In July 2020 Consumer Reports:

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San Diego, CA
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2014 Mazda3 S GT auto, 2008 MX5 6-speed
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Just received my magazine and saw this today. 👍

Certainly validates our choice!
 
I think the most important way to convince someone is to have him or her drive the Mazda. There are still plenty of folks who wear blinders that say Toyota and Honda on them. That being said, I must also mention that I se a ton of CX5s on the road and in driveways.
 
Ha, I have an X1 and that’s exactly the swap I’m trying to make before the BMW is out of warranty. I will say that CR’s criticism of the X1 handling and engine noise is nonsense - the car is quite great, it’s just not worth the long term cost of ownership.
 
Ha, I have an X1 and that’s exactly the swap I’m trying to make before the BMW is out of warranty. I will say that CR’s criticism of the X1 handling and engine noise is nonsense - the car is quite great, it’s just not worth the long term cost of ownership.

Aw, c'mon. You don't want to spend $400 for a new battery and the programming for it?
 
I think the most important way to convince someone is to have him or her drive the Mazda.

John McElroy agrees: "...If Mazda could only figure out a way to put butts in seats and get car shoppers to take a test drive, they sell a lot more."

There are still plenty of folks who wear blinders that say Toyota and Honda on them.

I bought my first of what would become 11 new Honda automobiles over a 12-year period beginning in 2006 after first admiring the brand in the 1980s. I had great experiences with Honda up until about 2016 when I noticed that each new Honda I bought had more problems than the last. My most recent Honda was a 2019 Ridgeline that was an extraordinarily useful and comfortable vehicle, but it was a lemon. It needed a new transmission at 14,000 miles, water drained down the inside of the rear window when it rained, it vibrated when braking, a gasoline odor would periodically fill the cabin and my garage, and several other issues that qualified it as a lemon. I asked Honda to buy the vehicle back, but they refused. I then asked them to pay for half of the cost to trade it for another one, but they ignored me. This is how Honda treats customers who spent nearly $400,000 buying their vehicles. Had they contributed $5,000 toward the trade difference, I'd still be driving a Honda. Because they refused, I traded the Ridgeline for a new CX-5.
 
Please keep in mind that when CR says that a cabin is noisy (as in the BMW X1), they mean that according to their instrumented testing, which almost definitely is very controlled, the X1 is noisier than the latest CX5. The X3 and the X5 are not as noisy as the X1, which is not worth the premium over the CX5. That premium (in this comparison and others) pays for name recognition.
 
Please keep in mind that when CR says that a cabin is noisy (as in the BMW X1), they mean that according to their instrumented testing, which almost definitely is very controlled...

CR's noise rating is a combination of objective measurements and subjective evaluations. In a recent episode of their Talking Cars podcast, they acknowledge that they prioritize the latter. A vehicle that is quiet overall may have less pleasing sounds than a vehicle that is louder overall. Example: An EV that has a lot of high-frequency wind noise and motor whine may register a relatively quiet 65 dB overall with a peak at 4,000 Hz while a powerful sport-luxury vehicle may register 70 dB with a peak at 100 Hz. Of course, it's much more complex than that, but hopefully that conveys the general idea. :)

 
CR's noise rating is a combination of objective measurements and subjective evaluations. In a recent episode of their Talking Cars podcast, they acknowledge that they prioritize the latter. A vehicle that is quiet overall may have less pleasing sounds than a vehicle that is louder overall. Example: An EV that has a lot of high-frequency wind noise and motor whine may register a relatively quiet 65 dB overall with a peak at 4,000 Hz while a powerful sport-luxury vehicle may register 70 dB with a peak at 100 Hz. Of course, it's much more complex than that, but hopefully that conveys the general idea. :)


That does make sense, although I'm sure they wouldn't use me as a tester - too many concerts when I was younger. :(
 
"What Is the difference between dB and dBA? dB sound pressure levels are unweighted. dBA levels are "A" weighted according to the weighting curves to approximate the way the human ear hears. For example, a 100 dB level at 100 Hz will be perceived to have a loudness equal to only 80 dB at 1000 Hz."

This measurement can be made with meters designed to mimic the human ear response.
 
"What Is the difference between dB and dBA? dB sound pressure levels are unweighted. dBA levels are "A" weighted according to the weighting curves to approximate the way the human ear hears. For example, a 100 dB level at 100 Hz will be perceived to have a loudness equal to only 80 dB at 1000 Hz."

This measurement can be made with meters designed to mimic the human ear response.

Still, loudness and sound quality are extremely subjective - it's not just about overall noise levels.
 
Please keep in mind that when CR says that a cabin is noisy (as in the BMW X1), they mean that according to their instrumented testing, which almost definitely is very controlled, the X1 is noisier than the latest CX5. The X3 and the X5 are not as noisy as the X1, which is not worth the premium over the CX5. That premium (in this comparison and others) pays for name recognition.

The noise that CR reports is almost entirely attributed to the OEM run-flat tires on the X1. A lot of owners report a very quiet car after switching to normal tires. The X1 certainly doesn't skimp on sound-dampening materials - its everywhere.

As for the premium, I wouldn't chock the X1 attraction purely up to name recognition. Here's what won me over: 6.6 second 0-60 time and a highway MPG in the mid-30's (my high is 37 mpg on road trips). Rare combination.
 
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Well, does anyone think that the OEM CX5 tires are the quietest in the world? Not likely, so I have no doubt that CX5 owners can lower the sound levels even more. Two can play that game, but really, when car mags and CR test vehicles, they test them as purchased.
It is also true that few people believe a German vehicle will cost less to own than a Japanese vehicle.

I rented a BMW i8 that was made at about the same time that my Mazda3 was. The BMW's heads up display was fading away after a warm and sunny afternoon drive. Then the gas tank door refused to open with the door-mounted switch. There hasn't been one electrical malfunction with my 3.

Yes, this just one car but if you peruse CRs April Auto issue you'll see all the below average marks on the BMW tables vs all the above average marks on Almost every Mazda's reliability table.
 
The OEM 17" tires are very quiet. Between the underbody paneling, the double door seals, and laminated front windshield and front side glass, Mazda did a very good job at sound insulation. The CX-5 is as quiet as a Lexus, 66db reported at 70mph, quietest in the segment. That is with the 19" wheels. https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a32161895/2020-compact-crossover-comparison/

As far as reducing sound, the OEM rubber Mazda floor and cargo mats add further noise insulation.
 
I was just out for a drive and I noticed how loud it was on a secondary blacktop road with that rough, gravelly surface, compared to the smooth asphalt on the interstate. My tires are OEM Geolanders with over 41k mi.
Really not that bad for the mileage compared to the Bridgestone Duellers I had that were so loud on the interstate it sounded like a mechanical problem.
 
Many tires produce more noise as they age (get harder) and wear (slightly uneven). Consumer Reports does rate noise levels of tires. They are definitely not all the same.
 
Many tires produce more noise as they age (get harder) and wear (slightly uneven). Consumer Reports does rate noise levels of tires. They are definitely not all the same.

Agree 100%. I bought a 2019 Ridgeline a couple of years ago. A few months after I bought it, I bought a set of new take-off wheels and tires from a different trim level (same tires, different wheel color). I put about 9,000 miles on the new tires. Just before I traded it last month, I reinstalled the original wheels and tires. The decrease in noise and increase in smoothness caught me by surprise. Again, identical tires - the only variable was use. Now, the truck was never "loud" or "rough" by any means, but driving it back-to-back with new tires vs. used tires that were identical other than use made the different very obvious.
 
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