About a month ago, I finally convinced my wife that it was time to get her a new car. She previously had a '16 CX-5 Sport, which was a solid workhorse to get her through medical residency and a lot of camping/snowboarding trips. However, it was missing so many creature comforts we've come to enjoy in our other cars. Most importantly (for me, at least), it lacked the necessary power to get us up over those high elevation mountain passes without feeling like I had to redline it half the time. E.g. - Trying to pass a semi that's cruising 20mph under the speed limit on a 2 lane road, while at 12,000ft elevation, was a real nail biter.
Once she gave me the green light, I did some initial research and began cross shopping the CX-5 Signature against the Volvo XC60, Audi Q5, Lexus RX, Acura RDX and BMW X5. While it's her car, when we are together I'm the one who typically drives us around 95% of the time. So I definitely had at least some say in the matter.
Truth be told, my initial favorite was the XC60, simply due to the exterior styling and interior comfort. However, it was by far the most "numb" feeling to drive, out of the bunch. The BMW X5 had the least welcoming/comfortable interior and my wife really didn't like the exterior styling. The Audi Q5 and Lexus RX were nice but lacked overall value, especially when you consider all the features found in the CX-5 Signature and RDX with 'Technology' package. In the end, the CX-5 Signature won out.
The exterior styling, interior quality, interior sound deadening and tech features/creature comforts are all VASTLY improved over the '16 Sport. The 360 camera is just nuts! Plus the added horsepower & torque provided by the new turbo motor give it just the right amount of "ooomph". I truly love driving this car in a way that I simply couldn't with the last one. So much so that I find myself preferring it over the M3 more often than I thought I would. More importantly, she's in love with it as well. This is the first time I've seen her truly excited about a car, which is so refreshing to see.
Anyway, onto some pics...
We had the dealer install front tint and clear bra before bringing it home. My wife wants me to order some black wheels for it, which is AMAZING to hear because she usually rolls her eyes when I buy any sort of vehicle modifications. I'm also planning on getting some roof rails and cross bars for a snowboard rack. Hopefully I can find a set of black roof rails as I really don't like the look of the OEM chrome ones. In fact, my wife wants me to have all the chrome pieces either wrapped in gloss black or completely replaced with gloss black OEM pieces, assuming such pieces are available. The research begins...
Anyway, excited to add this baby to the stable!
Once she gave me the green light, I did some initial research and began cross shopping the CX-5 Signature against the Volvo XC60, Audi Q5, Lexus RX, Acura RDX and BMW X5. While it's her car, when we are together I'm the one who typically drives us around 95% of the time. So I definitely had at least some say in the matter.
Truth be told, my initial favorite was the XC60, simply due to the exterior styling and interior comfort. However, it was by far the most "numb" feeling to drive, out of the bunch. The BMW X5 had the least welcoming/comfortable interior and my wife really didn't like the exterior styling. The Audi Q5 and Lexus RX were nice but lacked overall value, especially when you consider all the features found in the CX-5 Signature and RDX with 'Technology' package. In the end, the CX-5 Signature won out.
The exterior styling, interior quality, interior sound deadening and tech features/creature comforts are all VASTLY improved over the '16 Sport. The 360 camera is just nuts! Plus the added horsepower & torque provided by the new turbo motor give it just the right amount of "ooomph". I truly love driving this car in a way that I simply couldn't with the last one. So much so that I find myself preferring it over the M3 more often than I thought I would. More importantly, she's in love with it as well. This is the first time I've seen her truly excited about a car, which is so refreshing to see.
Anyway, onto some pics...
We had the dealer install front tint and clear bra before bringing it home. My wife wants me to order some black wheels for it, which is AMAZING to hear because she usually rolls her eyes when I buy any sort of vehicle modifications. I'm also planning on getting some roof rails and cross bars for a snowboard rack. Hopefully I can find a set of black roof rails as I really don't like the look of the OEM chrome ones. In fact, my wife wants me to have all the chrome pieces either wrapped in gloss black or completely replaced with gloss black OEM pieces, assuming such pieces are available. The research begins...
Anyway, excited to add this baby to the stable!
Last edited:
Eh...maybe I'm just lucky with my CX-5. It handles those high passes quite well. No nail biting here.
