Mazda CX-5…Our last resort?

[mariet]

Hello
new poster hMoving to SUV/crossover because we’ve moved into a creaky stage of life and a variety of afflictions that make us picky, We’re coming off a beloved Ford Fusion and except for the awful cramped back seat it ,was a great little car , sigh; it was totaled


—what we need:
High seats for easier access
comfortable driver and passenger seats
lumbar support preferred power adjustable
bsa ,lane guidance, rear bu camera, auto open trunk
high reliability
*****accessible back seat. Very important

—what we don’t need:
a new car or a status symbol
a tank
a sun or moon roof
the latest/greatest electronics

what we tried and turned down and why
RAV4 hard ride , hard unfriendly interior
honda CRV : with arthritic hands I could not use the gear shift knob you use your thumb to operate
( press in) , it was too big and my palm hurt when I gripped it. Felt big like more car than we needed
Honda smaller SUV felt cramped not a great ride
Chevy Equinox actually quite OK except there was a fuel pump recall including the model we drove.( haven’t confirmed ithat work was done) Back accessible with good legroom, I could feel the engine under my feet and read that the engine is under powered…..and what’s with the hard immovable bolster, it seems infantile even if it is a safety feature . And it is a Chevy which I never imagined driving,,,,,,

A search opened up possibility of Mazda cx5, with more power , safety.
what can you add . given our physical contraints (bum hip, bum back, need the good leg room in back)
Gonna try one tomorrow and I like to be prepared,

I followed the community’s guidance to someone else And you guys were patient, kind and good humored,
I look forward to your advice,
tx,
marie

 

[HyFlyer]

One thought for you when you check out the CX5 is your comfort in the seat. Mazda seats (to me) seem to be better suited to smaller framed folks. The "seat" of the seats have high/hard side bolsters and can make a difference in your comfort. i.e. my wife is completely comfortable where the side bolsters put pressure on my legs and can bother me on longer drives.

For me, it's the higher trim leather seats that cause issues for me where the lower trim cloth seats are fine. Go figure . Other than the seat, I really enjoy Mazda.

Speaking of seating comfort, I recently drove a 2023 Ford Maverick XLT and found the seats very comfortable in that! Nice vehicle.

Good luck in your search.

 

[mariet]

A CrV we test drove had leather seats that were hard as a rock. My old Fusions leather seats were fine. I’m guessing a difference between a sedan and suv with a ‘tougher’ image
I’ll try not to be prejudiced before I try it…

 

[Chocolate]

There used to be 3 types of seats prior to the '24 model, cloth, leatherette, or leather, but now with the elimination of the base AWD trim there are only 2 (in the US): leatherette or leather. I have the cloth seats and find them comfortable, but found the leatherette very uncomfortable with too much built in lumbar, and the leather seats a bit firmer than the cloth, but comfortable. Definitely recommend getting some seat time at your dealer to see which is most comfortable for you. Overall, I'm happy with my CX-5 after 4 years of ownership and I drove or considered most of its competitors.

 

[yrwei52]

⋯
—what we don’t need:
a new car or a status symbol
a tank
a sun or moon roof
the latest/greatest electronics

Since you’re looking for a used CUV particularly on the CX-5, I strongly suggest to find a 2016.5 CX-5 in lower trim Touring or Sport. IMO 2016.5 CX-5 is the most reliable MY for CX-5, and 2016 or 2017 CX-5’s are fine too. Just don’t get 2018 or newer CX-5 as the engines offered are having a couple of issues.

You’re looking for “comfort” based on your description and you liked your previous Ford Fusion, I really don’t think the CX-5 is suited for your preference. CX-5 is toward the performance side and the ride will be firm.

As members mentioned above the seats on CX-5 will be tricky and some will feel uncomfortable. I just tried the new $50k+ CX-90 which is Mazda’s most luxurious model and I found the driver seat is going to be uncomfortable for many drivers especially for those with bigger size.

The rear seat space and trunk on CX-5 are also on the smaller side among compact CUVs.

I believe the Toyota Corolla Cross will be the best suitable for your needs. But it just came out in 2022, and the waiting list is long.

 

[cz5gt]

The only things I dont like is the seats in my 2018 and 2022 and the hard ride quality. Steering wheel is also on the heavy end.
Check out gmc arcadias and ford edge too. They have comfortable seats and decent technology as well as more space at the back. The Edge rides nicely too. Thats if you are looking at crossovers. If sedans -> there are lot more options.

 

[dunhillmc]

2024 CX5s have softer seats than previous ones. They're still on the small side though. You might want to consider the CX50 also

 

[mariet]

we tried a 2018 cx5 before we knew about all the recalls. We liked it a lot. Very comfortable ride, peppy, the seats were fine for the short ride we had. The bolsters were relatively soft and did not intrude too much on the seating space
Cannot afford nor do we need the newest model of anything.
Q I asked the dealers if the 2018s on their lots had been part of a recall. They “checked” and said no. I wonder if their answers can be trusted?

Q. I’ve read that if the car has a excellent

 

[HyFlyer]

Cannot afford nor do we need the newest model of anything.

As @yrwei52 had mentioned, in that case, find a low mileage 2016.5 touring model

 

[mariet]

Sorry-I hit send accidentally
Q. Please explain again the trade off between low mileage and age of recars that can last up to 200, 250 miles ( like subs and Hondas)
We are on our early 70s so likely won’t be driving in 15


Q given there aren’t a lot of “bargains” out there …, and prices are pretty consistent across dealers here’s what’s interesting so far
In CX5s
2017 GRAND TOURING 38,000. / $ 22,292

2017 Touring. 57,000. $20,495

3017touring 33481. $20,975

2018 touring. 36,000. $23,500

We be out of time on our rental but I’m not going to make $ 20k mistake because of a $ 100 dollar additional rental fees.

please RSVP asap cause we’re going out again this after noon
Marie

 

[mariet]

Did I miss problems with the 2017?

did I mention safety- we want a car that will be smarter than we will be in 10 years!

 

[Snorting2.5]

cx5 is nice, fair size back seat. make sure you check it before buying. a base model cx5 2.5 is great.

the mazda 6 is worth a look if you want to give up some height for the rather spacious rear seat space.

 

[sm1ke]

To be blunt, if you think a RAV4 rides too rough, the CX-5 (or any Mazda, for that matter) won't be right for you. Mazdas tend to sacrifice some aspects of comfort for the sake of road handling.

I would suggest a newish Buick Encore GX AWD. The AWD comes with a 9-speed automatic so you can avoid the CVT. It comes with 18" wheels that you can probably size down to 17" or maybe even 16", for more tire sidewall, resulting in a more comfortable ride over minor road imperfections. It's not a fast car, with the top trim only having 155hp and taking over 9 seconds to reach 60mph, but given your circumstances it's very unlikely that you'll find a unicorn that fits all of your specific needs without some expensive custom modifications.

 

[yrwei52]

To be blunt, if you think a RAV4 rides too rough, the CX-5 (or any Mazda, for that matter) won't be right for you. Mazdas tend to sacrifice some aspects of comfort for the sake of road handling.

Exactly!

Our 2016 CX-5 is the only vehicle we’ve owned where I’ll feel uncomfortable on driver seat after 2 hours of highway driving.

 

[yrwei52]

Sorry-I hit send accidentally
Q. Please explain again the trade off between low mileage and age of recars that can last up to 200, 250 miles ( like subs and Hondas)
We are on our early 70s so likely won’t be driving in 15


Q given there aren’t a lot of “bargains” out there …, and prices are pretty consistent across dealers here’s what’s interesting so far
In CX5s
2017 GRAND TOURING 38,000. / $ 22,292

2017 Touring. 57,000. $20,495

3017touring 33481. $20,975

2018 touring. 36,000. $23,500

We be out of time on our rental but I’m not going to make $ 20k mistake because of a $ 100 dollar additional rental fees.

please RSVP asap cause we’re going out again this after noon
Marie

That’s why you want to sacrifice the MY, an older CX-5 such as a 2016.5 CX-5 which will be cheaper than a 2018 or newer CX-5 which potentially may have “major” engine problem with cracked cylinder head. 2017 CX-5 is fine which has the same engine like 2016.5 / 2016 CX-5 and the 2.5L NA without cylinder deactivation is very reliable if maintened regularly. But 2017 CX-5 is the first-year Gen-2 CX-5 it’ll have some minor issues due to it’s the 1st year model.

 

[yrwei52]

Did I miss problems with the 2017?

did I mention safety- we want a car that will be smarter than we will be in 10 years!

You can’t have both ways buying a used car. You don’t want the latest/greatest electronics but you want it smarter than you? Honestly a 2016.5、2017、 2016 CX-5 Touring which has enough safety features, although they may be pretty basic, for your needs.

 

[mariet]

Thank you all for being so helpful.
whats MY stand for.?
this experience has disabused me of many expectations and misconceptions about needs vs wants.
mt

 

[wlong01]

Thank you all for being so helpful.
whats MY stand for.?
this experience has disabused me of many expectations and misconceptions about needs vs wants.
mt

Model Year.

 

[chickdr]

I recommend a long test drive to be sure you like the seats. They are quite firm. Mostly a quite reliable car, but there have been some engine issues. Seems to be hit or miss (it is even being seen on 22/23 cars) so you can't really guess which ones are going to have the issues.

 

[yrwei52]

⋯ but there have been some engine issues. Seems to be hit or miss (it is even being seen on 22/23 cars) so you can't really guess which ones are going to have the issues.

More specifically, the engine issues with cracked cylinder head and / or failing switchable hydraulic lash adjusters however they may be rare, happen only on 2018 MY and later where the 2.5L naturally aspirated non-turbo started using cylinder deactivation, and the 2.5T turbo used on 2019 and newer.