new CX5 owner with questions...

[Unobtanium]

Hello, all. I came from a 2010 Grand Jeep Cherokee w/HEMI and Quadradrive II. Just traded into my CX5 2.5L AWD today. I'm dog tired, as I work nights. SO forgive any syntax or spelling errors.

Questions:

Mine does not have the sport mode. Does this mean it is forever slower? Or is it "always in sport mode" acceleration-wise when matted? What IS the official 0-60 of a 2015 CX5 AWD 2.5L without sport mode?

How does the AWD system work? What are the possible torque splits? My Jeep could send 100% of torque to any 1 tire, or a combination of all 4, as it saw fit, at any speed. I could floor it in ice and snow and it just WENT, even with nearly 400# torque. How does this CX5 beastie do?

How is reliability? Will this thing last 300K miles, or not so much?

How is resale? Will it be worth anything in 5 years?

What foibles or quirks does it have that a new owner should be aware of?

Thanks, all!

 

[bxpretzel]

No answers to your questions, but great choice of color!

 

[Unobtanium]

No answers to your questions, but great choice of color!

Thanks. I call it "invisible blue" because it looks like every other car out there. Seriously. If I were going to commit a crime, this would be my get-away vehicle. I would have to travel what, 10 feet, and I would disappear in a crowd of traffic in it.

Anyway, no, I prefer slate grays and the like, but when you buy pre-owned, color is a secondary option, behind features and condition and price, in my book.

 

[bxpretzel]

Thanks. I call it "invisible blue" because it looks like every other car out there. Seriously. If I were going to commit a crime, this would be my get-away vehicle. I would have to travel what, 10 feet, and I would disappear in a crowd of traffic in it.

Anyway, no, I prefer slate grays and the like, but when you buy pre-owned, color is a secondary option, behind features and condition and price, in my book.

Oh, I didn't realize yours is pre-owned. At least my local dealer still has a bunch of 2015s on their lot so I just assumed new. How many miles?

 

[Unobtanium]

Oh, I didn't realize yours is pre-owned. At least my local dealer still has a bunch of 2015s on their lot so I just assumed new. How many miles?

27K. I'll take the mileage hit for price. Paid $22K for it, and got $17K out of the Jeep I traded in, which was definitely on the high side.

 

[rickypicky]

There should be a Sport mode switch immediately to the left of the gear shifter. You push it forward for "sport" mode and pull backwards for "normal" mode. If you don't have this switch, then ironically you may have bought the "Sport" trim line, although I thought the Sport mode switch was on all trim levels?

EDIT: Sorry, I assumed it was a 2016. I'm pretty sure 'sport' mode was introduced in 2016.

 

[Unobtanium]

There should be a Sport mode switch immediately to the left of the gear shifter. You push it forward for "sport" mode and pull backwards for "normal" mode. If you don't have this switch, then ironically you may have bought the "Sport" trim line, although I thought the Sport mode switch was on all trim levels?

EDIT: Sorry, I assumed it was a 2016. I'm pretty sure 'sport' mode was introduced in 2016.

Well, the 2014 Road and Track and C&D tests I have seen are 100% identical to the 2016 track tests, so it would seem that sport mode is about "feel" only, if you are correct that Sport mode was not installed until 2016. I am sure this is the Touring model. I can do without "sport mode" if it does nothing for me...

 

[inlinev]

Hello, all. I came from a 2010 Grand Jeep Cherokee w/HEMI and Quadradrive II. Just traded into my CX5 2.5L AWD today. I'm dog tired, as I work nights. SO forgive any syntax or spelling errors.

Questions:

Mine does not have the sport mode. Does this mean it is forever slower? Or is it "always in sport mode" acceleration-wise when matted? What IS the official 0-60 of a 2015 CX5 AWD 2.5L without sport mode?

How does the AWD system work? What are the possible torque splits? My Jeep could send 100% of torque to any 1 tire, or a combination of all 4, as it saw fit, at any speed. I could floor it in ice and snow and it just WENT, even with nearly 400# torque. How does this CX5 beastie do?

How is reliability? Will this thing last 300K miles, or not so much?

How is resale? Will it be worth anything in 5 years?

What foibles or quirks does it have that a new owner should be aware of?

Thanks, all!

The "sport" button was introduced in the 2016. It trivially increases pedal response and holds revs a bit higher. Car and driver quotes 0-60 of 7.7 seconds in the AWD version.

The AWD system is pretty mild on the CX-5, relative to your Jeep. There is no lock, and the most the system can do is 50% torque to the rear wheels.

Reliability wise KBB gives it a score of above average. Consumer reports also said the same thing.

Congrats on your purchase, but why these questions after you bought the car?


edit - here is a bit more on the AWD https://www.mazda.co.nz/innovation/driving-engine-technology/active-torque-split-ats-all-wheel-drive

 

[Unobtanium]

The "sport" button was introduced in the 2016. It trivially increases pedal response and holds revs a bit higher. Car and driver quotes 0-60 of 7.7 seconds in the AWD version.

The AWD system is pretty mild on the CX-5, relative to your Jeep. There is no lock, and the most the system can do is 50% torque to the rear wheels.

Reliability wise KBB gives it a score of above average. Consumer reports also said the same thing.

Congrats on your purchase, but why these questions after you bought the car?


edit - here is a bit more on the AWD https://www.mazda.co.nz/innovation/driving-engine-technology/active-torque-split-ats-all-wheel-drive

I had always heard good about the cx5. I was not in love with my jeep. While cruising auto trader I saw this cx5 about 3 miles from my zipcode. I drove over just to look and ask. They ended up giving me a deal that would have been stupid to turn down whether I liked the cx5 or not. I'm financially more solvent in it. So yes...I did this a touch backwards, but not quite as haphazard as it must initially appear. Thanks for the data! Really pleased so far with my purchase.

It says the rear has an lsd. Does the front? What sort of lsd is in the rear? Elsd, viscous, clutch and spring, auburn....?

 

[yrwei52]

Hello, all. I came from a 2010 Grand Jeep Cherokee w/HEMI and Quadradrive II. Just traded into my CX5 2.5L AWD today. I'm dog tired, as I work nights. SO forgive any syntax or spelling errors.
Questions:
Mine does not have the sport mode. Does this mean it is forever slower? Or is it "always in sport mode" acceleration-wise when matted? What IS the official 0-60 of a 2015 CX5 AWD 2.5L without sport mode?

You have a 2015 CX-5 so you don't have "Sport" mode on your automatic transmission. Sport mode will delay the upshift and speed up the downshift hence the acceleration will be actually faster, not just "feel" faster. But it'll use more gas to support faster acceleration. The "official" 0-60 for 2015 CX-5 2.5L AWD from Car and Driver was 7.7 seconds. CX-5 SkyActiv-Drive auto tranny only uses torque convertor below 5 mph, and uses multi-plate clutch for the rest to achieve a direct-drive feel like a manual transmission.

How does the AWD system work? What are the possible torque splits? My Jeep could send 100% of torque to any 1 tire, or a combination of all 4, as it saw fit, at any speed. I could floor it in ice and snow and it just WENT, even with nearly 400# torque. How does this CX5 beastie do?

CX-5's Active Torque Split All-Wheel-Drive system will monitor wheel speed and engine data, and maintain an ideal balance of power between front and rear axle torque up to 50/50. Your Jeep Grand Cherokee's Quadra-Drive II is a 4WD system with transfer case and electronic limited slip differentials designed for serious off-road use. As you said, it could send full torque to any one wheel, whereas CX-5 can only send half of the torque to front or rear "axle" with an open differential! You can never expect an AWD system which can perform as good as a 4WD system.

How is reliability? Will this thing last 300K miles, or not so much?
How is resale? Will it be worth anything in 5 years?
What foibles or quirks does it have that a new owner should be aware of?

Mazda's reliability is getting better since Ford withdrew the partnership and Mazda shut down the assembly plant in US. In fact, Consumer Reports has rated CX-5 having better predicted reliability then Honda CR-V. But 300K miles? How much your CX-5 will be worth in 5 years? Who knows! It all depends on how well you keep up the car and do the maintenance. Do the proper maintenance according to maintenance schedule, and use Mazda 0W-20 moly oil and OEM oil filter may prolong your engine life to 30K miles! We just had our 2016 CX-5 since March, the only thing concerns me a bit is the weak and easy to crack windshield. The rest should be insignificant. One thing for sure is you'll be very happy to see how much gas money you can save comparing to your previous Jeep Grand Cherokee!

 

[Unobtanium]

You have a 2015 CX-5 so you don't have "Sport" mode on your automatic transmission. Sport mode will delay the upshift and speed up the downshift hence the acceleration will be actually faster, not just "feel" faster. But it'll use more gas to support faster acceleration. The "official" 0-60 for 2015 CX-5 2.5L AWD from Car and Driver was 7.7 seconds. CX-5 SkyActiv-Drive auto tranny only uses torque convertor below 5 mph, and uses multi-plate clutch for the rest to achieve a direct-drive feel like a manual transmission.

CX-5's Active Torque Split All-Wheel-Drive system will monitor wheel speed and engine data, and maintain an ideal balance of power between front and rear axle torque up to 50/50. Your Jeep Grand Cherokee's Quadra-Drive II is a 4WD system with transfer case and electronic limited slip differentials designed for serious off-road use. As you said, it could send full torque to any one wheel, whereas CX-5 can only send half of the torque to front or rear "axle" with an open differential! You can never expect an AWD system which can perform as good as a 4WD system.

Mazda's reliability is getting better since Ford withdrew the partnership and Mazda shut down the assembly plant in US. In fact, Consumer Reports has rated CX-5 having better predicted reliability then Honda CR-V. But 300K miles? How much your CX-5 will be worth in 5 years? Who knows! It all depends on how well you keep up the car and do the maintenance. Do the proper maintenance according to maintenance schedule, and use Mazda 0W-20 moly oil and OEM oil filter may prolong your engine life to 30K miles! We just had our 2016 CX-5 since March, the only thing concerns me a bit is the weak and easy to crack windshield. The rest should be insignificant. One thing for sure is you'll be very happy to see how much gas money you can save comparing to your previous Jeep Grand Cherokee!

Thanks! I just feel any modern car should go 300k with good PM. My dad has about 450k on his 5.3l Chevy work van. I got 170k out of both of my Trans Ams (an ls1 and lt1) with no signs of issue. Got 150k out of my Infiniti g20 with the motor in great shape. Trans died at 110k though

How is the transmission in this cx5? It sounds nice. ..will it last?
I thought the cx5 had lsd of sorts? I saw a traction test on a wet ramp and all 4 tires spun at the same time even at lower spin rates ?

 

[DG_1234]

Thanks! I just feel any modern car should go 300k with good PM.

On the road today I guess that less than 1% of the cars have 300K miles. Police departments, for example, typically retire their vehicles at about 120k. Somewhere in the 100K to 150K range is the benchmark for car motor, transmission etc... longevity. 300K is well beyond any reasonable expectation.

 

[yrwei52]

... How is the transmission in this cx5? It sounds nice. ..will it last?
I thought the cx5 had lsd of sorts? I saw a traction test on a wet ramp and all 4 tires spun at the same time even at lower spin rates ?

According that article, CX-5's ATS AWD system does have limited slip differential at rear. But it has no transfer case or center differential with lock so it simply just can't send all power to a single wheel. Making all four wheels spun at the same time is doable for an AWD.

Mazda's SkyActiv-Drive auto tranny is very well designed in theory like rotary engine. The longevity is unknown. But like SkyActiv-G high-compression gasoline engine, the design has no obvious flaw in it and it should have good predicted reliability although I heard there is some issues on transmission fluid specified by Mazda.

 

[Kedis82ZE8]

I haven't seen anything in FSM to indicate there is a mechanical LSD in back. At most probably one of the electronic versions that utilize the ABS to mimic an LSD.

 

[Unobtanium]

I haven't seen anything in FSM to indicate there is a mechanical LSD in back. At most probably one of the electronic versions that utilize the ABS to mimic an LSD.

I don't see how ABS could do this, though:

Notice how you can clearly see all 4 tires spinning at the same time, at roughly the same rate?

 

[Kedis82ZE8]

My Infiniti G35x is like that. It is open diff in back but brakes the wheel losing traction to the point that the other wheel with traction kicks in.

 

[Unobtanium]

My Infiniti G35x is like that. It is open diff in back but brakes the wheel losing traction to the point that the other wheel with traction kicks in.

So it can spin all 4 tires at once? By using ABS? AWD confuses the hell out of me, so I'm not arguing, but applying brakes makes all 4 spin?

 

[Kedis82ZE8]

Looks like a pretty slick surface so plausible that all 4 could still spin.

Watch the steep hill part of this video.

 

[yrwei52]

I haven't seen anything in FSM to indicate there is a mechanical LSD in back. At most probably one of the electronic versions that utilize the ABS to mimic an LSD.

Isn't this be part of stability control? The article may be for 2016 CX-5 where ATS AWD system has been updated and may be adding rear LSD a part of update?

 

[Unobtanium]

Looks like a pretty slick surface so plausible that all 4 could still spin.

Watch the steep hill part of this video.

Unless you have a true locker or Torsen style diff, you can overcome the mechanical bias of a diff like that VERY easily.