Mazda CX 5 VS Ford Escape, my dilema, $4K and 85hp

[toronto-rider]

HI

My wife and I are cant decide between the 2 cars. I have read all the reviews on line we have test driven the Mazda twice and the Ford once, plan to take the Ford on a 2nd test drive on Saturday.
What we are comparing is the Mazda Cx5 GS FWD with the Ford Escape Se FWD with the 2l option.

The dilemma is 2 things. Price and Engine.
I can get the Ford for $4300 cheaper than the Mazda plus I get from Ford life time oil change for free.
The Engine in the Mazda is underpowered, not going to get into this as I know there are a lot of threads, but 155hp vs 240 hp is no comparison.

My wife and I are both leaning towards the Mazda, we love the looks, back up camera, I like the better resale value, the dash.
This will be my wife's car who in 4 years of driving her last car did 36Km. I will drive the car on weekends when we go out together.
We are not getting AWD on either cars as we don't go up North and good snow tires will be fine.

So what would you do, yes I know this is a Mazda forum, but over $4k saving and 85HP is a lot?

IF the Mazda had a more powerful engine, this would be a non issue, regardless of price. But I think in a years time, I will hate driving the CX-5 as I hate driving her current car (Honda Civic) as the dam thing is a sowing machine. No Guts.
My current Car is a Mazda 3 in manual which I still love driving.

 

[Jwlj]

I drove the US SPEC Escape and US SPEC CX-5.
I am also a prior owner of a Honda Civic (8th GEN)

Keep in mind our trims were a little different.

Reasons I went with the CX-5 Vice Escape

1) Seating position in the CX-5 was better IMO
2) Ford's infotainment system still needs work. It took multiple button pressed to find the scan button on the radio!
3) I liked the look better of the Mazda
4) Blind Spot monitor system is great!
5) Back up camera was a must for a cross over with limited rear visability

Ford Escape has had 2 recalls on the Escape already.
1) Floor mat issue. I experienced this during the test drive.
2) Gas lines in the 1.6 engine have issues. (may cause fire) Ford has said NOT TO DRIVE the car until fixed.

In my opinion the CX-5 has enough get up and go for me.
There are rumors of the 2.2 Diesel and a 2.5 gas comming for the 2014 Model Year as well as other options that are slated for the next Mazda 6.

Reading Car and Driver and Motor Trend. Both Magazines find the cars to be great.
In one the ford finished first and the CX-5 second. In the other the CX-5 won.... and by a large margin.

Looking at fuely numbers from users in both cars. I'm seeing the CX-5 is trending higher in overall MPG on average.
I have no idea the driving habits of the users.
I am currently averaging 30.1MPG with a healthy mix of city and highway. I have roughly 2300 miles in a month of owning the car. 1600 of which are highway speeds.

 

[Jwlj]

Something else to consider.

The Nissan Rogue and the Rav4 are both getting ready for a redo.
I belive the Rogue will be comming out before the Rav4.
No specs on MPG / HP etc.. yet.


You are also not compairing like engines in terms of MPG / HP. Not really fair.
If you can wait, 2 new Cross overs.. and possible new engines for the CX-5 next year to think about.

 

[toronto-rider]

Due to the limited mileage we do, MPG is not so much of a factor. What will we save over 5 years, a couple hundred $.
We cant wait, my wife's Civic lease is up in Sept, due to the low mileage she has, we make money on buying the car and selling it privately.
We want the money from the sale to be the down payment.
We are having our 1st child in November and want the new car set up well before than.

 

[CX-SV]

Since the significant gas mileage difference is not important, get the 2.0L Escape. (I've driven the 1.6L and reported here earlier)

 

[Gio26NJ]

I can't believe how similar our sitations are man. I had also leased a 09 Civic, I also hated the car. I mean absolutely hated. I still have it, it's going back Saturday when the lease is up. I'm also mad we're giving it back with 6,000 allowed miles unused.

When we went out to look for a new car we didn't even consider the Ford due to their horrible track record and my personal bad experiences with Ford vehicles. In terms of style, design, safety, handling, ride comfort my wife loves the CX-5. We considered the Honda CRV and Nissan Rogue but the CRV I feel we're not old enough to look good in and the Rogue I would not be caught driving in since it's such a thin little girly looking car, CX-5 is more aggressive style wise. I'm on the same boat with you. Until the lease was up I've been driving this thing around everywhere but after this weekend the CX-5 will be hers, I'll just stick to driving on weekends or when we go somewhere just like you.

Congrats on the baby by the way.

 

[CX-SV]

I can't believe how similar our sitations are man. I had also leased a 09 Civic, I also hated the car. I mean absolutely hated. I still have it, it's going back Saturday when the lease is up. I'm also mad we're giving it back with 6,000 allowed miles unused.

.

Check your lease contract, it should state how much per mile you will get as a refund for unused miles (usually around $0.10 to $0.15 per mile which is in range of $600 to $900 for refund).

 

[Nodnerb]

I had the same dilemma with the sportage. I still wonder if I'd be happier with the sportage sx and its 260 hp and better warranty. However, I love the cx-5. If I'd gotten the sportage I'd be wondering if I should have gotten the mazda. There will always be a 'what if'. I just felt the cx-5 was better put together and if it had more HP it would have been no comparison.
I personally hate the new escape interior and the front end. But that's just me.

 

[lyj111121]

I have the same dilemma (except that it's between escape 1.6SE fully loaded FWD and CX-5 GT), I choose cx-5 cuz I need a car before June and Escape can't be delivered that early. I believe that the saving is around $5000 in my case if I go with the Escape (contrary to US). If the saving matters then you should go with the cheaper one cuz both of them are great. Also, I believe that the savings in fuel for CX-5 is compensated by the savings in insurance for Escape if you are in GTA. I haven't tested the Escape, but its specs and features like panorama sunroof and rear seat vent are my favorite, plus it has more power. On the other hand, CX-5 is great on styling, some features like backup cam and lane change assist, and fuel consumption for sure. If I would choose again, I will choose Escape over CX-5 simply cuz it's way more cheaper and has enough features I like.

 

[jsg22]

I test drove the top spec Ford a few weeks before deciding to go with the Mazda. The Ford didn't even make my top 3. Did not like the way it handled. It definitely had nice power but that was about it. I thought it felt cheap in general and the steering left a lot to be desired. Keep in mind there wasn't much of a price gap between the top line Escape and the GT AWD I ended up with. As for power. I came from an Acura TL with 280hp and the CX-5 seems fine to me. No complaints at all.

 

[CX-SV]

My top 3 when shopping this class of SUV were (in alphabetical order) CRV, CX-5, Escape 1.6L/2.0L.

I placed more importance on fuel efficiency and quality than horsepower since I have 2 much more powerful sport sedans at home, therefore CX-5 was my top choice given my priorities.

 

[Evan55]

The escape back seat is smaller than the cx-5 by a few inches.

rear facing baby car seats take up a LOT of room in the back.
If youre expecting, this reason alone is the reason to go with the CX-5.

I have a 7 week old, and we bought a focus hatchback 6 months ago, and I have to drive it with my knees in the steering wheel and seatback bolt upright when the baby is in the car.

Im now shopping for SUVs (wish somebody still made midsize wagons) for this issue alone.

 

[Aviboy97]

Check your lease contract, it should state how much per mile you will get as a refund for unused miles (usually around $0.10 to $0.15 per mile which is in range of $600 to $900 for refund).

I have never seen a manufacturer refund money for unused miles, unless you paid for such protection at lease inception.

 

[Aviboy97]

The escape back seat is smaller than the cx-5 by a few inches.

rear facing baby car seats take up a LOT of room in the back.
If youre expecting, this reason alone is the reason to go with the CX-5.

I have a 7 week old, and we bought a focus hatchback 6 months ago, and I have to drive it with my knees in the steering wheel and seatback bolt upright when the baby is in the car.

Im now shopping for SUVs (wish somebody still made midsize wagons) for this issue alone.

One of the deciding factors for my wife and I purchasing a CX-5 was the rear seat room because we have 2 kids, one in a rear facing car seat. I am 6'3" and I can sit in the passenger seat, knees not on dash, with the rear facing seat behind me. Could not say the same for the CR-V and we never considered the Escape due to price.

 

[CX-SV]

I have never seen a manufacturer refund money for unused miles, unless you paid for such protection at lease inception.

I've seen it on (2) Mercedes leases (not bank leases) of mine, it's boilerplate in the contract, not any special protection paid for at lease inception. The refund check came in the mail to my home address. Btw, the penalty rate per mile is higher for excess miles than the refund rate for unused miles, no surprise.

 

[Jwlj]

I guess the big test will be to bring a car seat and see how easy it is to install, remove etc....

My wife and I eliminated a few crossovers via that test.

Good luck bud.
You can't really lose.

If the rav4 had better mpg, I would have considered that.


I replaced my civic due to getting side swiped and totaling the car.
I was wanting to wait and test the subaru XV.


I guess do a pro cons list?

I just couldn't stand the ford sync system.

 

[Gio26NJ]

I've seen it on (2) Mercedes leases (not bank leases) of mine, it's boilerplate in the contract, not any special protection paid for at lease inception. The refund check came in the mail to my home address. Btw, the penalty rate per mile is higher for excess miles than the refund rate for unused miles, no surprise.

Check your Honda contract, because 6000 miles would be a few hundred bucks.

Very interesting never knew such a thing existed! calling Honda Financial right now. No idea where my original paperwork is. I'll take any refund I paid for this piece of dog s*** they call a car.

Edit: Called Honda Financial and Honda does not offer a refund for unused mileage. I should abuse this thing before I give it back j/k

 

[GAXIBM]

Back seat was a big deal for us, needed to be able to handle two adults. Also reverse carseat is uses some.

 

[katmar]

I placed more importance on fuel efficiency and quality than horsepower since I have 2 much more powerful sport sedans at home, therefore CX-5 was my top choice given my priorities.

Would you have purchased the CX-5 if it was to be your only vehicle?

 

[CX-SV]

Very interesting never knew such a thing existed! calling Honda Financial right now. No idea where my original paperwork is. I'll take any refund I paid for this piece of dog s*** they call a car.

Edit: Called Honda Financial and Honda does not offer a refund for unused mileage. I should abuse this thing before I give it back j/k

Yep, I did some research and a majority of automakers writing leases do refund for unused miles (just like the Mercedes and Jag leases I am used to). Honda does not and that is one important reason to avoid their leases.