2022 CX-5 Slightly Less Fun?

I’ve been driving a 2022 Premium/GT loaner for over 3 weeks now. Coming from a 2017 GT.

The big differences I’ve noticed are the softer suspension and a little lighter steering . I do appreciate these changes but feel they have taken some of the enjoyment out. Same when going from the 2016.5 to the 2017, a little fun was lost.

Still engaging, I’m not sure how it stacks against the new crv or Tucson
 
My 2022 Turbo wasn't quite "Zoom Zoom" IMHO so I lowered it with coilovers and got wider/lower profile tires.

Still, I think the Turbo and Signature are the best buys going and the most fun to drive in this price range.
 
I drove a 2019 GT AWD for a couple of days, as well as a 2017 GS (I think) FWD.
2017 GS felt quicker mainly because it was FWD. As a result, there was more wheelspin and a bit less grip.
It was also a bit noisy in the cabin, although the car felt more "direct" -- especially the steering and the transmission.

The 2019 was in between the 2017 and my 2022, although that car is special to me because I was given it as a test car for a day right before I signed the papers for my car.

My 2022 (not the Turbo) tries to be as quiet as possible in normal mode. It feels a bit dull and a bit underpowered, and it won't rev past 5000rpm even when you kickdown. Mazda is trying to compete with Lexus (source) and the driving characteristics of my CX-5 definitely feel like one.
It is much more fun in Sport, but then it gets a bit too much after a short while of fun. Wouldn't say no to a mode in between, or a personal mode.
 
Interesting observations! I know it’s been talked a lot about the direction Mazda is going versus the zoom zoom, but it be nice if they stuck with the more “bmw” fun to drive with the reliability of Lexus ;)
 
Yeah I've had two Gen 2 loaners and sure they are "nice", but they are way more boring to drive than my 2014.

I may be biased, 2014 was best model year. :cool:
 
I was playing with the paddle shifters and they are really nice to have for dropping to 5th gear when you need that quick boost to pass on the highway.. EXCEPT in Normal mode the trans shifts right back into 6th as soon as you hit 4k rpm. And if you keep it in Sport mode, it won’t stay in 6th!!!

Yes, the first gen felt like a hatch, so nice. What pushed me to the Gen2 was the radar cruise with stop and go, but honestly it’s so jerky I don’t like using it as much as I thought.
 
I was playing with the paddle shifters and they are really nice to have for dropping to 5th gear when you need that quick boost to pass on the highway.. EXCEPT in Normal mode the trans shifts right back into 6th as soon as you hit 4k rpm. And if you keep it in Sport mode, it won’t stay in 6th!!!

Yes, the first gen felt like a hatch, so nice. What pushed me to the Gen2 was the radar cruise with stop and go, but honestly it’s so jerky I don’t like using it as much as I thought.
I'm pretty easy going, I like simplicity with my cars. The more tech it has, the more can go wrong. My headlights go out, it's a $30 pair of bulbs, not a $1k headlight assembly. I can count on maybe 2 hands now how often I've used cruise control, and that's usually been limited to long roadtrips on stretches of interstate. Day to day, not a useful feature for me. I sat in the newer leather chairs of the Gen 2 GT's and frankly they were uncomfortable compared to my simple cloth seats in mine. I still have an actual e-brake, not some lame EPB.

Accelerating from a stop? Way more responsive on my 2014 vs either gen 2 I drove, unless they were purposefully put in sport mode.

That's just me though.
 
Yes, the first gen felt like a hatch, so nice. What pushed me to the Gen2 was the radar cruise with stop and go, but honestly it’s so jerky I don’t like using it as much as I thought.

I love the radar cruise, especially in stop/go traffic jams. Mine is not jerky at all... maybe something is wrong with yours?
 
For those whom like the older versions better which are non turbos, what size tires are you running?

Noticed that my 2018 na/non turbo with the big 19 inch tires was sluggish.
Since I've switched to 16 inch tires and dropped 60 lbs unsprung weight, it has become extremely fun to drive. However, fuel economy has dropped.

It seems that maybe what has taken the fun out is that the older vehicles 4-pot engine was sufficient to power the vehicles weight(which is already pretty heavy... an SUV powered with a 4 cylinder).

Since they keep adding weight to the vehicle , whether it be soundproofing, or other improvements, as well as sticking bigger tires on it then maybe that is the reasoning for some of the power loss & less sporty, less fun feel of the newer vehicles ?
 
I love the radar cruise, especially in stop/go traffic jams. Mine is not jerky at all... maybe something is wrong with yours?
Mine was jerky until they did updated the PCU/PCMand TCU/TCM units.

Maybe he needs an update?

They may charge you. Even under warranty, they charged me for updates.
 
Mine was jerky until they did updated the PCU/PCMand TCU/TCM units.

Maybe he needs an update?

They may charge you. Even under warranty, they charged me for updates.
They're not supposed to charge you if you're experiencing the problem and there's TSB for it.
I'd contact Mazda NA corporate and complain.
 
I was playing with the paddle shifters and they are really nice to have for dropping to 5th gear when you need that quick boost to pass on the highway.. EXCEPT in Normal mode the trans shifts right back into 6th as soon as you hit 4k rpm. And if you keep it in Sport mode, it won’t stay in 6th!!!

Yes, the first gen felt like a hatch, so nice. What pushed me to the Gen2 was the radar cruise with stop and go, but honestly it’s so jerky I don’t like using it as much as I thought.
I've been using manual mode since forever. Even though it's not a real manual mode, since there is no clutch pedal, I feel that I have a better control. I down shift to 5th and 4th and it's really going! The RMP jumps to 4000, 4500 but it feels nice!
 
For those whom like the older versions better which are non turbos, what size tires are you running?

Noticed that my 2018 na/non turbo with the big 19 inch tires was sluggish.
Since I've switched to 16 inch tires and dropped 60 lbs unsprung weight, it has become extremely fun to drive. However, fuel economy has dropped.

It seems that maybe what has taken the fun out is that the older vehicles 4-pot engine was sufficient to power the vehicles weight(which is already pretty heavy... an SUV powered with a 4 cylinder).

Since they keep adding weight to the vehicle , whether it be soundproofing, or other improvements, as well as sticking bigger tires on it then maybe that is the reasoning for some of the power loss & less sporty, less fun feel of the newer vehicles ?
I don't think the newer CX-5's have anything bigger than what Gen 1 GT's were using (19"). I have a Touring however and my car uses 17" tires. 225/65 R17 specifically was what it came with. I've just kept with that size. Frankly I wouldn't want 19's for a variety of reasons, chief being cost, and ride quality on crappy roads and potholes.

You are right about the added weight though. The last Gen 2 loaner I had was a GT and I had to put it in sport mode when accelerating from a stop to make it feel even remotely the same responsiveness off the line as my own 2014. Felt very sluggish by comparison. I didn't like that at all.

On another note, I have the older style gated shifter which I like a lot, and feels very satisfying when using manual mode.
 
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