Questions from a potential new owner 2014 2.5l cx-5

[hwibowo]

Hello, my first post here. I'm in the market for a small SUV like CX-5. I've been doing research online. So far, the reviews are generally good (magazine, etc.). Then, I want hear what the real owners have to say so I got on here and read as much as I could. I'd like to ask straight to the owners. I have several q's.

1. Transmission issue. Has Mazda fixed this for 2014 models?
2. Any issue that is small enough that owners tend to let it go? For example, my IS250 (or almost everyone's IS250) has rattling or loose interior. But we gave up on it because even after some owners went to fix it with warranty (repeated trips), they are still having the same issue. Our 'fix' is to turn up the stereo and be done with it. I don't want the same thing happens again to my new car.
3. Motor oil. I heard that skyactiv engines must use synthetic oil. Is this true? If so, how much is an oil change at mazda dealers? Also does it need to be Mazda brand synthetic oil (Idemitsu brand)? What is the interval for oil change?
4. Bad sound system (edmunds.com). Any comment?

Any additional comment? Will do test drive in near future. I'd like to gather intel as much as I can before seeing the salesman.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bladecutter]

The transmission on my 2014 Touring has been wonderful, though I don't have 400 miles on it, yet.

No issues yet. Cabin is well put together, and all parts are fitting well together from the factory.
There has been a number of TSB's released, so it shows that Mazda is discovering problems, finding a solution, fixing the problem on the production floor, and then sharing the solution with the dealers for the customers who discover the issues during ownership.

Yes, the SkyActiv engines require synthetic oil. Call your dealer to find out how much it costs. It can be any synthetic oil that meets the 0W-20 API SN spec, though you are better off sticking with a name brand oil. Oil change is either 5k or 7500 miles, depending on your driving conditions/habits.

Make sure you have fun during the test drive, and during the negotiations if you decide to purchase.
I talked with quite a few different dealers here in my neck of the woods before I decided to buy, and the experience varied from enraged, to feeling slimy, to finally, absolutely refreshing.
I bought from the one that felt refreshing, and I made sure to make it the best buying experience of my life, and also made sure the dealer kept on the positive side during the whole deal.
We had a great time, and did business together. It was fun.

BC.

 

[MikeM.]

Wow - I can see you are really over-thinking this stuff. Don't get tangled up in the minutia. Look at the big picture, is this the type of car that suits your needs? Modern cars are incredibly reliable over all and the difference between brands narrows all the time. The CX-5 is a relatively new design but it has a better than average reliability record. My 2013 has been perfect after 7500 miles with the exception of the back-up camera that appears to have a bad connection. No biggie, no car is perfect and I'm sure it's covered by the warranty. Very few had an issue with the transmission. Very few. Don't worry. The transmission in the 2014 is probably the same as the 2013 unless they needed to adjust it for the larger engine. It certainly feels like a thoroughly modern and robust AT.

Regarding the synthetic oil, sheesh, the oil change interval is 7500 miles and it only takes 5 quarts. Don't worry about it. The Mazda oil is excellent oil and it is a very good value.

Bad sound system? I upgraded to the Bose and it's way more than adequate as long as I leave the surround feature off and don't load highly compressed MP3's - probably better than 95% of the factory systems on the road today. If it's not good enough for you then most cars OEM stereos are not going to work for you. But that's what test drives are for. Nobody here can tell whether it's good enough for you. There does appear to be an issue with the 2014 - it appears that it can't remember the last MP3 played when the vehicle was shut off - it always plays the first MP3 upon re-starting. That would aggravate me if my stereo had that issue so this is something you might want to check with the dealer to see if that's just the way all 2014's will be or if they have a fix for it.

 

[atitus]

I'm a new owner of a 2014 GT AWD model, with tech package. I've still got less than 1000 miles on it but I will answer for you based on my experience so far.

1. I'm not sure what transmission issue you are talking about, so I can't comment. The transmission on mine works fine with no issues I am aware of.

2. I don't have any rattling or mechanical issues on mine. I only have two small gripes but these can be lived with: First, when playing music from a USB drive, it looses its position when you turn the car off. Someone has already mentioned this before. It is also worthwhile to note that this problem doesn't happen when playing using bluetooth. Second, the light in the cargo area is on the side instead of the roof. When you are loading a bunch of items in the back you can't see when something blocks the light. At night I compensate for this by loading starting from the right hand side, but its still a minor annoyance.

3. Yes, skyactiv engines must use synthetic oil. During the sales cycle, when reviewing ongoing maintenance costs, the dealer gave me a price list for scheduled maintenance: oil changes every 7500 miles at $75 each.

4. I have the GT with tech package so its the upgraded Bose audio. It sounds pretty good but its not the best that I've heard. I also agree with a previous poster that the sound is better WITHOUT the surround mode (centerpoint I think its called) turned on. It does have the feature to automatically increase and decrease the volume to compensate for road noise, which I really like.