GT worth the extra cost? Having a hard time justifying it

[Evan55]

TLDR; is GT/tech worth the $ over Touring.

Ok Im thinking out loud here so pardon the ramble. Ive been planning on getting the CX-5 as soon as it got the 2.4 and I always just assumed I would get the GT w/ tech.
Im in the final stages of making my decision on how to spec and build the car, and Im just having a real hard time justifying paying ~$31k for the GT, considering the nav and tech options are a little bit behind the competition.
The car isnt very competitive in the segment for that price. $31k gets you a very nicely specced Escape Titanium with tons of great features, or even the slightly bigger Santa Fe with better tech too.

So Im comparing the GT/tech with the base touring. Why not touring with tech you say? Since it doesnt have 2 of the options I DO like about GT: heated seats and proximity key entry, if Im going to go touring, its going to be base. And if Im going GT, everything I would want is in tech.

Looking at the spec sheet, the major options that come with a GT dont have much value to me, compared to a base touring.

Leather vs cloth is a wash to me. I prefer the feel and breathability of cloth but appreciate the stain repellency and look of leather.
I actively dislike moonroofs so that has no value to me. (since its an SUV im assuming that there is still plenty of headroom)
The 19" wheels look good, but Id rather choose my own and upgrade them myself so really its a wash with the 17s.
HIDs are an easy DIY upgrade, although the adaptive lights are nice.
Nav is an easy plug in $450 module.
auto climate control, wipers, autodim mirror, heated mirrors, and bose stereo dont have much value to me.
The proximity keyless entry is slick, but less of a convenience since the car already has proximity key start which is the real benefit of that system.
smart city brake I DO like as a safety feature.
heated seats are real nice in the winter for warming you up before the car is warm(and the wife loves them) BUT as pointed out here on these forums, the 2014+ seems to have very weak heated seats.


So its roughly a $4400 difference between GT/tech and base touring, which shrinks to ~3900 after I buy the nav module and HIDs.
And for 3800, I get:
smart city brake
weak heated seats
proxi key entry
turny pointy headlights (thats the technical journal terminology)

Also, the top trims usually seem to depreciate more and come down much closer the the middle trim pretty fast as I found when I shopped for a used CR-V EX vs EX-L.
Which would suck in 2 years when Mazda brings over the mazdaspeed6 WAGON (*cough*) and I have to sell this......



SO
IN YOUR OPINION, given everything I have laid out, do you think the GT is worth it? / talk me into a GT.....

 

[erhayes]

Sounds like you've talked youself out of the GT.(cheers2)

 

[ekcooper]

I like the GT, but I think the TomTom's ok, I like the heathed and leather seats and dual climate control, better sound system, key system, etc. The only thing I don't care about is the moon roof. But, if you're going to do all of your own upgrades, I can see why you're ok with the sport. Good luck.

 

[Seminole]

I think the HIDs alone are worth the upgrade. You could put xenon bulbs in your stock housings but they won't be the same (cutoff, light projection, etc)

But whatever way you cut it $4k is $4k. It's nice to save the money, but if you find yourself actually wishing for those features later on, you can't really so anything to add them. The decision on GT or not was easy for me because the choice was between the CX-5 or something like and RDX or Q5. I chose to save $10k and get all the goodies just with a less powerful engine.

 

[MATR6]

Yes, $30k may seem a lot for a compact CUV. But if you look at what you're getting, $30k is a good value especially reading on what others have considered.
It was no brainer for me to buy every Mazda fully loaded. I love how Mazdas drive & the GT with tech package brings it on par with most luxury brands. Only options/features I'd like is memory seating & power lift gate, but they're in cars that cost $5k more or get mpg in the low 20s
You're not going to get as good as mpg in an Escape or Santa Fe, & pretty sure they don't drive as nice as the CX-5.
Yeah, the Tom Tom navi isn't the best, but it's good enough & I never rely on any navi/google maps w/o checking to see if there are any alternative routes anyways.

 

[CX-SV]

It's worth it for those used to premium cars. It compares very well to premium SUVs (of course horsepower is lower) at $10K+ savings.

 

[Bopper]

I also viewed the CX-5 GT tech as a bargain with greater legroom then the X3, X5 and Q5. The Escape is just so Fugly, and noisier, all that comming from a Ford guy. I tried to like the Ford.

 

[Park2670]

I preferred the GT for all the options you stated. I wanted adaptive headlights, dual zone auto climate, proximity key, Nav, heated seats. This is coming from owning BMWs for six years, and I didn't want to lose all of my gadgets I was so used to.

 

[jarcher107]

I went with the Touring, because I simply wan't moved by anything that the GT added. But this is something that no one ele can answer for you: what matters to me, and is worth extra $$$, has nothing to do with what someone
else thinks is worth their $$$$.

 

[bigmike77]

For me, i was stuck on a touring only because I hate leather because they suck in the summer and the 19" rims have a rougher ride than the 17s. In the end you'll have to sacrifice something whether it be the cash or added features, just like any relationship. Is a GT worth 31k? Not so much because in my mind, the higher I want to pay for a vehicle the more I look towards RDX, highlander, CX9 or a slightly used Q5. At 25k the cx-5 touring is hard to beat in features and looks.

 

[Reggae]

It's all about what makes you happy if the base does it for you then go for it but if you want some perps go for that GT with the tech package just my two cents.

 

[mikeee2]

I got the GT mainly just looking from the outside. To me the 17's are way too small for the cx-5. Yes, you can go aftermarket but it's not cheap. That itself will close a good gap between the Touring vs GT price. I thought about getting the Touring and then adding in features as well. By the time I add everything in, the price is very close to the GT and I still end up with 17s. I do like having moonroof, nav, hid, heated side mirrors, bose, etc...

 

[JohnJr]

My previous van had squat....having what I have now...we will never get another car without heated seats for winter. Dual climate is a marriage saver. Adjusting headlights and bright headlight is just fun driving on a curvy back road at night. Walking up to the car and not pulling out my keys/fob anymore just make sense. Divide the additional price by the amount you time you plan on keeping the car and I will take that over a daily cup of Starbucks coffee any day.

 

[IHeartGroceries]

AA Bi-Xenons are moot, because they are available on the Touring, in addition to both the Nav and sunroof as well.

All of your other arguments are sound. Leather isn't for everybody. Heated leather isn't a must have, really...
Nav is an easy self-upgrade.

However, the legitimate proxi key feature is superior to what they issue on the Touring trim. Having to take the fob out to unlock and lock the car, but not to start it, can seriously throw you into a loop, especially if you aren't accostomed to not having to use a key for the ignition. And honestly, it is a PITA. Not having to remove anything from your pocket at all is superior.
Also, even if leather isn't for you, the auto climate is a great, worthwhile feature. Dual auto climate is even better. Mazda needs to offer it on Touring trim as well, IMO (as they have with the new 6).

Lastly, the wheels are probably the least essential. The advantage they offer is merely aesthetic, with the slight possibilty of a stiffer sidewall on the 19", more sporty tires. They are the same dimensions as the 17's, so they don't put any more rubber/contact patch on the road. They even the same offset and width measurements. So, they fill the well much better, but don't help make the wheel sit more flush with the body. They do look better than the undersized and plain 17" wheels, though...

 

[jtl]

I went back and forth for a while but eventually settled on the GT/Tech. In my mind it gave me everything I wanted and since I keep my cars for a long time for me it was worth the extra money.

 

[CDub125]

Leather is perforated, breathable.

 

[atitus]

I went with the GT as well and I am happy with the decision. With the available 0.9 financing, the additional cost is affordable over three years, and you get a 200 rebate for the financing. I wanted AWD, and the CX-5 gets the best mpg out there in real world driving for this size suv. The escape is close, but the cx-5 has more rear leg room and although the engine is smaller the suspension, cornering, etc is noticeably better. The GT + tech package is one of the most cost effective I saw. The tech package for subaru forester for example is more than 1000 more. All in all its worth it in my opinion.

 

[Evan55]

Thanks for the feedback guys,

Ill let you know what I pick up, but Im back to leaning towards the GT! (cheers)

I did drive a loaded Santa Fe Sport however, and it drove much better than I expected.

 

[rcs914]

The Nav is utterly worthless IMHO, and I wouldn't recommend adding it on your own. It is not worth $100 let alone $500. I got the GT w/tech for everything else. The dual zone cooling is awesome, and one of my favorite features, along with the bi-level xenon's and proximity key. The 19's look better and it would cost you 2K to buy new wheels and tires for the car if you upgrade the Touring. The leather seats are nice, and bring a more "premium" feel to the car. The bose is pretty good, but not awesome. Much better than the car I came from. I thought I would use the sunroof more than I do - I would prefer a panoramic, but that costs way more in an Escape. BTW, I couldn't configure an Escape Titanium for less than $33K before tax.

Also, the Blind spot monitoring, which I believe is on the touring too, has saved my bacon at least 3 times so far. This is an AWESOME feature.

 

[mixmasterlove]

The Nav is utterly worthless IMHO, and I wouldn't recommend adding it on your own. It is not worth $100 let alone $500. I got the GT w/tech for everything else. The dual zone cooling is awesome, and one of my favorite features, along with the bi-level xenon's and proximity key. The 19's look better and it would cost you 2K to buy new wheels and tires for the car if you upgrade the Touring. The leather seats are nice, and bring a more "premium" feel to the car. The bose is pretty good, but not awesome. Much better than the car I came from. I thought I would use the sunroof more than I do - I would prefer a panoramic, but that costs way more in an Escape. BTW, I couldn't configure an Escape Titanium for less than $33K before tax.

Also, the Blind spot monitoring, which I believe is on the touring too, has saved my bacon at least 3 times so far. This is an AWESOME feature.

The nav suuuuuuuucks