In the market - How are the 2014's holding up?

[heybrady]

Hey all

I am currently in the market for a 2014 or 2015 CX5. I am looking for a 14-15, touring or GT, ~20K miles. Seems there is a small selection of 2 year leases starting to come back in. Currently in a Fusion, but had a Mazda 3 and a Millenia before that, so I am looking forward to getting back to Mazda.

Have done a bunch of forum reading, test drives, etc but wanted to reach out and see how the members here feel about their 2014 CX5 now that it is a couple years old.

From what I can tell, the biggest complaint is the 'infotainment' system of the pre-2016 models lacking. Is it really that bad or do you get used to it after driving for a couple of years? I will admit the hackability of the 2016 system intrigues me, but I can't justify the extra $$$ for that.

Any other thoughts? Would love to hear them.

 

[mazdadude]

With regards to infotainment, it all boils down to your expectations... tech changes so rapidly.

I think the infotainment is fine for a system that was developed back when it was engineered (2010-2011).

The 2016-up CX5 infotainment is actually engineered in 2013 era, so it is a generation or 2 behind now also...

At the end of the 2 yr / 30k mile leases we have done, the tires are ready to replace, and the shocks/struts felt somewhat weak to me.

 

[craigo]

Most 14's are 3+ years old now actually... mine was built in January 2013. Holding up fine. I use bluetooth on the infotainment and have no complaints. It's quite austere compared to newer units but all I want it to do is play music on my phone and handle phone calls.

 

[minnesotaart]

Most 14's are 3+ years old now actually... mine was built in January 2013. Holding up fine. I use bluetooth on the infotainment and have no complaints. It's quite austere compared to newer units but all I want it to do is play music on my phone and handle phone calls.

+1

3 years old, just about 40k miles and not a single issue. Infotainment is perfectly fine for me. Just bought new tires today, got maybe 25k on the originals (I have winter tires that I run Nov-April).

 

[Chris_Top_Her]

Best bet price wise would be 14 or 15 awd 2.5. That way you can get the higher trim and tech. Then have extra $ for mods. The 2016 gets you a buggy infotainment and led lights which can be had for cheap anyways

 

[jhu8]

Best bet price wise would be 14 or 15 awd 2.5. That way you can get the higher trim and tech. Then have extra $ for mods. The 2016 gets you a buggy infotainment and led lights which can be had for cheap anyways

Buggy infotainment? I wouldn't go that far. It needs work but it is 100% usable with no real issues. Only issues I see are those who are NOT updated the most recent version. It does need work however, but spreading information like that is false. As for the led lights, you are not going to that experience in the aftermarket field. It's not just the headlights either.

But OP, 14/15 still has HIDs which are still awesome! Recommend them.

 

[heybrady]

Thanks for the replies so far. I am actually running the first-gen Sync in the Fusion now, and truthfully, it does a good job. When I was stuck on Blackberry I used a USB thumb for music and it worked great. Post-iPhone I pretty much stream music via Bluetooth also without issue. Using it for phone calls is so-so, but thats fine.

So as long as the 2014 system works good with Bluetooth and can read text, then I am happy. Anything else is gravy. Really just wish it wasn't so hard to find CX5 with Sirius (or such a goofy aftermarket OEM solution).

2WD and AWD is a toss up for me. Would be happy with Touring but have eyes open for GT around same pricepoint.

Anyone else?

 

[Ricsta]

Buggy infotainment? I wouldn't go that far. It needs work but it is 100% usable with no real issues.

My thoughts exactly when I read Chris's response. As far as I know the only issue is that the 2016 doesn't offer integrated traffic info with the nav, but prior years offered this functionality.

 

[ALafya]

Mine is ~40K miles / 3+ years old. It definitely was not the most reliable vehicle I've owned. There were few minor issues with hood and driver side mirror vibrations that were fixed in the first year. There was also a PTU oil leak, after ~2 years of ownership, which was fixed under warranty. It does consume a bit of oil, but such that I don't need to top it off. This started after ~20K miles.

I have no complaints over the infotainment. The only annoyance I had with it, not resuming USB playback after turning the car off then on, was fixed with a TSB.
Because we also have a Mazda 3 with the new infotainment, I can tell you that the new one is nicer, but as long as it does not provide Android Auto, I don't see much actual benefit for it over the old one in the CX-5.
I have a smartphone holder thingy, which uses the CD slot and a magnet to hold my phone without obstructing the outside view and with obstructing only a tiny fraction of the infotainment display. I use Google Maps with Offline maps as well as Waze. Bluetooth works fine, I also use the USB port with a dedicated USB device (a USB flash drive will work, some limitations exist). Pandora also works, though not flawlessly 100% of the time.

In retrospect, we almost never actually needed the added utility of the vehicle, though I did make good use of the AWD system, the main reason I got this type of vehicle.
The CX-5 is definitely fun to drive and has good handling, though the 3 has even better handling (physics). It is also pleasant to drive on long road trips.

 

[onerpm]

Hey, Heybrady (?!),

I've got a 2014.5 GT/nav/etc with about 23k on it. Will have had it 3 years on 11/11/16. I've been very pleased with it. The buttwarmers are weak, as others have threaded here. I was able to get my dealer to replace them, but it made no difference that I could discern. Otherwise, no issues. Took nails in 2 tires; one was patchable, one had to be replaced. Only complaint about that is that replacing the one tire cost over $300. I just listen to the (HD) radio, so have little input on the infotainment stuff. I call tell you that the reading of the text messages to/from me works flawlessly on my Windows (yes!) phone, and does not work at all for my wife's android phone (I think it's a LG3 or something like that).

I'd buy it again.

 

[heybrady]

Re: HD Radio - How do you like HD radio? I have no experience with it but would be interested for sure.

Re: tires - that's the main reason I'm against the GT. Lowest I saw was about $1000 for 4 in tire rack after all said and done. The 17" were much more reasonable.

I definitely loved my 3 when I had it but had to sell due to child seat space. When I drove a 2016 cx5 a couple of weeks ago I thought it immediately reminded me of the 3 how it drove. A good thing for sure.

Anyone have input on stashing 3 toddlers in the back seat? Our Odyssey is for any longer trips but I end up playing taxi with the girls (8/6/3) for short trips around town.


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[wlong01]

Re: HD Radio - How do you like HD radio? I have no experience with it but would be interested for sure.

Re: tires - that's the main reason I'm against the GT. Lowest I saw was about $1000 for 4 in tire rack after all said and done. The 17" were much more reasonable.

I definitely loved my 3 when I had it but had to sell due to child seat space. When I drove a 2016 cx5 a couple of weeks ago I thought it immediately reminded me of the 3 how it drove. A good thing for sure.

Anyone have input on stashing 3 toddlers in the back seat? Our Odyssey is for any longer trips but I end up playing taxi with the girls (8/6/3) for short trips around town.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Can't tell the difference between HD and regular radio. Only thing I've noticed about HD is there's usually two or three other frequencies on the band. Say you tune in 93.7 and it's HD, there might be a 93.7-2, 93.7-3, etc. Different formats from the same station. One might be Pop, the other may be Classic Rock and the other may be news. Only problem is the second and third bands seem to fade alot. Probably bandwidth.

Went with the Touring instead of GT because of the tires. The 19's are expensive and the ride seems a little harsher.

You should be able to put three booster seats in the rear with no problem. There's lots of room. The 8 yo should be out of the booster soon anyway.

 

[Kedis82ZE8]

An occasional squawk from a power door lock actuator but everything else holding up well. I use Pandora everyday with Infotainment unit and it works fine.

 

[Kedis82ZE8]

2WD and AWD is a toss up for me. Would be happy with Touring but have eyes open for GT around same pricepoint.

Anyone else?

Outside of obvious advantages on snow...even better with snow tires....AWD is great for the occasional jack rabbit start on rain slick roads

 

[mazdadude]

Outside of obvious advantages on snow...even better with snow tires....AWD is great for the occasional jack rabbit start on rain slick roads

For what it is worth, recently I got a chance to drive my parents 2016 FWD Touring CX-5 for a brief stint.

During that drive, twice I had to make 90 degree turn from a slippery surface and gas it quickly to get up to the flow of traffic. Both times, the tires slipped, and I felt the traction control kick in. Of course my parents were not too happy with me "peeling out" in their car, so I quickly turned it into a teachable moment, explaining that AWD would have prevented it.

Our last CX-5, and our current 2016.5 are AWD, and even though we are regularly driving it much harder, never have felt the traction control kick in...

 

[Chris_Top_Her]

Buggy infotainment? I wouldn't go that far. It needs work but it is 100% usable with no real issues. Only issues I see are those who are NOT updated the most recent version. It does need work however, but spreading information like that is false. As for the led lights, you are not going to that experience in the aftermarket field. It's not just the headlights either.

But OP, 14/15 still has HIDs which are still awesome! Recommend them.

Got on the cx5 club fb page and there people continually having issues with it, wether it's overhewtong, inoperable bluetooth, won't boot etc.. over all, the old unit works fine
It may be lacking in UI refinement but other than that it's purposeful. My point with the lights is you can get the hids with AFS at a used car price.

 

[jjac28]

Can't tell the difference between HD and regular radio. Only thing I've noticed about HD is there's usually two or three other frequencies on the band. Say you tune in 93.7 and it's HD, there might be a 93.7-2, 93.7-3, etc. Different formats from the same station. One might be Pop, the other may be Classic Rock and the other may be news. Only problem is the second and third bands seem to fade alot. Probably bandwidth.

Went with the Touring instead of GT because of the tires. The 19's are expensive and the ride seems a little harsher.

You should be able to put three booster seats in the rear with no problem. There's lots of room. The 8 yo should be out of the booster soon anyway.

HD Radio us amazing, the clarity is on cd quality level, sound is crystal clear but im running upgraded speakers thats why i think the difference is so prominent in my car

 

[robertmazda]

Just wanted to say that my 2013 has 68K and has NEVER had a repair. I do all of the routine maintenance myself - all fluids, brakes, plugs, filters, etc. Best car I've ever owned! Mine has been rock solid!

 

[yrwei52]

... The 2016 gets you a buggy infotainment and led lights which can be had for cheap anyways

Buggy infotainment? I wouldn't go that far. It needs work but it is 100% usable with no real issues.

Got on the cx5 club fb page and there people continually having issues with it, wether it's overhewtong, inoperable bluetooth, won't boot etc.. over all, the old unit works fine. It may be lacking in UI refinement but other than that it's purposeful.

My seldom used navigation in my 2016 infotainment system is no longer working anymore for unknown reason. Several forum members with 2016 CX-5's are having the same experience with non-functional nav recently. So I agree with Chris_Top_Her that "a buggy infotainment" on 2016 CX-5!

 

[heybrady]

Re: 2016 Stereo - Maybe these responses are what I need to un-convince myself that the 2016 infotainment is leaps and bounds better.

Re: FWD/AWD - I live in Cleveland, so am no stranger to snow. That being said, I have always driven FWD cars and really have no issues driving in snow. I think it's one of those things you just learn naturally over time when regular moderate snow is normal all winter.

Re: Child seats - The 8 year old is out of kids seats (against the wife's wishes ) so it is just a small booster and a larger LATCH seat. I will assume the back seat is no smaller than my Fusion, so we should be good there.

What's the best hitch for the CX5? Will be the first thing I do so I can transport my bicycles. Assume the install is straightforward, but looking for a hitch that is as hidden as possible.

Again, thanks all for the discussion. Much appreciated.