Actually I'm not new to Mazda as I had a 1975 Ford Courier made by Mazda but I'm not sure if that counts or not (hand).
Anyway, I appreciate the reading and research done here prior to purchase and the information given by the members here.
The long winded history:
We (my wife and I) just picked up our CX-5 yesterday after much deliberation on brands. We came from a Ford Escape which has been my wifes primary transportation for the last 9 years. At 152,000 miles, we decided it was time for a change. We leaned heavily toward a Rav 4 as her parents just bought one and liked it. We however felt the seating position was very low (like sitting on the floor) and she felt it had severe blind spots. The Honda CRV was very dull and lifeless to me and I was shocked to read their forums describing lots of problems that seemed serious. Subaru was also ruled out as their head gasket failures at 80K-120K are well known here (we live in Suby country). I have also owned one in the past. My local mechanic does most of the Suby rebuilds in the valley so he has a good handle on their issues. We keep our cars a long time and I don't wish to deal with that if at all possible. We also ruled out the new Ford Escape (even though I have had lifelong Fords) due to the well documented mileage issues/claims and the fact it's turbo charged. Of all the turbo's I've owned, it's the first thing to break on the engine. Normally aspirated engines are high on my list. Transmounted engines are not, but a 4 cylinder is acceptable. The last Escape was a transmounted V6 and very time consuming to work on. (I.E. remove intake manifold, throttle body, air intake and cruise control to access rear cylinders for plug and COP changes) (cryhard) GM and Chrysler weren't even considerations, nor was the Nissan.
The choice:
This brings us to the Mazda. I really was impressed with the car from a lower priced SUV standpoint. It has good looks and stance. Sure there are cheap bits on cars in this price range. But, the driving position, seat comfort and handling were very good. The engine was powerful enough for a grocery getter and the car looks fairly simple to work on. The brakes seemed nice and progressive and since the Techno part and sound system is not of great importance to us (except Blue Tooth) we were not influenced by it. We did not get Nav as I prefer low dollar Nuvi's instead. Time will tell. but the car seems like a keeper.
The questions:
1. I know the oil recommended is 0W-20, but what is the capacity? I didn't see it in the owners manual
2. For those that have serviced the tranny, what is it's capacity and what is the recommended fluid and interval change?
3. Does anyone make a good mud/snow type tire that fits the 17" wheel? I like the Bridgestone Dueller Revo 2 but can't find it in the stock size. Is there something similar?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Anyway, I appreciate the reading and research done here prior to purchase and the information given by the members here.
The long winded history:
We (my wife and I) just picked up our CX-5 yesterday after much deliberation on brands. We came from a Ford Escape which has been my wifes primary transportation for the last 9 years. At 152,000 miles, we decided it was time for a change. We leaned heavily toward a Rav 4 as her parents just bought one and liked it. We however felt the seating position was very low (like sitting on the floor) and she felt it had severe blind spots. The Honda CRV was very dull and lifeless to me and I was shocked to read their forums describing lots of problems that seemed serious. Subaru was also ruled out as their head gasket failures at 80K-120K are well known here (we live in Suby country). I have also owned one in the past. My local mechanic does most of the Suby rebuilds in the valley so he has a good handle on their issues. We keep our cars a long time and I don't wish to deal with that if at all possible. We also ruled out the new Ford Escape (even though I have had lifelong Fords) due to the well documented mileage issues/claims and the fact it's turbo charged. Of all the turbo's I've owned, it's the first thing to break on the engine. Normally aspirated engines are high on my list. Transmounted engines are not, but a 4 cylinder is acceptable. The last Escape was a transmounted V6 and very time consuming to work on. (I.E. remove intake manifold, throttle body, air intake and cruise control to access rear cylinders for plug and COP changes) (cryhard) GM and Chrysler weren't even considerations, nor was the Nissan.
The choice:
This brings us to the Mazda. I really was impressed with the car from a lower priced SUV standpoint. It has good looks and stance. Sure there are cheap bits on cars in this price range. But, the driving position, seat comfort and handling were very good. The engine was powerful enough for a grocery getter and the car looks fairly simple to work on. The brakes seemed nice and progressive and since the Techno part and sound system is not of great importance to us (except Blue Tooth) we were not influenced by it. We did not get Nav as I prefer low dollar Nuvi's instead. Time will tell. but the car seems like a keeper.
The questions:
1. I know the oil recommended is 0W-20, but what is the capacity? I didn't see it in the owners manual
2. For those that have serviced the tranny, what is it's capacity and what is the recommended fluid and interval change?
3. Does anyone make a good mud/snow type tire that fits the 17" wheel? I like the Bridgestone Dueller Revo 2 but can't find it in the stock size. Is there something similar?
Thanks in advance for your help.
