Keep the 5 or get a CX-5?

L

littlemisszoom

Hi, there. I have a 2010 Mazda5 with 37,000 miles on it. I have enjoyed it, as I have two kids and a super-tall husband. :) But a relative just got a CX-5, and I have to admit that it's tempting. Any thoughts on this? I realize that I'm asking a room full of Mazda5 aficionados (and I love mine as well), but I think I have new car envy. :) Is it any bigger inside?
 
I like the Mazda SUVs (or CUVs if you want to call them) I went shopping for a bigger vehicle after we found out my wife was pregnant with our 2nd child, but she does not like driving minivans, SO we got the 2012 Mazda5, essentially a compromise on wheels. I wanted the sliding doors, I'm tired of having to deal with regular doors and getting infants in and out of seats. If your kids are young and need to be buckled in, I'd say keep the 5. If they are older and can open/close a door on their own and can buckle themselves in... then treat yourself to the CX-5 by all means. I'm sure the handling is WAY better.
 
As I said, I really love my Mazda5. I have a 5 and 2 year old, and the 5 year old has just gotten the hang of the sliding door...good things to think about! Copper5gt, have you driven the CX-5?
 
The 5 has more cargo room with all seats down and has more cargo room if you're carrying 4 people. But if you're carrying 5 people, the CX-5 will have more cargo room.

The 5 has more torque, sliding doors really are better with kids, and at least in the US you're driving something unique.

The CX-5 is better on gas and has their nice new design language.

I'd expect both to handle the same.
 
When my wife and I went car shopping, we looked at both the Mazda5 and the CX-5. We both loved the CX-5 in terms of looks, interior quality, and fuel economy. But the 5 won in the end simply out of practicality -- it costs much less (steep discounts), holds more, and has sliding doors. I also found the engine/transmission characteristics of the CX-5 to be rather sluggish compared to the 5.
I absolutely love the 5. We may still get a CX-5 in a few years for my wife, when better deals can be had.
 
If the two kids are old enough to get in/out of the car and buckle themselves, and you have excess funds, I'd say it's time to move on to the CX5. If you are frugal financially, stick with the Mz5. Aside from aesthetics, there's not much to gain between the two. Sure you get better MPG but your depreciation hit will more than cover gas for a very long time; perhaps a lifetime if you don’t drive too much and if you do then you should be looking at diesels and hybrids. Also, you don't want to fall for the latest trend trap (why manufactures have to keep their line up fresh every so often) b/c there will AWLAYS be a better looking one tomorrow! Technologically and mechanically cars have not evolved enough, they are basically still the same machines.
 
I recently read an article in Car and Driver about how, in the second half of 2013, Mazda will be bringing their 2.2L turbodiesel to the USA for use in the new Mazda6. If you've got 2 kids and want something sleek, with storage, and efficient, the new 2014 Mazda6 diesel is it. 173HP and 290lb/ft of torque out of this diesel and it will be available with both the Skyactiv 6 spd manual or auto transmissions. It will get even better fuel economy than the CX-5 and be much quicker. I would rather wait 8 months for this than buy a CX-5 now if you're worried about having enough room.
 
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littlemisszoom said:
As I said, I really love my Mazda5. I have a 5 and 2 year old, and the 5 year old has just gotten the hang of the sliding door...good things to think about! Copper5gt, have you driven the CX-5?
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Keep the Mazda5, keep your money, wait till the young one is 4 or 5. By that time you will probably have many more options available as far as hybrids, diesels, etc. Who knows maybe you might not even get into a new Mazda, you might fall in love with something else. But always do your research, and feel free to go on several test drives before committing. If your Mazda5 is getting boring, spiff it up with some new wheels, maybe a tint job? A new sound system? LoL (naughty)
 
I drove a Sport AWD/Auto CX-5. Decent handling, but the powertrain is a no-go for me. Start one up on a cold day. Crazy loud and rough idle for a while. Brings me back to the dark days of 4-bangers. The car is very sluggish with just one aboard. With four on board around town, I don't think it would get very good gas mileage if trying to stay with traffic. On the highway, the ride is choppy, and never settles down. I will go back when they get a 6mt in.

The MZ5 has a much more fluid ride, reclining second row seats, a 3rd row for extra seating in a pinch, and kid-friendly low effort sliding doors. Great for those with young kids. If your husband is tall you can slide the second row seat back. No can do in the CX-5. If I bought a CX-5 with the same level of equipment as our MZ5 it would cost me about $5k more.

I will still welcome one perhaps after a drive in a 6MT Sport. They actually discount these somewhat, making it a bargain. We would not be trading in the MZ5 so it's utility shortcomings would not be a problem for me.
 
I like the ability with the 5 to not have to take two vehicles everywhere when the grandparents come and we all want to go out. And I do enjoy the drivetrain on the 6MT. And sliding doors are super practical.
 
I have to say the most practical vehicle I have ever owned/driven was my old Town & Country with Stow n Go. I miss it so much. Sure about every 2 months I was at the dealer with another warranty repair/problem, but at least Chrysler never gave me trouble about it. I remember the intake duct on the 3.3L V6 was placed on the TB in a hurry, you could tell because the duct got pinched and caused an air leakage, I only saw it when I was changing my oil one day. I went down to the Chrysler dealer, he saw the problem, ordered me up a brand new duct, and voila, problem solved. If that was Mazda, they would've told me "It's engineered with an air leak in order to get more air into the engine."

I am actually shopping for a used Chrysler T&C/Caravan with Stow N Go seating with the 3.3L V6 as I type. Would be useful for my business as well, might turn it into a C/V.
 
torquelover said:
I drove a Sport AWD/Auto CX-5. Decent handling, but the powertrain is a no-go for me. Start one up on a cold day. Crazy loud and rough idle for a while. Brings me back to the dark days of 4-bangers. The car is very sluggish with just one aboard. With four on board around town, I don't think it would get very good gas mileage if trying to stay with traffic. On the highway, the ride is choppy, and never settles down. I will go back when they get a 6mt in.

The MZ5 has a much more fluid ride, reclining second row seats, a 3rd row for extra seating in a pinch, and kid-friendly low effort sliding doors. Great for those with young kids. If your husband is tall you can slide the second row seat back. No can do in the CX-5. If I bought a CX-5 with the same level of equipment as our MZ5 it would cost me about $5k more.

I will still welcome one perhaps after a drive in a 6MT Sport. They actually discount these somewhat, making it a bargain. We would not be trading in the MZ5 so it's utility shortcomings would not be a problem for me.
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I have to drive one of these... they look so solid, I would expect a CX-5's driving dynamics to beat out, say a RAV4 or even a CR-V.
 
ukulele said:
I have to drive one of these... they look so solid, I would expect a CX-5's driving dynamics to beat out, say a RAV4 or even a CR-V.
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I have not driven a new Rav, but have driven the new CRV. Compared to the CRV the CX-5 feels a lot more athletic, which unfortunately only magnifies it's lack of power. I would say the CRV is more refined, and roomy up front, kinda like a small minivan. If mostly highway driving is in your future, the CRV would be the one to get. Quieter, smoother, kinda just goes down the road. If mostly curvy road driving is in your future, get the CX-5. Just wait for the 2.5 or get the manual maybe.
 
torquelover said:
I have not driven a new Rav, but have driven the new CRV. Compared to the CRV the CX-5 feels a lot more athletic, which unfortunately only magnifies it's lack of power. I would say the CRV is more refined, and roomy up front, kinda like a small minivan. If mostly highway driving is in your future, the CRV would be the one to get. Quieter, smoother, kinda just goes down the road. If mostly curvy road driving is in your future, get the CX-5. Just wait for the 2.5 or get the manual maybe.
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Sounds like when I test drove the Mazda3 with the 2.0L, I was like "What the..... Where's the power?" My Yaris with the 1.5L felt slightly more powerful early on in the RPMs in any given gear, was more eager to move and the program made the best from the measly 100 HP or so the engine could offer. The Yaris chassis, for a sub-$20k car, is superb. I hooked it up with General Altimax tires and would throw it into the corners on a rainy day. Though the understeer was pronounced it never lost composure and all the stress would be transferred to the tires. Amazing. I would NEVER take a 3 with anything less than the stock 2.5. The SkyActive 3 I drove had the same power problem. My Yaris still gave me 27 MPG city/38 highway.
 
I went and drove the CX-5 and loved it (dangit). The salesman showed me the "click point" on the gas pedal that you have to get past if you really want it to move. I still have my 5, though...didn't like that it was 5k more than my 5 with similar features (if I got it new).
 
My suggestion is that, if you really like the CX-5, that you wait till the second half of 2013 when Mazda brings over the 2.5L Skyactiv-G engine. Mazda is bringing this engine over first in the new 2014 Mazda 6. The 2.5L will make about 30 more HP and about 35 more lb/ft of torque. That ought t make a big difference in the CX-5. MPG figures for the 2.5L Skyactive-G in the Mazda 6 are 27 city/37 hwy. The 2.5L Skyactiv-G engine will be followed by the 2.2L twin-turbo diesel which, in my estimation is the engine worth waiting for, making 175HP and 290lb/ft of torque. But, like you said, the current 2.0L CX-5 will cost you $5000 more than your current Mazda 5. I can't imagine it will cost any less with the 2.5L or 2.2L diesel. It'll take quite a while to make up that minimum $5000 style premium in fuel savings. Alternatively, you could spend a fraction of that $5000 on goodies for your Mazda 5 to make it more fun for you to drive.
 
I have both a 2010 Mazda 5 with the 2.3MZR and a 2012 Mazda 3 with the Skyactiv G 2.0. The Skyactiv G 2.0 has plenty of power, the big difference in the two is that that the gas pedal is very quick acting on my 5, and the gas pedal on the 3 has to be engaged more before you get the same power. I didn't think Toyota actually made a vehicle anymore that could actually handle well, thought they made all their cars with soft suspensions.
 
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