CX-5 GT: Tech vs no Tech?

[CX-5um]

You're right. My bad.

But as others mentioned here, the LED lights and auto dimming mirror make this a worthwhile upgrade. That was my primary reason for upgrading to Tech Pkg.

What this guy said ^^^^.

I'd get the tech package for the auto leveling LEDs Headlights and the auto dimming mirrors. Everything else is extra imho.

 

[Speedie95]

Thanks guys for the very helpful replies, as always

Now... What about i-ActiveSense?

Have it. Love it. I use cruise control a lot on the highway, and not having to disengage / reset every time some nimrod pulls into the gap between me and the car in front, or traffic temporarily slows for some reason, is a convenience that I enjoy. I could live without it of course, but it's nice to have. Also I'm human, and therefore subject to my attention faltering on long trips. The radar cruise control maintains a safe distance between the CX-5 and the car in front even if I'm momentarily distracted.

Lane departure is useful for the same reason, though less important to me. I switched the settings for it so that it only warns on an actual lane departure rather than anticipating one. It was way too noisy with the latter setting on, frequently going off while I was cornering but well within my lane.

High beam headlight control is another neat "first world problems" solution. On quiet roads at night it's convenient to not have to be on and off the control stalk.

Basically they're all things that I can live without, but enjoy having. Whether or not it's worth it to you is a decision that only you can make. My mindset was that if I was going for the GT AWD with Tech, then I may as well go the whole hog and fully load it.

 

[inlinev]

The auto high beam is the only feature from the active sense package I would have liked. It is a great idea.

 

[SK77X]

Have it. Love it. I use cruise control a lot on the highway, and not having to disengage / reset every time some nimrod pulls into the gap between me and the car in front, or traffic temporarily slows for some reason, is a convenience that I enjoy. I could live without it of course, but it's nice to have. Also I'm human, and therefore subject to my attention faltering on long trips. The radar cruise control maintains a safe distance between the CX-5 and the car in front even if I'm momentarily distracted.

Lane departure is useful for the same reason, though less important to me. I switched the settings for it so that it only warns on an actual lane departure rather than anticipating one. It was way too noisy with the latter setting on, frequently going off while I was cornering but well within my lane.

High beam headlight control is another neat "first world problems" solution. On quiet roads at night it's convenient to not have to be on and off the control stalk.

Basically they're all things that I can live without, but enjoy having. Whether or not it's worth it to you is a decision that only you can make. My mindset was that if I was going for the GT AWD with Tech, then I may as well go the whole hog and fully load it.

Great post Speedie!

I was not going to bother adding the i-Activesense package to my upcoming order, but you make some great points here. Radar cruise-control could definitely come in handy with long highway trips. I decrease the cruise-control speed when there's a slower vehicle ahead, but the RCC feature should seamlessly handle such situations.
Part of my long highway miles involves rural roads, so high-beam assist would be a nice little luxury to have. Auto high-beam assist, auto on/off headlights, auto wipers...how nice!

I'm curious to hear your opinion on Smart Brake Support/ Along with Smart City Brake Support I imagine it could be a great safety feature to have on when dealing with traffic on workday commutes.

 

[Speedie95]

Great post Speedie!

I was not going to bother adding the i-Activesense package to my upcoming order, but you make some great points here. Radar cruise-control could definitely come in handy with long highway trips. I decrease the cruise-control speed when there's a slower vehicle ahead, but the RCC feature should seamlessly handle such situations.
Part of my long highway miles involves rural roads, so high-beam assist would be a nice little luxury to have. Auto high-beam assist, auto on/off headlights, auto wipers...how nice!

I'm curious to hear your opinion on Smart Brake Support/ Along with Smart City Brake Support I imagine it could be a great safety feature to have on when dealing with traffic on workday commutes.

The RCC works beautifully in the situation that you described. I had it once before on an Infiniti and found that it sometimes tended to overreact (braking too hard too early) to the point that I stopped using it. Mazda's iteration gently applies the brakes for small speed differentials, but will progressively brake harder if the gap closes unexpectedly quickly. To be fair to Infiniti that was more than 6 years ago, so I expect that their system has been refined since then.

I can't speak for SBS / SCBS as I've only had the CX-5 for 3 weeks and neither system has kicked in yet. Which is a good thing (angel)

 

[SK77X]

The RCC works beautifully in the situation that you described. I had it once before on an Infiniti and found that it sometimes tended to overreact (braking too hard too early) to the point that I stopped using it. Mazda's iteration gently applies the brakes for small speed differentials, but will progressively brake harder if the gap closes unexpectedly quickly. To be fair to Infiniti that was more than 6 years ago, so I expect that their system has been refined since then.

I can't speak for SBS / SCBS as I've only had the CX-5 for 3 weeks and neither system has kicked in yet. Which is a good thing (angel)

You've sold me on adding the i-Activesense package now! (cabpatch)

I plan to keep the car for at least 8 years, so what's an extra $1,500 package! As you said, go the whole hog and fully load it. I think the only thing I don't like about the i-ActiveSense package is the change to the front emblem. The 3D logo is replaced with a flat 'decal'. Ah well, I guess it'll be easier to clean, especially as I tend to hit bugs in the rural areas!

If you don't mind me asking, what color did you choose?

 

[Speedie95]

You've sold me on adding the i-Activesense package now! (cabpatch)

I plan to keep the car for at least 8 years, so what's an extra $1,500 package! As you said, go the whole hog and fully load it. I think the only thing I don't like about the i-ActiveSense package is the change to the front emblem. The 3D logo is replaced with a flat 'decal'. Ah well, I guess it'll be easier to clean, especially as I tend to hit bugs in the rural areas!

If you don't mind me asking, what color did you choose?

Too funny, I just had to go look at the front of mine to see how the logo is setup. It's definitely 3D although it's behind a clear plastic / polycarbonate lens if that's what you meant? Definitely not a flat decal though. Dangit, now I have to look at a non i-ActiveSense version next time I'm at the dealership!

I went with Soul Red and Parchment leather. I gave it a thorough detailing and finished the bodywork off with a polish and layer of synthetic wax last weekend. So beautiful. Mazda did a really nice job with the 3 layer paint process.

 

[Kedis82ZE8]

I went for a fully decked '15 last year....had it been a year later I would have been getting a '16 fully optioned with i-Activesense as well.

 

[yrwei52]

High beam headlight control is another neat "first world problems" solution. On quiet roads at night it's convenient to not have to be on and off the control stalk.

The auto high beam is the only feature from the active sense package I would have liked. It is a great idea.

If you think High Beam Control is nice, wait until you see Mazda i-ACTIVSENSE - Adaptive LED Headlamps (ALH) which is available in many other markets in the world. This Mazda's ALH makes HBC becoming a low tech feature!

 

[SK77X]

Too funny, I just had to go look at the front of mine to see how the logo is setup. It's definitely 3D although it's behind a clear plastic / polycarbonate lens if that's what you meant? Definitely not a flat decal though. Dangit, now I have to look at a non i-ActiveSense version next time I'm at the dealership!

I went with Soul Red and Parchment leather. I gave it a thorough detailing and finished the bodywork off with a polish and layer of synthetic wax last weekend. So beautiful. Mazda did a really nice job with the 3 layer paint process.

Here's the difference in the badge/logo:

i-Activesense

Standard

It's not just that the i-Activesense badge looks flat, it also has that black plastic border ring. You can see what I mean about how it loses it's 3D look. Ah well, I know it's a small drawback because I don't even notice it unless it's on my mind. (wow)

 

[mraub1]

That system does look very slick. It probably does not meet US headlight standards, which often lag behind those in the rest of the world.

If you think High Beam Control is nice, wait until you see Mazda i-ACTIVSENSE - Adaptive LED Headlamps (ALH) which is available in many other markets in the world. This Mazda's ALH makes HBC becoming a low tech feature!

 

[SoulRedCX5]

If the car already came without tech package. Can it upgraded to tech package afterward ?


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[Speedie95]

Here's the difference in the badge/logo:

<Pics Snipped>

It's not just that the i-Activesense badge looks flat, it also has that black plastic border ring. You can see what I mean about how it loses it's 3D look. Ah well, I know it's a small drawback because I don't even notice it unless it's on my mind. (wow)

Ah thank-you! I had no idea there was a difference, but that's one less thing to remember next time I'm at the dealership.

Wanted to let you know that SBS got its first workout today. I'll try to explain briefly:

On my commute, there's a 4 way intersection with lights in all directions. I had a green to go straight on, and the traffic in the opposite direction also had a green to go straight on. Now on the other side of the intersection, in the direction that I was traveling, there's a small side road on the right hand side with a yield sign at the end of it that merges into the main road. People have a habit of blowing the yield sign, so as I go through the intersection I make it a point to check for traffic that's not showing any sign of slowing down and therefore might pull out in front of me as I clear the intersection. As I was glancing off to my right to make that check, some ***** in a Taurus who was oncoming towards me suddenly decided that she actually wanted to be going in the same direction as me, so she pulled a U-turn right in front of me. By the time I caught her in my peripheral vision (remember I was glancing right, and she u-turned in front of me from my left) the SBS system had already applied considerable braking force and flashed the red "BRAKE!" light on the dash.

I'm pretty sure that I would have been able to react to her dumb maneuver in time to stop (just) but I was thoroughly impressed with how the CX-5 responded nonetheless. Calm, smooth, and extremely effective.

 

[SK77X]

Ah thank-you! I had no idea there was a difference, but that's one less thing to remember next time I'm at the dealership.

Wanted to let you know that SBS got its first workout today. I'll try to explain briefly:

On my commute, there's a 4 way intersection with lights in all directions. I had a green to go straight on, and the traffic in the opposite direction also had a green to go straight on. Now on the other side of the intersection, in the direction that I was traveling, there's a small side road on the right hand side with a yield sign at the end of it that merges into the main road. People have a habit of blowing the yield sign, so as I go through the intersection I make it a point to check for traffic that's not showing any sign of slowing down and therefore might pull out in front of me as I clear the intersection. As I was glancing off to my right to make that check, some ***** in a Taurus who was oncoming towards me suddenly decided that she actually wanted to be going in the same direction as me, so she pulled a U-turn right in front of me. By the time I caught her in my peripheral vision (remember I was glancing right, and she u-turned in front of me from my left) the SBS system had already applied considerable braking force and flashed the red "BRAKE!" light on the dash.

I'm pretty sure that I would have been able to react to her dumb maneuver in time to stop (just) but I was thoroughly impressed with how the CX-5 responded nonetheless. Calm, smooth, and extremely effective.

Thanks for the great real life example. I can definitely think of a number of examples where such a feature would help me out, or just provide that are added reassurance that the car's got my back!

Just curious though, when the SBS intervened, I assume you still had your foot on the gas peak pedal. So how did the system handle the gas pedal still being depressed? I imagine it just overrides/negates any gas pedal input?

 

[Speedie95]

Thanks for the great real life example. I can definitely think of a number of examples where such a feature would help me out, or just provide that are added reassurance that the car's got my back!

Just curious though, when the SBS intervened, I assume you still had your foot on the gas peak pedal. So how did the system handle the gas pedal still being depressed? I imagine it just overrides/negates any gas pedal input?

That would be my guess too. It happened very fast, but I would definitely have been on the gas as I was accelerating through the intersection. Presumably the system is smart enough to know that the car shouldn't be accelerating into a collision LOL. The more I think about it, the more impressed I am by how SBS responded to the situation.

 

[SoulRedCX5]

Cam sbs installed in cx 5 without tech package ?


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