GT vs Touring - firm ride?

S

skinto

Member
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CX5
Hi all - been browsing the forum for weeks, and hoping for some advice on a CX5 that I'm planning to buy.

I first test-drove the 2016.5 Touring which I found enjoyable, but wanting lane assist/SCBS led me to the 2016.5 GT. While the GT amenities were nice, I found the GTs ride to be too firm - likely due to the 19 wheels (bumps) but also possibly the leather seats (firm). I test-drove the 2017 GT with the same impression.

I was going to buy the 2017 Touring with I-Activ, but a recent shoulder injury now makes me consider the power liftgate. I wouldnt mind buying the GT with its additional features (who doesnt want a moonroof?), but I often drive 3+ hours and ride comfort trumps all.

Do you think swapping out for 17s on the GT would soften the ride to the level of the Touring (vs how much is attributable to the leather seat)? AFAIK they have the same suspension and I enjoyed the Touring, so not looking for another make. If I go with the Touring, how feasible is an aftermarket PLG and would this affect the warranty?

Thanks for suggestions.
 
If you want i-ActivSense Package AND power liftgate on 2017 Touring since you prefer the ride than GT, I guess you have to make a decision which feature is more import than others. Among all features from Touring i-ActivSense Package, I believe you can easily to get by without High Beam Control、Lane Departure Warning with Lane-keep Assist、Mazda Radar Cruise Control with Stop and Go、Smart Brake Support、Auto-dimming Rearview Mirror with HomeLink、Automatic On/off Headlights、and Rain-sensing Variable-intermittent Windshield Wipers. You can easily to install Auto-dimming Rearview Mirror with HomeLink as dealer-installed accessary. So I suggest go get Touring Preferred Equipment Package for Power Rear Liftgate as aftermarket power liftgate is hard to find and may not have control buttons on front dash、liftgate、and/or remote key fob.

The other alternative is to get 2017 GT but negotiate a deal swapping a set of factory 17" wheels from another Touring. The even cheaper way if I were you, I'd get a set of new softer 19" tires such as General AltiMAX RT43 or Continental TrueContact 225/55R19 99H tires to make the ride a little softer.

Of course you can always find other compact CUVs having softer ride and all the features you want if you're willing to consider⋯ ;)
 
Model year 2014: I found the 19" tires on the GT made for a firmer ride than the 17" on the T. Tires firmness get harder as the tires wear down so I would expect that the GT will be very firm, at the half life. I chose the T for that reason and glad I did after riding in my friends GT with ~ 15,000 miles on it. ed
 
Get the 2016 GT with the sexy 19s. Trade tires with a Touring owner. 😉

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 
Coming from a Mazda3 and Mazdaspeed3, I think the ride in a CX-5 GT with the 19 inch wheels is not firm at all. That said this is subjective for everyone. If you're dead set on 17 inch wheels, I like yrwei52's idea of negotiating with the dealer for a swap to 17 inch wheels on the GT.
 
Thanks for all the info... Do you think the firmness of the GT is all due to the wheels, or is there some component from the seats? I've heard people saying the leather in the GT is pretty firm, and since I've never owned leather before I'm wondering how much it's likely to break in? The seats themselves definitely didn't feel as comfortable as the cloth or leatherette, but if the majority of stiffness is due to the wheels (which I can swap), then I can always get a seat cover...
(For reference, I'm coming from an old Toyota - and I looked at other CUVs with more features, but fell in love with the ride of the CX5 Touring!)
 
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I would imagine the leather does contribute to that a bit. I sat in a GT (I didn't test drive it) and immediately didn't like the feel. I'm not a leather seat guy. I imagine the seats being firmer and the 19 inch wheels make for it feeling firmer than the Touring. I don't think there would really be any other differences in how the two trims feel if they had the same wheels and seats. I imagine if the GT had cloth seats and 17 inch wheels, it would feel exactly like the Touring.

Don't know that for sure, so just speculating. Take with a grain of salt. :)
 
skinto said:
Thanks for all the info... Do you think the firmness of the GT is all due to the wheels, or is there some component from the seats? I've heard people saying the leather in the GT is pretty firm, and since I've never owned leather before I'm wondering how much it's likely to break in? The seats themselves definitely didn't feel as comfortable as the cloth or leatherette, but if the majority of stiffness is due to the wheels (which I can swap), then I can always get a seat cover...
(For reference, I'm coming from an old Toyota - and I looked at other CUVs with more features, but fell in love with the ride of the CX5 Touring!)
Click to expand...
You know I never really thought about the GT leather seats being firm, but now that I think about it, I guess they are a little firm, but not enough to cause any discomfort. I haven't sat in any Touring CX-5 models, because whenever I'm in the dealership for maintenance, all they have are GT models on display, so I can't compare the seats between the two. I think the firmness is a combination of both (wheel size and seats) and I can't guarantee that swapping tires will make it more comfortable for you. I do think that the type of tires and the size of the wheels will have more effect on the ride comfort than just the seats. Swapping to a 17 inch wheel with a soft tire (check Tirerack reviews for this) should go a long way towards making it more comfy.
 
finch204 said:
You know I never really thought about the GT leather seats being firm, but now that I think about it, I guess they are a little firm, but not enough to cause any discomfort. I haven't sat in any Touring CX-5 models, because whenever I'm in the dealership for maintenance, all they have are GT models on display, so I can't compare the seats between the two. I think the firmness is a combination of both (wheel size and seats) and I can't guarantee that swapping tires will make it more comfortable for you. I do think that the type of tires and the size of the wheels will have more effect on the ride comfort than just the seats. Swapping to a 17 inch wheel with a soft tire (check Tirerack reviews for this) should go a long way towards making it more comfy.
Click to expand...
Leather seat is firmer is not because it made of leather, but the seat itself is different than Touring's seat. Mazda calls GT seat as Leather "Sport" Seat as it has a little firmer cushion and a little higher bolsters. People are different and some may fit better on Touring seat but some like GT seat.
 
So there's an actual difference in the seat itself? That's interesting to know... too bad they split the packages on the '17 Tourings, if there's such fundamental difference between the trims.
 
skinto said:
So there's an actual difference in the seat itself? That's interesting to know... too bad they split the packages on the '17 Tourings, if there's such fundamental difference between the trims.
Click to expand...
But you can't get i-ActivSense Package in 2016.5 Touring anyway. Now at least you can get it but without other nice features from Preferred Equipment Package. ;)
 
shaendra said:
So how does one go about swapping out wheels? I mean... Dealers do that for a sale??
Click to expand...
This really depends on sales manager. I personally saw several occasions at my VW dealer they swapped factory wheels between trims. Since 19" wheels are more expensive, some sales manager may be willing to do even trade with 17" factory wheels so that they can sell a CX-5 GT you want and hoping they can sell a little higher price on the other CX-5 Touring with factory 19" wheels.
 
I was ready to buy a 16GT but wanted the 17" inch wheels for a different reason than your reason. the dealer would not swap wheels and just let me walk out. said they would just not do it. i did not want the price reduced just the swap. i thought it would benefit the dealer but no way.
 
I too think this kind of vehicle is better with 17", mostly for use in light off-road duty and a little bit for more ride comfort.
Since I bought the Touring, it was already so, though I wanted different tires. There was no way the dealer would have agreed to any type of swap on tires. I believe it may be as difficult with whole wheel swap, though it does not hurt to try.
2017s should be a bit better in ride comfort department. I am surprised you think it is too harsh as well.

Lastly, I did not want a moon-roof, I see it as totally unnecessary option I am happy to not pay for (less money, more headroom, a tad lower center of gravity).
 
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