2016 Mazda CX-5 - What do you not like?

[yrwei52]

Honda has truly lost its way in the last 10 years. There is little innovation which comes through in the last 10 years which matters for consumers. Honda might still be popular in the US. In Europe and Australasia, Honda does not even feature in the top 10 manufacturers anymore. Sad but true.

No, Honda is not that popular in the US like before due to the same reasons! The sales of Honda is getting worse in Asia countries too. From the latest sales figure in July this year, once at the top of the charts Accord is now number 9 among all vehicles. The top 20 sellers of 2015 in the US so far:

20. Nissan Sentra - YTD Sales: 105,901 Vs. 2014: 12.8%
19. Chrysler 200 - YTD Sales: 106,569 Vs. 2014: 135.9%
18. Ford Focus - YTD Sales: 117,079 Vs. 2014: -3.2%
17. Ford Explorer - YTD Sales: 122,404 Vs. 2014: 17.2%
16. Chevrolet Cruze - YTD Sales: 127,938 Vs. 2014: -12.0%
15. Hyundai Elantra - YTD Sales: 128,698 Vs. 2014: 14.4%
14. Nissan Rogue - YTD Sales: 135,397 Vs. 2014: 36.3%
13. Toyota RAV4 - YTD Sales: 143,575 Vs. 2014: 22.8%
12. Chevrolet Equinox - YTD Sales: 145,685 Vs. 2014: 20.6%
11. Ford Escape - YTD Sales: 146,416 Vs. 2014: -4.2%
10. Ford Fusion - YTD Sales: 153,158 Vs. 2014: -7.5%
9. Honda Accord - YTD Sales: 155,746 Vs. 2014: -15.9%
8. Honda Civic - YTD Sales: 158,301 Vs. 2014: -5.3%
7. Honda CR-V - YTD Sales: 163,108 Vs. 2014: 5.4%
6. Nissan Altima - YTD Sales: 172,031 Vs. 2014: -2.5%
5. Toyota Corolla - YTD Sales: 190,131 Vs. 2014: 9.0%
4. Ram Truck - YTD Sales: 212,716 Vs. 2014: 4.3%
3. Toyota Camry - YTD Sales: 215,816 Vs. 2014: -3.0%
2. Chevrolet Silverado - YTD Sales: 275,822 Vs. 2014: 14.6%
1. Ford F-Series - YTD Sales: 357,180 Vs. 2014: -2.4%

Always wondering why there are so many truck sales .... (uhm)

 

[Dr_Watson]

Test drove a 2016 today.

Arm rest material still poor and design is worse.
Reflection of air vent surroundings in mirrors, slightly distracting, not too big a deal.
Fake carbon fibre effect around the cockpit looks a bit tacky
The particular car I drove I really had to push to get it into 5th gear, then 6th gear was a real struggle. I guess this is normal on a brand new car??

 

[yrwei52]

Test drove a 2016 today.
Arm rest material still poor and design is worse.
Reflection of air vent surroundings in mirrors, slightly distracting, not too big a deal.
Fake carbon fibre effect around the cockpit looks a bit tacky
The particular car I drove I really had to push to get it into 5th gear, then 6th gear was a real struggle. I guess this is normal on a brand new car??

What kind of engine did you do the test-drive? Was it a manual shift? If you test-drove a SkyActiv-G 2.5L, please tell us what is the horsepower and compression ratio in your area. We have 184 hp with 13:1 compression ratio on 2.5L in the US.

 

[Dr_Watson]

In Switzerland every engine Mazda make is on sale. I test drove a 2.2 D 150ps manual. I will be test driving the 2.5 G on the weekend. Automatic, 13:1, 192ps which is 189ps. I think someone mentioned the European 2.5 produces 5 more horses, maybe because of the petrol grade? 100 Ron is available here, might manage a few more.

 

[limleong]

No, Honda is not that popular in the US like before due to the same reasons! The sales of Honda is getting worse in Asia countries too. From the latest sales figure in July this year, once at the top of the charts Accord is now number 9 among all vehicles. The top 20 sellers of 2015 in the US so far:

20. Nissan Sentra - YTD Sales: 105,901 Vs. 2014: 12.8%
19. Chrysler 200 - YTD Sales: 106,569 Vs. 2014: 135.9%
18. Ford Focus - YTD Sales: 117,079 Vs. 2014: -3.2%
17. Ford Explorer - YTD Sales: 122,404 Vs. 2014: 17.2%
16. Chevrolet Cruze - YTD Sales: 127,938 Vs. 2014: -12.0%
15. Hyundai Elantra - YTD Sales: 128,698 Vs. 2014: 14.4%
14. Nissan Rogue - YTD Sales: 135,397 Vs. 2014: 36.3%
13. Toyota RAV4 - YTD Sales: 143,575 Vs. 2014: 22.8%
12. Chevrolet Equinox - YTD Sales: 145,685 Vs. 2014: 20.6%
11. Ford Escape - YTD Sales: 146,416 Vs. 2014: -4.2%
10. Ford Fusion - YTD Sales: 153,158 Vs. 2014: -7.5%
9. Honda Accord - YTD Sales: 155,746 Vs. 2014: -15.9%
8. Honda Civic - YTD Sales: 158,301 Vs. 2014: -5.3%
7. Honda CR-V - YTD Sales: 163,108 Vs. 2014: 5.4%
6. Nissan Altima - YTD Sales: 172,031 Vs. 2014: -2.5%
5. Toyota Corolla - YTD Sales: 190,131 Vs. 2014: 9.0%
4. Ram Truck - YTD Sales: 212,716 Vs. 2014: 4.3%
3. Toyota Camry - YTD Sales: 215,816 Vs. 2014: -3.0%
2. Chevrolet Silverado - YTD Sales: 275,822 Vs. 2014: 14.6%
1. Ford F-Series - YTD Sales: 357,180 Vs. 2014: -2.4%

Always wondering why there are so many truck sales .... (uhm)

Interesting sale stats for the US. In AU and NZ, Honda does not feature in the top 10 and the other "H" (Hyundai) is actually in the top five and so is Mazda. The Korean cars are actually providing more innovation than Honda. How time has changed and how far Honda has fallen behind ! For Japanese cars, Mazda is often seen as the new Honda.

 

[MAC2015]

Not your car

Yea I had my seat warmers on again..

It did feel warmer than when I first had used heated seats (and then posted asking why). But yea.. the seats dont get hot.. they get... really warm. I wouldnt classify it as hot but just really warm. Which is ok .. for now. Will it get really warm in the winter too? Because in Toronto these past few nights its been 4 degrees celcius and it can go usually -20 in the winter. Again, my mothers car her heated seats will get you saying ' ah man thats hot now, gotta turn it down.' Mine is just warm at most. Its almost like I have to sit in the warming mechanism in the seat than feeling it on the seat by placing a hand on it.

So if im not the only one saying Mazda seat warmers are weak then I take it its not just my car ?

 

[MAC2015]

I have complained to the Mazda salesman, on facebook, to the mechanic and to the manager.
They are basically telling me I am crazy.
I have had a Chev Cruze, Subaru outback, Mini Cooper, and a Volks and they all had nice toasty warm seats covered in leather.
These seats are so weak I am not sure they are even working.
I have a bad back and heated seats work wonders on long trips. But not in my new 2016 Mazda cx5

 

[ssl1900]

Exactly. I hear ya. I dont even notice that its on. Whether the seat warmers on or off I cant tell.

That is my biggest complaint. My other is I wish the the front two bucket seats had proper inside arm rests. Other comparable suv's in the same price range lacks this as well. Its something I can live with. I have yet to try the seat warmers in the winter but im pessimistic. Besides these 2 things, the cx5 is very nice.

 

[aerokev]

I have complained to the Mazda salesman, on facebook, to the mechanic and to the manager.
They are basically telling me I am crazy.
I have had a Chev Cruze, Subaru outback, Mini Cooper, and a Volks and they all had nice toasty warm seats covered in leather.
These seats are so weak I am not sure they are even working.
I have a bad back and heated seats work wonders on long trips. But not in my new 2016 Mazda cx5

Exactly. I hear ya. I dont even notice that its on. Whether the seat warmers on or off I cant tell.

That is my biggest complaint. My other is I wish the the front two bucket seats had proper inside arm rests. Other comparable suv's in the same price range lacks this as well. Its something I can live with. I have yet to try the seat warmers in the winter but im pessimistic. Besides these 2 things, the cx5 is very nice.

That's weird. I have the seat warmers on mornings and nights here, and on the highest setting I swear my ass start to sweat. It is about on par with my dearly departed Saab, maybe just a fraction less toasty but certainly not finding it a problem.
That said and done, I haven't done my usual which is to take the edge off my breakfast on the pax seat ....

 

[davefr]

Another gripe.

The power windows switches are way too sensitive. If you touch it longer then 1 nanosecond it'll roll the windows either all the way up or all the way down. You can't adjust for intermediate positions unless you barely touch the switch.

 

[littlebear]

I wish the CX-5 had READ VENTS for the back passengers. The Mazda6 has this option (I believe). It allows for A/C or heat to blow on the back seat occupants. Otherwise they have to rely on the front vents which doesn't work as good for people in the back seat.

 

[yrwei52]

I wish the CX-5 had READ VENTS for the back passengers. The Mazda6 has this option (I believe). It allows for A/C or heat to blow on the back seat occupants. Otherwise they have to rely on the front vents which doesn't work as good for people in the back seat.

You meant Rear AC Vents? Mazda6 has it and many CX-5's competitors, such as Honda CR-V, have it. This is mainly for cooling purpose. For rear-seat passenger heating, there are floor vents under the front seats which are standard equipment for every car.

 

[littlebear]

You meant Rear AC Vents? Mazda6 has it and many CX-5's competitors, such as Honda CR-V, have it. This is mainly for cooling purpose. For rear-seat passenger heating, there are floor vents under the front seats which are standard equipment for every car.

Yes, the rear AC vents. They should offer it on the CX-5

 

[arunka007]

For rear-seat passenger heating, there are floor vents under the front seats which are standard equipment for every car.

Can you please elaborate? I don't see any vents below my front seats.

 

[Tango2014]

Can you please elaborate? I don't see any vents below my front seats.

I didn't see them at first.......get a flashlight. They're there. I placed a small black plastic door stop/wedge under them to lift them up a bit. I thought they were angled more toward the floor than to the rear - easy fix.

 

[yrwei52]

For rear-seat passenger heating, there are floor vents under the front seats which are standard equipment for every car.

Can you please elaborate? I don't see any vents below my front seats.

I didn't see them at first.......get a flashlight. They're there. I placed a small black plastic door stop/wedge under them to lift them up a bit. I thought they were angled more toward the floor than to the rear - easy fix.

These heating vents for rear seat passengers are there since '60s. But you don't need to raise them up. Warm air will go up by itself.

Some people claim the cool AC air can be directed from these heating vents on CX-5. Doing so simply defeats the physics as cool air will try to stay down near the floor.

 

[MikeM.]

These heating vents for rear seat passengers are there since '60s. But you don't need to raise them up. Warm air will go up by itself.

Some people claim the cool AC air can be directed from these heating vents on CX-5. Doing so simply defeats the physics as cool air will try to stay down near the floor.

I appreciate cool feet just as much as the cool air that blows to the back around and over the headrests. If your feet are cool, chances are you will feel cooler all over.

 

[littlebear]

I wish the CX-5 had the optional HEADS-UP display like the 3 and 6 have.

 

[Bennet]

Few nitpicks

Really nitpicking, but in case Mazda is listening:

• Wish I could have got AWD with the manual transmission, but then again, I was drawn to this vehicle in a crowded market because I wanted the maximum fuel economy possible so I probably wouldn't have got it for the three days a year I commute in snow.
• Can't open the tailgate with the motor running. Pulled over really quick just to check something shifting in the cargo bay and struggled for a minute trying to figure out why I couldn't get in. I understand the safety concern but I hate interlocks and prefer common sense.
• The auto-canceling lane change turn signal is a cool idea but three flashes is barely enough time for me to check the mirrors, let alone complete a lane change.
• Agree with the concern on the dead-pedal carpet wear and will address that somehow.
• Agree with the annoyance of not being able to fold the rear seats with the headrests installed. I removed them.

Really pleased with the vehicle so far.

 

[littlebear]

[*]Can't open the tailgate with the motor running. Pulled over really quick just to check something shifting in the cargo bay and struggled for a minute trying to figure out why I couldn't get in. I understand the safety concern but I hate interlocks and prefer common sense.

So you can't open the tailgate with the engine running while in PARK?