Good luck to Mazda, the current CX5 is light years away from being a premium car in its current state.
I agree! Even our 16-year-old BMW 528i is having some features Mazda doesn't offer on its current lines! It's not easy to upgrade itself into a luxury brand, not to mention making the people think the "Mazda" name representing luxury!Good luck to Mazda, the current CX5 is light years away from being a premium car in its current state.
I've had mine for about 2,500 miles.
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2) The padding on the driver's side door (elbow rest) is meh... there's already a spot where the padding is gone and my elbow fits there nicely. It's not uncomfortable, but it just feels cheaply made, like you couldn't add a few more mms of padding?
I agree! Even our 16-year-old BMW 528i is having some features Mazda doesn't offer on its current lines! It's not easy to upgrade itself into a luxury brand, not to mention making the people think the "Mazda" name representing luxury!
"The upmarket move started with the 2016 Mazda CX-9 and it has moved to the Mazda MX-5 RF."
Now who is considering the 2nd-gen CX-9 a luxury mid-sized CUV? Featuring Nappa leather seating and genuine Rosewood interior trim on the top of line doesn't make the CX-9 suddenly becomes a luxury CUV!
You're outlining those technologies didn't even exist in the year 2000 for any kind of vehicles - simply an unfair comparison! Just drove my old BMW 528i for 100 miles this afternoon to North Richland Hills near your area checking out the PDR repair on our CX-5 which got heavily beaten up by hail, including a broken windshield, earlier this year. The BMW didn't suffer any damages during the same hail storm even though it was parked near by! Driving it reminds me what the "luxury" is supposed to be! I hit my key fob to unlock the door, 12-way power adjustable driver's seat、headrest height、seatbelt height、steering wheel height and angle、left and right outside rearview mirrors、ALL are automatically adjusted to "my" preferred positions! The leather feels soft and real, the 4-way power lumbar support which uses an inflatable air bag feels so soft yet supportive and can be adjusted to a right position and height for my itching low back! This makes me feel the 2-way lumbar support on our CX-5 is non-existent and useless! The headrest on the BMW also reminds me how hard and forward the headrest is on the CX-5 which made my wife and me feel uncomfortable until we finally get used to it.The current Mazda3 has features far beyond those of your BMW: LED headlights, smart braking and lane management systems, traffic sign recognition, Bluetooth phone & audio - I could go on but I won't. Heck, even today, BMW makes a rear view camera an option! Like I said, BMW is a Mazda for the foolish.
The current Mazda3 has features far beyond those of your BMW: LED headlights, smart braking and lane management systems, traffic sign recognition, Bluetooth phone & audio - I could go on but I won't. Heck, even today, BMW makes a rear view camera an option! Like I said, BMW is a Mazda for the foolish.
Sorry Doc, but not even close to being true. My 5 year old BMW 328 has twice the features than anything offered by Mazda 5 years ago and many they don't even offer today. Heck even my key fobs are individually programed to remember my seat, mirror, individual phones by driver, and driver and radio presets. Today's BMW has every feature you mentioned plus car play, auto park, wireless hot spot, internet service, I can go on an on as well, In fact my 5 year old infotainment system eats any new Mazda's for lunch. Not to mention better build quality. Case and point with 126,000 miles on my 328 I have had zero issues. It still is as tight as a drum, quiet, has body panels that don't flex, mirrors, and hood that doesnt shake, I can go on and on! I still have the original back brakes, and my fronts were changed at 95,000 miles. The cheap rotars warped on the CX5 at 24,000 miles and again at 40,000. The brakes didn't make it past 30,000. I have spent more money in maintenance on my CX5 than on my BMW. The Bluetooth is horrible in the CX5, I can't conference call on it because it's too noisy inside the car. You can't shuffle Bluetooth iPod music without doing it on the phone, and the USB connectivity is hit or miss. My 5 year old 328 never misses a beat with its Bluetooth or USB connections. My brothers 2015 CX5 had his driver side seat cover actually fall off, you can lift the bottom cushion right off the clips that don't hold!
I bought the top of the line grand touring and for 30+ grand I expected better build quality from Mazda and sadly I was foolish to believe it as I was spoiled my BMW. True my back up camera was an option, but at least it works at night and in the rain lol. Mazda has a long why to go and it needs to catch Toyota first before it can compete with, Lexus, Acura, Mercedes Audi and BMW in the luxury department. No ones going to buy a 45+ luxury CX5.
Things my 2016 CX-5 has that my 2014 228 BMW didn't:
Leather seats
Heated seats
Heated mirrors
Electric drivers seat
Smart city braking
Rear camera
Cross traffic warning
Moonroof
My Mazda is quite the luxuary car compared to at least that BMW. (But that bummer sure was fun to drive)
Things my 2016 CX-5 has that my 2014 228 BMW didn't:
Leather seats
Heated seats
Heated mirrors
Electric drivers seat
Smart city braking
Rear camera
Cross traffic warning
Moonroof
My Mazda is quite the luxuary car compared to at least that BMW. (But that bummer sure was fun to drive)
Mazda's already the smart person's BMW; BMW is already the foolish person's Mazda.
Do "features" really make a car "luxury" or not? My 2010 Ford Focus SES has: heated leather seating, moonroof, Bluetooth/USB/voice activated SYNC system, SiriusXM, 9-speaker sound with sub, automatic start, heated mirrors, interior foot lighting system. No way would I consider it a luxury car. The CX-5 GT I test drove was leaps and bounds more "luxury", and I'm sure a $40 or $50K BMW would be even more so
No, wasn't really a stripped down 228. Was special ordered from the factory with sunroof delete, 6speed manual, adaptive headlights HK sound ($875 and not nearly as nice as what's in my Mazda) and MSport package. Over $38,000 over two years ago and nowhere near the features of my Mazda.
+1
BMW first and foremost is more expensive. Of course, everyone is entitled to spend their money any way they see fit, though I see many people around here making bad financial decisions on cars they should not drive and instead, should have used the money for college savings, better food for their kids, retirement savings etc. It does not end at the time of purchase. You still need to pay for insurance and to maintain it.
Despite what any one person writes here, BMWs can be hit or miss in terms of reliability and it is well known that $1000 is the standard bill for every little thing.
There is an older model Honda Civic in our household, completely devoid of any luxury amenities. However, it is extremely reliable, cheap to maintain, drives very well and the seat with manual 2-way adjustment is pretty comfortable. With my phone mounted on the dash and Google Maps on it, it is a very decent ride. There is no need for memory seats, because moving the seat takes exactly 1 second.
It was bought used for less than what people pay in optional packages for their BMW.
Then again, if you really want to get a BMW, the one to have is the new 2 series and X3. Before the 3 was increased in size, the 3 was the best in the bunch. Their 5s, 7s don't compete very well in terms of driving enjoyment (except for some pretty old 5s) for the price you pay for them.
Didn't complain about it at all. I loved that car. Hate that my needs changed and had to trade. Just pointing out that BMW does not necessarily equate to luxuary.So...you opted NOT to have the Premium package...
Like I said. How can you talk about a car that you chose to opt not to put the premium package on, and then complain about it not feeling premium? Of course it didn't. You chose for it not to. You lopped off $4K worth of amenities by not selecting that package.