Has anyone else noticed these issues or am I just a nitpicker?

[LuvMyStealth]

I have a 2013 2.0 GT AWD model with 6-speed slushbox. The vehicle is pretty good at doing what it is designed to do, which is to move people and a moderate amount of their crap around in an economical and fairly comfortable manner. However I do have a few issues that I absolutely hate about this vehicle, one of which is actually dangerous.

There have been several incidents where I have been stopped waiting to make a left turn in heavy traffic that freaked me out. When I spot a gap in the traffic to make my turn and feed in some throttle input the car just sits there for probably half a second before it decides to give me some power. It has done this to me at least 5 times in the year that I have owned it. I have never driven a car that behaves this way and the first time it happened it scared the crap out of me. Is this normal behavior for this car? When I tell the car I want to go it should go, not sit there and think about it for a while and it should not require more than 10% accelerator input to initiate a left turn from a standstill.

The other issue is the transmission programming. It is totally wrong for a vehicle this heavy with so little torque. I drive pretty smoothly and I intensely dislike the fact that I have to shove my foot in the oilpan to get the stupid thing to downshift. If the transmission computer senses that the engine is lugging it should shift down to maintain speed without me having to feed in ANY throttle input. Why is there even a computer controlling the transmission if it so stupid that it cannot even maintain your speed going up a slight incline? I know the car knows what its yaw angle is because the headlights adjust when the yaw angle changes.

This car seems to absolutely love chugging along lugging the crap out of the motor and steadily losing momentum until I get fed up and have to aggressively stab the go pedal to force it to downshift. Then it drops like 3 gears which is really annoying. I get it that the Mazda engineers have done everything that they can to make a 3,400+ lb. vehicle get decent gas mileage, but the driving experience is so bad as a result that I feel that they either got it completely wrong or there is something wrong with my transmission. Does anyone have any tips on driving style or even dealer adjustments that will make this horrible transmission behave like a normal one? I can live with the tranny shifting every 100 feet to try and keep the motor running at top efficiency but the constant lugging is really making me hate this car. I also understand that I can use the manual shift control but if I wanted to constantly row through the gears then I would be driving my Stealth T/T.

I wish I still had my P5 every time I drive this car. That little P5 was a far better car than this CX-5 is even though the CX-5 is fancier

 

[craigo]

The 2.0 engine is too small for it. It's no longer sold, only the 2.5 now.

 

[LuvMyStealth]

I agree that the 2.0 is short on power but ...

The 2.0 engine is too small for it. It's no longer sold, only the 2.5 now.

I can live with the lack of power. What I hate is that the power delivery is so bizarre.

 

[robertmazda]

I would think that such hate would/should have been discovered during the test drive or during pre-purchase research. Don't get me wrong, I have a 2013 too and agree with you about the reality of driving this car. But I knew it up front and found it to be an acceptable trade off. And I've learned to be much more aggressive with this car in order to get it to do what I want. If it bothers you this much after several years of ownership, perhaps it would be best to move on to another car? I'm happy with my 68K+ completely trouble free, repair free, routine maintenance and nothing else miles. Even if it's somewhat underpowered.

 

[Triton46]

I use my CX5 (2013 2.0L GT FWD) primarily for work commute but I have taken it on family trips (4 people and stuff). For the work commute (15 miles) I lock in the cruise control and have not found that it ever loses speed or caused me to have to stab the throttle. I also do not notice it lugging. There is definitely a lack of power, however, once I am at 55mph the RPM is sufficient that I can maneuver/pass as needed.

On family trips, the only time I've noticed the loss of speed was going into the mountains, however, the car dropped down 2 gears and maintained speed after maybe a few seconds.

In my mind, for a $27k vehicle this is not only expected but acceptable. If I needed more speed in this class, I would have bought a Ford Escape with the 2.0T. My goal was premium feel, excellent reliability and class leading MPG. I got it.

 

[ColtX-5]

The 2.5 seems to do about the same thing, but perhaps not as badly. The engine/trans programming is deliberately that way to improve fuel mileage. When it's "lugging", in your description, the engine in running in Atkinson emulation mode (expansion ratio greater than compression ratio) supposedly giving better mileage and less torque. Gassing it causes both a down shift and a cam timing shift. Mine feels pretty "cammy", or like a 2-stroke coming "on the pipe". It's an odd beastie to drive sometimes.

Doesn't yours have a manual shift mode? That's my solution when I want a lower gear than it does.

 

[sillyxone]

Similar feeling here on 2016 2.5 AWD, it's kinda weak going up a highway ramp on its own, especially shifting into 5th gear a little too early. Now I'm used to using the manual mode to keep it in 4th. If traffic is too busy for me to pay attention to shifting, or if I need it to be more aggressive, just flip into Sport mode (which seems to be 2016+ only?). Not sure about the older models, but the pedal is pretty sensitive, pressing it in just a little deeper is also enough, doesn't have to floor it like when I want it to go all out.

I'd give Mazda an applause for the manual mode, pretty smooth and is my favorite (comparing to the Sport mode and paddle shifting on my 2014 Accord).

Also the car will stand out from others in the fun department when you have to push it. A few times I was almost late to the bus station, maneuvring/passing traffic was so easy and seamless that I didn't even notice until I drive other cars and found what I should appreciate the Mazda team for. I guess I'm taking for granted the power of 2.5L, haven't thought about the inconvenience of the 2.0L.

Well, at least from our forum posts, Mazda seems to listen to our complains and make the car better every iteration.

 

[ALafya]

When I spot a gap in the traffic to make my turn and feed in some throttle input the car just sits there for probably half a second before it decides to give me some power.

I think the car disengages the clutch when standing on a light.
However, the delay should be less than 0.5 sec. In my CX-5 it is not perceptible. On our 3, there is a delay but it is pretty minor.
Try to lift your leg from the brake pedal a bit earlier before pressing the gas pedal. If really long, take it to the dealer.

This car seems to absolutely love chugging along lugging the crap out of the motor and steadily losing momentum until I get fed up and have to aggressively stab the go pedal to force it to downshift. Then it drops like 3 gears which is really annoying.

This has been discussed before.
Instead of aggressively stubbing the gas pedal try a quick but short stub. The pedal is not only sensitive the the distance it is being pressed, but also to the speed of it being pressed. A ~1/3 of travel pressed briskly will cause the transmission to downshift. In fact, this type of control allows you to easily control downshifting with minimal RPM change (i.e. to support the gear change) and while keeping a smooth ride and allows you to either choose to lug it a little or to downshift, something that other AT can't do.

However, I agree with you regarding going uphill at about 40MPH, the transmission will ignore the fact there is not enough torque and the engine will produce sounds of protest, yet the transmission will keep at it (unless you make it shift).

 

[jpadilla68]

I can live with the lack of power. What I hate is that the power delivery is so bizarre.

Hi, I had the same issue. I use my CX5 for all family travels, etc (over 80k miles). I live in Austin, TX. Kid goes to college in East Texas (4.5 hour drive one way). This past Sunday, on my way back from East Texas, I stopped by at a bakery half way through. The vehicle suddenly turned off by itself while waiting for my wife in the parking lot. The vehicle would not start. Called roadside assistance, and the gentleman unplugged the Master Air Flow Sensor. The vehicle started immediately. I drove to Austin as is (Thats another story). RPM were high but I made it ( I made sure I didn't pass 3rpm, 50/55 mph) Next day I bought the replacement sensor ($180 with tax at dealer). The car runs great. Like new. No lack of power. Check your sensor. That might fix your lack of power.