cincytraveler
Member
- :
- Currently BMW, Potentially CX-5 Signature
Hi - I've been lurking in this forum for a few months anticipating what Mazda would do for the 2019 CX-5. We've been BMW customers for the last decade+ and currently have an X5d and 228xi convertible). My wife's 17 year-old VW Jetta has finally bit the dust and we've been looking to replace it. She wants an SUV, not another car. I owned a Mazda and some other Japanese cars in the past and always enjoyed them. Saw that Mazda was moving more upmarket with the newest generation of CX5, but the absence of Apple Carplay/Android Auto was a bit of a deal breaker. The 2019 CX-9 appeared at the local dealerships so we gave it a test drive. I was a bit surprised that it would not let me use the Carplay touch screen while the vehicle was moving, unlike every other manufacturer. CX-9 was a little bit big for our needs but the 2019 CX-5 Signature with the new 2.5 turbo could be a winner. The Acura RDX looks interesting as well, but significantly more money, and same for the BMW/MB/Audi offerings.
On BMWs, you can easily hack the iDrive systems to enable features that have been disabled for your country due to our lawsuit-happy climate. For example, DVD playback in the front infotainment screen (not that I'd do that, it just an example). I'm wondering if Mazda has a similar hacking community. It would be great if you could turn off a parameter allowing the touchscreen to be used during all driving modes, not just at a stop.
Another concern: how is real-world Mazda reliability and dealer service? That is a huge thing that has kept me with BMW because it makes the ownership process painless. I drive into the dealership for something as minor as an oil change, they toss me keys to a current model loaner car, they take however long they need to do the service and then trade me back. Very smart strategy, IMHO, when you spend an extended amount of time in their newest models it can start the itch. Reliability has been pretty good, with only some emissions component failures on the diesel (some fixed in warranty, some not).
What's your average reliability and dealer service experience with the CX5?
On BMWs, you can easily hack the iDrive systems to enable features that have been disabled for your country due to our lawsuit-happy climate. For example, DVD playback in the front infotainment screen (not that I'd do that, it just an example). I'm wondering if Mazda has a similar hacking community. It would be great if you could turn off a parameter allowing the touchscreen to be used during all driving modes, not just at a stop.
Another concern: how is real-world Mazda reliability and dealer service? That is a huge thing that has kept me with BMW because it makes the ownership process painless. I drive into the dealership for something as minor as an oil change, they toss me keys to a current model loaner car, they take however long they need to do the service and then trade me back. Very smart strategy, IMHO, when you spend an extended amount of time in their newest models it can start the itch. Reliability has been pretty good, with only some emissions component failures on the diesel (some fixed in warranty, some not).
What's your average reliability and dealer service experience with the CX5?