So I was able to test drive new 17 and 16.5 CX-5 GT's today, and wanted to share my thoughts. Coming from someone with a 09 Mazda 3 GT.
Pros for 2017:
Cons for 2017:
Overall the 2017 definitely felt more premium, albeit less connected to the road. This is likely due a lot to the very noticeable sound reduction that was added on. If I were to buy a CX-5 today, I'd probably go for the 17 even if it were $2k-$3k more than a 16.5. The sound reduction was just that good. The car felt peaceful. Part of this though is that I think the 17 looks lot better than the 16.5, which is obviously subjective.
In the end I'm actually leaning towards the Rav4 though because neither of the CX-5's seats could get into the bucket position that I like and lacked thigh support, which sucks because I love my 3 and really, really want to like the CX-5. But it felt like I was sitting on a window sill, especially as you try to raise the seat. Whereas the Rav4 Limited/SE's seat tilts very nicely even as the height changes. However I'm still investigating whether I could add some height to the front bolts of the CX-5 seats to get them to be more tilted.
Pros for 2017:
- Quieter--very noticeably quieter. I really wasn't expecting much here before I test drove them, but wow. The 16.5 sounded like my 09 Mazda 3. In the 16.5, sitting at a stop light, you can hear the cross traffic cars go by, and you can definitely hear the tires when you go over rough roads. The engine is loud and drones. This was not the case with the 17. The road, engine, and wind noise was SIGNIFICANTLY less noticeable. They did a great job here, I was very impressed. It was almost a little eerie though, as I'm used to being able to hear around me in my 3, and with the 17 it sounds like you're in quiet bedroom. It sounded like the Rav4 Limited that I test drove a couple weeks ago (though that one had a little less engine noise).
- Better sound system--I think the replacement of the corner speakers with tweeters really helped here. And somehow the Bose Centerpoint made it sound awesome, like the sound was coming from all around, where in the 16.5 it felt like the sound was all coming from the front of the car.
- Center screen--I think I did like the center screen being on top of the dash instead of down lower. Not much else different about this though. I didn't pay much attention to the rest of the interior since it was kind of minor changes.
Cons for 2017:
- Steering--The steering felt kinda funky in the 17. When you're moving very slowly the steering wheel has almost no resistance, but then as things pick up, it gets dramatically tighter. The difference between slow and fast movement of the car in the form of the steering wheel resistance felt kind of strange. Whereas with the 16.5 it felt more natural and connected. It was still easier to turn at slow speeds but seemed to change linearly whereas the 17 was like step changes. At high speeds the 17 also seemed looser than the 16. Granted this may just be because I'm used to the 16's style steering in my 3.
- Steering wheel--both 17 and 16.5 steering wheels have these little things that jut in from the outer rim of the steering wheel to make it fatter, right where you usually hold the wheel. In the 17 though, these things were thinner and therefore sharper, while the 16.5 was more fuller and more round. The 16.5's steering wheel was more comfortable because of this.
- Small side windows--I'm pretty sure the 17's side windows are shorter and don't extend down the side as much as the 16. It felt kind of weird out of the corner of my eye, like I couldn't see as much as I'm used to. I kept trying to raise the seat to compensate, but then the seat started tilting forward and I felt like I was on a park bench instead of a bucket seat. This might be something you could get used to.
- Lack of shifts?--it might be because it was brand new with 2 miles, but with the 2017 I could slightly hear the revs change when it was shifting, but I couldn't feel it at all, which was kind of strange. Felt like a CVT haha. However this is probably something that would change as it got older, or you'd get more used to it.
- Less room?--for some reason in the 16 in the driver's seat, I felt like I had more room to the left of me than I did in the 17. Might have been an optical illusion, but it felt more spacious. May also be due to the possible change in windows like I mentioned above.
Overall the 2017 definitely felt more premium, albeit less connected to the road. This is likely due a lot to the very noticeable sound reduction that was added on. If I were to buy a CX-5 today, I'd probably go for the 17 even if it were $2k-$3k more than a 16.5. The sound reduction was just that good. The car felt peaceful. Part of this though is that I think the 17 looks lot better than the 16.5, which is obviously subjective.
In the end I'm actually leaning towards the Rav4 though because neither of the CX-5's seats could get into the bucket position that I like and lacked thigh support, which sucks because I love my 3 and really, really want to like the CX-5. But it felt like I was sitting on a window sill, especially as you try to raise the seat. Whereas the Rav4 Limited/SE's seat tilts very nicely even as the height changes. However I'm still investigating whether I could add some height to the front bolts of the CX-5 seats to get them to be more tilted.
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