2 more seats in a CX-5? Big winner in Asia and with Asian families, who (and I know this because I'm married into one) like to haul everyone along everywhere.
If the extra seating hurt the cargo capacity, I might not even buy the CX-5. But it's likely Mazda has many more sales, potentially, in China than in North America and Europe combined, especially if they can get "LV" tattooed on the seats. ;-)
The 3rd row might not fold down completely due to the spare wheel, so it probably will hurt the cargo space.
Most Asia countries now have the policy of max of 2 kids to cull over-population. Also, those with more than 2 kids tend not to be wealthy enough to afford a car. In the past, big families tend to get together frequently (cousins, distant relatives, ...) but modern lifestyle seems to reduce their activities to single/smaller family (yup, I'm an Asian with big families on both sides of the globe).
Heard this argument before... Adding 50 lbs. of sound deadening material to make CX-5 less noisy will affect the handling and fuel economy! Other compact CUVs have no problems adding sound deadening materials or the 3rd row seat. Mazda engineers are very smart and they can figure out those weight issues for us!Given how much effort Mazda tried to shave weight with the whole SkyActive thing, adding 2 seats probably won't work with "reasonable fuel economy"
Yeah in California would make more sense...An Asian dude in Minnesota?
The 3rd row might not fold down completely due to the spare wheel, so it probably will hurt the cargo space.
Most Asia countries now have the policy of max of 2 kids to cull over-population. Also, those with more than 2 kids tend not to be wealthy enough to afford a car. In the past, big families tend to get together frequently (cousins, distant relatives, ...) but modern lifestyle seems to reduce their activities to single/smaller family (yup, I'm an Asian with big families on both sides of the globe).
The rogue has no spare tire if you get the third row option. Instead you have to make due with bad run-flat tires. I think it may also reduce cargo room, there's still a hump when they're folded.
I am staying away from run-flats. I hope Mazda never goes that route.
The best people haulers are minivans. They also get the best cargo volume.
It's silly they have a stigma.
Next-gen Honda CR-V should offer the 3-row seating with better reliability. Unfortunately we may still be getting CVT instead of 9-speed auto offered in Europe for better EPA fuel economy ratings. That's why I'm hoping Mazda can offer the 3rd-row seating as an option for the next-gen CX-5, but I don't put too much hope in it.I have a big family of big people. Danes tend to be tall.
We have looked at the 7 passenger Rogue. It would be nice for my wife to grab a bunch of grandkids for a short outing, but for $1k extra I question the value for us.
The Nissan salesman told us that the 7 passenger option was about 10% of the market, at least here in Iowa.
The Rogue is a nice vehicle, but I'm not sold on CV transmissions or Nissan's reliability.
Next-gen Honda CR-V should offer the 3-row seating with better reliability. Unfortunately we may still be getting CVT instead of 9-speed auto offered in Europe for better EPA fuel economy ratings. That's why I'm hoping Mazda can offer the 3rd-row seating as an option for the next-gen CX-5, but I don't put too much hope in it.
Many years ago we're in Iowa City for several years. I guess winter is still cold in Iowa and I still have an image that the weatherman was reporting "the current temperature is -60F with wind-chill factor"!
Europe not only gets the 9-speeds vs CVTs, they get Type R's too. Shoot they'll probably get a Skyactiv Mazdaspeed 3 before us.
The nine-speed gearbox changes gears in a swift fashion, whether you're traveling around the city or outside the urban jungle. This only adds to the overall comfort level, but there are some exceptions.
For example, at times, when the car is only travelling at around 12 mph (20 km/h) or 19 mph (30 km/h) and decide to step on it, the gearbox needs a couple of seconds before executing your orders. Sure, that's not a major inconvenient unless you're sitting in a traffic jam and all of a sudden everyone starts moving, but it also means Honda still has some refining to do in this regard.
Moreover, when you're travelling on the highway at speeds of around, let's say, 80 mph (130 km/h), the gearbox will stay engaged in the eighth gear, and not the ninth as I expected. However, if you decide to slow down, or you're going slightly uphill, the transmission will shift into the ninth gear.
They have a stigma in the US. Europe has awesome minivans from VW, Renault, Peugeot and asian manufacturers that are not the usual boring minivan. Have you seen the Renault Espace? If I had 2-3 kids THAT would be the perfect car for the family.The best people haulers are minivans. They also get the best cargo volume.
It's silly they have a stigma.
They have a stigma in the US. Europe has awesome minivans from VW, Renault, Peugeot and asian manufacturers that are not the usual boring minivan. Have you seen the Renault Espace? If I had 2-3 kids THAT would be the perfect car for the family.