One year of ownership

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arunka007

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2016 CX-5 GT | FWD | Soul Red | Tech Package
I've owned the 2016 CX-5 with tech package for exactly one year and have 15,300 miles on it. Thought I'd share the following.

Maintenance done
(1) Two oil changes and tire rotations
(2) Fuel pipe recall fix

Things I love about this car
(1) Spirited driving dynamics. Got to drive a CR-v couple of months back and couldn't believe how crappy it drove.
(2) Looks and Stance. It is by far the best looking (inside and out) car in the segment.
(3) LED lights. Love it. Don't think I can go back to halogens now. Same goes for blind spot monitoring.
(4) Infotainment. It's the easiest to use/understand system in the segment.
(5) MPG. I drive mostly city/suburban and consistently get ~27mpg. Mostly gets 30+ if I'm on a freeway.

Things that used to bother me, but have gotten used to:
(1) Bose system is sub-par
(2) The weird shaped arm rest
(3) Lack automatic lift gate
(4) Lumbar support doesn't extend enough

Things that still bothers me a little
(1) At times, I struggle to find a comfortable seating position for long drives. Also, the front seat bolsters are a bit too aggressive for my taste. I worry they will wear fast and tear at the seams
(2) Lack of Apple CarPlay and Andriod Auto
(3) The GPS doesn't have real-time traffic re-routing and Mazda doesn't have any plans to add that feature in US.
(4) The interior rattles in cold weather
(5) Road noise

Installs
(1) Clear-bra on front bumpers, mirrors, partial hood, door sills and trunk bumper area
(2) OEM mud guards for all four wheels
(3) JDM rear seat headrests
(4) LED lights in the cabin

Overall, I know I wouldn't have been any happier if I bought any of the other models I cross shopped (Rogue, Forester, CR-V, RAV-4). I am still in love with how this car looks and drives. Very frequently I find myself turning back, looking at the car and smiling, after I've parked. To me, that feeling is all that matters.
 
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arunka007 said:
Very frequently I find myself turning back, looking at the car and smiling, after I've parked. To me, that feeling is all that matters.
Click to expand...

Happy to hear I'm not the only one who does that!
 
*Edited due to hurt feelings, and new privilege*

While reading a Mazda forum?
 
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arunka007 said:
Things that still bothers me a little
(1) At times, I struggle to find a comfortable seating position for long drives. Also, the front seat bolsters are a bit too aggressive for my taste. I worry they will wear fast and tear at the seams After seven months of ownership I struggle mightily with seat comfort -I think the seats are too firm for my un-padded backside. I need a flat, less-bucketed seat. Agreed that the bolsters are hard - premature wear is a legit concern.
(2) Lack of Apple CarPlay and Andriod Auto I would have liked CarPlay as well, but overall I like the infotainment system. Even if there was CarPlay in this segment I would have still likely opted for the CX-5.
(3) The GPS doesn't have real-time traffic re-routing and Mazda doesn't have any plans to add that feature in US. All the comments about GPS on this forum steered me away from getting nav. Waze is way better anyway IMO.
(4) The interior rattles in cold weather. One winter in and no significant rattles or noise. I noticed this weekend though just how much vibration there is in the mirrors on the highway. It doesn't really bother me - just an observation.
(5) Roid noise This totally made me laugh...
Click to expand...
 
Nice to know in 9 months i am still going to be messing with the seat. A little this way, little that way, little back. No, Maybe the steering wheel lets try and move the steering wheel. Geeze it never ends and if someone else drives the car I swear they moved it when they didn't and off I go again adjusting to no avail.

I also do the look back and smile. (thumb)
 
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I also have owned my CX-5 w/ tech package for 1 year - 15400 miles. I will also share my thoughts after 1 year of ownership:

Maintenance done -
2 oil changes w/ tire rotations
fuel filler pipe recall repair
interior trim repair (passenger side carpet was pushing the console trim cover loose)

Things I love about the car -

- hands down, best headlights EVER in any car I have driven!
- excellent handling, cornering, and steering feel (best in any of the other small CUV's I shopped - CRV, Crosstrek, RAV4, Rogue, SantaFe)
- Infotainment center & commander knob (rarely use the touch screen)
- cross traffic alert and blind-side monitoring (worth the money & has saved my a** numerous times, even coming out of my own driveway, picks up moving pedestrians also)

Things that used to bother me, but have gotten used to

- Commander knob (learning curve here - now I LOVE it!)
- rain sensing wipers (some-what random sensing)
- no auto liftgate
- armrest/ cannot find great position as I am short and require sitting closer to foot pedals (personal, not the car's fault)

Things that still bother me a little

- Navigation/sometimes takes me 3 different ways to get to the same destination (huh? haven't yet figured THAT one out....)
- Pandora loses connection frequently
- no ambient lighting (loved the ambient lighting in the JEEP, DODGE, and FORD brands)

Installs

- OEM pedal covers
- OEM all-weather floor mats

After cross-shopping the other vehicles in this class, I came to realize that it is very hard to find a vehicle with ALL the qualities you want. That said, the CX-5 is lacking very few of the qualities I required, and I LOVE driving this car every day! I, too, find myself smiling when I walk up to the car in the parking lot or in my driveway. That says it all!
 
freys said:
Nice to know in 9 months i am still going to be messing with the seat. A little this way, little that way, little back. No, Maybe the steering wheel lets try and move the steering wheel. Geeze it never ends and if someone else drives the car I swear they moved it when they didn't and off I go again adjusting to no avail.
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I do as well. Never had this problem with any previous cars.
 
freys said:
Nice to know in 9 months i am still going to be messing with the seat. A little this way, little that way, little back. No, Maybe the steering wheel lets try and move the steering wheel. Geeze it never ends and if someone else drives the car I swear they moved it when they didn't and off I go again adjusting to no avail.

I also do the look back and smile. (thumb)
Click to expand...

Ha! I have the exact same experience - always thinking one more little adjustment will do the trick. Although I hate the idea of using a cushion, it may very well be the only answer for the long term.
 
arunka007 said:
freys said:
Nice to know in 9 months i am still going to be messing with the seat. A little this way, little that way, little back. No, Maybe the steering wheel lets try and move the steering wheel. Geeze it never ends and if someone else drives the car I swear they moved it when they didn't and off I go again adjusting to no avail.
Click to expand...
That's exactly what I do as well. Never had this problem with any previous cars.
Click to expand...
That's when the memory driver seat comes in handy and you can always go to your preferred seat position saved previously even if someone else had changed it. Unfortunately Mazda has eliminated that feature in US/NA version CX-5 although it's available in all other regions.
 
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yrwei52 said:
That's when the memory driver seat comes in handy and you can always go to your preferred seat position saved previously even if someone else had changed it. Unfortunately Mazda has eliminated that feature in US version CX-5 although it's available in all other regions.
Click to expand...

Canadian model does not include it either.
 
arunka007 said:
dblgoat said:
OP-- Do you have a link to the JDM rear seat headrests???
Click to expand...
Someone was selling it here only. I bought it from them. It greatly improved visibility for me.
How To Acquire Non-US Spec Head Restraints for a US-spec CX-5
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?ur...e_tid=123812911&share_fid=108939&share_type=t
Click to expand...
The guy used to sell CX-5's JDM non-US spec rear-seat headrests for $200~$220 is no longer doing it. But now you can go to Japanparts.com or Impex Japan to get those easily. I first found Japanparts.com who can get those JDM headrests as long as I can provide correct part number. But their shipping is high and the total cost would be arount $150~$180 for a pair. Thanks to MazdaBeauty who recently found http://en.impex-jp.com/ who offers cheaper price and much lower shipping charge from Japan! The total cost could be as low as $98 for a pair of 2015 CX-5 black leather JDM headrests including usually expensive international shipping. Check this long thread for details:

How To Acquire Non-US Spec Head Restraints for a US-spec CX-5
 
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