Decision...2018 CX-5 vs Tiguan

[David Paul]

Less than 2 weeks ago, I traded my 2015 Tiguan SEL for my current CX-5.

It had 40,000 miles on the odo and never gave me a single problem other than a fickle Blue Tooth system. However, knowing German vehicles as I do, I knew it would be prudent of me to get rid of it before something went wrong. Repairs on German vehicles are more expensive on average. I have owned my MX-5 for nearly 2 years and much prefer its Blue Tooth system. I suspect my CX-5 has a great Blue Tooth system as well.

Another reason I traded was because I needed a slightly larger vehicle. However, the new Tigs are much larger now and of course I could have gotten a new one but after doing a lot of research, knew the CX-5 would be a smarter buying decision.

I purchased a 2018 Grand Touring CX-5. In order to get a similarly equipped Tig, it would have cost several thousand more than the CX-5.

Another reason for trading was the engine. Yes, the 2.0 VW Turbo is much quicker when floored because the turbo kicks in but not without turbo lag. Sometimes it is seriously laggy. That can be scary at times when you are trying to get out of a jam. Also, the gas mileage is so much better with the CX-5. Up to this point with only 600 miles on the CX-5 odo, I have found the Mazda 2.5 engine power to be quite sufficient for both highway and city driving and so much more economical.

Finally, the last reason I purchased the CX-5 over a new Tiguan is because of looks. IMHO, the VW Tig is getting long in the tooth while the CX-5 is an extremely beautiful design. The VW is just so, so. Looks are debatable and personal, of course.

Oh yes, one more thing. I absolutely love Mazda's LED head lighting. Have them in both my MX-5 and of course, my CX-5.

 

[walksuphills]

The CX-5 and Tiguan are my top two choices for a new car as well.

CX-5 should be more reliable, has more power, and has more standard safety features.

Tiguan has a better warranty at the moment, has more room, and (applies only to me) is easier to transition to since I currently lease a Jetta.

Since the CR-V was mentioned, Id consider one if I saw a great deal, but I dont want the base model, and the EX is a bit pricier than the Tiguan SE and CX-5 Touring. But since the Mazda has more of what Im looking for I wouldnt mind going for the base Sport, which puts it well ahead on price.

 

[Unobtanium]

Less than 2 weeks ago, I traded my 2015 Tiguan SEL for my current CX-5.

It had 40,000 miles on the odo and never gave me a single problem other than a fickle Blue Tooth system. However, knowing German vehicles as I do, I knew it would be prudent of me to get rid of it before something went wrong. Repairs on German vehicles are more expensive on average. I have owned my MX-5 for nearly 2 years and much prefer its Blue Tooth system. I suspect my CX-5 has a great Blue Tooth system as well.

Another reason I traded was because I needed a slightly larger vehicle. However, the new Tigs are much larger now and of course I could have gotten a new one but after doing a lot of research, knew the CX-5 would be a smarter buying decision.

I purchased a 2018 Grand Touring CX-5. In order to get a similarly equipped Tig, it would have cost several thousand more than the CX-5.

Another reason for trading was the engine. Yes, the 2.0 VW Turbo is much quicker when floored because the turbo kicks in but not without turbo lag. Sometimes it is seriously laggy. That can be scary at times when you are trying to get out of a jam. Also, the gas mileage is so much better with the CX-5. Up to this point with only 600 miles on the CX-5 odo, I have found the Mazda 2.5 engine power to be quite sufficient for both highway and city driving and so much more economical.

Finally, the last reason I purchased the CX-5 over a new Tiguan is because of looks. IMHO, the VW Tig is getting long in the tooth while the CX-5 is an extremely beautiful design. The VW is just so, so. Looks are debatable and personal, of course.

Oh yes, one more thing. I absolutely love Mazda's LED head lighting. Have them in both my MX-5 and of course, my CX-5.

My 2015 has the worst Bluetooth system I've ever heard of or encountered. Maybe 2018 improved. I sure hope.

 

[Carfo]

My 2015 has the worst Bluetooth system I've ever heard of or encountered. Maybe 2018 improved. I sure hope.

the only issue I had with second gen CX5s was sometimes it would "connect" but would not play anything. the only solution I found was to hard reset the unit, but the only time this happened was when i had my phone on me, started my car up, then walked away from the car. when i would get back it would be in this limbo state. hard resetting was easy but it took me a bit to figure out that was the solution because all other options (such as turning the car off) didn't work. a couple updates ago i've had zero issues with the bluetooth and was able to walk away from my started car with my phone and have it reconnect when i returned. the one thing that irks me is when I'm streaming a podcast or something and I get to my destination and shut my car off, it's still connected to the bluetooth, so I have to, on my phone, switch the output settings to my phone because it still shows it's connected to my mazda

 

[Unobtanium]

the only issue I had with second gen CX5s was sometimes it would "connect" but would not play anything. the only solution I found was to hard reset the unit, but the only time this happened was when i had my phone on me, started my car up, then walked away from the car. when i would get back it would be in this limbo state. hard resetting was easy but it took me a bit to figure out that was the solution because all other options (such as turning the car off) didn't work. a couple updates ago i've had zero issues with the bluetooth and was able to walk away from my started car with my phone and have it reconnect when i returned. the one thing that irks me is when I'm streaming a podcast or something and I get to my destination and shut my car off, it's still connected to the bluetooth, so I have to, on my phone, switch the output settings to my phone because it still shows it's connected to my mazda

Mine has randomly decided not to recognize Pandora, so I have to hard reset Pandora, change settings in Pandora, then change them back. It's a pain. The BT has always been a glitchy POS, this is just its newest ploy to make me hate it.

 

[Carfo]

Mine has randomly decided not to recognize Pandora, so I have to hard reset Pandora, change settings in Pandora, then change them back. It's a pain. The BT has always been a glitchy POS, this is just its newest ploy to make me hate it.

i heard people on reddit with this problem and they said it happened once they updated pandora on the phone. there's a constant back and forth between their updates and the mzd connect firmware updates

 

[derklink]

Less than 2 weeks ago, I traded my 2015 Tiguan SEL for my current CX-5.

It had 40,000 miles on the odo and never gave me a single problem other than a fickle Blue Tooth system. However, knowing German vehicles as I do, I knew it would be prudent of me to get rid of it before something went wrong. Repairs on German vehicles are more expensive on average. I have owned my MX-5 for nearly 2 years and much prefer its Blue Tooth system. I suspect my CX-5 has a great Blue Tooth system as well.

Another reason I traded was because I needed a slightly larger vehicle. However, the new Tigs are much larger now and of course I could have gotten a new one but after doing a lot of research, knew the CX-5 would be a smarter buying decision.

I purchased a 2018 Grand Touring CX-5. In order to get a similarly equipped Tig, it would have cost several thousand more than the CX-5.

Another reason for trading was the engine. Yes, the 2.0 VW Turbo is much quicker when floored because the turbo kicks in but not without turbo lag. Sometimes it is seriously laggy. That can be scary at times when you are trying to get out of a jam. Also, the gas mileage is so much better with the CX-5. Up to this point with only 600 miles on the CX-5 odo, I have found the Mazda 2.5 engine power to be quite sufficient for both highway and city driving and so much more economical.

Finally, the last reason I purchased the CX-5 over a new Tiguan is because of looks. IMHO, the VW Tig is getting long in the tooth while the CX-5 is an extremely beautiful design. The VW is just so, so. Looks are debatable and personal, of course.

Oh yes, one more thing. I absolutely love Mazda's LED head lighting. Have them in both my MX-5 and of course, my CX-5.

I assume you had the "old" Tiguan? The 2018 got a new engine and that combined with the 8 speed did not convince me. Starting from a dead stop, there is a significant lag. On one of our test drives, my wife tried to merge onto the highway and suddenly she was yelling "go...go!!". I thought she meant the other cars but she was talking about the Tiguan. Later she said she wasn't sure whether she hit the throttle with the entire foot or not.

 

[onerpm]

Another factor you may wish to consider is the morality level of the VW company.

 

[ColoradoDriver]

My 2015 has the worst Bluetooth system I've ever heard of or encountered. Maybe 2018 improved. I sure hope.

To be fair, I feel like your experience has been the outlier when the Bluetooth is concerned.

 

[David Paul]

I assume you had the "old" Tiguan? The 2018 got a new engine and that combined with the 8 speed did not convince me. Starting from a dead stop, there is a significant lag. On one of our test drives, my wife tried to merge onto the highway and suddenly she was yelling "go...go!!". I thought she meant the other cars but she was talking about the Tiguan. Later she said she wasn't sure whether she hit the throttle with the entire foot or not.

Yes, as you can see at the top of my post, I wrote; "Less than 2 weeks ago, I traded my 2015 Tiguan SEL for my current CX-5". So, apparently this problem was not solved with the 2018.

I also said, there were times that the Turbo lag was so bad, it became scary. More than once, I also had to yell, "Go, Go, Go!
It even happened several times while making a "U" turn in heavy traffic. I would find myself in the correct lane after making the "U" turn with the VW not responding and plenty of traffic heading my way.

 

[David Paul]

The CX-5 and Tiguan are my top two choices for a new car as well.

CX-5 should be more reliable, has more power, and has more standard safety features.

Tiguan has a better warranty at the moment, has more room, and (applies only to me) is easier to transition to since I currently lease a Jetta.

Since the CR-V was mentioned, I*d consider one if I saw a great deal, but I don*t want the base model, and the EX is a bit pricier than the Tiguan SE and CX-5 Touring. But since the Mazda has more of what I*m looking for I wouldn*t mind going for the base Sport, which puts it well ahead on price.

The Tig actually has more power but the turbo has a great deal of Lag.

 

[derklink]

Yes, as you can see at the top of my post, I wrote; "Less than 2 weeks ago, I traded my 2015 Tiguan SEL for my current CX-5". So, apparently this problem was not solved with the 2018.

I also said, there were times that the Turbo lag was so bad, it became scary. More than once, I also had to yell, "Go, Go, Go!
It even happened several times while making a "U" turn in heavy traffic. I would find myself in the correct lane after making the "U" turn with the VW not responding and plenty of traffic heading my way.

Sorry, read over that it was a 2015. Exactly our experience with the 2018. You can also notice that it is heavier than the Mazda

 

[walksuphills]

The Tig actually has more power but the turbo has a great deal of Lag.

The old Tiguan, with 210 horsepower and premium fuel, yes. The new one is, optimistically, a second slower than the CX-5 to 60.

 

[Chris_Top_Her]

I almost got a tiguan before I bought my 13 cx5 new. Couldn't get finanacing at the dealer for the trim I wanted.

 

[7eregrine]

I don't get how companies haven't eliminated Turbo lag in this day and age. The last couple Saabs had nearly eliminated it completely. Nearly. How have we humans not perfected this yet? LoL

 

[Chris_Top_Her]

I don't get how companies haven't eliminated Turbo lag in this day and age. The last couple Saabs had nearly eliminated it completely. Nearly. How have we humans not perfected this yet? LoL

Well, in you can buy aftermarket turbos with lightweight billet parts, ceramic besrings etc that cost like 2k a pop... but for a mass produced car a $200 turbo is what you get lol

 

[CX5Nut]

Just checked. Wow. Thanks for pointing that out

You are welcome!

I would suspect the VW does not have the safety features that the CX5 comes with standard and you would need to buy an expensive package to get them, typical of most German cars. If they even offer them at all.

We were comparing the Audi Q3 to the CX5 and the Audi didn't even offer the safety features the CX5 has, even as an add on.

 

[walksuphills]

With the new Tiguan, I think the turbo lag is actually due to its default eco settings where the transmission will start in 3rd, and if you put your foot down, it has to think about it then downshift. At least this is the theory on VW forums.

I currently drive the Jetta Sport, 1.8L with 5-speed manual, and it has no perceptible turbo lag, since it hits peak torque at 1500 rpms. I think the Tiguans map is similar (1600 rpm) so the delay is mostly down to the transmission.

 

[ColoradoDriver]

With the new Tiguan, I think the *turbo lag* is actually due to its default eco settings where the transmission will start in 3rd, and if you put your foot down, it has to think about it then downshift. At least this is the theory on VW forums..

Wow, that sounds awful.

 

[CX-5um]

The Tig actually has more power but the turbo has a great deal of Lag.

Pretty sure you can chip at via the dealership to remove lag. A used VW would be a nice value assuming you're on top of preventative maintenance.

That said when applying german approach to maintenance on a Mazda...the Mazda feels bullet proof