I liked it. So did my wife. Now if the dealer was just willing to do less than sticker, But that's another story.
Everything about it was smooth. Throttle response was excellent - no turbo lag whatsoever. Reminds me of a reasonably powered naturally aspirated V6. Great torque but does fall a little flat when you wring it out a little. The turbo motor does not make this vehicle a fast car at all. In my opinion, it makes it a nice driving car that is reasonably quick. The turbo motor makes it about as fast it should be but doesn't make it fast whatsoever. I've also driven the NA four cylinder and found it pretty lacking. However, both the turbo and NA motors are connected to excellent shifting 6 speed automatics.
Interior is nicer than average for this segment but not as nice as most luxury branded compact SUVs. Overall, "good enough" for sure and certainly a pleasant space to spend time in on long trips. Seats were comfortable for my wife and would likely be for most people, but people over 6' like me will probably find it slightly difficult to find a perfect seating position for absolute comfort. Like many cars now, the seats bottom length is short and you will not have full thigh support if you are taller. Not a deal killer but worth noting.
The Lane Departure Steering Assist system didn't quite work as advertised. In several areas with clearly marked middle lanes and curb lane markers, it failed to recognize the lanes and therefore the system didn't operate. I don't have a ton of experience with these systems but our Jeep Grand Cherokee's system works much better and would not have not recognized these new, clearly marked lanes.
The stereo was highly disappointing. For Mazda trying to move up into the luxury segment, this stero comes up very short. I'm comparing it to two excellent stock Harmon Kardon systems in my other vehicles. No comparison. Mazda certainly saved money here.
I felt the stereo/GPS/settings interface was fairly intuitive. Not as good as some but better than many systems. The Kia Sportage SX Turbo we recently test drove had a system that was crazy confusing to operate. Tons of buttons all over the dash and the interface was not intuitive. Hated that part about the Sportage big time.
Back seat comfort was perfectly fine and will fit adults comfortably.
Handling and steering feel was very good. Definitely above average for the segment and on par with many sporty cars. Note, I did not say "sports" cars but sporty cars. It's great though for being an SUV.
Cabin was fairly quiet as far as I could tell. Definitely didn't notice anything odd sound or noise wise.
We will likely continue searching around until we find a dealer willing to provide us with a reasonable discount, which in my mind is 5% (about $1600) given the low supply at the moment. No hard feelings though on my part towards this dealer, but I can't imagine 99% of the people walking in to a Mazda dealer and expecting to pay sticker or even close to it. I'm sure the "sticker" pricing will disappear quick quickly once some inventory is built up. Honestly, no brand can really get away with sticker, lol! I mean, it's not some exotic one-off vehicle! Oh well. It is what it is for now. They only have one in stock and one on the way, and supply is limited across the area. Hopefully the supply of Signatures goes up quickly over the next 30 days, which will help pricing. For a reference point, my "sticker" quote contemplated getting Kelly Blue Book "good" trade in value for my current car, which I considered fair. I think the risk these dealers are taking is if it goes too long is that the new RAV4 is coming out soon. If that happens, we will be test driving a 2019 Toyota RAV4 as well. And I predict that vehicle will suffice as well for what we are intending to use it for. Slower, yes but likely an excellent vehicle.
Hope this is helpful and entertaining for other folks interested in the new Signature.
Everything about it was smooth. Throttle response was excellent - no turbo lag whatsoever. Reminds me of a reasonably powered naturally aspirated V6. Great torque but does fall a little flat when you wring it out a little. The turbo motor does not make this vehicle a fast car at all. In my opinion, it makes it a nice driving car that is reasonably quick. The turbo motor makes it about as fast it should be but doesn't make it fast whatsoever. I've also driven the NA four cylinder and found it pretty lacking. However, both the turbo and NA motors are connected to excellent shifting 6 speed automatics.
Interior is nicer than average for this segment but not as nice as most luxury branded compact SUVs. Overall, "good enough" for sure and certainly a pleasant space to spend time in on long trips. Seats were comfortable for my wife and would likely be for most people, but people over 6' like me will probably find it slightly difficult to find a perfect seating position for absolute comfort. Like many cars now, the seats bottom length is short and you will not have full thigh support if you are taller. Not a deal killer but worth noting.
The Lane Departure Steering Assist system didn't quite work as advertised. In several areas with clearly marked middle lanes and curb lane markers, it failed to recognize the lanes and therefore the system didn't operate. I don't have a ton of experience with these systems but our Jeep Grand Cherokee's system works much better and would not have not recognized these new, clearly marked lanes.
The stereo was highly disappointing. For Mazda trying to move up into the luxury segment, this stero comes up very short. I'm comparing it to two excellent stock Harmon Kardon systems in my other vehicles. No comparison. Mazda certainly saved money here.
I felt the stereo/GPS/settings interface was fairly intuitive. Not as good as some but better than many systems. The Kia Sportage SX Turbo we recently test drove had a system that was crazy confusing to operate. Tons of buttons all over the dash and the interface was not intuitive. Hated that part about the Sportage big time.
Back seat comfort was perfectly fine and will fit adults comfortably.
Handling and steering feel was very good. Definitely above average for the segment and on par with many sporty cars. Note, I did not say "sports" cars but sporty cars. It's great though for being an SUV.
Cabin was fairly quiet as far as I could tell. Definitely didn't notice anything odd sound or noise wise.
We will likely continue searching around until we find a dealer willing to provide us with a reasonable discount, which in my mind is 5% (about $1600) given the low supply at the moment. No hard feelings though on my part towards this dealer, but I can't imagine 99% of the people walking in to a Mazda dealer and expecting to pay sticker or even close to it. I'm sure the "sticker" pricing will disappear quick quickly once some inventory is built up. Honestly, no brand can really get away with sticker, lol! I mean, it's not some exotic one-off vehicle! Oh well. It is what it is for now. They only have one in stock and one on the way, and supply is limited across the area. Hopefully the supply of Signatures goes up quickly over the next 30 days, which will help pricing. For a reference point, my "sticker" quote contemplated getting Kelly Blue Book "good" trade in value for my current car, which I considered fair. I think the risk these dealers are taking is if it goes too long is that the new RAV4 is coming out soon. If that happens, we will be test driving a 2019 Toyota RAV4 as well. And I predict that vehicle will suffice as well for what we are intending to use it for. Slower, yes but likely an excellent vehicle.
Hope this is helpful and entertaining for other folks interested in the new Signature.