Woo Hoo Delivery Tomorrow.

[Pitter]

Dealer called and said my Signature arrived and they can deliver it tomorrow afternoon. In the mean time they are installing the tinted windows and riveting certain pieces. The latter is a common practice at Colombia dealerships as things like outside mirrors and emblems are frequently ripped off of new cars for resale in the black market. Talking with them yesterday they explained that Mazda customizes certain car features according to country. For example heated seats and steering wheel are not available in Colombia as there are few regions in the country where those would be useful. Chile on the other hand gets them. They however may lose seat back ventilation though I'm not sure.

The first dealer I went to said the only colors available where white, machine grey, silver and red. I told them I wanted blue. They said "not available". I went to another dealer and they said sure we can get you one, a one month wait. They have come through and I get to drive it home tomorrow! Interestingly I have never seen a blue CX 5 in Cali, the city where I live. Have no idea why it is an unpopular color. Don't care a whit though as I'll be delighted with blue and be able to find my car in a parking lot. They gave me an exhaustive and thorough test drive explaining everything even climbing a steep hill to show me the car's capabilities. Very professional all around which is not so common hereabouts.

 

[leeharvey418]

So... no last minute questions?

 

[Pitter]

Well I see there's going to be something of a learning curve.

 

[Sig cx-5]

... Talking with them yesterday they explained that Mazda customizes certain car features according to country. For example heated seats and steering wheel are not available in Colombia as there are few regions in the country where those would be useful. ...

You also get a CD player, which we do not.

 

[Pitter]

Might be better than your 8 track tape player Sig cx-5.

 

[Adeelanwar]

Concomitant to nothing, your English is impeccable.

Congrats on the Blue Sig

 

[Avoidin Deer]

Congrats!

I got mine a couple of months earlier than I was supposed to. I placed a factory order, and the dealership later realized they had a Reserve in my color (Eternal Blue) already on order and in the pipeline. All they had to do was install the options I ordered (splash guards, hitch, etc).

That's crazy you have to have parts riveted on to your car, but there are cities here in the states where you would never park your car unattended for that same reason.

 

[Pitter]

Sig CX-5 my apologies! I thought you were making fun but you're absolutely right, my car has a CD player.

 

[Sig cx-5]

Sig CX-5 my apologies! I thought you were making fun but you're absolutely right, my car has a CD player.

I'm surprised you didn't know. We need pic's of your new ride!

 

[Pitter]

Yes coming up soon. Well it was quite a long delivery at the dealer yesterday afternoon. Lots of explanations (needed!). They told me to come by at four and I didn't get the car on the road until six. Following recommendations here I checked the oil level before leaving and then the tire pressure this morning. They were all a couple of pounds shy of the 36 psi on the door plate. Ok not bad. I find getting in and slightly awkward. I have to duck my head a bit (must be worse for six footers) and slide over the rather heigh seat bolsters. But I'll get use to it. Here in Cali there is a lot of theft when driving on the streets.. Typically a motorcycle with one or a couple of guys on it (the latter is illegal for this very reason) pulls up to your window and you have a gun in your face. If your lucky they just want your cel phone, watch and wallet. If you're not lucky they want the whole car. As a result dark polarized windows are de rigueur. When my sales lady asked me what percentage I wanted percentage I wanted I really didn't know and there were no examples handy. She made a suggestion and I said ok but not too dark. I'm an old guy and want to see on the rare occaisions I'm driving at night. It so happens that the sales lady had had her car stolen at gun point when she was in it with her young daughter so maybe a bit sensitive about the subject. Too she's in her thirties with good eyesight. Well this is all leading up to the fact that shortly after I left the dealership it was dark (about six thirty year round). To my horror I found the windshield was much darker than I expected and I had difficulty seeing people in the street with the headlights set to auto. It has been commented a number of times here that the lighting on the CX-5 is terrific so quite a bummer that it has been compromised. It did seem to be better when I got out of the city and on to a rural road. I did really appreciate the "hold" feature while slogging through rush hour traffic. Lastly for now anyway, I found the ride was definitely a cut above that of my old car, a Renault Duster on the one and a half kilometers stretch of rough unpaved road that I have to cover to get home. Oh and the blue is gorgeous!

 

[dwill]

You also get a CD player, which we do not.

In the 4 years I had my 2016 CX-5 GT, I never ever used the CD player. Dont know if it even worked. Once they started putting USB ports in the car that hooked up the the audio system, I got an old iPod Nano off eBay, loaded all my music onto that, and have that permanently hooked up in the car.

 

[sm1ke]

*snip*

Great to hear that the delivery mostly went well. I would take it back to the dealer to have the windshield retinted to a safer percentage.

I've heard a lot of crazy things about car jackings and theft in Colombia. Recently saw a video where a YouTuber with a helmet cam got held up on his motorcycle. The YouTuber let him have the bike, but before the thief could speed off, an offduty cop shot him down in the street. Crazy stuff!

 

[CX_FIVER]

Enjoy it. Is it a 2020? Does it look different from the 2019 on the inside or outside?

 

[Pitter]

Yes it is a 2020, duly registered as such. I don't think it is different from the 2019 as far as what Ive see. It has no badges on it indicating it has a turbo. The interior is sort of a soft gray and I think earlier versions have more of a soft brown. Not sure on that. It has front seat back ventilation fans, nice for sticky weather. My 2015 Renault had no CD player just a USB port. I'm very surprised my 2020 Mazda has one. Got a few CDs from yore so will have to test it out.

 

[Avoidin Deer]

I wonder if a different interior is a non-U.S. option.
The 2019 U.S. Signature only offers brown for the interior.

My Reserve has ventilated seat bottoms, not seat backs (I don't believe the backs are ventilated.)

Neither the Reserve nor the Signature here say "turbo" anywhere, but the Signature is badged as a Signature (2019 model year), although I don't know where that badge is or what it looks like. I can't find it on any pics.

 

[Pitter]

Interesting. Well the seat backs on mine have some sort of little fan and there are dash switches to turn them on. The effect is subtle but you can feel it. I would have liked that brown interior better but the gray is ok.

 

[dwill]

I wonder if a different interior is a non-U.S. option.
The 2019 U.S. Signature only offers brown for the interior.

My Reserve has ventilated seat bottoms, not seat backs (I don't believe the backs are ventilated.)

Neither the Reserve nor the Signature here say "turbo" anywhere, but the Signature is badged as a Signature (2019 model year), although I don't know where that badge is or what it looks like. I can't find it on any pics.

The 2019 Reserve seats are ventilated both on the bottom and back. At least mine are.

 

[Avoidin Deer]

^^what dwill said^^

I've only used mine a few times.

The fan does not blow air out, it draws air into the seat and around you. That could be why you feel it as being "subtle."

They really are nice cars.

 

[CX_FIVER]

Check the rear hatch lower right for Signature.

 

[Pitter]

Well here're some pictures. In addition to the car something else that may be of interest. In Colombia you are required to carry an emergency kit that contains a fire extinguisher and warning triangles to put in the road to warn other drivers your car is stalled. I've never been checked but if the police stop you they can insist on seeing your kit and if you don't have one or the extinguisher is expired they can give you a fine. Mazda supplies a most impressive kit with a lot more than the law requires. The bottom of the case is velcro and sticks to the carpeting in the trunk. They seem to have thought of everything.