Finally test drove a new CX-5, and was disappointed...

BOSE doesn't suck. MAZDA is the one who picked out the bottom of the BOSE line for their vehicle. Ed

Can't speak for the car radios, but BOSE is immensely overrated when it comes to sound quality on headphones. Suppose they work ok if your main concern is noise cancellation.
 
I changed out the Bose speakers with Polks and the Bose amp with an Alpine on my last Mazda. I kept the original head unit and the system sounded incredible. I left the original Bose grills in the doors and people always could not believe the stock system sounded so good.��
I*m not ready to do that yet on my 2019.
 
Can't speak for the car radios, but BOSE is immensely overrated when it comes to sound quality on headphones. Suppose they work ok if your main concern is noise cancellation.

I like my Bose QC35 for the noise cancellation and comfortable fit. But if I want better sound quality, I use my B&W C5 earbuds. Given the choice, I would not choose Bose for car audio or home audio. There are just better options out there. IMO if Mazda wants to continue with their push to a premium/luxury brand, they need to upgrade their sound systems. Maybe offer a tech package that includes a bigger screen and an upgraded sound system like Lexus' Mark Levinson, Audi's B&O or Lincoln's Revel.
 
Guess that goes to show that stereo opinions are all subjective!

Exactly. Everyone's hearing and preferences are different. I own several BOSE products that sound great to me. I had an Acura TL years ago with a better sounding BOSE system - they're not all the same. The BOSE with Centerpoint 2 in the 2019 CX-5 sounds better than my 2018.

The CX-5 is a finely tuned vehicle with Mazda's selective cost-cutting measures yielding a car that's affordable and a blast to drive. Could the CX-5's BOSE sound better? Yes but at increased cost.

Another thought: What media are you bringing to test the sound systems? You should be using the same recordings and media to compare vehicles. For example, USB stick. Anyone else miss CD's for this purpose?!
 
For my taste, the Bose system is perfectly adequate. After all, in a moving vehicle there's so much background and road noise that ultimate sound quality is somewhat irrelevant.
 
For my taste, the Bose system is perfectly adequate. After all, in a moving vehicle there's so much background and road noise that ultimate sound quality is somewhat irrelevant.

I strongly disagree based on experience, even though I'm not an audiophile, nor is my hearing awesome, I can still tell my CX5 is not up the the standard my Jeep was, regarding sound quality.
 
The Bose system in the 2019 Mazda 3 is simply outstanding and when this carries over to the rest of the line up it should be night and day. My wife's 2018 touring CX5 is fairly decent with the factory setup and sounded better than my previous 2016 touring 6 . The new 3 can even playback high resolution 96/24 files I have on usb.
 
If I want to hear astounding sound, you know with separated speakers etc. I'll sit in my living room.
 
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I strongly disagree based on experience, even though I'm not an audiophile, nor is my hearing awesome, I can still tell my CX5 is not up the the standard my Jeep was, regarding sound quality.

How long ago did you own the Jeep? Have you considered that your hearing may be that much worse now?
 
For my taste, the Bose system is perfectly adequate. After all, in a moving vehicle there's so much background and road noise that ultimate sound quality is somewhat irrelevant.

That is the key point for me.
 
MAZDA could have chosen to put a higher level BOSE system in the CX5. I know BOSE has them because I had one in my CX7. Ed
 
If I want to hear astounding sound, you know with separated speakers etc. I'll sit in my living room.

Sadly, my livingroom cannot do 85 on the interstate, but yeah, I understand. I think our point is, other brands have been doing far better for a decade or more, at this same price point, and Mazda alleges luxury aspirations. I think they have done remarkable, but I'm all about PiP.
 
Sadly, my livingroom cannot do 85 on the interstate, but yeah, I understand. I think our point is, other brands have been doing far better for a decade or more, at this same price point, and Mazda alleges luxury aspirations. I think they have done remarkable, but I'm all about PiP.

It is interesting that the most often cited Mazda shortcomings relative to the competition are with the electronics: flaky infotainment system, unreliable XM interface, NAV system that does not always load properly, sub-premium stereo.

Maybe they're still chewing through all that surplus AKAI equipment they got such a good deal on.
 
It is interesting that the most often cited Mazda shortcomings relative to the competition are with the electronics: flaky infotainment system, unreliable XM interface, NAV system that does not always load properly, sub-premium stereo.

Maybe they're still chewing through all that surplus AKAI equipment they got such a good deal on.


They have a new system in 2019 Mazda3, which I think even has integrated traffic. Hopefully that rolls out to the cx-5 soon!
 
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