Considering a CX-5, question about long trip comfort

[lmbebo]

Hi,

So my wife and I are moving to Texas. We currently gave a jetta GLI. Its a blast to drive, but gets tiring when doing long road trips.

We'll be doing frequent trips to Austin and SA which are 4-5 hour trips. Looking for our 2nd car to be a bit more comfortable for those trips.

I'm considering the mazda CX-5 and new mazda 6, although my preference is for the CX-5. Other possibility includes the nissan pathfinder or a hyundai sante fe.

Any particular thoughts on the cx-5? I won't be able to test drive that many cars, so wanna spend the time I do have appropriately.

 

[Okeano]

My parents have a 2005 Honda Civic. They used to live in Galveston and I went to UT Austin so I made that 4 hr trips quite often when they come pick me up for holidays and etc. The biggest discomfort I found with long drives is my lower back. I've always had to shift around in my seat or switch between sitting up higher and lower to rest my back.

My new CX-5 GT have power adjust lumbar support, which makes a huge difference. The seats are firm but comfort, so it won't feel like you're sitting on a sofa, but the lumbar support really takes care of the lower back stress for long driving trips. That's comfort from the driver point of view. CX-5 is sporty; the suspensions are tighter than your avg luxury cars, so don't expect limo like drive, but I like that as a driver, since it feels more engaging and more connected to the road, instead of floating.

One thing I really wish the CX-5 have is arm rest attached to the front seat. I looked at Honda CR-V too, and really liked the arm rest that folds down on the right side of the seat. I mostly drive with just my left hand and it would be nice to have a place to rest my right arm. The center arm rest of CX-5 is a bit low and pointless. But CX-5 was better in so many other aspects (I tested highest trim for both cars), with auto turning headlights, auto wipers, 8(?) way adjustable power seat, auto dim mirror, blind spot radar, adv keyless entry (don't ever have to take the key forb out of pocket), semi-manual shift option, not to mention the handling, that it was no contest.

 

[SilverCX5]

My fiance and I have a '14 CX-5 GT. We like to take road trips plus her parents live an hour away and my parents live two and a half hours away so we wanted something with ride comfort. I used to own a 04 Cadillac CTS and she still has the 07 Pontiac Vibe. We always took the Vibe for any trip because of better gas mileage, but the ride quality was not good, but we both loved the ride comfort of the Cadillac. We test drove the CX-5 and while it was not has soft as a ride as the Cadillac it was pretty close for us. So far we have driven over an hour one way and both of us enjoyed the ride. I would recommend the CX-5. We like the leather of the GT plus she had to have heated seats and we both wanted the dual zone climate control. I would like to think the leather adds comfort for the ride.

 

[Kelme]

Longest trip that I have done so far in the CX5 is Boston to Maryland. I have done the same trip in my old Mazda 3 and at the end I would be crawling out of the car because my back would be killing me. Doing the same trip in the CX-5 was the complete opposite, really comfortable (even with the Touring model and the cloth seats), great driving position and lots of interior space to move around.

 

[Dimcorner]

Good to hear.
CX 5 is one of the cars I'm considering and we do long trips as well.

We my 2000 S4 from Miami to Boston and back and it was nice. Was able to do a 12 hour leg with just stopping for gas and one food stop. My back was fine the next day to complete the other 12 hour leg.
We drove the Mazda3 the next year and it was tolerable. We had to stay at the rest stops a little longer than just splashing for gas to stretch out.

 

[rcs914]

I have a GT - the bolster on the seat tends to push on my left leg in a way that becomes very uncomfortable on long drives, but I am not a small guy. If my rear were narrower I don't think it would be an issue. We rented a Mazda3 for driving to LA - both of us were very uncomfortable in that. We just drove to Vegas and back last week and it was more comfortable than the 3, but that trip also convinced me that I don't want to do long car trips again any time soon. Let's just say that softer seats would be nice for long drives.

 

[CX-SV]

Max trips in my CX-5 GT so far have been only 3 hours long. Very good comfort, better than softer seats in the Lexus, very similar to supportive/firm seats in the Mercedes.

Not missing the CRV-style armrest (I had that in a Highlander).

 

[Kayger12]

Just back from a 700 mile round trip.

Zero complaints. Seats were comfortable, ride was comfortable, and she was a pleasure to drive.

The kids reported the back seats were very comfortable on the long drive.

 

[Okeano]

I have a GT - the bolster on the seat tends to push on my left leg in a way that becomes very uncomfortable on long drives, but I am not a small guy. If my rear were narrower I don't think it would be an issue. We rented a Mazda3 for driving to LA - both of us were very uncomfortable in that. We just drove to Vegas and back last week and it was more comfortable than the 3, but that trip also convinced me that I don't want to do long car trips again any time soon. Let's just say that softer seats would be nice for long drives.

Have you tried adjusting the seat? If the raised part of the seat on the sides were pushing up on your leg, maybe try lowering the front edge of your seat to shift more weight to the back? Your GT would have the power adjust seat and I'm not sure if you already played around with the seat yet or not to get to the best comfort.

 

[lmbebo]

Thanks for all the responses.

I'm eager to test drive the car once I get time! My friend it turns out had picked up a touring model last weekend. I'll see if I drive hers around as well. She hasn't driven the car much though.


Its good to hear that its generally a good car for the longer trips. My wife wants a passat (I'm ok without it). I'd like to get a CUV or SUV once our family starts growing (hopefully soon!).

 

[rcs914]

Just as a quick OT on the Passat - has anyone here ever heard of someone driving a VW for over 100,000 miles, and never having an issue with it? I have heard so many people complain of 5 year old cars basically crapping out at 60-80K. It was enough to turn me off from thinking about one.

 

[gverrault]

My parents just drove my car cross country over about 6 days over a total of 3800 miles and they liked the car. The only complaint they had was that fully loaded with some stuff they were moving for me and my dog it could use a little more power going through mountains. Otherwise the car got 28mpg over the total of the trip, which was from Durham, NC to Portland, OR. This included a two hour traffic jam along the way and my dad getting pulled doing 96 somewhere in Nevada. I thought the MPG figure was good considering they didn't reset it before the headed out. I have an early production model Touring that is all stock at the moment. The power problem would be resolved with the new 2.5 liter engine I would assume.

 

[lfkmazda]

CX-5 is a great vehicle in a great package. My wife has over 5000 miles in under 2 months.

It's much quieter than the Mazda 3 and gets the same MPG and has +30 horsepower at the same time and you can take it to IKEA, no problems = awesome

 

[Reggae]

4 hour run from NY to DC through snow felt good on the rain and seats were comfortable no problems.

 

[CCR76]

Just as a quick OT on the Passat - has anyone here ever heard of someone driving a VW for over 100,000 miles, and never having an issue with it? I have heard so many people complain of 5 year old cars basically crapping out at 60-80K. It was enough to turn me off from thinking about one.

I drove my 1998 Passat Wagon 175,000 miles before selling it to get my CX-5. Tallied up the receipts and it was costing about $1700/year average in maintenance and repairs, which interestingly did not seem to be on a particularly rising trend after about year 5. Cheapest year was maybe 1200, most expensive was less than 2500. I did my own oil changes, tire swaps, minor repairs and let professionals do the rest. But I was keeping up with the maintenance, including suspension. A lot of people will start to defer maintenance when they get that $1000 estimate for front end work, etc., and those are the cars that end up crapping out because the moderately expensive needs accumulate and eventually the car is a sloppy, hopeless mess because it just needs too much.

I drove it long distances including an annual trip from from Wisconsin to West Texas; even at 175,000 miles I would not have hesitated to drive it anywhere in the country. It did not use a drop of oil. It was a fantastic car for long-distance driving, long-legged and comfortable. The interior lights especially instrument lighting was the coolest ever at night. My CX5 in comparison is ok, but the ride is busier, more pitchy. Also I feel like the drivers footwell on the left side is not deep enough. The Sport interior is plain, the price of wanting a manual transmission. But it is still fine. I think the OP will find their Jetta a tough act to follow and they need to manage their expectations.

 

[TreyP]

We have had two VWs in my household, a Jetta and a Cabrio. Both have had numerous electrical issues including headlights flickering (which the dealer could never resolve), ignition coils prematurely crapping out, dome lights being flaky, random horn alarm that could only be turned off by sticking the key in the trunk lock, radio died, regular horn didn't work, etc, etc.

 

[JTNY]

Had a '01 VW Jetta 1.8T Wolfsburg - Fun car to drive, loved the performance but then thats where it ends. Car had 100k on the odo and I probably shoudnt have brought it. It leaked a quart of oil every 1k miles and i prob spent close to $4k in the 4 years I owned it. I had numerious problems with electrical and mechanical problems . I was scared to do long trips with it and also got stranded twice (luckily local). Will never ever ever ever buy a VW/Audi again.

 

[CX-SV]

A friend of mine has the previous gen A4 1.8T. She started having expensive mechanical and electrical problems a couple of years ago at 65K miles. It has never ended since, the car is frequently in the shop and frequently has subpar performance. She is not confident in using the car for long trips, preferring to use other car in household, a Toyota Tacoma, even if it's less comfy.

 

[pt00323i]

I did 4, Bay area to LA trips already, 350 each way, one rest stop, no gas refill.

no back or butt complaints, I do have katskin leather instead of base cloth.

 

[dad of jon]

Just driven from Paris, France to Swansea, Wales. set off 9am arrived home 8.30pm about 500 miles. was more comfortable than old car. Less tiring to drive than my old car. in fact it was quite enjoyable and more engaging. seats were firm but fair. My other half commented that the back seats were more comfortable than the old cars rear seats too.