Which oil is best for the 2.5L Non-Turbo CX-5?

Oh dear God, here we go !
So, I'm a GM service advisor and I know what oil I'd recommend in the GM vehicles we service and that I own but....I just bought a '25 CX-5, non turbo, is my fist import vehicle in a long long time and my first NEW vehicle in over 30 years, I want to make sure I get it right. I see that the Mazda oil bottle has Moly on the label, Idemitsu claims their IFG-3 oil is a good choice, one local dealer says they use Idemitsu, the other local dealer syas they use Castrol Edge (which I've had horrible results with in GM vehicles) so I really don't know what oil is best choice, and thought I'd ask the collective here, what are y'all using that you're seeing good results with?
I'm considering my go-to oil that I've been using for years...Mobil-1, but I'm also reading that other good options are Pennzoil Ultra Platinum, Valvoline Advanced, and Castrol Edge.
I'll add...I'm not asking about or interested in boutique oils, I like Amsoil but I do 5000 mile oil changes and Amsoil would be a waste, looking for something good and fairly common that I can find locally. And, I'd need some really compelling evidence before I pour Supertech or Amazon oil in a vehicle, so lets skip them.
So, what say you? What are you pouring into your beloved Mazda's?
 
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Technically any oil that is API SP spec is enough to be considered the bare minimum you should be using right now. Do not concern yourself (IMO) with any one ingredient, such as moly content, as there are many ways to build an additive package and that alone is not enough to determine if the oil is good or better than others.

But there are oils that exceed API SP specs as well.

Now if you want to get into what's "best"...

Pennzoil Platinum is one of the best tested oils and even gets the GM Dexos cert which is fairly stringent. I would rank this as better than Mobil 1. And it's a step up from Quaker State, which is the other oil on offer from the same parent company.

Pennzoil is the only one using pure natural gas as the base oil and as a result is very clean, needing fewer additives to meet and exceed specs, and seems to hold up better under stress.

They also provide a warranty against engine damage which is pretty interesting.

There are many others that will work well, otherwise they wouldn't achieve certification. But these are some excellent oils for the money.

I used to use Amsoil years ago, but it's not worth the price tag by comparison.

Whatever you go with, buy 5 qt jugs for $20-30 or so and shake them vigorously before pouring to make sure you're getting all the additives. If they will be stored for a while, I shake them every 3-6 months. They settle and create a sludge on the bottom of the bottle.

My CX-5 Turbo gets the Ultra Platinum for its extra protection against heat-related viscosity loss and better cold flow since I drive this car in all seasons and it's turbocharged. The Miata gets the Platinum.
 
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I've had great results with Castrol and Mobile 1. Pennzoil didn't cut it for me even though I've used it for decades in all my cars. Engine ran noisier and used it.
 
I also look for a good oil that is value priced, as I change the oil more frequently due to my driving habits and location.
I have mostly been using the Pennzoil Platinum, but over the years I have used Mobil 1 and Castrol Edge a few times as well.
Usually I see what price they are at the local Walmart and pick what seems to be the best value. Usually the big name brands are about the same price.
 
I have mostly been using the Pennzoil Platinum, but over the years I have used Mobil 1 and Castrol Edge a few times as well.
Madar states he's found Pennzoil use brought about some engine noise, are you seeing similar results? Are you find one oil is "quieter" than another ?
 
Madar states he's found Pennzoil use brought about some engine noise, are you seeing similar results? Are you find one oil is "quieter" than another ?
If you search online most people say Mobil 1 is noisy and Pennzoil is quieter. Seen that many times across different car forums over 20 years.

The only reason I didn't mention it is because I didn't want to include subjective or anecdotal information. Everything I listed was from objective oil analysis done by labs or parties testing many oils in the same manner.
 
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Madar states he's found Pennzoil use brought about some engine noise, are you seeing similar results? Are you find one oil is "quieter" than another ?
I don't think it matters very much, but I seem to notice the Pennzoil as being quieter on startup. I don't know about consumption.
 
I see a lot of comments saying the Ultra Platinum, which is hard to get around here, is a quiet oil. The regular Platinum 0w-20 is what I used. Haven't seen many comments about that.
 
Like many others I have one or two preferred oil brands, based on many years of experience and recommendations from trusted people.

So when I recently got my G25 Akera I went to the website of my main preferred brand, entered my vehicle details, and bought the oil that came up as the preferred one for my car. You could no doubt do the same thing.

My choice is a premium Aussie brand - Penrite, Enviro+ Full synthetic 0W20 SP.

Unlikely to be available in the US of course.
 
I cannot help but think that "Quiet Oil" == "Snake Oil". Probably a case of Emperor's New Clothes syndrome.
 
After 7 or 8 years of that noisy 0W-20 I went to 5W-30. Dealer serviced with synthetic 0W-20 the first 6 years. Tried Castrol Edge 0W-20 twice. Seemed to get dark and get thinner quicker. Tried different Castrol's through the years and never quite liked enough to continue. Car likes 5W -30 better. Wish I would have gone with it sooner after powertrain warranty expired at 5 years.
 
After 7 or 8 years of that noisy 0W-20 I went to 5W-30. Dealer serviced with synthetic 0W-20 the first 6 years. Tried Castrol Edge 0W-20 twice. Seemed to get dark and get thinner quicker. Tried different Castrol's through the years and never quite liked enough to continue. Car likes 5W -30 better. Wish I would have gone with it sooner after powertrain warranty expired at 5 years.
Yep, transitioned to 0w-30 last winter and am now running 5w-30 in both cars which called for 0w-20. Won't go back. And the days of sticking with one brand are over for me seeing how oil companies like to change recipes from time to time.
 
What about a general advice not to change oil brand on the fly? Is it a just a forums stories?
What is the actual damage to change oil brand let's say once a year?
 
So, I ask because my experiences with oil haven't been the best.
I used to use Valvoline years ago in a Dodge 3.9 for about two years and afterwards that motor was caked in black gunk even though I was doing oil changes every 2500 miles. Currently working for a GM dealership, we have customers with lifter failures, often maintained regularly at the local Valvoline store. So, Valvoline is out.
Castrol. I tried Castrol Edge in my Sierra pickup, after having used Mobil-1 for years, and saw oil
consumption with the Castrol like I'd never seen before in my truck. Went back to Mobil-1 and it slowed to it's normal usage rate. So, I don't trust Castrol.
Pennzoil is interesting. When we take apart a motor, we can tell right away if the owner is a Pennz user as the motor is usually coated inside with a layer of golden wax. Pennzoil is a possibility, reading good things about the Plat and Ultra Plat.
Mobil-1 is what I've been using for a decade. Put it in my daughters 2013 Mazda2 for it's whole life and just traded that thing in with 170k miles, still running well and hardly any oil usage between oil changes, was doing 5000 mile OCI's. She bought a CX30 instead. My plan was to use Mobil-1 in the new CX5 I just got but...if there's something better, I have no issue with changing brands.
 
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Stick with Mobil1 full syn and regular changes. It should do the job. Seems you already have the answer to your questions.

ps I am Amsoil XL/Signature and Mazda Moly 0w20 Oem person, but thats just what I use in my CX5s. Turbo and non-turbo. Truth be told the Skyactiv engine can do well with any API SP full syn oil. Its kind of old school tech (pre-2015) and is not that troublesome (the petrol engine).
Just dont leave it 10-12k or more without change.
 
Pennzoil is interesting. When we take apart a motor, we can tell right away if the owner is a Pennz user as the motor is usually coated inside with a layer of golden wax. Pennzoil is a possibility, reading good things about the Plat and Ultra Plat.
Which oil? I'm guessing this was conventional because there's nothing like that in the synthetic.
 
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