Holy s***. I've been out of country for a couple of weeks and thought that surely this '16 vs '17 would have gone away by now.
I owned a gen 1 CX5 and put 100,000 miles on it. I do a lot of long miles, 2-3 days a week and put about 30-35K per year on a car. I tow a trailer often. I wanted the ground clearance because I was tired of hitting crap on the highways.
I loved my previous CX-5. But I have now put about 5K on my 2017 and can tell you it is a much better "overall machine" than the gen 1.
Here are the reasons why for me based on lots of miles, not just test drives, ranked in order of importance to me, and some that are just nice to have and may be more important to you. These are just improvements. There is plenty to love about the CX5 the way that it was.
1. WAY LESS WIND AND ROAD NOISE AT SPEED. This cannot be overstated. My old CX5 would physically wear me out with the noise after several hours of driving. This is the most important improvement to me, but I spend a lot of time at 75-80 mph.
2. The HUD. Everything you need displayed. Speed limit, current speed, nav instructions. My old nav was frequently wrong on speed limits, but with traffic sign recognition, the HUD updates based on what the actual signs you are passing show.
3. Ride is much more compliant/smoother over bumps. I find myself expecting a bump/pothole to be jarring because of all the miles in my gen 1, but am pleasantly surprised when the '17 absorbs it perfectly.
4. Radar adaptive cruise to stop. Very cool. 2016 may have this I'm not sure.
5. Steering is "heavier" and I like that. Audi like, but not Audi.
6. Much more upscale interior. If you spend a lot of time in your car, nicer is better. No cheap plastics everywhere. Again, Audi like, but not Audi is best description for me.
7. Power rear hatch. Never thought I would like this, but it is nice to have.
8. Memory driver's seat. Again, just nice to have after wife drives the car.
9. Plenty of 12V power options. Front cubby, center console, 2 USB in front, 2 USB in rear. 2016 may be like this, but not my 2014.
10. Improved stereo. Not "holy s***" improvement, but definitely better.
11. Auto on/off highbeams
12. Power passenger seat.
13. Rear AC vents
14. Reclining rear seats. Gen 1 is fixed at 22 degrees. 2017 starts at 24 and reclines to 28.
15. Heated rear seats.
16. One touch close sunroof.
17. Back doors open wider.
18. Heated steering wheel.
19. Wiper deicer.
Probably more, but that is all I can think of right now.
Looks or trips to the dragstrip may be a deciding factor for some and that is understandable, but I have actually owned both and can tell you that personally, I would be more than a little depressed if I knew I had to go back to my gen 1 for the 900 miles I have in front of me next week.
I owned a gen 1 CX5 and put 100,000 miles on it. I do a lot of long miles, 2-3 days a week and put about 30-35K per year on a car. I tow a trailer often. I wanted the ground clearance because I was tired of hitting crap on the highways.
I loved my previous CX-5. But I have now put about 5K on my 2017 and can tell you it is a much better "overall machine" than the gen 1.
Here are the reasons why for me based on lots of miles, not just test drives, ranked in order of importance to me, and some that are just nice to have and may be more important to you. These are just improvements. There is plenty to love about the CX5 the way that it was.
1. WAY LESS WIND AND ROAD NOISE AT SPEED. This cannot be overstated. My old CX5 would physically wear me out with the noise after several hours of driving. This is the most important improvement to me, but I spend a lot of time at 75-80 mph.
2. The HUD. Everything you need displayed. Speed limit, current speed, nav instructions. My old nav was frequently wrong on speed limits, but with traffic sign recognition, the HUD updates based on what the actual signs you are passing show.
3. Ride is much more compliant/smoother over bumps. I find myself expecting a bump/pothole to be jarring because of all the miles in my gen 1, but am pleasantly surprised when the '17 absorbs it perfectly.
4. Radar adaptive cruise to stop. Very cool. 2016 may have this I'm not sure.
5. Steering is "heavier" and I like that. Audi like, but not Audi.
6. Much more upscale interior. If you spend a lot of time in your car, nicer is better. No cheap plastics everywhere. Again, Audi like, but not Audi is best description for me.
7. Power rear hatch. Never thought I would like this, but it is nice to have.
8. Memory driver's seat. Again, just nice to have after wife drives the car.
9. Plenty of 12V power options. Front cubby, center console, 2 USB in front, 2 USB in rear. 2016 may be like this, but not my 2014.
10. Improved stereo. Not "holy s***" improvement, but definitely better.
11. Auto on/off highbeams
12. Power passenger seat.
13. Rear AC vents
14. Reclining rear seats. Gen 1 is fixed at 22 degrees. 2017 starts at 24 and reclines to 28.
15. Heated rear seats.
16. One touch close sunroof.
17. Back doors open wider.
18. Heated steering wheel.
19. Wiper deicer.
Probably more, but that is all I can think of right now.
Looks or trips to the dragstrip may be a deciding factor for some and that is understandable, but I have actually owned both and can tell you that personally, I would be more than a little depressed if I knew I had to go back to my gen 1 for the 900 miles I have in front of me next week.