'19 CX-5 Sig. - 500 mile report card

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My report card at the 500 mile/3 wk point:

Performance - A (turbo gives me more then enough torque in any driving situation, finally lots of fun and no lag)
Handling - A
Brakes - A (but haven't really put them to the test)
Noise - B (Skyactive engines aren't the quietest, they get quieter upon warmup - nothing obnoxious)
MPG - C (23-24 MPG and highway driving only seems to gain 1 MPG)
Overall fit and finish - A
Styling - A- (very subjective)
Fuel Range - D- (car needs a bigger fuel tank - 18 gallon min.)
Instrumentation - A (well laid out, intuitive, not cluttered, excellent implementation of HUD)
Driving Aids - B (all are good except backup camera is a D)
Seating comfort - A- (Nappa Leather is excellent, seats bottoms are a little short)
Front seat Legroom, headroom, comfort, etc - A (no issues)
Exterior Lighting - A (headlights are excellent)
Interior Lighting - B (LED ambient lighting nothing special)
HVAC - A- (very good but heat seat comes on a little slow, steering wheel heat is nearly instant)
Infotainment - D+ (hasn't improved much since Gen 1, mode selection is cluttered, NAV is poor- voice commands are unreliable, Audio is just OK, Android Auto is a PIA)
Winter Driving - N/A (untested)
 
MPG and engine response should noticeably improve after 2 oil change cycles.
 
I liv6e the Bose Audio in my car. I can only image how much better it is with tweeters and sub.
 
My report card at the 500 mile/3 wk point:
*
MPG - C (23-24 MPG and highway driving only seems to gain 1 MPG)
Nice report card and everything is kind of expected.

About gas mileage on your CX-5 2.5T AWD, the EPA fuel economy estimates are 22/27/24 city/highway/combined. Your results are basically in line with the EPA. From the experience of my 2016 CX-5 AWD it can never beat the EPA highway estimate of 30 mpg. 28~29 mpg is the best I can get. I have never noticed any MPG improvement after break-in period or after a couple of oil changes.
 
What ambient temps have you tested the heated seats in? I have a '14 and the heated seats are absolutely worthless when it drops below 40 degrees.
 
My report card at the 500 mile/3 wk point:

...

Infotainment - D+ (hasn't improved much since Gen 1, mode selection is cluttered, NAV is poor- voice commands are unreliable, Audio is just OK, Android Auto is a PIA)

What's the story with Android auto?
 
Not a CX-5 but I have noticed that my CX-9 is getting much better at 500 miles. The dealer said he put 93 octane in (as did I) but I wonder if it he did or if it takes some time for the engine to set itself up. For a big car, it really does move when you want it to.
 
What ambient temps have you tested the heated seats in? I have a '14 and the heated seats are absolutely worthless when it drops below 40 degrees.

It's been in the 30's and 40's. Even on the highest settings the seat heat is slow to actually feel. I would agree it's nearly worthless.
 
What's the story with Android auto?

I'm not a fan of Mazda's NAV system or Android Auto w/Waze.

The Mazda system is still pretty primitive and voice recognition seems pretty flakey.

Android auto won't connect unless you're parked with parking brake on. Once it does connect the Waze map is a joke. Highways are about 1 pixel wide and highway names are too small to be readable on the Mazda screen. However Googles voice recognition is better then Mazdas. Then once you're out of range with a cell tower you loose the map and your ability to navigate. Waze real time alerts could be useful but they're too cluttered with trivial or false alerts.

I've gone back to a stand alone Garmin GPS mounted to a Proclip (perfect fit and location for a CX-5). The Garmin GPS is on when ever the vehicle is on and the map is superior.

I'll use the infotainment screen for functions other then navigation.
 
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I'm not a fan of Mazda's NAV system or Android Auto w/Waze.

The Mazda system is still pretty primitive and voice recognition seems pretty flakey.

Android auto won't connect unless you're parked with parking brake on. Once it does connect the Waze map is a joke. Highways are about 1 pixel wide and highway names are too small to be readable on the Mazda screen. However Googles voice recognition is better then Mazdas. Then once you're out of range with a cell tower you loose the map and your ability to navigate. Waze real time alerts could be useful but they're too cluttered with trivial or false alerts.

I've gone back to a stand alone Garmin GPS mounted to a Proclip (perfect fit and location for a CX-5). The Garmin GPS is on when ever the vehicle is on and the map is superior.

I'll use the infotainment screen for functions other then navigation.

I will say that CarPlay works well. Once you phone is plugged in you can switch back and forth by the home button and the voice commands become SIRI and work well. The navigation works great and you can choose Google maps or Waze.
 
I pretty much agree with everything the OP said. We too just hit about 400 miles. I have a similar mpg at 24.7 but Im actually impressed with that mileage. That first tank was 50/50 hwy/local, so I thought the mileage was very good.

CarPlay is excellent. Super easy. No need to even have a built in GPS, which isnt nearly as good as CarPlay.

The stereo isnt as bad as I initially thought it was when I test drove a different signature. Its not awesome but its not terrible either.

One miss: for Mazda touting its upscale Signature model, I cant believe the side mirrors dont also have a memory feature. Seats and heads up settings? Yes. Mirrors? No. Disappointing as I just assumed the mirrors would be synchronized with the seat memory. My guess is this feature will eventually be added to a near future model year.

Otherwise, we love the car. Recently announced IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus score to boot. Its a perfect second vehicle for us and will serve as a really easy-to-drive and safe car for my teens to begin learning how to drive over the next two years.
 
I pretty much agree with everything the OP said. We too just hit about 400 miles. I have a similar mpg at 24.7 but I*m actually impressed with that mileage. That first tank was 50/50 hwy/local, so I thought the mileage was very good.

CarPlay is excellent. Super easy. No need to even have a built in GPS, which isn*t nearly as good as CarPlay.

The stereo isn*t as bad as I initially thought it was when I test drove a different signature. It*s not awesome but it*s not terrible either.

One miss: for Mazda touting its *upscale* Signature model, I can*t believe the side mirrors don*t also have a memory feature. Seats and heads up settings? Yes. Mirrors? No. Disappointing as I just assumed the mirrors would be synchronized with the seat memory. My guess is this feature will eventually be added to a near future model year.

Otherwise, we love the car. Recently announced IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus score to boot. It*s a perfect second vehicle for us and will serve as a really easy-to-drive and safe car for my teens to begin learning how to drive over the next two years.

Do the memory settings pair with the separate key fobs? (e.g. key fob #1 is set to memory #1 and fob#2 to memory #2)
 
I'm not a fan of Mazda's NAV system or Android Auto w/Waze.

The Mazda system is still pretty primitive and voice recognition seems pretty flakey.

Android auto won't connect unless you're parked with parking brake on. Once it does connect the Waze map is a joke. Highways are about 1 pixel wide and highway names are too small to be readable on the Mazda screen. However Googles voice recognition is better then Mazdas. Then once you're out of range with a cell tower you loose the map and your ability to navigate. Waze real time alerts could be useful but they're too cluttered with trivial or false alerts.

Seems like most of the beef is with Waze. I used to like Waze but in the last year or two its really gone downhill, ads and advertised points of interest are more annoying, and their AA support is still relatively new. Plus, there's no offline mode or saving of offline maps. Honestly the only reason i still use Waze is for the police and accident alerts.

If you've tried it, is the performance any better with Google Maps? They've got offline map areas too.
 
In agee with most of the OP's report after 400+ miles on our Signature. Since the is my wife's daily driver she put on most of the miles so I will hold off on giving my report until I get more time behind the wheel. At this point we are both happy with the car. Wife has been instructed to fill only with top tier premium :)
 
My report card at the 500 mile/3 wk point:


MPG - C (23-24 MPG and highway driving only seems to gain 1 MPG)
MPG seems about what I'd expect to see in the 2.5T. Would be nice to get above 25 mpg but with mixed driving that's not too bad.

Seating comfort - A- (Nappa Leather is excellent, seats bottoms are a little short)
dave: any chance you could do me a favor? can you measure the length of the seat bottom? I've seen this now in a couple posts and I'm curious how it compares to other cars. (I'll measure the seat bottom of my X3)


thanks for the report card, keep us posted if any of your impressions change when you hit 1k.
 
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