Thinking of buying a 2014 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring... but scared of bad comments

[IHeartGroceries]

Fyi,

It would be interesting to see the actual numbers comparing the number of recalls for Toyota/Lexus vs. Mazda in the past 5 years. I wouldn’t be surprised if the list for Toyota is a lot longer.

It probably is...
But it seems Toyota and Honda are more prone to voluntary recalls. Mazda will issue a billion TSBs and hold off on recalling anything, unless it is a legitimate safety concern, and they fold after a certain threshold of scrutiny.

 

[craigo]

Toyota and Honda issue many TSBs some of which seem quite serious... Mazda's are usually minor annoyances, squeaks and rattles, rough idles etc.

 

[123373]

6000 trouble free miles on our 2014 touring, very tight and no rattles. This is our first Mazda and we are very impressed so far. The 2014 with the 2.5 has plenty of power.

 

[NancyBubbles]

Sylvia777

I've been having a shaking problem with my 2014 CX-5 GT since it hit 934 miles. Been to the shop 4 times - have gotten A rep from Corp involved and yet they tell me everything is normal. My advice - don't by MAZDA. My average MPG is 20!!!

 

[V8toilet]

2003 4-Runner 0-60 with the 4.0 liter engine 8.2 seconds. The Mazda Grand Touring AWD with the 2.5-liter engine 0-60 in 8.0 seconds. The Toyota has more torque though so it may feel slightly quicker. Data is from Consumer Reports testing. Mazda is also rated higher than Toyota overall in reliability according to Consumer Reports.

Seems to me that they are pretty close. I also came from an 11 year old Toyota Tundra. I loved that truck. The V8 in that thing was a toque monster compared to my 2.5-liter FWD Touring CX5. I had to get rid of it though because the frame was rotting away and Toyota said it wasn't bad enough to replace. It had 200,000 mostly trouble free miles. I could stand in the bed and see the ground and it made god aweful noises when I hit some large transitions like driveways.

 

[sxa]

Everyone will have different experiences but personally mine has been great. Mind you my expectations were not the highest having come from a Hyundai Accent but I feel that the CX-5 does have all the power that I need when merging onto the freeway. It gets to 80 before I even notice how fast I am going.

As for the "Infotainment" system, I have had a few issues with my phone. But have been having good luck with it with recent phone upgrades. I don't have the nav unit so I can't comment about seeing the screen, but I can read the display of the screen while driving with no issues. I haven't hard the noise problems that others have had. I have 8000 miles on mine now and no issues. It just came back from a road trip to Texas, got great fuel economy, was comfortable for the long trip and did fine on the highways.

 

[Tundraroamer]

We have had ours since March. I live in Alaska and my driving experience is different then most of the posters here due to our roads or lack of them. The 2.5l swung me over. No way on the 2.0l. It's fun to drive. The nav system is not perfect but Mazda has promised it is working on it. Recent trip though mountainous driving of up down or flat out yielded just over 30mpg with 3 people and gear. Oh, and it was fun to drive. There is a YouTube on the CX-5 from Russia doing some real off-roading (not jumping the median in a parking lot). It is very similar to what we see here on some roads that I drive. I use my full size 4x4 for that and would not take my wife's CX-5 on that type of road. But in the video, it did just fine. You won't see those road conditions in Houston but then I would consider your driving experience to be horrible compared to mine including winter driving. This is our 4th Mazda and we have kept them all for more than 10 years each. We know what to expect. Enjoy your test ride and bring your checkbook. You will want it after words.

 

[RedBaron]

If worried about reliability, don't be. Mazda (2nd place overall) beat out Toyota in Consumer Reports ranking recently (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/02/26/lexus-mazda-and-subaru-top-consumer-reports-brand-report/).

I find our CX-5 very solidly built - in fact I don't know how they do it and yet keep it so light! As for acceleration, it's more than adequate. The 2.5 has a 0-60 time of 7.5 secs, nothing to sneeze at, and I've never found a driving situation where I've needed more power (and that's coming from someone who also owns a turbocharged sports car with a 0-60 of 5 seconds flat!).

There are downsides to the Mazda: some known issues (that I, touch wood, have not experienced) and the stupid radio and it's poor iPod/USB playback issues. The latter, hopefully will be fixed, or could be replaced if not. But that's about it. Otherwise I continue to be pleased by the car and happy with the purchase.

 

[CX-SV]

If worried about reliability, don't be. Mazda (2nd place overall) beat out Toyota in Consumer Reports ranking recently (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/02/26/lexus-mazda-and-subaru-top-consumer-reports-brand-report/).

I find our CX-5 very solidly built - in fact I don't know how they do it and yet keep it so light! As for acceleration, it's more than adequate. The 2.5 has a 0-60 time of 7.5 secs, nothing to sneeze at, and I've never found a driving situation where I've needed more power (and that's coming from someone who also owns a turbocharged sports car with a 0-60 of 5 seconds flat!).

.

Agreed, the CX-5 has been proven via Consumer Reports data collection to be above average in terms of reliability. Also my experience after 22K miles of ownership supports CR's data.

I also have a sport sedan with 0-60 times around 5 seconds flat and find the CX-5 2.0L power to be just adequate in normal usage with bonus of excellent (best in class) fuel economy.

 

[sylvia777]

Hi All!

Well we just got home from dealership... I test drove the CX-5 GT. Must say, this car is beautiful inside and out. Even my husband loved it... he hated both the Rav4 and the CR-V... LOL. Pictures does it no justice! I test drove it for a good distance and I must say that the power is really good. I did not feel like it lacked any. I actually enjoyed driving this car A LOT. I am still going to do more research on it but after seeing it and driving it, I am highly considering on getting it. I think my only problem st the end will be choosing the color! Love both the silver and dark gray... Thanks all for your comments!!!!

 

[ourlee]

You can't beat a Toyota if longevity is your goal. Stay away from the cx-5, it would be scary for you to actually enjoy point a to point b driving if you're not used to it.

 

[Bladecutter]

Hi All!

Well we just got home from dealership... I test drove the CX-5 GT. Must say, this car is beautiful inside and out. Even my husband loved it... he hated both the Rav4 and the CR-V... LOL. Pictures does it no justice! I test drove it for a good distance and I must say that the power is really good. I did not feel like it lacked any. I actually enjoyed driving this car A LOT. I am still going to do more research on it but after seeing it and driving it, I am highly considering on getting it. I think my only problem st the end will be choosing the color! Love both the silver and dark gray... Thanks all for your comments!!!!

If you decide to get one, try to get the newest one that you can, in the color that you want it in.
You can find the build date on the white sticker on the drivers door.

Also, make sure you send an email to all the Mazda dealers near to you to see which one wants to earn your business.

Good luck with whatever vehicle you decide to go with.

BC.

 

[Troyota]

Newbie here and to mazda. Have had all toyotas for years. Wife decided she wanted to dump the flawless 6 yr old sienna van for a cute ute. Bought a new 14 CX5 AWD GT this week. Within the first 24 hrs mazda care towed it into dealer for multiple warning messages and lights going off and rough idle. Dealer said to not drive it. Picked up next day. Dealer said multiple U codes. They figure battery was weak due to sitting on lot for a few weeks. Whatever.
Today, four days later, wife starts it up at work same thing all over again. She shut it off and restarted a few times. Gradually alarms began to go away. She drove straight to dealer while i was on the phone with them giving the dealership manager some friendly thoughts for the day. She wondered what i said to them on the phone. They were greeting her at the service bay door like she was Princess Di in a Mazda. Dealer saw the warning lights. Store mgr put svc mgr, best techs, service writer and a few homeless people under the hood to start the search for the source of trouble. Handed wifey keys to another new cx5 as a loaner and sent her on her way. This car has already had more dealer visits than my last three toyotas combined and its not yet a week old. However, so far the dealer gets a gold star for being assertive, friendly, concerned sounding and genuine. Hope they get another one for being good troubleshooters.

 

[PhoenixINX]

Bought the first GT our dealer had when the car launched last year.

ZERO issues, GREAT fun to drive, and with 24k miles I haven't thought once about getting rid of it.

 

[northghost]

So far so good

Hi, All!

First of let me say that both me and my husband have been a loyal Toyota customer for many years, I personally drive a 99 Toyota 4Runner. Love it but I spend too much on gas. I am looking at buying a new crossover. Have been checking out a couple, test drove the Toyota Rav4 and although I do like it, I am not too crazy with the style of it. I did not like the Honda CR-V interior... and now I'm looking into the Mazda CX-5. I love how it looks inside and out... but kind of scared about some of the comments some people have posted on some websites. I am hearing a lot of complaints about the car not being reliable enough, not having enough power when entering the freeway... noises popping up, and other things going bad on them. So I thought maybe you guys can tell me if you all have the same issues? Are they just that bad and cheaply made? I dont want to buy a problem... I need something that will last me 10-15 years to come -- like my 4Runner.

I live in Houston, Texas... we tend to drive very aggressively so its important for me to have a car which will have the right amount of speed to enter the freeway ramp and just to maneuver myself around other "speed racers."

Your help is appreciated!

Thanks, Sylvia

I traded in a 2011 Nissan Juke SV AWD for a 2014 CX5 AWD GT because I needed more space. If I was younger I would have stuck with the Juke due to it's impressive power and speed, but I'm in my 60's now and such things are not that important now. There was a small adjustment with the CX5 but I find the 2.5 liter engine delivers more than enough power. The Juke was a turbo, which like most turbos require premium fuel. MPG's are a little better with the CX5 and gas is 20 cents per gallon cheaper.

 

[Ausgti]

Hi All!

Well we just got home from dealership... I test drove the CX-5 GT. Must say, this car is beautiful inside and out. Even my husband loved it... he hated both the Rav4 and the CR-V... LOL. Pictures does it no justice! I test drove it for a good distance and I must say that the power is really good. I did not feel like it lacked any. I actually enjoyed driving this car A LOT. I am still going to do more research on it but after seeing it and driving it, I am highly considering on getting it. I think my only problem st the end will be choosing the color! Love both the silver and dark gray... Thanks all for your comments!!!!

That's great news Sylvia777, as an earlier post said, get the latest build you can find (usually about 2 months earlier)

I've looked at the CRV and the front seats felt like lounges, with no thigh support, the Rav wasn't too bad, but I couldn't get comfortable in the seat! The CX5has been designed for drivers, and the seat position is perfect!

 

[Mark12345]

I have 124 miles on my CX-5 AWD Touring. I had a '12 Juke SL and that was fun - awesome AWD and go-kart handling.

We have a number of sport cars and CX-5 is very comparable for driving fun and it appears to be well put together.

It would be nice to have a round number of 200hp but the 2.5l is fine for city driving. It's been like 20 years since I owned a Mazda so I don't know the reliability. I've always associated Mazda with Ford but I'm hoping the split a couple of years ago have pushed Mazda to be more reliable.

In addition, I bought my Touring w/AWD and Bose/Moonroof out the door price of $26,240 w/.9% financing. Can't beat that price.

 

[Even Steven]

... I personally drive a 99 Toyota 4Runner....I live in Houston, Texas... we tend to drive very aggressively so its important for me to have a car which will have the right amount of speed to enter the freeway ramp and just to maneuver myself around other "speed racers."

Trust me when I say no worries there. I used to own a V6 '99 4Runner and it was just adequate when it came to power/speed. Then I traded it on a '04 4Runner V6, which was a lot quicker than my '99. The 2.5L CX-5 is quicker than my old '04 4Runner for sure, so it will easily be quite a bit quicker than your '99 4Runner. So don't let the power/speed worry you at all, because it will not be an issue.

 

[kahuna001]

Mine drives like a EVO and sometimes have to remind myself it is not. Great handling.

 

[dad of jon]

Hi, All!

First of let me say that both me and my husband have been a loyal Toyota customer for many years, I personally drive a 99 Toyota 4Runner. Love it but I spend too much on gas. I am looking at buying a new crossover. Have been checking out a couple, test drove the Toyota Rav4 and although I do like it, I am not too crazy with the style of it. I did not like the Honda CR-V interior... and now I'm looking into the Mazda CX-5. I love how it looks inside and out... but kind of scared about some of the comments some people have posted on some websites. I am hearing a lot of complaints about the car not being reliable enough, not having enough power when entering the freeway... noises popping up, and other things going bad on them. So I thought maybe you guys can tell me if you all have the same issues? Are they just that bad and cheaply made? I dont want to buy a problem... I need something that will last me 10-15 years to come -- like my 4Runner.

I live in Houston, Texas... we tend to drive very aggressively so its important for me to have a car which will have the right amount of speed to enter the freeway ramp and just to maneuver myself around other "speed racers."

Your help is appreciated!

Thanks, Sylvia

Hi,

The CX5 is great. I bought mine about a year after they went on sale and it had some bugs. Mazda have pretty much sorted them out (perhaps apart from some sat nav gremlins), although the diesel engine bugs took a while (ask an austrailian). I've had a few other cars that were only a year into their launch and they all had bugs, apart from my Daihatsu Sirion. So I think Mazda have done well especially as its a completly new design, engine, transmission etc. It's a good car. I can't honestly say I'd buy another, because I keep my cars for 5 or 6 years normally, and in that time you'd think the other manufacturers would have come out with something that could match or beat what the cx-5 offers today.

I don't think they are made 'Cheap' they are made lighter to save weight and thus improve on fuel economy and handling. If you're kinda heavy handed with your cars, perhaps something like an over engineered German car would be more appropriate. The Mazda's build quality seems the same as the other Japanese cars but the body panels feel 'flimsier'. I think to be fair that the way the industry is going, it just happens that Mazda got there first.

You need to test drive the car yourself to see if it has enough power for you. Mine does for me, but it's a different engine and a Manual.