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- 2019 CX-5 Touring FWD
Hi everyone - new Mazda owner here. Great information on this site, btw - thank you for all the useful info so far....
This is my first Mazda vehicle (my wife had two Miatas, which she loved), and I love just about everything with my CX-5. The exterior styling is gorgeous with a real luxury vibe to it. I really appreciate the interior styling as well (my wife, who prefers luxury vehicles, is even impressed with how stylish the CX-5 interior is). I'm enjoying the engine and how smooth it drives. The infotainment system has been straightforward and easy to use, and I really like the controller knob on the console - makes changing apps/settings a breeze. Coming from a 2004 Corolla (and my wife's 2015 Volvo S60), I like being higher up on the road with the CX-5, too. And while a loaner Audi Q3 prompted me to look for a compact SUV, I didn't like the poor gas mileage, the cheap-looking interior, and the price tag of the Q3 - and needed to stick in the sub-$33K range for an SUV. We looked at the Volvo XC40, but that proved too steep for our budget...and there seem to be a few recalls already on that vehicle.
All that said, as much as I love just about everything with my CX-5, the seats continue to be an issue...and really the only issue...with this vehicle. But it's a significant issue. I just hit the 1K-mile mark, and I'm constantly fiddling with the driver seat (I have the Touring with the Preferred Equipment Package - thankfully with power-seating options). My daily commute is an uncomfortable grind with these seats, and I'd love simply to get to tolerable at this point. Unfortunately, I'm locked in lease (didn't want to purchase this vehicle, as we are relocating in 2-3 years, and may need a more fuel-efficient vehicle by that point); otherwise, I would get the seats redone.
I've scoured this forum and know that a number of folks have had seating issues with the CX-5 (though, a good number of people like the seats). I'm 5'10" and on the lean side, so it's not a weight/height issue. And I've driven a number of vehicles over the years, and never encountered a problem with seats. I did test-drive the 2019 CX-5 Touring w/the Preferred Equipment Package, and didn't notice anything on the test drive. And since I've never had an issue with seats, I didn't think to focus on that more. Shortly after getting the vehicle, I began noticing discomfort in my neck with the headrest (lack of support - first time this has happened in a vehicle for me). Fortunately, I was able to get a decent neck pillow which addressed the issue.
But I haven't been able to comfortable with the seat itself. I did go back to the dealer to see if perhaps the GT would be a better fit with the leather seating (and additional seating adjustments), but that set-up felt even worse. It felt like my butt was sitting on a board. Plus, I prefer the color scheme of the Touring (went with the Jet Mica Black exterior and Black interior, which looks great), as well as the better-cushioning tire set-up. I would have upgraded if the GT had more comfortable seats; alas, for me, it did not. The Touring proved to have at least a little more cushioning for me.
The main issue is that my butt area (left side) gets sore rather quickly in the seat, no matter how much I shift around. Additionally, the suede inserts are constantly over-gripping my clothing (pants and shirts), which makes adjusting even worse. I've tried about 8 different seat cushions off of Amazon, but nothing worked there. Even if the seating area became a little more comfortable, and less grippy, then the back of the seat felt weird. It's almost like these seats need a perfect hand-in-glove kinda fit. I even purchased Mazda's OEM leatherette seat covers, but those were even more uncomfortable (more pressure on thigh areas, despite numerous adjustments) - and not breathable. They didn't really fit all that well, either (especially the headrest cover and seat-back cover). I thought maybe it was merely the suede material that was causing the discomfort issue, so I put a number of covers over the suede to alleviate the gripping issue, but seats are still hard/uncomfortable to sit on - primarily in the left butt area. I've also tried shifting around, putting more weight on my right side, sitting more in the center of the seat, etc. I've adjusted the seat up/down/forward/back/tilted/etc., and nothing has worked there, either.
I then thought that perhaps it was heating elements that were causing the issue, since it feels like I'm sitting on a stone when I sit in various positions on the seat (perhaps the heating wires?). However, when I went back to the rear seats and tried them, it's the same issue. It's like the foam material is cheap, or get somehow gets bunched, or something. Whatever it is, it's a hard, kinda "chunky" seating surface to sit on.
My last resort is going with custom-fit seat covers from Coverking (via Costco). I'm hoping that they will take care of the suede-gripping issue (which it should), while also providing just enough added cushioning without making the seat too warped to sit on (the big question mark, since nothing else seems to have worked so far). I've found the seat to be a little small as it is (and I'm not a big guy) - and adding any sort of cushion to it has made the seat almost too small then.
I wanted to check with the forum simply to see if there is anything else I can possibly try. Since I'm in a lease, I can't modify the seats (otherwise, I'd get them re-upholstered/re-covered). The discomfort is bad enough that I even looked into a lease swap, but the lender doesn't allow it. I could see about swapping out the vehicle with the dealer, but there's not really another Mazda model that I want - plus, there would still be likely costs associated with that, and I don't want to sink any more significant money into this endeavor. And I really like the CX-5, so hopefully either the Coverking covers do the trick enough, or maybe there's another option I'm not considering. Truth be told, even if Mazda were to take this vehicle off of me, there's nothing else really out there that I want in our price range. I looked at the RAV4, CRV, Tucson, etc. - and those vehicles have too many deal-breakers with them. The BMWs, Volvos, Audis, etc. are out of our budget range.
Again, if the seats were even marginally better, I'd be pleased with the CX-5. I can't believe how bad the seats are, though, especially since I've not had an issue with any other vehicle (and this vehicle seems so well designed in every other way). I'm guessing I'll have to ride out my lease (34 more months to go), but I'm hoping there's a decent solution out there. Any thoughts/suggestions are much appreciated, as I'd like to stick with this vehicle - and stay in the Mazda family going forward.
Thank you....
This is my first Mazda vehicle (my wife had two Miatas, which she loved), and I love just about everything with my CX-5. The exterior styling is gorgeous with a real luxury vibe to it. I really appreciate the interior styling as well (my wife, who prefers luxury vehicles, is even impressed with how stylish the CX-5 interior is). I'm enjoying the engine and how smooth it drives. The infotainment system has been straightforward and easy to use, and I really like the controller knob on the console - makes changing apps/settings a breeze. Coming from a 2004 Corolla (and my wife's 2015 Volvo S60), I like being higher up on the road with the CX-5, too. And while a loaner Audi Q3 prompted me to look for a compact SUV, I didn't like the poor gas mileage, the cheap-looking interior, and the price tag of the Q3 - and needed to stick in the sub-$33K range for an SUV. We looked at the Volvo XC40, but that proved too steep for our budget...and there seem to be a few recalls already on that vehicle.
All that said, as much as I love just about everything with my CX-5, the seats continue to be an issue...and really the only issue...with this vehicle. But it's a significant issue. I just hit the 1K-mile mark, and I'm constantly fiddling with the driver seat (I have the Touring with the Preferred Equipment Package - thankfully with power-seating options). My daily commute is an uncomfortable grind with these seats, and I'd love simply to get to tolerable at this point. Unfortunately, I'm locked in lease (didn't want to purchase this vehicle, as we are relocating in 2-3 years, and may need a more fuel-efficient vehicle by that point); otherwise, I would get the seats redone.
I've scoured this forum and know that a number of folks have had seating issues with the CX-5 (though, a good number of people like the seats). I'm 5'10" and on the lean side, so it's not a weight/height issue. And I've driven a number of vehicles over the years, and never encountered a problem with seats. I did test-drive the 2019 CX-5 Touring w/the Preferred Equipment Package, and didn't notice anything on the test drive. And since I've never had an issue with seats, I didn't think to focus on that more. Shortly after getting the vehicle, I began noticing discomfort in my neck with the headrest (lack of support - first time this has happened in a vehicle for me). Fortunately, I was able to get a decent neck pillow which addressed the issue.
But I haven't been able to comfortable with the seat itself. I did go back to the dealer to see if perhaps the GT would be a better fit with the leather seating (and additional seating adjustments), but that set-up felt even worse. It felt like my butt was sitting on a board. Plus, I prefer the color scheme of the Touring (went with the Jet Mica Black exterior and Black interior, which looks great), as well as the better-cushioning tire set-up. I would have upgraded if the GT had more comfortable seats; alas, for me, it did not. The Touring proved to have at least a little more cushioning for me.
The main issue is that my butt area (left side) gets sore rather quickly in the seat, no matter how much I shift around. Additionally, the suede inserts are constantly over-gripping my clothing (pants and shirts), which makes adjusting even worse. I've tried about 8 different seat cushions off of Amazon, but nothing worked there. Even if the seating area became a little more comfortable, and less grippy, then the back of the seat felt weird. It's almost like these seats need a perfect hand-in-glove kinda fit. I even purchased Mazda's OEM leatherette seat covers, but those were even more uncomfortable (more pressure on thigh areas, despite numerous adjustments) - and not breathable. They didn't really fit all that well, either (especially the headrest cover and seat-back cover). I thought maybe it was merely the suede material that was causing the discomfort issue, so I put a number of covers over the suede to alleviate the gripping issue, but seats are still hard/uncomfortable to sit on - primarily in the left butt area. I've also tried shifting around, putting more weight on my right side, sitting more in the center of the seat, etc. I've adjusted the seat up/down/forward/back/tilted/etc., and nothing has worked there, either.
I then thought that perhaps it was heating elements that were causing the issue, since it feels like I'm sitting on a stone when I sit in various positions on the seat (perhaps the heating wires?). However, when I went back to the rear seats and tried them, it's the same issue. It's like the foam material is cheap, or get somehow gets bunched, or something. Whatever it is, it's a hard, kinda "chunky" seating surface to sit on.
My last resort is going with custom-fit seat covers from Coverking (via Costco). I'm hoping that they will take care of the suede-gripping issue (which it should), while also providing just enough added cushioning without making the seat too warped to sit on (the big question mark, since nothing else seems to have worked so far). I've found the seat to be a little small as it is (and I'm not a big guy) - and adding any sort of cushion to it has made the seat almost too small then.
I wanted to check with the forum simply to see if there is anything else I can possibly try. Since I'm in a lease, I can't modify the seats (otherwise, I'd get them re-upholstered/re-covered). The discomfort is bad enough that I even looked into a lease swap, but the lender doesn't allow it. I could see about swapping out the vehicle with the dealer, but there's not really another Mazda model that I want - plus, there would still be likely costs associated with that, and I don't want to sink any more significant money into this endeavor. And I really like the CX-5, so hopefully either the Coverking covers do the trick enough, or maybe there's another option I'm not considering. Truth be told, even if Mazda were to take this vehicle off of me, there's nothing else really out there that I want in our price range. I looked at the RAV4, CRV, Tucson, etc. - and those vehicles have too many deal-breakers with them. The BMWs, Volvos, Audis, etc. are out of our budget range.
Again, if the seats were even marginally better, I'd be pleased with the CX-5. I can't believe how bad the seats are, though, especially since I've not had an issue with any other vehicle (and this vehicle seems so well designed in every other way). I'm guessing I'll have to ride out my lease (34 more months to go), but I'm hoping there's a decent solution out there. Any thoughts/suggestions are much appreciated, as I'd like to stick with this vehicle - and stay in the Mazda family going forward.
Thank you....