Hi - looking to order the Sport Nav AWD diesel

[Buzzx6r]

Hi,

have run BMWs for the last 10 years and currently drive the V8 M3. The M3 is a truely amazing car but it no longer fits our needs and I get little chance to use it's performance. Having driven an X3 30d Msport, new Honda CRV 2.2 idec and CX5 175 ps Sport diesel. We've settled on the Mazda.

All drive poorly compared to M3 (as expected) but the CX5 was the most fun of the SUVs and the best looking. We'll be ordering the storm blue with stone leather. The dash layout reminds me of BMW with the simple dials and idrive type control. The buttons to adjust the clock are very odd though and certainly a design oversight and yes some of the lower dash trim and interior parts are not as high quality as BMW but the fit and finish is good. The driving position is spot on, including the 3 pedals for the manual version. The short throw action is not really in keeping with the car's nature but works well.

I previously read about cabin noise but I did not feel it was noisey at all at 70mph. I think due to the quietness of the diesel engine, the only noises that enter into the cabin are mainly from the tyres and a little from the large mirrors. I believe that if the engine was as loud as most diesels, the tyre noise would have less impact.

I will be adding DAB (do not understand how Mazda do not offer as an option when I've had it in my cars for over 5 years!) and trying to add a multi CD player unless I can find a way of connecting an external hard drive with songs recorded in lossless format.

Very much looking forward to placing the order soon (though there is a 12 week wait in the UK), doing some gentle off-roading and looking down on other road users.

Cheers
Anthony

 

[nXt]

What's a DAB?
There's a USB port. The CX-5 Can playback MP3/WMA/AAC files off a USB flash drive.
So I suggest you convert your lossless files to that format.
Actually why even play lossless in the car? Not like the sound system in the CX-5 is top notch.

The USB port is powered so possibly the standalone smaller external usb flash drives that do NOT have a dedicated power plug may work. I have not personally tried it.

But FYI, navigating/searching/looking to play more than a handful of songs is annoying as heck. Also the shuffle sucks and the car plays the same tracks when you start the car every time.

I suggest getting a real MP3 player and using the AUX input or Bluetooth. Easier to find what song you want to play and it will be much faster. And I'm not an iPod fan at all, but others have said the iPod controls sucks on the CX-5 too.

 

[WNJ]

What's a DAB?

DAB is Digital Audio Broadcasting and is the only thing (in my opinion) that is missing from the car other than a spare tyre I guess!

I have been nothing but impressed with my AWD Sport-Nav and recommend you getting the optional 'Safety Pack' that has the rear vehicle monitoring and lane departure warning systems.

 

[Buzzx6r]

Thanks for the replies. I do plan on upgrading the Bose 9 speaker system as I'm a bit of an audiophile. I listen to CDs directly but am looking into how to have CD quality stored in the car without the need of a multichanger. Will look further into use of an MP3 player. I'll be using Creative Car Audio in Hornchurch, Essex to upgrade the system.

I'm not a fan of the auto-gizmos that all cars are slowly getting. I've turned them off in the M3 as I believe I am the best at deciding what I need to do. I very much dislike the change in mentality of the car industry / goverments / insurance companies and drivers relying on aids rather than making themselves better drivers. I took the route of advanced driving and have passed the IAM test. I also participate in regular skills days that the IAM provide (bit of promotion ) which are both fun and informative.