2023 CX-5 Turbo vs Premium Plus

[jadmt]

Perhaps I should have been more clear. For me, if I am going to plop down 60k+ then I’m going to get back into a pick up truck. I’ve owned them for years, and the F150 2.7 mileage is not a whole lot different than the Mazda. I would get much more use out of one than a 3 row big SUV. However if I were in the market specifically for a big SUV, then the Turbo S would be high on the list.
Just read the Car & Driver review on the top big suvs and the CX90 won. It was a pretty solid review that impressed me.

the August motortrend issue the cx90 (msrp as tested $61920) finished 5th out of 7. basically said the cx90 is too much mazda and not enough seven seater. it was also the highest to insure and to maintain. I too have owned trucks since 1977 and would never replace my current truck with a mazda of any type.

 

[potownrob]

i would hope the prices will drop down with credit harder to get, but that process is taking a long time to happen, if it is going to. maybe there are enough people with money to buy all the cars and the car companies and/or dealers are just waiting for them to be ready to buy a new car...

 

[potownrob]

I have seen a couple of CX-90s and they look pretty nice to me. Looks more like a CX-50 in design than a CX-5.

both from photos and that one time in person, it looks more like a very beefed up cx-5 than a cx-50 to me, at least from the back and sides.

 

[RedBaron]

both from photos and that one time in person, it looks more like a very beefed up cx-5 than a cx-50 to me, at least from the back and sides.

Yeah, the CX-90 is fugly IMO. Doesn't look anything like as good as either the -5 or the -50

 

[jadmt]

both from photos and that one time in person, it looks more like a very beefed up cx-5 than a cx-50 to me, at least from the back and sides.

I have seen a lot of them around my area and definitely more cx5 but not in a good way.

 

[potownrob]

I thought it looked better in person than anything i had seen in photos. of course, black car can mask some of the design foibles, and shiny black car is nice and shiny. it did look bloated compared to the other models. of the mazda suvs i find the cx-50 to have mostly different design language to the others. from the back, the cx-30 shares some design features with the cx-50, but it looks more like the cx-5 from the side.

 

[jakeuten]

All of this talk about Mazda needing to move to an 8 speed for fuel economy, and yet they went and built one with an 8th gear not quite as high as the old 6th.

 

[Freedom55]

All of this talk about Mazda needing to move to an 8 speed for fuel economy, and yet they went and built one with an 8th gear not quite as high as the old 6th. View attachment 322236View attachment 322238

This is only one part of the equation. Differential ratio and tire diameter also count. I'm quite happy with my 6 speed but I just wish it had an eco mode on top of normal and sport, not a big deal.

 

[hsdejong]

I just wish it had an eco mode on top of normal and sport

Eco mode: drive with a light right foot!

 

[yrwei52]

All of this talk about Mazda needing to move to an 8 speed for fuel economy, and yet they went and built one with an 8th gear not quite as high as the old 6th. View attachment 322236View attachment 322238

Like mentioned above, final drive axle ratio and tire diameter also play the role of how fast or slow the drive tires rotate which affects the fuel efficiency. Just look at the final drive ratio alone, the 8-speed auto on CX-90 has 3.69 : 1 whereas the 6-speed auto on CX-5 has 4.62 : 1. Not to mentioned the tire diameter on CX-90 is larger.

In addition, the better fuel efficiency isn’t just achieved by the tall overall final gear ratio. It also depends on the best gear selection for the road condition and vehicle speed. The more gears you can select, the better fuel efficiency the car can get. That’s why the CVT is more efficient as it acts as having unlimited number of gears.

 

[Freedom55]

Eco mode: drive with a light right foot!

Not so much for fuel economy but rather for a quieter environment. Even with a light right foot I find the engine revs too high for my liking and that's why I never use the sport mode, but that's just me...

 

[ruthrj]

Not so much for fuel economy but rather for a quieter environment. Even with a light right foot I find the engine revs too high for my liking and that's why I never use the sport mode, but that's just me...

Oddly enough, I get worse gas mileage with Eco on my ‘21 RAV4 Hybrid. I’m getting at least 2 mpgs more in normal mode vs eco.

 

[GTXT23]

I am in the market for a new CX-5. The Turbo and the Premium Plus have very close price and even their monthly payments are very close. I currently have a 2021 CX-5 Carbon Edition Turbo and I love the Turbo drive. However, as most people know, that engine had (and still has) a lot of problems. It will be the family car (daily drive to drop off/pick up kids from school as well as long drives on the weekends).

Is it worth it or should I stick with the non-Turbo?

My suggestion - Watch the attached video made by a Toyota Master Tech on Turbos before you go either way ...regardless of how much you think you know about Turbos / you may well be fully aware of this info - but if not , you will see how many issues that come up in here are precicely related to misinformation on Turbos and how to take care if them -
- It blows many false presumptions about Turbos to bed - once and for all - Things like you dont have to use premium in the T - correction - yes , or you will destory the engine - fact , ALL turbos will burn oil - Fact- yes ..., Turbo engines last as long as NA engines/. FALSE -no they dont ,
but these are just a few things many people dismiss , which if you know , can be minimized and the benifit of more power is then an understood trade off which for diligent aware owners - is then an accepted benifit , not a nightmare -So my choice :

NEITHER ! - I put my $ on the more rare " premium " NA - ! I dont see the benifits for me personally going from premium to p-plus - , and Ive already had my Turbo fun times - NO regrets there either ;-)
we all know what these items are in the leap from trim to trim ..so i wont list em -
Any high end leather appointed cx-5 is a high value for the .$$ vehicle - so you cant go wrong with either of those 2 beautys !

... I plucked a premium that had my perfect interior / ext color combo
---and have zilch regrets ( dont need extra cameras , cooled seats etc ) - Im likely older and have had ( this is not bragging - its truth ) to many cars to list- I mean , you name the brand , Ive proabably had it - and multiple models ,+
broken in about 15 cars from brand new ( others used ) - from high powered non-T to 4 cyl T, 6s v-8s , even a 12 cyl- driven the authbahn etc etc - yesh yeah
etc - So the reason - If one has more power - you use it !! , speed more , pass more , do more maintainence, burn more gas- , rip thru tires , brakes , but there was a time when , I would have not even considered NA over T- and the prospect that someday a person cannot own a fast car ...is sad - so if you need speed ...

-Yet, I like the Mazda CX5 "premium "NA for having a spectacularly luxurious , well crafted interior( like T and P-PLUS-) but not more " stuff " than I need , its smooth , quiet and the NA , is under 3k rpms 95% of the time and I live in wide open spaces - So my need 4 speed is just not there anymo - Take this into consideration if you go Turbo - as I think this tech pretty much got it right- on the money !
But - trust If you need to sew some wild car oats - go T ! , and I judge nobody who needs to scratch that itch - to punch it through the floorboard !!!- Just know what you are getting into when you go T
- hope this helps ?

How To Make Your Modern Turbo Engine Last Longer | Are They Less Reliable?

A Master Automobile Technician Shares 5 Tips on Making Your Modern Turbo Engine More Reliable Long Term.In this video I share with you 5 tips to prolong the ...

m.youtube.com

 

[chickdr]

My suggestion - Watch the attached video made by a Toyota Master Tech on Turbos before you go either way ...regardless of how much you think you know about Turbos / you may well be fully aware of this info - but if not , you will see how many issues that come up in here are precicely related to misinformation on Turbos and how to take care if them -
- It blows many false presumptions about Turbos to bed - once and for all - Things like you dont have to use premium in the T - correction - yes , or you will destory the engine - fact , ALL turbos will burn oil - Fact- yes ..., Turbo engines last as long as NA engines/. FALSE -no they dont ,
but these are just a few things many people dismiss , which if you know , can be minimized and the benifit of more power is then an understood trade off which for diligent aware owners - is then an accepted benifit , not a nightmare -So my choice :

NEITHER ! - I put my $ on the more rare " premium " NA - ! I dont see the benifits for me personally going from premium to p-plus - , and Ive already had my Turbo fun times - NO regrets there either ;-)
we all know what these items are in the leap from trim to trim ..so i wont list em -
Any high end leather appointed cx-5 is a high value for the .$$ vehicle - so you cant go wrong with either of those 2 beautys !

... I plucked a premium that had my perfect interior / ext color combo
---and have zilch regrets ( dont need extra cameras , cooled seats etc ) - Im likely older and have had ( this is not bragging - its truth ) to many cars to list- I mean , you name the brand , Ive proabably had it - and multiple models ,+
broken in about 15 cars from brand new ( others used ) - from high powered non-T to 4 cyl T, 6s v-8s , even a 12 cyl- driven the authbahn etc etc - yesh yeah
etc - So the reason - If one has more power - you use it !! , speed more , pass more , do more maintainence, burn more gas- , rip thru tires , brakes , but there was a time when , I would have not even considered NA over T- and the prospect that someday a person cannot own a fast car ...is sad - so if you need speed ...

-Yet, I like the Mazda CX5 "premium "NA for having a spectacularly luxurious , well crafted interior( like T and P-PLUS-) but not more " stuff " than I need , its smooth , quiet and the NA , is under 3k rpms 95% of the time and I live in wide open spaces - So my need 4 speed is just not there anymo - Take this into consideration if you go Turbo - as I think this tech pretty much got it right- on the money !
But - trust If you need to sew some wild car oats - go T ! , and I judge nobody who needs to scratch that itch - to punch it through the floorboard !!!- Just know what you are getting into when you go T
- hope this helps ?

How To Make Your Modern Turbo Engine Last Longer | Are They Less Reliable?

A Master Automobile Technician Shares 5 Tips on Making Your Modern Turbo Engine More Reliable Long Term.In this video I share with you 5 tips to prolong the ...

m.youtube.com

You are saying using 87 octane in the 2.5T will "destroy" the motor? LOL. I have been running 87 in my 2.5T 90% of the time, and it runs perfectly. All turbo's burn oil? Mine hasn't burned a drop in 23k. I had a 323GT with a 1.6T back in the 80's which also didn't burn oil in all the years I had it (88-95). Sure, some turbo's do burn oil and many manufacturers will allow 1qt for 1k as "normal" for oil use. Not in my experience....

 

[wlong01]

My turbo has never had anything above 87 octane and it runs fine.
Also, does not consume oil between oil changes and it just rolled past 45,000 miles.

 

[N7turbo]

While I run 91 90% of the time, I have run 87, and it doesn't run as smoothly. That is because there is a difference in timing. Anyone who has played with ignition timing knows it affects how the engine runs. I prefer the way it sounds and feels with 91. And I like the way it pulls when I'm on throttle. I don't pay Cali gas prices, though.

I expect the engine to last just as long as its NA cousins, because I properly maintain it.

 

[sm1ke]

I ran 91 exclusively for the first four years of my ownership. It was nice to have that bump in power at high RPMs (4k+) when merging onto roadways that I took every day during my commute. For a year I switched to 87 just to offset the rising fuel prices, and aside from the extra power during those merges, the car feels the exact same from idle to 4k RPM. There is no notable change in "smoothness" in my experience. I feel more of a difference after changing my oil.

 

[jofo67]

I’ve been driving turbos from my 1987 Buick Grand National to my present day 23 CX5 and I have never experienced all of this gloom and doom. My 87 GN was thirsty for octane but that was because it was intentional with the chip I was running in it. OEM though, no issues at all! That would 8 vehicles in total!

 

[jadmt]

if anyone really listens to what the guy says he basically says with modern turbo engines there is really a small difference if you take care of it. he also says only need to run premium if it is required and to run 87 otherwise. there are some turbo engines that do require premium but not mazda. also mazda says the turbo they sell in the US market does not need synthetic oil as mazda does not sell 5w30 synthetic in the US market..

 

[N7turbo]

he also says only need to run premium if it is required and to run 87 otherwise. there are some turbo engines that do require premium but not mazda. also mazda says the turbo they sell in the US market does not need synthetic oil as mazda does not sell 5w30 synthetic in the US market..

Yeah, so maybe we shouldn't take what they say as gospel.