Has anyone here bought the diesel CX-5 yet?

I look forward to hearing more about it as you get used to it. I really wanted the diesel when they were announced. All else being equal, I think I'd still prefer it. But I can't see paying more than $35K

Around here, diesel is about the same price as regular, but Costco doesn't sell diesel :( I get about 24 MPG on my 18 2.5NA on my regular communte. 30-32 on all highway trips in the 60-80mph speed range.

If I could average 30 MPG instead of 24, that meets my minimum expectation for the diesel, and if it does 35 on the freeway, that would be fine too. I expect it to feel much nicer getting up to speed from a stop, and not worrying about the gear, that's about my only complaint on the 2.5NA. I'd also like the improved towing capacity. And maybe the engine does feel more refined than the 2.5T. I wasn't blown away by that.

I'm surprised you didn't try the 2.5T. How did you know its the diesel you wanted at that premium?

I came from an Audi Q5 tdi so i was already a fan of diesel; probably one of the people Mazda was targeting. I have an mx-5 and wanted another Mazda, as well as lower long-term maintenance costs compared to Audi. I personally like the diesel characteristics (real-world mpg, torque, range) and I plan on keeping the vehicle for a while. My wife and I also do a fair bit of highway driving. Given our driving habits the diesel made sense vs the 2.5T. On our recent road drip from Phoenix to Flagstaff we averaged around 33 mpg on leg north (up 6000 ft elevation) then around 43 mpg on return leg all at 65-75mph. As far as engine behavior you can definitely hear diesel nature inside the cabin when rolling on the throttle and when cruising on highway. But its very pleasant, it actually sounds soothing and also subtle at the same time. Theres no vibration at all at idle, sometimes I cant tell if the motor is actually running. Theres no gear hunting and it is pretty responsive at any speed when you get going. It does have a second or so of turbo lag from a stop but my Audi had that as well (although it had 428 lb-ft waiting at 2000 rpm...) Overall the diesel driving experience feels very smooth and refined, significantly more than the 2.5 NA. There is a price premium but for certain people it can be a good fit.
 
Last edited:
I came from an Audi Q5 tdi so i was already a fan of diesel; probably one of the people Mazda was targeting. I have an mx-5 and wanted another Mazda, as well as lower long-term maintenance costs compared to Audi. I personally like the diesel characteristics (real-world mpg, torque, range) and I plan on keeping the vehicle for a while. My wife and I also do a fair bit of highway driving. Given our driving habits the diesel made sense vs the 2.5T. On our recent road drip from Phoenix to Flagstaff we averaged around 33 mpg on leg north (up 6000 ft elevation) then around 43 mpg on return leg all at 65-75mph. As far as engine behavior you can definitely hear diesel nature inside the cabin when rolling on the throttle and when cruising on highway. But it*s very pleasant, it actually sounds soothing and also subtle at the same time. There*s no vibration at all at idle, sometimes I can*t tell if the motor is actually running. There*s no gear hunting and it is pretty responsive at any speed when you get going. It does have a second or so of turbo lag from a stop but my Audi had that as well (although it had 428 lb-ft waiting at 2000 rpm...) Overall the diesel driving experience feels very smooth and refined, significantly more than the 2.5 NA. There is a price premium but for certain people it can be a good fit.

Thank you for the response. That give me more to go on. It does sound like a fine car.

I get the impression that the target buyer is one for whom the decision is simply which car do you like best. Which do you want, the actual price being a distant consideration. In that context it makes sense.

I recently spent about $20 per fruit to have some pawpaws shipped to my home to try. They were a selection that aren't available in markets and I really wanted to try them. If such fruit were sold at a local farmer's market they would probably be $2 or $3 apiece. I wouldn't try to convince anybody that they are worth $20 each, but they were to me, at the time, for the opportunity to try them that I wouldn't have otherwise had. But I did hesitate, and reflect, before I ordered them.

When it comes to a few pieces of fruit, the price isn't going to affect my lifestyle - or values. I'm not where I can say that about a $30-$50K car, but I can understand that there are plenty of people who are.
 
On our recent road drip from Phoenix to Flagstaff we averaged around 33 mpg on leg north (up 6000 ft elevation) then around 43 mpg on return leg all at 65-75mph.

Impressive!
 
I came from an Audi Q5 tdi so i was already a fan of diesel; probably one of the people Mazda was targeting. I have an mx-5 and wanted another Mazda, as well as lower long-term maintenance costs compared to Audi. I personally like the diesel characteristics (real-world mpg, torque, range) and I plan on keeping the vehicle for a while. My wife and I also do a fair bit of highway driving. Given our driving habits the diesel made sense vs the 2.5T. On our recent road drip from Phoenix to Flagstaff we averaged around 33 mpg on leg north (up 6000 ft elevation) then around 43 mpg on return leg all at 65-75mph. As far as engine behavior you can definitely hear diesel nature inside the cabin when rolling on the throttle and when cruising on highway. But it*s very pleasant, it actually sounds soothing and also subtle at the same time. There*s no vibration at all at idle, sometimes I can*t tell if the motor is actually running. There*s no gear hunting and it is pretty responsive at any speed when you get going. It does have a second or so of turbo lag from a stop but my Audi had that as well (although it had 428 lb-ft waiting at 2000 rpm...) Overall the diesel driving experience feels very smooth and refined, significantly more than the 2.5 NA. There is a price premium but for certain people it can be a good fit.

Excellent review from a VW/Audi TDI owner perspective.
 
Heavily considering the RAV4 Hybrid, perhaps the newly announced PHEV version. Keeping my 2013 CX-5 Sport and considering the RAV4 over our Odyssey lease. Kids are getting old enough to open and shut doors on their own so wife and I arent sure if power sliding doors are as much of a luxury as they were over the last three years.

Hard to consider the Cx-5 diesel when you can get a top spec Toyota for less, coupled with 40 MPG, as well as 200+ HP.
 
Heavily considering the RAV4 Hybrid, perhaps the newly announced PHEV version. Keeping my 2013 CX-5 Sport and considering the RAV4 over our Odyssey lease. Kids are getting old enough to open and shut doors on their own so wife and I aren*t sure if power sliding doors are as much of a luxury as they were over the last three years.

Hard to consider the Cx-5 diesel when you can get a top spec Toyota for less, coupled with 40 MPG, as well as 200+ HP.

I would love to see a CX-5 hybrid
 
Globe and Mail / Motor Trend Report 9.0 seconds for the North American diesel to reach 60. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/dri...diesel-lovers-at-the-expense-of-fuel-economy/
Consumer Reports clocked the base gasoline motor on regular octane at 8.6.

From your link:

Motor Trend track-tested the CX5-D and measured 0-60-mph (0-97 km/h) in 9.0 seconds, which is respectable for a CUV and not far behind the non-turbo gas CX-5. Like most diesels, the rich supply of torque (290 lb.-ft.) makes it feel quicker in real-world driving than the track number suggests, accompanied by engine acoustics that are recognizably diesel in quality but inoffensive in volume. The six-speed automatic is slick, though its ratio count is low by today*s standards; almost 2,500 rpm at 120 km/h in top seems rather busy for a diesel.

This is not worth $5K extra.
 
I would love to see a CX-5 hybrid

Here's one clip from Mazda's 2019 financial statements (as of March 30, 2019):

Mazda%202019%20Financials%20EV%20blurb.png


No mention that I saw of which markets will see this first.

This technology is being developed in partnership with Toyota, who I understand has an existing reliable platform.
 
Yeah. Nice gesture, though.

Diesel engines really are more expensive to produce. There's no way around it. However, that's as compared to naturally aspirated engines. The 4,000 dollar premium over the turbocharged (Signature) model is... questionable. The Reserve sure seems like a much better value for the $$$.
 
Here's one clip from Mazda's 2019 financial statements (as of March 30, 2019):

Mazda%202019%20Financials%20EV%20blurb.png


No mention that I saw of which markets will see this first.

This technology is being developed in partnership with Toyota, who I understand has an existing reliable platform.

Apparently Mazda is announcing an EV at the Japan Auto Show next week. I don't think it will make it to NA though.
 
Apparently Mazda is announcing an EV at the Japan Auto Show next week. I don't think it will make it to NA though.

Looks CX-30 based so it'll probably be similarly cramped with a torsion beam and rougher ride. So, not interested.

If they made a CX-5 with 50-100 miles EV range, I'd be more interested. But that would probably mean a CVT for the blended power source and that's a no.
Pure EV AWD CX with 300-400 miles range in 2022? Now we're talking.
 
Last edited:
Yeah. Nice gesture, though.

Diesel engines really are more expensive to produce. There's no way around it. However, that's as compared to naturally aspirated engines. The 4,000 dollar premium over the turbocharged (Signature) model is... questionable. The Reserve sure seems like a much better value for the $$$.

Yes, that's on the high end of the premium I thought the diesel would have over the NA. Just about everything came out on the worse end of expectations based on what could be gleaned from Mazda's statements and the diesel versions in other countries.
 
Thank you for the response. That give me more to go on. It does sound like a fine car.

I get the impression that the target buyer is one for whom the decision is simply which car do you like best. Which do you want, the actual price being a distant consideration. In that context it makes sense.

I recently spent about $20 per fruit to have some pawpaws shipped to my home to try. They were a selection that aren't available in markets and I really wanted to try them. If such fruit were sold at a local farmer's market they would probably be $2 or $3 apiece. I wouldn't try to convince anybody that they are worth $20 each, but they were to me, at the time, for the opportunity to try them that I wouldn't have otherwise had. But I did hesitate, and reflect, before I ordered them.

When it comes to a few pieces of fruit, the price isn't going to affect my lifestyle - or values. I'm not where I can say that about a $30-$50K car, but I can understand that there are plenty of people who are.

Yes I think a large part of what would bring someone to buy this model is *which experience they like best*. Given one can afford to choose between the options, the characteristics of this engine create a different experience that some people will prefer, including myself. It is not about horsepower or 0-60 times and you can tell by how the engine naturally avoids hitting high revs. Most of time it doesn*t need to but you can control this manually with the transmission. Acceleration in most situations is buttery smooth and quiet with a hefty lift of torque which makes it nice in and around town. The theme with this engine is definitely relaxed, if that*s your thing. It can also tow more which can come in handy. And, as I*m finding with more miles being put on this car, the fuel economy and range capability are impressive. I*ll post a picture but on regular highway stretches at 65mph our cx-5 is easily getting 39-40mpg. The actual real-world mileage, especially on the highway, is definitely higher than what is being reported.
E32B214D-1222-4CDF-9883-827B4E4C00D6.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Yes I think a large part of what would bring someone to buy this model is *which experience they like best*. Given one can afford to choose between the options, the characteristics of this engine create a different experience that some people will prefer, including myself. It is not about horsepower or 0-60 times and you can tell by how the engine naturally avoids hitting high revs. Most of time it doesn*t need to but you can control this manually with the transmission. Acceleration in most situations is buttery smooth and quiet with a hefty lift of torque which makes it nice in and around town. The theme with this engine is definitely relaxed, if that*s your thing. It can also tow more which can come in handy. And, as I*m finding with more miles being put on this car, the fuel economy and range capability are impressive. I*ll post a picture but on regular highway stretches at 65mph our cx-5 is easily getting 39-40mpg. The actual real-world mileage, especially on the highway, is definitely higher than what is being reported.
View attachment 221678

Average MPG is 40.3. Damn that's pretty good!
 
Back