'19 CX-5 Sig - Pros and Cons after 1yr of Owning first Mazda

After 1 year of owning a 2019 Cx-5 signature in machine grey metallic with 15k miles, here are my thoughts:

PROS:
- Still love the design and looks. Signature wheels are a must. Love them. Machine grey metallic was a must. Love the color. Styling was one of the main reasons I got it.
- Reliability. 0 problems. Drives great.
- Overall quality seems to have held up. Knobs, stitching, feel, sound, AC, heat etc - all seem to be keeping up and working like day one.
- Turbo. For me, the turbo was a must. I would not have bought this car without the turbo. Without it, I feel it is too underpowered for me.

CONS:
- Thin paint. I've gotten all kinds of nicks, scratches and chunks taken out of my car's paint. It just seems thin. I've repaired a few using paint scratch.com's products.
- Leather on driver's side is wearing much quicker than I thought it would. It's just folding and looking worn, not scratched. Not sure how this will progress.
- HUD/Infotainment - I like the Apple Play and everything usually works, but it could be improved. It's just ok. I didn't buy the car for this feature though.
- Backup camera quality. Not as good as some of the slightly older Mazda's built in Japan. Not sure why they would have gone with a cheaper lower quality res.

For other owners, Did you notice similar things? What do you think?
 
I've got a 2020 Touring and I don't have any complaints about the backup camera resolution.
 
I have no issue with the backup camera. Now, the 360 view could use some improvements. We've had ours 2 years this December. I really have no complaints, other than nit picks. I wish Android Auto was HUD interactive, but I knew it wasn't when we bought it.
 
I have a '19 GT-R but only have 4000 miles on it in 11 months. I have the Soul Red and it has the same issues with small stone nicks. Otherwise it's been perfect, no issues, not enough drive time for the leather driver seat to show wear. I also have no issues with the backup camera resolution. The picture improved tremendously from the first couple of weeks after I adjusted the camera settings in the infotainment system.

Cheers!
 
When I first got my 19 GTR I thought the backup camera was definitely lower quality than other cars I have driven. I since have gotten kind of use to it for most situations.
 
I have a 2020 Akera (Signature?)
Other than the piano black interior parts the remote key fob irks me. Decent size but with miniature buttons down the sides.
Rear camera/360 deg view screen low on clarity

Oh and I complained the other day the tailgate didn't open high enough...I'm 6'4"
The wife laughed and said "well you did lower it 2 inches".... fair call:)
 
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I've got a 2020 Touring and I don't have any complaints about the backup camera resolution.
Yeah I agree, my '19 Touring camera seems perfectly fine. I see a number of people complaining though - I wonder if there is a car-by-car difference in installed cameras, or just that some of us are less picky than others?

Maybe the OP (@audikiller ) could post a photo of his reversing screen to compare?
 
Yeah I agree, my '19 Touring camera seems perfectly fine. I see a number of people complaining though - I wonder if there is a car-by-car difference in installed cameras, or just that some of us are less picky than others?

Maybe the OP (@audikiller ) could post a photo of his reversing screen to compare?
From other comments I suppose it could be an issue unique to the 360 degree system which I am not familar with.

Or it might be something as simple as wax or another coating from a detailing on the camera lens or lenses in a 360 degree system. With the rear lens tucked under the hatch without direct exposure to the weather, a coating could stick to that for a long time.
 
If you haven't adjusted the contrast and saturation in the camera settings, the backup camera's image can be made better than with the stock settings.
 
Yeah I agree, my '19 Touring camera seems perfectly fine. I see a number of people complaining though - I wonder if there is a car-by-car difference in installed cameras, or just that some of us are less picky than others?

Maybe the OP (@audikiller ) could post a photo of his reversing screen to compare?
Before I bought my 2019 GTR I read every review I could find and it was commonly brought up that the backup camera had a lower resolution than many competitors. It’s ok but definitely lesser quality. It would also be nice if it had the trajectory lines that some others have. I had that feature in a previous car and it was helpful.
 
Before I bought my 2019 GTR I read every review I could find and it was commonly brought up that the backup camera had a lower resolution than many competitors. It’s ok but definitely lesser quality. It would also be nice if it had the trajectory lines that some others have. I had that feature in a previous car and it was helpful.

Maybe you should have bought the Sig then. :) It's weird that they are only there in 360 mode.

360.jpg
 
Before I bought my 2019 GTR I read every review I could find and it was commonly brought up that the backup camera had a lower resolution than many competitors. It’s ok but definitely lesser quality. It would also be nice if it had the trajectory lines that some others have. I had that feature in a previous car and it was helpful.
My issue is not the resolution. It's the complete inability to deal with dynamic lighting. Here is mine as I try to back out of the gas station with the pumps/awning over them behind me.

My main issue with my CX5 GT-R is that a lot of it is really well thought out, but poorly executed. Mazda is just new to higher trim level features. This is an EXCELLENT first go at it for them, but they need to refine it. The mirrors need to stop breaking (many people have issues with them failing to fold/extend. I know I have issues with them failing). The camera resolution and glare reduction needs work. The side mirrors need a glare reduction capability like the RVM has. The sound system is hot garbage even in the Sg and GT-R models. The paint is flimsy (this is most Japanese vehicles though, to be fair). The elimination of boost in 1st and 2nd gear in under 20*f weather is completely unique and uncalled for. The infotainment system is glitchy as hell.

Anyway, that's my complaint after a little over 50K miles in my 2019 GT-R.
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I bought a 19 CX-5 Touring with the preferred package. I also have the driver's seat side wearing off. It's all wrinkly I even tried using an iron over a damp rag but it did not improve. I'm thinking that if it gets worse, in a few years I might see if I can get that piece of leather replaced.

My other complain is I got the premium sound but I can barely hear or feel the subwoofer. I wish there was a way that I can increase the sub level like in an aftermarket head unit. I might install a second sub under one of the seats.

Lastly, one of my key fobs needs the battery replaced. Seems kind of early. Other than that, the car is great.
 
I have also had my Signature Turbo for just over a year. I haven't noticed the paint being more sensitive than on other cars I've owned. The back up camera is my first so I can't compare to those on other vehicles. I appreciate all the warnings like cross traffic when I'm backing. Driver's seat has a slight dimple after about 7000 miles but nothing I could complain about. This issue I am still grappling with is the automatic transmission. It is the first I've owned in many years and I'm still trying to adjust to the lack of "instant on" power supply compared to my last five vehicles with standard transmissions. Not a deficiency per se on Mazda's part. I imagine Subarus, Hondas, Toyotas et al with automatics are the same.

I too love my car, it is really a joy. My only complaint apart from the automatic transmission performance is that I needed all four break pads replaced at a little over 6000 miles. I described this issue in another thread. Compares quite unfavorably with four previous vehicles driven under the same conditions. I am resigned however and find all of the car's other attributes more or less make up for this negative.
 
I also have a 2019 Signature, purchased in March 2019 now with 13,000 miles. I fully agree with all 4 of your pros. As far as the cons, well I got the sonic silver and I've picked up a few nicks here and there also. I use the OEM touchup pen and that seems to work satisfactorily, so I chalk that up to normal usage (can't keep it in the garage all the time). The infotainment sound I believe is very good; much better than the system I had in my Acura; subwoofer sounds decent for an OEM system. But that's my personal taste. The 360 camera I find is decent enough for what I need it for. Yes, the resolution could be better, however what it shows is clear enough, and I'm happy with it.
 
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