2019 CX-5 Signature - Harsh Ride?

[StPark]

For the first time, took our new (to us) 2019 CX-5 Sig on a long (sort of) drive out of town. 130 miles one way, 285 miles total in mostly rainy freeway at 70+ MPH. To our surprise, we felt the front seats were pretty uncomfortable. We're in average size, maybe a bit over weight at this age, we expected comfy ride after reading all about how nice the CX-5's ride was. Very surprised!

The Nappa Leather seats were not showing any damage at all, felt pretty smooth. Maybe it's the way CX-5s' are supposed to feel? Am I missing something? Please help me out, thanks.

Even in the rain heavy at times, scored 27.4 MPG on 2/3 of 92, 1/3 of 87 octane Costco fuel.

 

[StPark]

Stock Toyo A36 tires were showing some wear (14,200 miles), will be replacing shortly before the snow.

 

[Unobtanium]

I found my 2019 cx5 to be a bit less than stellar at mitigating vibration at highway speeds. The vehicle through 3 sets of tires and 80k miles, just seemed unrefined above 60mph regarding isolating you from engine harmonics and highway imperfections in the form of constantly lightly vibrating interior and steering wheel.

Seat comfort is poor, but 90% fixable by adjusting the seats per the lengthy advice on the topic in the manual.

 

[yrwei52]

For the first time, took our new (to us) 2019 CX-5 Sig on a long (sort of) drive out of town. 130 miles one way, 285 miles total in mostly rainy freeway at 70+ MPH. To our surprise, we felt the front seats were pretty uncomfortable. We're in average size, maybe a bit over weight at this age, we expected comfy ride after reading all about how nice the CX-5's ride was. Very surprised!

The Nappa Leather seats were not showing any damage at all, felt pretty smooth. Maybe it's the way CX-5s' are supposed to feel? Am I missing something? Please help me out, thanks.

Even in the rain heavy at times, scored 27.4 MPG on 2/3 of 92, 1/3 of 87 octane Costco fuel.

No, you shouldn’t be surprised. There’re plenty of complaints on seat comfort to gen-2 CX-5, much more than my gen-1 CX-5. I was also surprised to feel the driver seat is uncomfortable driving my 2016 CX-5 continuously for more than 2 hours during our first road trip. This’s something I don’t feel on any recent cars I’ve owned.

Love the CX-5, hate the seats...Any way to make them better?

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Any bolt-in seat upgrades?

Is anybody having seat comfort issues?

Got my CX-5 Today

Sorry, but I couldn't pull the trigger (sad-ish)

Has anyone had their seat foam altered?

 

[yrwei52]

Stock Toyo A36 tires were showing some wear (14,200 miles), will be replacing shortly before the snow.

View attachment 304736

With “300 A A” UTQG rating, the Toyo A36 usually can last about 30,000 miles. My Toyo A23 lasted 44,032 miles (to 2/32”) and just got replaced:

Radar Dimax AS-8 225/55R19 103V Tires Finally Installed

Tire replacement is an expensive business nowadays. For 225/55R19 it usually costs $1,000+ for a good set. Better watch all kind of promotions and do a thorough research here to find a good set of tires for a reasonable price.

 

[Sig cx-5]

Stock Toyo A36 tires were showing some wear (14,200 miles), will be replacing shortly before the snow.

View attachment 304736

I was happy to replace ours at about 18k. They showed plenty of tread left, but were starting to slip a bit in the rain. Maybe not ever rotating them was an issue. I HATE most OEM tires and can't wait to replace them. Our Michelin CC2's ride so much better!

 

[StPark]

Not sure if this is the deal breaker as I still have a few days left for CarMax' 30 day/1,500 mile return policy. I already spent more than $1,000 for roof rails, ATF Fz, oil filters and other essentials, will have to decide within next few days.

My older cheaper Hyundai Tucson came with Michelins.

 

[StPark]

I was happy to replace ours at about 18k. They showed plenty of tread left, but were starting to slip a bit in the rain. Maybe not ever rotating them was an issue. I HATE most OEM tires and can't wait to replace them. Our Michelin CC2's ride so much better!

I'll more than likely replace them when we decide to keep the CX-5, these tires are too worn for my taste. Costco has $150 sale going on now for Michelin Cross Climate II .

 

[StPark]

I've not read about this uncomfortable seats before making decision, I guess I missed a lot . . .

What other car should I get if I return this CX-5? Make me a suggestion. There isn't too much choice at this price point, just about every maker, every model has its own weak point, since we don't drive much, this CX-5 is probably the best choice for us.

 

[sm1ke]

You'll need to decide whether you're willing to tolerate the seats or if you'd be willing to consider having an upholstery shop make some modifications to the seat. As one poster mentioned earlier, there is a seat adjustment section in the owner's manual that details how to adjust the seat. I would try that first before going through the hassle of finding another car.

Aside from that, if you want suggestions, you'll need to provide some criteria. What were your reasons for going with the CX-5 vs other cars you sampled? Is a 1st gen CX-5 something you'd consider? If not, I'd look into the obvious competitors from Honda/Acura, Hyundai/KIA, Toyota/Lexus, etc. and decide what you're willing to compromise on.

EDIT: You could also return the CX-5 and wait for the upcoming CX-50 due late next year. Apparently the seats have been redesigned to be more comfortable than the CX-5's seats.

 

[StPark]

You could also return the CX-5 and wait for the upcoming CX-50 due late next year. Apparently the seats have been redesigned to be more comfortable than the CX-5's seats.

I'm not going to go through the trouble to have an upholstery shop do any modification, too much of hassle and cost. We own an MDX with 6 speed AT, very comfortable and SH-AWD is great but we're looking for something smaller. Just traded in 2020 Tucson for this CX-5, not going to go back. Toyota/Lexus, they maybe a bit better, but too far out of my price range and they also have their weak points. Nissan and Subaru are out for CVT, CR-V as well.

Ya, return this for full refund and wait a year or two is a seriously considered option . . . but unlikely. Most of the time we only use 1 car, the other almost always sit on driveway, but wifey doesn't like the idea of living with one vehicle.

 

[sm1ke]

You may be better off keeping the CX-5 and using it for short trips only, while using the MDX for longer drives. The current supply issues will help with resale/trade in value (assuming that these issues continue into the next year, which I think they will).

 

[StPark]

MDX has 110k miles on, while the CX-5 is at 14,200 miles. MDX is still good for road trips but naturally taking newer cars for trips.

Current supply chain issue isn't the main reason why the used car prices have gone through the roof. It's more of the chip shortage, and then the shortage of truckers. Auto carriers from East Asia don't dock at the same container terminal at Long Beach, CA. The chip shortage isn't going to be solved in near future either.

 

[yrwei52]

MDX has 110k miles on, while the CX-5 is at 14,200 miles. MDX is still good for road trips but naturally taking newer cars for trips.

110K miles? Time get get the timing belt replaced on the V6 ⋯ $$$

 

[181962]

For the first time, took our new (to us) 2019 CX-5 Sig on a long (sort of) drive out of town. 130 miles one way, 285 miles total in mostly rainy freeway at 70+ MPH. To our surprise, we felt the front seats were pretty uncomfortable. We're in average size, maybe a bit over weight at this age, we expected comfy ride after reading all about how nice the CX-5's ride was. Very surprised!

The Nappa Leather seats were not showing any damage at all, felt pretty smooth. Maybe it's the way CX-5s' are supposed to feel? Am I missing something? Please help me out, thanks.

Even in the rain heavy at times, scored 27.4 MPG on 2/3 of 92, 1/3 of 87 octane Costco fuel.

Personally, I find the seats quite comfortable. No matter. Your title mentioned "harsh ride" without commentary on that. If you mean "harsh" the way most people mean it that may not be a function of the seats. A harsh ride is felt through the steering wheel if not with your whole body.

Consumer Reports noted harshness in the 2020 trims with 19" wheels. Comfy, for lack of a better term, came with the 17" wheels. Yours has the 19s, right? I have the 17s and I have no issues, quite impressed actually in the balance between comfiness and sporty handling which often don't go together. If you find it especially jarring over bumps then a tire replacement rated high for comfort might help. At least one poster observing a harsh ride on the 19s considered either buying a more comfy tire or switching to 17" wheels. I don't know where he ended up. You might want to check out some tire threads and reviews.

 

[Mazdiod2]

How much air do you keep in the tires?

The optimal PSI can be adjusted a few pounds for a change in driving feel and ride comfort.

 

[181962]

MDX has 110k miles on, while the CX-5 is at 14,200 miles. MDX is still good for road trips but naturally taking newer cars for trips.

Current supply chain issue isn't the main reason why the used car prices have gone through the roof. It's more of the chip shortage, and then the shortage of truckers. Auto carriers from East Asia don't dock at the same container terminal at Long Beach, CA. The chip shortage isn't going to be solved in near future either.

A chip shortage is a supply chain issue. Cars aside, after watching the 60 Minutes report with everybody pointing fingers at everybody else, it looks like shortage of truck drivers is not the main problem. The ports are being picky about which empty containers they take back. One trucking executive said it can come down to the color of the container. Consequently, trailer chasses are sitting around with empty containers on them waiting to offload and reload.

 

[cz5gt]

yes. The 19" and the leather seats that come with GT model trims and higher trims are the issues most of the time.
17 l" tires are ok and also 17" wheels CX5 trims come with non full leather seats which are one bit better.

 

[StPark]

110K miles? Time get get the timing belt replaced on the V6 ⋯ $$$

Timing belt, water pump and tensioner, all were taken care of at 95,000 miles.

 

[StPark]

How much air do you keep in the tires?

The optimal PSI can be adjusted a few pounds for a change in driving feel and ride comfort.

Tires have 35 PSI all around, where they're supposed to be. Their wear pattern shows somewhat over-inflated as the CX-5 was used in So Cal, desert inland area. Also shows out of alignment as well.

We're leaning towards keeping CX-5, since everything else looks and feels great. For longer drives, we'll put one of these seat cushions. The weather around here is pretty mild, cool summer and not very cold winter, not using seat warmers and coolers much. CX-5 has pretty good headroom, still leaves us enough headroom even with 2 inch cushion. Going to 17" wheels will make a bit better but 19" wheels look much cooler.