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- 2020 CX-5 Signature Azul Metalico
I had to take my CX-5 to Mazda's body shop here in Cali, Colombia after a motorcyclist scarred the rear quarter panel while trying tp pass me on the right on a narrow road. Very typical behavior and of course he took off so no possibility of his paying a peso towards repair. Deep scratch cost about $300 US plus another $300 in car rental. For a rental car I chose a Renault Duster 4x4. It is the same model as the car I had before buying the CX-5 and I was curious about comparisons. First off I don't remember the steering being that heavy. For a moment I thought the front tires must be low or the car low on steering fluid. I'm amazed I lived with that for four years and thought nothing of it. As it was developed in Rumania (also sold as Dacia) the steering is probably to the taste of European drivers (not counting luxury marks). What a relief when I got my Mazda back. Another comparison was engine breaking a subject I discussed in another thread. The Renault has a six speed standard transmission which always held me back nicely with out much breaking on my daily 13 kilometer down the mountain drive whereas the Mazda's automatic in standard shift mode doesn't hold me back much at all and I'm afraid of over revving if I leave it up to engine breaking. I also travel a stretch of rather rough unpaved road and was reminded that the Mazda has a noticeably smoother ride under that condition. However there's a good bit of side to side rocking over rocks and dips that is much more controlled in the Renault with it's tighter suspension. Of course you pay a price for that with a rougher ride off paved roads. Needless to say I was relieved to get my CX-5 back. I certainly missed the power.