Any Complaints (hopefully all minor)

Yeah, I for one appreciate the headreast design. I don't have a CX-5, but have driven one, also my 6 and CX-9 have the same sort of angled headrests. At 6'2" it is very comfortable with none of the discomfort some have mentioned. As others have said this is an anti-whiplash design, so those of you who say "just reverse it" are putting your neck and life in danger in the event of a rear end collision.

Agreed, 100%. I will not be modifying any headrests (or seatbelts or airbags) on my CX-5. I am 5'9", no prob. My hair occassionaly brushes the headrest, no prob. I'm wondering if drivers that use a more upright driving position are more likely to be bothered, just a guess?...
 
Well it's simple to me:
1. Front hood vibrates - redesign
2. Left mirror - vibrates - redesign
3. Center speaker on dash for Bose system - get rid of - ruins stereo mix that engineers and producers spend days working on
4. "Ridged" molding on power window/power lock area - looks cheap - "cartoonish"
5. Red thread on black leather seats - get rid of - looks like they were trying to be stylish but came out looking like a Nike sneaker
6. Navigation - cheap compared to others - looks like it's under a magnifying glass - open it up and show some real "map"
7. Front grill screen - the only weak link in the body style - cheap plastic crap - do something clever with chrome metal and make a statement
8. Wheel wells on back tires - what's with the felt wheel well while the front is pure plastic - mine's already getting grass, straw and bug pieces clinging on...

Other than that it's a hit!
 
Rear door/window wind noise sounds like a window is always down. Dealer says this is normal and offers no fix?? Seems that its a door seal issue where it bends down to go around the door but they are offering no fix. Also no real rear cup holders on the sport :). Other than those I love it. I will fix the door seal issue, but I should not have to fix it on my own.

Can confirm not an issue at all. I think you'll find there is wind noise around the wing mirrors, but seals are all perfect for me.
 
Well it's simple to me:
1. Front hood vibrates - redesign
2. Left mirror - vibrates - redesign
3. Center speaker on dash for Bose system - get rid of - ruins stereo mix that engineers and producers spend days working on
4. "Ridged" molding on power window/power lock area - looks cheap - "cartoonish"
5. Red thread on black leather seats - get rid of - looks like they were trying to be stylish but came out looking like a Nike sneaker
6. Navigation - cheap compared to others - looks like it's under a magnifying glass - open it up and show some real "map"
7. Front grill screen - the only weak link in the body style - cheap plastic crap - do something clever with chrome metal and make a statement
8. Wheel wells on back tires - what's with the felt wheel well while the front is pure plastic - mine's already getting grass, straw and bug pieces clinging on...

Agree with you in many respects... but

3. Blame Bose. Their engineers did the speaker setup. They've also done the middle speaker in a lot of other brands including Audi.
5. Pretty typical in a lof of vehicles. Very Golf GTI like.
6. Hands down, Tom Tom is best GPS unit. The screen resolution is terrible, but it does the job better than nearly any other in car system on the market (possibly topped by VW)
8. I fixed the issue.... 3M Scotchguard. The wheel wells remain spotless and clean easily now. The felt by the way is due to each part being analysed for weight. They dumped it to save kilos. It's the reason the CX-5 is the weight of two people less that similar competitors and the reason the performance and fuel economy is class leading. Scotchguard it and you won't have issues.
 
5. Red thread on black leather seats - get rid of - looks like they were trying to be stylish but came out looking like a Nike sneaker

That is exactly what popped into my head when I saw the CX-5 seats at the dealership; though not a dealbreaker if I eventually get one.
 
That is exactly what popped into my head when I saw the CX-5 seats at the dealership; though not a dealbreaker if I eventually get one.

I actually like the stitching on leather in CX-5, a plus when I saw it.

I like Nike products too, all my tennis gear is logo-matched (Nike shoes, socks, shirt, shorts, bag).
 
Minor vibration of side mirrors. Not a big deal - you get use to it.
Many people in Germany noticed that issue as well. The higher the speed, the more noticeable it gets. At speeds of 100 mph and above it's very obvious in both mirrors (the hood is vibrating as well). At speeds over 110 mph you might even have difficulties to see objects clearly in the mirrors as of the strong vibration.
Mazda seems to be aware of that problem as the dealerships here told customers they are working on a solution (the mounting of the mirrors will be reinforced/replaced).

However, having no speed limit on many highways here, this problem seems to be most obvious to german customers.
 
Yeh you're right I should blame BOSE for the speaker design. That company is perceived as the quintessential sound company but to musicians they are the Target of sound - organized, neat, articulate but "soulless". However Mazda picked them so they're to blame a bit too...

Thanks for the Scotchguard tip... If they save weight in back with the wheel wells why not the front?

Yeh maybe it's the resolution on TomTom that is the cheap thing about it. I'm not saying it's not top notch as far as getting me somewhere. But seems the maps are 2nd rate. Maps on my Honda Odyssey were very "lifelike"...

I knew red stitching would be controversial but if it were black would anybody even care to mention it? If it were yellow or blue people would probably hate it...
 
However, having no speed limit on many highways here, this problem seems to be most obvious to german customers.

Germans have the highest speed limits in the first world. Australia did have roads with no limits (I've travelled well over 250km/h (155mph) legally in Australia before). I have been on the autobahnsl they are brilliant when there is no traffic (unfortunately been caught up in too many autobahn traffic jams for my own good).

The highest speed on our roads now is 130km/h (81mph). Travelling at these speeds I clearly see the vibration, but it doesn't bother me too much.

Mazda should have picked this up in their high speed bowl. They test high speeds, although the Japanese don't drive very fast in real life.
Their highways are max 80km/h (50mph) - which feels like walking once you've done 500km straight at 120km/h.

I hate driving on the highways in Japan. The drivers are clinical and slow to the letter of the law. You pay massive tolls for the privilege.
Driving in Japan versus driving in Germany.... I'd take Germany any day. In Japan I just simply jump on the Shinkansen (bullet train) instead.
 
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What version did you test Jordan? Gas or diesel? You mentioned it having "pep" so I'm assuming diesel...

Jordan is in Abbotsford, BC (which is a short stroll from Vancouver proper). They don't sell the diesel in Canada.

Some nice roads around there. I've done a bit of driving between Vancouver along to Kelowna and down to Penticton. Gorgeous country. Great roads through BC. Drove around there in a hybrid Camry. Ironically, getting similar fuel economy now in a much large diesel CX-5 :)
 
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Vibrating mirror glass is a common Mazda trait. My 2008 CX-9 had the same issue on the driver's side, not so much on the passenger side. Even after fighting for a new mirror and having two wait two months (it was on national back-order), the replacement was no better, and actually worse.
 
I hate the headrests. At 5'3" they slam right into the back of my head. I actually have to hold my head very far forward if I want to have my back against the seatback at all. And forget having any hairstyle but straight. Ironically, I have a ruptured disc in my neck, and the position the headrests force me into is one that causes instant neck pain. They will be reversed for sure...the whiplash thing is a concern, but having a neckache from driving the car is ridiculous. I found that almost all the cars we test-drove were like this, especially if I had my hair styled in a ponytail, bun, hairclips, etc. It doesn't seem to bother my husband a bit, but he is 5'8" and slouches a bit when he drives.

So far we have no problems with vibrations in the hood or rearview mirrors---I'd read up on this topic here, so when we test drove the car we were checking for it. :)
 
Yeh you're right I should blame BOSE for the speaker design. That company is perceived as the quintessential sound company but to musicians they are the Target of sound - organized, neat, articulate but "soulless". However Mazda picked them so they're to blame a bit too...

Thanks for the Scotchguard tip... If they save weight in back with the wheel wells why not the front?

Yeh maybe it's the resolution on TomTom that is the cheap thing about it. I'm not saying it's not top notch as far as getting me somewhere. But seems the maps are 2nd rate. Maps on my Honda Odyssey were very "lifelike"...

I knew red stitching would be controversial but if it were black would anybody even care to mention it? If it were yellow or blue people would probably hate it...

The Scotchguard works wondered.
Why not the front? Not quite sure. It might have something to do with suspension travel. But only a Mazda engineer would really know. That said, I could possibly find out. Have some mates back in Japan who are not only in the industry, but they are Mazda freaks and in the know.

Many years back I went through portable GPS units like they were going out of fashion. I ended up returning my TomTom on the basis that the maps were not clear and cartoony. I purchased an extremely clear Mio that still betters even current TomTom units for clarity.

But it's Sydney that sorts out the men from the boys. You see, it's one of the poorest designed cities I've ever been to. I reckon the English just came here and made a mess because they didn't care.

But bottom line, the complexity of this city screws up GPS systems. Nearly all of them fail miserably. The Mio failed miserably despite it's very pretty maps.
A pretty map doesn't get you places though.

The TomTom logic isn't perfect, but it's the closest thing to perfect in a completely disorganised city.

I've driven around New York, New Jersey and areas like Long Island. I haven't driven upstate, but comparing Sydney+Surrounds vs NY/NJ and surrounds. New York is far more dense, but Sydney is far less logical. But the TomTom and its crappy graphics are best suited to getting you out of the tough spots.

Getting back to systems.... I've used the GPS on the Honda Odyssey and Accord Euro (which is an Acura in US). The maps are clear, lifelike. I give it thumbs up for that.
But the system didn't take longer than 30 minutes to fail the navigation of Sydney.

So lifelike + fail navigation versus poor resolution + rarely fails navigation - I take logic over beauty any day.
(Disclaimer: The Honda and TomTom system use identical maps in Australia - so the logic is how the software interprets the map - and TomTom has far more experience than Honda, which is why the logic is extremely well developed)

To top that off as well, time the input times for each of the GPS systems.
After map logic comes input time. I have personally found the TomTom system to be easier to input into. But that could be just me rather than TomTom versus Honda.
 
Picked up my Grey CX-5 GT with Tech Package on Friday. Drove it straight from the dealer to the lake! Loving every minute so far but I did notice a few glitches. NAV system froze right up, had to cycle power to get it to go again, hood/mirror vibration is same for me, tire monitoring system came on but all pressures were equal, and last but not least my speedometer was fine heading to the lake but on the way home it was out by about 2.5kms. Eg 120km on speedometer was reading 122-123 on NAV system and an iPhone app. Not sure what can cause a speedo to of out of cal, really weird tho. Still can't wait to drive it work in the morning! :)
 
last but not least my speedometer was fine heading to the lake but on the way home it was out by about 2.5kms. Eg 120km on speedometer was reading 122-123 on NAV system and an iPhone app. Not sure what can cause a speedo to of out of cal

The speedo and GPS will always bee different if every model of vehicle.

The speed by law has to be a small percentage *below* the actual speed. Typically this could be anywhere between 95% and 99% of the actual speed.
Presently GPS is very accurate for civilian use. The speed indicated on the GPS in clear view of the sky, and without interference has a confidence level of 95% to be within 2 metres of accurate. So 112 on your GPS is most likely to be 112 in actuality.

No issue with your speed. It is completely *normal* and completely *legal*.

Just for the record, President Clinton is responsible for bringing accuracy back to the GPS signal to civilians (and hence the world). Prior to then, intentional errors were added to the civilian band. This was in part to ensure that GPS units couldn't be used to allow extremists to launch and control rockets using the device. To get around that the civilian band has a speed restriction which causes it to lose signal at the speeds that would be reached by launching rockets.

Sources:
http://www.gps.gov/systems/gps/performance/accuracy/histogram.png
http://support.radioshack.com/support_tutorials/gps/gps_SA.htm
 
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