Rough Ride

[Goguinness]

Had to take my 2015 Cx5 Touring in for some relatively minor body work. While waiting I have a rental 2023 Nissan Murano. A couple of thoughts on the Murano. Every bump, or tar strip that you hit is instantly transmitted to your butt. Now I thought that my CX5 was starting to ride rougher at 103,000 miles, I take that back. Another thing was that they have improved their CVT. It is a lot less annoying than one I rented a few years ago. Of course I still much prefer the six speed automatic in my CX5.

 

[yrwei52]

Had to take my 2015 Cx5 Touring in for some relatively minor body work. While waiting I have a rental 2023 Nissan Murano. A couple of thoughts on the Murano. Every bump, or tar strip that you hit is instantly transmitted to your butt. Now I thought that my CX5 was starting to ride rougher at 103,000 miles, I take that back. Another thing was that they have improved their CVT. It is a lot less annoying than one I rented a few years ago. Of course I still much prefer the six speed automatic in my CX5.

Have you checked the tire pressure?

The CVT on my daughter’s 2022 Toyota Corolla Hatchback is flawless and it has paddle shifters too.

Six-speed step transmission is long outdated. We want an 8-speed like everybody else including Toyota using the step automatic transmission, or the one found on the new CX-90.

 

[paris1]

Six-speed step transmission is long outdated. We want an 8-speed like everybody else...

I've now owned 3 Mazdas with this transmission and, while my feelings wouldn't be hurt if they decided to add one more cog, I have never felt deprived by having only six forward speeds. In fact, I've always felt the 6AT has been one of the outstanding features of the SkyActiv drive train. You reach a point of diminishing returns when adding ratios and can easily end up with a transmission that's continuaslly hunting for the right gear while driving the car's occupants crazy. And I'm always amused when I read a road test of a current model Mazda and the reviewer makes a comment not dissimilar to yours only to follow it up with something like "but it seems to work well in this model and we found ourselves wondering what would be gained with more gears?"

 

[yrwei52]

I've now owned 3 Mazdas with this transmission and, while my feelings wouldn't be hurt if they decided to add one more cog, I have never felt deprived by having only six forward speeds. In fact, I've always felt the 6AT has been one of the outstanding features of the SkyActiv drive train. You reach a point of diminishing returns when adding ratios and can easily end up with a transmission that's continuaslly hunting for the right gear while driving the car's occupants crazy. And I'm always amused when I read a road test of a current model Mazda and the reviewer makes a comment not dissimilar to yours only to follow it up with something like "but it seems to work well in this model and we found ourselves wondering what would be gained with more gears?"

I drove a rental 2023 Citroën C4 “gas” 1.5L NA with an 8-sped auto during the recent road trip in Spain and France. I didn’t feel any continually hunting for the right gear while driving the car. It felt as smooth as a CVT, while the gear number was showing constantly under the speedometer number so I knew which gear I was currently in. Paddle shifters were there to use when I felt like it, Yes, it may reach a point of diminishing returns when adding gears, but it does save some gas with lower engine rpm. And an 8-speed auto is a much better alternative without any ill effects than the cylinder deactivation trying to get a little better EPA ratings.

If you really believe an 8-speed auto isn’t needed, why everybody else like Toyota starts to use the 8-speed auto several years ago? And why even Mazda also starts to use an 8-speed auto on its brand new luxurious CX-90?

 

[Buzzman12]

Had to take my 2015 Cx5 Touring in for some relatively minor body work. While waiting I have a rental 2023 Nissan Murano. Every bump, or tar strip that you hit is instantly transmitted to your butt.

Bet a coffee and a donut that the dealer or rental people never checked the tire pressure.
This seems to come up over and over again, and obviously it's not just Mazda that skips over this simple check during the PDI process. Lazy a$$ techs that can't be bothered to check this stuff before the vehicle is delivered to the client.

 

[Freedom55]

My previous ride was a 2017 Murano and the 2023 is the same generation so no major changes. I can assure you that the Murano is a soft rider even with 55 profile tires as the difference is minimal compared to 65 profile (I tried both); of course if they are not overinflated as stated before. My 2020 CX-5 rides a bit harsher than my ex Murano both on 65 profile tires (they re-tuned the suspension for a more comfortable ride for gen2 CX-5). Also if your shocks are worn out, you could get a softer ride on little bumps but a harsher ride on deep potholes if the suspension bottoms out. It's also hard to compare a used vehicle with a new one; if you have a chance, try a brand new CX-5 and see for yourself (you could pretend you want to trade in your 2015 )

I hated the CVT around town but loved it on the highway as it kept the revs low and had a simulated 7 speed when the gas pedal was pushed about 2/3 and I would have to try a 2023 to see the difference. Not buying another Nissan anytime soon...even if they have nice things like reading the tire pressure while driving!

 

[Goguinness]

I think most everybody who mentioned tire pressure hit the old nail on the head. Got my trusty almost 9 year old CX5 back now. Happy times.