My CX7 has a genuine water temperature gauger and it appears that the CX5 doesn't even have that. I prefer at a minimum to have a real oil pressure and water temp gauge. For a company that sells Zoom Zoom vehicles as drivers cars, I expected more.
In modern cars is it really necessary? Cars are tested for the countries they're destined for. The US is one market a car maker has to get it right because there are examples of extreme cold and extreme hot.
When are they really needed? Mainly when temperatures are at their extreme, and even then just a warning that temperatures are too hot or too cold are required. Operating temperatures are quite expansive.
A lesson Australian car makers found when they started exporting to the Middle East was that temperature gauges had to be completely redesigned. Despite Australia being a hot country in parts, the Middle East was often at close to maximum temperatures.
The engine oil temperature gauge was changed to make what would be red in Australia, to be normal in the Middle East.
Around this, maintenance schedules were altered to compensate for the hot conditions.
Mazda does a LOT of study regarding ergonomics for their vehicles. Everything should be in reach and be user friendly.
Temperature gauges have been considered to be futile now because the temperature extreme warnings are present anyway.
Removing gauge cluster clutter leads to a very easy display for drivers to use.
Going from night club like lit Mazda 3 to the CX-5, it's taken only a couple hours to appreciate the hard work Mazda has put in the display.
It's very easy to understand at a glance.