cx-5 great handling and ride vs. mazda6

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CX5BC

:
CX-5, fwd auto
Hi,
I just want to share my personal thoughts on handling and ride on cx-5 compared to Mazda 6. I had rented Mazda 6 for a week recently and felt that cx-5 had more firm (but comfortable) ride, quieter tires and handling overall was better with less sway.

The Mazda 6 on smooth road felt about the same, little more pronounced noise and vibration over rougher roads and on highway sometimes I felt little floaty suspension. I felt more sway than my cx-5, so I liked cx-5 ride and handling. Perhaps this was due to 55 aspect ratio tires?

Anyhow I believe cx-5 offers best ride comfort and ride with excellent handling.

Thank you
 
I thought sedan should have more comfort and quieter. My 2012 Mazda 6 has less wind noise than CX5, but it is understandable due to their size. The 6 are little faster from 0-60 or on highway.
 
I agree with you. I had a 6 for a few days while my CX5 was getting it's trans replaced. CX5 seemed a lot better driving than the 6, also seemed to have better pickup. The 6 was sharp looking but I came away from it not too impressed. I was glad to be back in the CX5. Just my personal impression.
 
Yea for a CUV, the CX-5 is pretty stiff. I went to a remote jobsite today via a dirt/gravel road, and man the ride was stiff, but controlled.
 
CX5_Pete said:
Yea for a CUV, the CX-5 is pretty stiff. I went to a remote jobsite today via a dirt/gravel road, and man the ride was stiff, but controlled.
Click to expand...
???Crossovers always are more stiffly sprung than sedans (particularly Mazda CUVs) because when you raise the suspension several inches that's one of the ways you control what would otherwise be horrible body roll.
 
I am sure the 6 has better handling than the CX-5 because it has lower weight and lower center of gravity. The 6 is also quicker to 60 and gets better fuel economy.
However, I never driven one to really comment on ride quality.

With the 3 you get better handling but worse ride compared with the CX-5, especially with more road noise.
It seems road noise is Mazda's weak spot.
 
I have to agree also the cx-5 handles really well for a high center of gravity vehicle. So far i've taken the cx-5 on several mountain trips with tons of turns. The steering is really impressive it is so accurate i barely ever have to correct steering angle in a corner, very predictable. Body roll is not even noticeble. Although I've thrown it into a few corners and i could feel the tires giving out, but that should be expected with all season tires.

I've never driven the mazda6 before but i've owned sport sedans. Previously owning a 2010 G37S sedan w/ Michellin AS3 tires before that was a 2007 STI which I always ran extreme summer tires on.
What intially brought me to the cx-5 was the high praises from all of it's reviewers online for it's handling abilities. Coming from sport sedans this was one of my highest priorities besides the fact that i have a little baby on the way. Upon the first test drive the reviews were all true and apparent. The styling and the tech options along with the refined 2016 interior was just icing on the cake.
 
I had a '14 Mazda6 GT Tech before my '16 CX-5 GT. I had Tanabe springs on the 6, the ride was great! CX-5's are more firmly dampened vs other CUV's out there. Take the VW for example,,,, that thing rides soft!!!

I actually preferred the ride of the 6 better on highway trips. The shorter wheelbase and firmer suspension cause bounce on some highway roads where as the 6 was perfectly smooth.

Not complaining, just what I notice!
 
Titanium_Falcon said:
I have to agree also the cx-5 handles really well for a high center of gravity vehicle. So far i've taken the cx-5 on several mountain trips with tons of turns. The steering is really impressive it is so accurate i barely ever have to correct steering angle in a corner, very predictable. Body roll is not even noticeble. Although I've thrown it into a few corners and i could feel the tires giving out, but that should be expected with all season tires.

I've never driven the mazda6 before but i've owned sport sedans. Previously owning a 2010 G37S sedan w/ Michellin AS3 tires before that was a 2007 STI which I always ran extreme summer tires on.
What intially brought me to the cx-5 was the high praises from all of it's reviewers online for it's handling abilities. Coming from sport sedans this was one of my highest priorities besides the fact that i have a little baby on the way. Upon the first test drive the reviews were all true and apparent. The styling and the tech options along with the refined 2016 interior was just icing on the cake.
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Steering and body control are very impressive for an SUV. It feels superior to my 370Z. Of course, I think the 370Z is a terrible handling vehicle in stock for, at least my 2012 Sport was.
 
Unobtanium said:
Steering and body control are very impressive for an SUV. It feels superior to my 370Z. Of course, I think the 370Z is a terrible handling vehicle in stock for, at least my 2012 Sport was.
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Never got a chance to drive a 370z i always assumed they would handle great i know the 350z's handled pretty good, got a chance to ride in a couple. My G37 handled really well and the cx-5 is right up there. The cx-5 is just a bit more balanced understeer/oversteer along with more comfort. The more i take trips in the cx-5 the more i enjoy it.. it's the gift that keeps on giving!
 
I drive my cx5 like a sports car but the tires are the limiting factor...
 
edhchoe said:
I drive my cx5 like a sports car but the tires are the limiting factor...
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Totally agree on the tires. I would say the stock toyo's responsive but they do not grip under really hard cornering. I'm already contemplating new tires with currently 3k on the odo but the tire options are so limited nothing seems to be better than the stock toyo's from what i've read.
 
I love my CX-5 but I found the 6 to be a much better handling vehicle, especially at higher speeds.
 
Titanium_Falcon said:
Totally agree on the tires. I would say the stock toyo's responsive but they do not grip under really hard cornering. I'm already contemplating new tires with currently 3k on the odo but the tire options are so limited nothing seems to be better than the stock toyo's from what i've read.
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I put Continental TrueContacts in stock size on my CX-5, replacing what I thought were "dead-feeling" Toyos at ~ 13,000 mi. The Contis make my CX-5 feel significantly more agile.
 
Titanium_Falcon said:
Totally agree on the tires. I would say the stock toyo's responsive but they do not grip under really hard cornering. I'm already contemplating new tires with currently 3k on the odo but the tire options are so limited nothing seems to be better than the stock toyo's from what i've read.
Click to expand...

Just replaced my Toyos with a set of General Altimax RT43s. Gave it way better handling than it ever had before. Car has a new personality.
 
I would beg to differ as I had a 2015 Mazda 6 GT loaner for a week. The ride is definitely quieter and and smoother. I would say it's because of the lower surface area (wind noise), separated trunk instead of a hatch, and the long wheel base versus the CX-5's shorter wheelbase.
 
SayNoToPistons said:
I would beg to differ as I had a 2015 Mazda 6 GT loaner for a week. The ride is definitely quieter and and smoother. I would say it's because of the lower surface area (wind noise), separated trunk instead of a hatch, and the long wheel base versus the CX-5's shorter wheelbase.
Click to expand...

Going to go off topic for a bit here but in addition to the Cx-5, you Got an RX-8. A 2004 too. Original owner?
 
Rarebit said:
I put Continental TrueContacts in stock size on my CX-5, replacing what I thought were "dead-feeling" Toyos at ~ 13,000 mi. The Contis make my CX-5 feel significantly more agile.
Click to expand...

madar said:
Just replaced my Toyos with a set of General Altimax RT43s. Gave it way better handling than it ever had before. Car has a new personality.
Click to expand...

The Truecontacts was one of the most talked about replacement tires i've read about for the cx-5. So far i've read positive and negative's about them and not completely sold yet.. The General is something i'll have to look into as well. With both tires i notice the tread wear rating is so much higher compared to the stock toyo's. Typically the softer tires usually grip a bit more..
 
Unobtanium said:
Steering and body control are very impressive for an SUV. It feels superior to my 370Z. Of course, I think the 370Z is a terrible handling vehicle in stock for, at least my 2012 Sport was.
Click to expand...

I wonder if they softened things up after the 350z?.... IIRC... the G37s around 2009 or 2010 really softened up. My '07 (G35x) feels relatively taut & controlled but not too punishing for an X AWD model. In the day many complained that sport model was too harsh.

For those that don't know... Infiniti G model (V36) is same basic model from 2007-2015.

'07-'08 used VQ35HR (Still used in Infiniti Hybrid Applications today) - also 350Z of same era
'11-12 G25 (VQ25HR) - limited run model to go up against the IS 250.
'09-'13 G37 (VQ37VHR)
'14-'15 Q40 (VQ37VHR)


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_VQ_engine
 
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