RDX vs CX-5?

[yrwei52]

I just don't think a quart every oil change at worst is a huge deal.

Unfortunately they're not talking about a quart for every oil change. Our VW with Audi V6 engine consumes a quart per 800~1,000 miles and been told it's normal!

"The magazine says that standards for certain Audi and BMW cars say that it's reasonable to burn a quart of oil every 600 to 700 miles. Subaru considers one quart burned for every 1,000 to 1,200 miles to be acceptable, Consumer Reports said."

 

[yrwei52]

It's not. For some reason, yrwei is obsessed with this issue (see his posts in other threads). For those who are concerned about it, if you look at the CR numbers, Subaru has drastically improved this issue in the past few years.

The percentage of owners reporting oil burning, by year:

{Forester}
'10 - 4%
'11 - 8%
'12 - 5%
'13 - 4%
'14 - 2%

{Outback, 6-cylinder}
2010 - 14%
2011 - 17%
2012 - 13%
2013 - 3%
2014 - 2%

{Legacy, 6-cylinder}
'10 - 19%
'11 - 15%
'12 - 13%
'13 - 2%
'14 - 0%

See a trend? If you read the Subaru forums, there are MANY threads about this issue. You'll notice that the common theme is that this is now very rare with new Subarus. This issue did not even make me flinch when buying our new Outback.

From the same thread, you conveniently ignored Subaru Impeza which has a big spike in 2012 MY and Audi A4 which showed huge "improvement":

[Impeza]
'10 - 2%
'11 - 1%
'12 - 13%
'13 - 3%
'14 - 1%

[A4 2.0T]
2010 - 58%
2011 - 48%
2012 - 9%
2013 - 4%
2014 - 2%

The fact is many oil consumption issues will show up gradually after a year or two since new. The collection of data may not be sufficient for these 1 to 3-year-old cars as they are too new. That's why we shouldn't be surprised to see decline on oil consumption for newer model years.

Yes, I'm "obsessed" with oil consumption issue because unfortunately we own one. I'm tired of checking oil level every week and adding a quart of oil once for every 800 miles! Not to mention that the catalytic converters eventually will get ruined and need expensive replacement!

 

[Unobtanium]

I think Mazda is trying to compete its entry and mid trim models with its natural class (CRV, Rav4, ect) along with competing the GT trim models against luxury brands. Mazda is a small company without a dedicated luxury brand like Toyota/Lexus, Nissan Infiniti. I think people are actually cross shopping Mazda GT trim models with luxury brands even though they're not in the same class.

One demographic that comes to mind is the certified-used luxury brand shopper. We've all seen the certified-used commercials from Lexus, Mercedes, ect. I fall in that category. Folks who want a luxury car, style, performance, are on a tighter budget, and are willing to make exceptions hence- getting a used car. Then they see a Mazda commercial and think wait I could get that brand new fully loaded for that much?

The driveline makes that a poor comparison. The CX-5 is good for what it is, but it falls on its face compared to the luxury brands when it comes to driving performance. Handling not so much, but acceleration, DEFINITELY.

 

[Unobtanium]

Unfortunately they're not talking about a quart for every oil change. Our VW with Audi V6 engine consumes a quart per 800~1,000 miles and been told it's normal!

"The magazine says that standards for certain Audi and BMW cars say that it's reasonable to burn a quart of oil every 600 to 700 miles. Subaru considers one quart burned for every 1,000 to 1,200 miles to be acceptable, Consumer Reports said."

Yeah, Every manufacturer considers 1-1500 miles per quart acceptable. Nissan. Honda. Ford. GM. All of them. Even Mazda, I bet.

BUT DO THE SCOOBY'S BURN IT THAT FAST?

The article says NO.

What oil are you using? Also, VW/Audi is not Subaru.

 

[CX-5um]

This was the situation I was in. I was considering a CPO X3 or Mercedes GL when I started looking in May of 2014. About two months into my search I was in Chicago for a few days and saw the CX5. I said to my husband, "Oh god, that car is hideous. Damnit, I'm probably going to end up with one of those, aren't I?" A week or two later I saw the CNET review of this car and realized it wasn't as bad as I thought. Less than a month later I was the happy owner of a 2015 CX5.

Yup, your exactly the example I'm talking about.

The driveline makes that a poor comparison. The CX-5 is good for what it is, but it falls on its face compared to the luxury brands when it comes to driving performance. Handling not so much, but acceleration, DEFINITELY.

There are some luxury cars out there that are actually slow or at least within the same speed (within .5 secs) to 60. One car that comes to mind is the Lexus CT200h. That thing is nearly a 10 second car lol. I can totally see someone cross shopping it with a Mazda3 GT or CX-5 GT. http://www.hybridcars.com/2015-lexus-ct-200h-review-video/

 

[gettinlm]

From the same thread, you conveniently ignored Subaru Impeza which has a big spike in 2012 MY and Audi A4 which showed huge "improvement":

[Impeza]
'10 - 2%
'11 - 1%
'12 - 13%
'13 - 3%
'14 - 1%

[A4 2.0T]
2010 - 58%
2011 - 48%
2012 - 9%
2013 - 4%
2014 - 2%

The fact is many oil consumption issues will show up gradually after a year or two since new. The collection of data may not be sufficient for these 1 to 3-year-old cars as they are too new. That's why we shouldn't be surprised to see decline on oil consumption for newer model years.

Yes, I'm "obsessed" with oil consumption issue because unfortunately we own one. I'm tired of checking oil level every week and adding a quart of oil once for every 800 miles! Not to mention that the catalytic converters eventually will get ruined and need expensive replacement!

I ignored the Impreza because, well, so does the average consumer (unfortunately for Subaru).

Please, PLEASE, go read the Subaru boards. You will see that this is mostly a thing of the past. I've even read a couple that say they experienced some oil burn only during the break-in period of their new Outbacks and not after, which would contradict your theory of why the percentages for 2014 are low.

As I've stated before (a few times now), this never gave me pause in ordering a Subaru. I remain quite excited to receive my new 2016 Outback in September.

 

[socalcx-5]

I think Mazda is trying to compete its entry and mid trim models with its natural class (CRV, Rav4, ect) along with competing the GT trim models against luxury brands. Mazda is a small company without a dedicated luxury brand like Toyota/Lexus, Nissan Infiniti. I think people are actually cross shopping Mazda GT trim models with luxury brands even though they're not in the same class.

One demographic that comes to mind is the certified-used luxury brand shopper. We've all seen the certified-used commercials from Lexus, Mercedes, ect. I fall in that category. Folks who want a luxury car, style, performance, are on a tighter budget, and are willing to make exceptions hence- getting a used car. Then they see a Mazda commercial and think wait I could get that brand new fully loaded for that much?

Yeah, I hear you on the CPO luxury brands. I get why people get tempted by those, but I think usually people underestimate the maintenance costs on those vehicles. My wife and I traded in an older BMW for our Mazda, and one of the main reasons was the cheaper maintenance.

To me, the consumers who usually get screwed the most are those that "stretch" to get into a luxury brand by buying them CPO or leasing. Just my opinion, obviously.

 

[Rarebit]

It's not. For some reason, yrwei is obsessed with this issue (see his posts in other threads). For those who are concerned about it, if you look at the CR numbers, Subaru has drastically improved this issue in the past few years.

The percentage of owners reporting oil burning, by year:

{Forester}
'10 - 4%
'11 - 8%
'12 - 5%
'13 - 4%
'14 - 2%

{Outback, 6-cylinder}
2010 - 14%
2011 - 17%
2012 - 13%
2013 - 3%
2014 - 2%

{Legacy, 6-cylinder}
'10 - 19%
'11 - 15%
'12 - 13%
'13 - 2%
'14 - 0%

See a trend?

It depends on how you interpret it. The trend could be that excessive oil consumption is a thing of the past, or that excessive oil consumption comes with increasing mileage. Without more data, it's inconclusive.

Burning a quart between oil changes is of little consequence to most owners, I'm sure.

There's no doubt that many other small and large SUVs can out-accelerate the 2.5 litre CX-5. In 2010 I traded in my Volvo turbo for a Mazda 3 hatch after driving a few Mazda 3s as rental cars. Of course, the Volvo turbo out-accelerates the Mazda 3, but in everyday driving, I found I seldom needed to put my foot into the Volvo, and probably 99% of the time, the extra power of the turbo remained untapped. Add that the Mazda 3 averaged just under 10 litres per 100 km, while the Volvo burned 13.3 and all premium.

I find that the CX-5 feels about as peppy as my 2010 Mazda 3 2.5 and actually uses slightly less fuel despite being a bigger, heavier and roomier vehicle. Personally, I don't want to pay for additional horsepower, especially since it comes with higher fuel consumption and a greater contribution to greenhouse gases.

To each his own, of course, but I find that sometimes people pay for a "bigger number" when it makes no functional difference (e.g. megapixels in cameras) or for status reasons. My work sometimes involves helping companies increase their "brand equity" - meaning that they want to be able to charge more for the same products because their "brand" adds intangible value because people believe it's better. I don't want to pay a cent for brand equity - I know you get nothing but status for the money, and I'm not interested in having status because of what I wear, drive or drink.

The CX-5 fits me very well for all these reasons. I hope others find the car that fits them best.

 

[yrwei52]

Yeah, Every manufacturer considers 1-1500 miles per quart acceptable. Nissan. Honda. Ford. GM. All of them. Even Mazda, I bet.
BUT DO THE SCOOBY'S BURN IT THAT FAST?
The article says NO.
What oil are you using? Also, VW/Audi is not Subaru.

When Subaru says they consider one quart burned for every 1,000 to 1,200 miles to be acceptable, that simply meant there are Subies which burn that much oil. Yeah, they burn less oil alright, less than a quart of oil every 600 to 700 miles by Audi and BMW's!

I'm using watery 0W-20 super-thin Mazda moly oil for my '01 VW Passat V6. That's why it burns that much oil...

No, I'm using VW stamped Castrol 5W-40 Syntec synthetic oil bought from VW dealer. Several Passat owners who were lucky enough to get the oil burning problem fixed under warranty said the culprit was the oil rings got installed upside down! (boom08)

 

[MikeM.]

Sometimes excessive oil consumption is due to poor management of crankcase pressures. Modified or deleted pcv valves and related systems are often the culprit.

 

[Unobtanium]

When Subaru says they consider one quart burned for every 1,000 to 1,200 miles to be acceptable, that simply meant there are Subies which burn that much oil. Yeah, they burn less oil alright, less than a quart of oil every 600 to 700 miles by Audi and BMW's!

I'm using watery 0W-20 super-thin Mazda moly oil for my '01 VW Passat V6. That's why it burns that much oil...

No, I'm using VW stamped Castrol 5W-40 Syntec synthetic oil bought from VW dealer. Several Passat owners who were lucky enough to get the oil burning problem fixed under warranty said the culprit was the oil rings got installed upside down! (boom08)

I would consider changing oils. Changing oils from Mobil 1 5-30EP to Castrol Syntec 0-30 EU formula in my 2001 WS.6 resulted in oil consumption going from 1qt per 2K miles, to 3/4 quart in 4-5K miles. This is what I would try, as it is a thicker oil than what you're using now:
http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lubes/PDS/GLXXENCVLMOMobil_Delvac_1_5W-40.aspx

 

[Unobtanium]

I'd have to think some oil consumption might be 2 quarts low on an affected vehicle if someone is pushing a 7-10K mile oil change and doesn't check their oil levels.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/06/excessive-oil-consumption/index.htm

Aside from an '84 Cordia Turbo as a kid that one could think of as a 2-stroke at around a quart every 200 miles I have never had a vehicle consume anywhere close to a quart in 5K+ miles.

The only vehicles I have had with any noticeable oil consumption are my old beater '96 Explorer AWD (5.0L Windsor-140K miles & my former '02 Maxima (3.5L VQ35DE-130K miles). At 5-6K oil change intervals they were only down about 1/3 quart.

My '07 G35x with the VQ35HR & 00' Jeep (4.0L) is right at the full line at 5-6K mile oil changes.

IMO... oil consumption may not be a big deal for those who turn over a car every few years but from a long term ownership perspective it doesn't bode well as the miles and years accumulate

It depends. My LS1 car as I said would use a quart every oil change. It did that when I bought it at 72K miles, and it did that when I sold it at 149K miles. It ran just fine during the entire time, and consumption never varied. It DID, however, kill a catalytic converter. However, I think that was also because those cars were tuned very rich from the factory, and as such, GM warrantied them all the way out to 120K miles on the cats, I recall. it was done under warranty, but would have cost @$700 as I recall. Not bad, honestly, considering it died at around the 100K mile mark.

The problem is when consumption gets worse and worse.

 

[GAXIBM]

It depends. My LS1 car as I said would use a quart every oil change. It did that when I bought it at 72K miles, and it did that when I sold it at 149K miles. It ran just fine during the entire time, and consumption never varied. It DID, however, kill a catalytic converter. However, I think that was also because those cars were tuned very rich from the factory, and as such, GM warrantied them all the way out to 120K miles on the cats, I recall. it was done under warranty, but would have cost @$700 as I recall. Not bad, honestly, considering it died at around the 100K mile mark.

The problem is when consumption gets worse and worse.

The LS1 in the 2000 vet had a consumption problem if you had a manual and liked to keep it revved at 3K and up driving around town. At high rpm with light load the oil ring vibrated and did not keep the oil down. They would tear down the engine and replace the oil rings if customers complained. Not many people like high revving engine under light load so not many did. Mine is an automatic so it was not an issue as if you take it to 3000 rpm and hold it there in a few seconds you are doing 100 and the engine is never lightly loaded. My rig does not use oil.