My take on the CX-5 after 20,000 miles

[MikeM.]

Looking at the CRV, yes, it is not pretty, not a good competition to the CX-5 at current gen, but a good reliable buy for small families which can make use of the utility.

The bottom line is what does the Honda CR-V do for you vs. CX-5 and, as far as I can see, nothing significant. The CX-5 is superior in so many ways it's not even a close contest.

 

[yrwei52]

The bottom line is what does the Honda CR-V do for you vs. CX-5 and, as far as I can see, nothing significant. The CX-5 is superior in so many ways it's not even a close contest.

The bottom line is Honda CR-V has been the top seller in US compact CUV segment for many years. It's now the top selling model for Honda itself overtaking Honda Accord! in 2015 alone, Honda sold 345,647 CR-Vs in the US, three times more than CX-5 which sold only 111,450 units. Yeah, it's not even a close contest!

 

[Unobtanium]

The bottom line is what does the Honda CR-V do for you vs. CX-5 and, as far as I can see, nothing significant. The CX-5 is superior in so many ways it's not even a close contest.

I rode in my friend's wife's CR-V. Much nicer ride. However, not my style or appealing enough to me to trade my CX-5 for the cushy and refined ride.

 

[Unobtanium]

These are all very minor issues. I am indeed picking nits, because there's nothing else to complain about. Many people will never notice things like suspension creak or a tiny rattle and I had to take the tech on a test drive to a particular incline to exhibit it. The gas cap failed inspection so that might be the most 'serious' one that had to be fixed.... but it's a gas cap. Out of the millions made every year, some will have an early issue. Whoever makes that cap also supplies Honda, Toyota etc...

So while I had it in for the gas cap I had them check out that suspension before the warranty was up, and now it actually handles even better...

Indeed. That's all I have. Niggles.

-Hood flops around. Don't care. Just unique.
-Locks make a dying sound in the cold. They still work.
-Windshield is breaks-daily material. Gone through 2 in half a year so far.
-Driver mirror shakes. Don't care.
-Road noise...this one slightly irritates me. It's an econo SUV that sounds like a cheap sports car on pavement. Kinda lame.

 

[StealthWyvern]

30K miles here with no issues other than water ingress in the back-up camera. That required replacement with an updated camera. Other than that problem which cropped up when new, the thing has been bullet-proof.

BTW, the shift points are not "hard" points, they vary quite a bit depending upon how you send requests for more throttle with your right foot. If you ease slowly off the throttle, it will likely shift into the next highest gear. But if you use a faster motion when you ease off the throttle, it's much more likely to stay in the same gear (assuming you're not at too high of revs already). The shift logic takes into account both the throttle pedal position as well as the speed at which it was moved. This is why I call the transmission "telepathic", because you can control gear selection by learning how and when to make throttle requests that vary not only by the pedal position but also by the speed at which the request to change the throttle setting was made. It's a very well implemented system which doesn't garner the amount of recognition it deserves.

These same dynamics are available to the driver whether the driver's request is for more power or less power.

I know the shift points are hard but giving it more throttle for it to down shift, it doesn't shift, even more throttle, doesn't shift, more throttle it, doesn't shift, more throttle it finally shifts it annoying as hell. The cx5 does that when it bogs down. It's really dependant on how you take off and in heavy traffic your limited to the guy in front of you. I later just started almost flooring it everywhere and didn't have that problem much anywhere.

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[Unobtanium]

I know the shift points are hard but giving it more throttle for it to down shift, it doesn't shift, even more throttle, doesn't shift, more throttle it, doesn't shift, more throttle it finally shifts it annoying as hell. The cx5 does that when it bogs down. It's really dependant on how you take off and in heavy traffic your limited to the guy in front of you. I later just started almost flooring it everywhere and didn't have that problem much anywhere.

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Never had that issue. Then again, I have good ankle mobility and a great feel for things like this. If I want more, I ask. It answers. You can probably buy a VBOX or something for it that can ape sport mode if ankle mobility is an issue for you.

 

[craigo]

Never had that issue. Then again, I have good ankle mobility and a great feel for things like this. If I want more, I ask. It answers. You can probably buy a VBOX or something for it that can ape sport mode if ankle mobility is an issue for you.

When I got this car I had to alter my pedal style. Put the pedal where you want the throttle and let the transmission get there. Sounds obvious, but the AT's of the past I had weren't all that smart. Smooth affirmative pressure for good results.

 

[Unobtanium]

When I got this car I had to alter my pedal style. Put the pedal where you want the throttle and let the transmission get there. Sounds obvious, but the AT's of the past I had weren't all that smart. Smooth affirmative pressure for good results.

I'm confused. If I want a downshift, I press the pedal, if not, I don't. It's just like my 1995 Trans Am was. Or my Jeep. Or any other car I've had with an auto.

 

[StealthWyvern]

Never had that issue. Then again, I have good ankle mobility and a great feel for things like this. If I want more, I ask. It answers. You can probably buy a VBOX or something for it that can ape sport mode if ankle mobility is an issue for you.

Nothing wrong with my ankles bud. I'm not entirely sure how you got that. Lmao I'm not the only one that has experienced that issue in my 2015 2.5l fwd cx5. I'm just used to driving something with a lot more power and not used to almost having to floor it to get the Trans to shift to accelerate. The Trans programming is setup to hold the higher gear for way to long and causes the car to bog down at times.

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[craigo]

I'm confused. If I want a downshift, I press the pedal, if not, I don't. It's just like my 1995 Trans Am was. Or my Jeep. Or any other car I've had with an auto.

Mike notes above that it doesn't have hard shift points. If you try to identify them, you'll just confuse it and that can result in odd behavior like holding gears or abrupt shifts.

I don't experience bogging or having to floor it very often.

 

[craigo]

I know the shift points are hard but giving it more throttle for it to down shift, it doesn't shift, even more throttle, doesn't shift, more throttle it, doesn't shift, more throttle it finally shifts it annoying as hell. The cx5 does that when it bogs down. It's really dependant on how you take off and in heavy traffic your limited to the guy in front of you. I later just started almost flooring it everywhere and didn't have that problem much anywhere.

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This is weird and makes me think your transmission has an issue.

 

[StealthWyvern]

This is weird and makes me think your transmission has an issue.

Then it had transmission issues from mile 3 when I bought it. Mazda even said nothing was wrong with it. I think it had more to do with 3 different people driving it.

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[craigo]

Then it had transmission issues from mile 3 when I bought it. Mazda even said nothing was wrong with it. I think it had more to do with 3 different people driving it.

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That can affect it if people have widely varying pedal style. You might try this slip learning procedure. I had some early weirdness and it corrected it: http://www.autoserviceprofessional.com/article/93952/mazda-shift-shock

Do it in a large open lot.

 

[MikeM.]

I know the shift points are hard but giving it more throttle for it to down shift, it doesn't shift, even more throttle, doesn't shift, more throttle it, doesn't shift, more throttle it finally shifts it annoying as hell. The cx5 does that when it bogs down. It's really dependant on how you take off and in heavy traffic your limited to the guy in front of you. I later just started almost flooring it everywhere and didn't have that problem much anywhere.

You completely missed my point.

The shift points are controllable by the driver. This means they are "soft" shift points, not "hard".

Yes, if you pussy-foot the throttle, a little at a time, it will probably not downshift until it's nearly to the floor. But, if you push the throttle decisively halfway to the floor it will downshift immediately.

Using your example in heavy traffic, say traffic starts moving slowly. You release the brake and depress the accelerator slightly to roll with the flow. The transmission will upshift as necessary to keep the revs low. Say you are in 3rd gear going 20 mph or less when the traffic in front all of a sudden accelerates hard. If you gently ease onto the throttle the transmission will hold the same gear and gradually build speed very slowly. If you back the throttle off almost imperceptibly and make a sharp accelerator motion to half-throttle, the transmission will quickly downshift. The shift points are controllable by the driver.

In other words, it's not only the position of the accelerator pedal that determines shift points, but also how quickly the pedal reached it's new position.

 

[yrwei52]

This is weird and makes me think your transmission has an issue.

Then that'd be the first time I'm in a car forum hearing so many transmission issues on low mileage new cars...

 

[minnesotaart]

I guess I must be lucky and got a good one. Approaching 30k miles right now. Have only replaced oil and filter 5 times, cabin air filter 2 times, engine air filter once and added washer fluid as needed. Even the original wiper blades just don't streak yet and still do a perfect job (that's 30 months!). And the Bluetooth has worked perfectly since I got it. I do not use the usb port for music, so I can't say if that works correctly or not. 2 sets of tires/rims (originals for summer - Blizzaks for winter) without significant wear yet on either set. That's it folks, other than the fact that it gets dirty and I have to wash it occasionally! What's not to love? Best damn vehicle I have ever owned!

 

[StealthWyvern]

You completely missed my point.

The shift points are controllable by the driver. This means they are "soft" shift points, not "hard".

Yes, if you pussy-foot the throttle, a little at a time, it will probably not downshift until it's nearly to the floor. But, if you push the throttle decisively halfway to the floor it will downshift immediately.

Using your example in heavy traffic, say traffic starts moving slowly. You release the brake and depress the accelerator slightly to roll with the flow. The transmission will upshift as necessary to keep the revs low. Say you are in 3rd gear going 20 mph or less when the traffic in front all of a sudden accelerates hard. If you gently ease onto the throttle the transmission will hold the same gear and gradually build speed very slowly. If you back the throttle off almost imperceptibly and make a sharp accelerator motion to half-throttle, the transmission will quickly downshift. The shift points are controllable by the driver.

In other words, it's not only the position of the accelerator pedal that determines shift points, but also how quickly the pedal reached it's new position.

I agree but in traffic you can't always due that and that's my gripe. I shouldn't have to force the car not to bog down due to poor programming for day to day traffic.

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[yrwei52]

I agree but in traffic you can't always due that and that's my gripe. I shouldn't have to force the car not to bog down due to poor programming for day to day traffic.

And Sport Mode added on 2016+ MY would give you a better alternative to meet your taste.

 

[MikeM.]

I agree but in traffic you can't always due that and that's my gripe. I shouldn't have to force the car not to bog down due to poor programming for day to day traffic.

Did you even read my helpful instructions?

Because I gave specific examples of how the driver is in charge of gear selection specifically in heavy traffic. Even though I call the transmission "telepathic", it can't actually read your mind, you still need to provide the specific control input that achieves your desired result.

 

[StealthWyvern]

Did you even read my helpful instructions?

Because I gave specific examples of how the driver is in charge of gear selection specifically in heavy traffic. Even though I call the transmission "telepathic", it can't actually read your mind, you still need to provide the specific control input that achieves your desired result.

No i didnt. I take it you missed the part where no longer have the car. This is the only car out of about 35 cars that I've had to have this issue. It's not user error but poor adaptive programming if you have to make it shift not to bog down.

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