself with manual mode, but in the end found stepping in a little is easier.

And I have to agree that Sport mode (of 2016?) is a beast, making me look like I'm taunting someone to race. I've only floored it completely once to test the behavior, or than that, haven't in a situation where I need it. I guess I can anticipate the situations early enough to flip it into Sport mode when needed.
 
StealthWyvern said:
Don't get me wrong the cx5 is a great car but I highly recommend a 2016 with sport mode if you want to have some fun
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Or just learn to drive the one you already have. Then sport mode is not needed to have some fun.

The cx5 works like every other car except when your under light throttle conditions were the car bogs down. Then you almost have to floor it to get it to downshift.
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Absolutely not. My CX-5 will downshift on command from low rpm's with a short but sharp movement of the accelerator. All it takes is an inch or two. If you slowly ease your foot into the accelerator it thinks you want to hold the same gear. You must not even have a CX-5 to try this on or you would know it's true and you wouldn't be spreading the misinformation quoted above.
 
MikeM. said:
Or just learn to drive the one you already have. Then sport mode is not needed to have some fun.



Absolutely not. My CX-5 will downshift on command from low rpm's with a short but sharp movement of the accelerator. All it takes is an inch or two. If you slowly ease your foot into the accelerator it thinks you want to hold the same gear. You must not even have a CX-5 to try this on or you would know it's true and you wouldn't be spreading the misinformation quoted above.
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That's like saying learn to drive a stick shift car where the gears are too short. Every other Mazda I've driven didn't have the shifting issue the cx5 does. Maybe I just expect more out of a drivers orinited car than you do.

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StealthWyvern said:
Maybe I just expect more out of a drivers orinited car than you do.
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I don't think you expect more from the car than I do - I expect it to downshift when I tell it to - and it does. Your claim that it doesn't tells me you haven't learned how to tell it to downshift.

Do you even have a CX-5?

edit: Re-reading your previous posts, I see my intuition was correct - You don't even own a CX-5. I'm sorry you sold it before you learned to get the most out of it.
 
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StealthWyvern said:
That's like saying learn to drive a stick shift car where the gears are too short. Every other Mazda I've driven didn't have the shifting issue the cx5 does. Maybe I just expect more out of a drivers orinited car than you do.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
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Amazingly this is your 10,000th post on this forum, Congratulations! :)
 
MikeM. said:
I don't think you expect more from the car than I do - I expect it to downshift when I tell it to - and it does. Your claim that it doesn't tells me you haven't learned how to tell it to downshift.

Do you even have a CX-5?

edit: Re-reading your previous posts, I see my intuition was correct - You don't even own a CX-5. I'm sorry you sold it before you learned to get the most out of it.
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I expect it to drop 1 gear when I give it gas without having to give it a significant amount of additional throttle and the cx5 does or at least mine didnt. You can read online that other people state you have to learn to drive with a heavier foot than normal to get it to down shift.

I didn't trade in the cx5 due to this small issue but due to the fact it just didn't fit my needs to haul a infant around in. It's such a tight fit in the cx5 for two tall adults and a properly fitting infant carrier. We felt if we were to wreck it both people in the front would have serious knee injuries and that wasn't worth the risk.

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Gotta agree with MikeM. A slight reprieve of the gas pedal followed by a quick jab is sufficient to get the CX5 to drop down a gear. Once you figure it out it becomes second nature.

My 2014 3 behaved in the same manner.

They probably need to program the tranny for early shifts to hit govt regs for MPG figures among others things. But the fact it's so easily overridden without simply mashing the pedal to the floor is pretty slick.
 
banjos-n-beer said:
Gotta agree with MikeM. A slight reprieve of the gas pedal followed by a quick jab is sufficient to get the CX5 to drop down a gear. Once you figure it out it becomes second nature.

My 2014 3 behaved in the same manner.

They probably need to program the tranny for early shifts to hit govt regs for MPG figures among others things. But the fact it's so easily overridden without simply mashing the pedal to the floor is pretty slick.
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That's like saying the Mazdaspeed protg engine tuning is great if you know how to drive around it. The stock tune is widely known as garbage. People blow motors up on it at stock boost(6.5lbs) if they don't know how to drive it and I've personally ran 18lbs of boost in mine without blowing mine for years because I know how to drive around the stock tune. All your doing that is driving around the transmission tuning... Lifting of the gas ever so slightly and a quick jab is fooling the trans logic to down shift and do what you want.
 
Sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about regarding the Protege. Aside from a 2001 4Runner, this is my only other automatic tranny since high school (20+ yrs). And that was an '84 Chevy celebrity wagon. I didn't find it hard to adapt to.

Having said that, I also had a 3000 GT VR4 for about six years. So I've been down the sports car road before, and have experienced idiots along the way.
 
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