2014 Mazda CX-5 consumer reviews

People always say you buy an SUV for AWD. Why? For snow? AWD is nothing without winter tires and besides lower center of gravity is better for snow and ice. Any SUV is less than ideal for slick roads due to higher center of gravity but this car handles well in snow for the simple reason that it's very responsive. People also often say they get sn SUV because they're starting a family. I got the CX-5 for neither of these reasons. I dont have a family and can drive either FWD or RWD in the snow no problem with winter tires so I got the manual transmission FWD. I got this car because I needed a fun commuter car, wanted more space to stretch out and more comfort getting in and out etc because I'm 6 feet tall, and I got tired of dodging the tiny potholes and cracked roads you feel compelled to dodge in smaller sporty cars. This car gives you the handling and driving feel of a sporty hatchback complete with mazda's unbeatable manual transmission, plus the fuel economy of a hybrid, but with the robust suspension and spacial bonuses of an SUV. Plus it is exceptionally constructed in terms of aesthetic, ergonomic, and mechanical design. It's a no brainer from my perspective. I previously had a 2004 mazda3. Sold it to my brother at around 150,000 miles in good shape aside from a motor mount rumble at idle. Still going strong for him with no major repairs probably up around 170,000 miles by now. I'm confident it could reach well beyond 200K miles easy if he takes care of it. Point being: Mazdas are built to last.

I am so happy with my new CX-5. I am so impressed with its gas milage and ability to take on the snow and ice that I have to drive through every day. Moreover, I cannot believe how much space it has, given that it is a smaller crossover. I have been able to fit everything for my move in just two car loads, including furniture! The price was amazing and Mazda has been great with finding the color and amenities I wanted. The bluetooth capability is a MUST.

The wife and I have owned mostly fast sporty cars. As I have aged I find comfort and economy more important. That is why we bought something more roomy and economical. So far we have enjoyed the CX-5. Quite and comfy the Grand Touring has just the right amount of a luxury feel without breaking the bank. We plan on this SUV being with us a long time.

I looked at Mazda, Toyota, Honda, Subaru and Ford in this class of car. Toyota -- no leather (really??) Fake stuff Ford -- Seats were hard as a rock Subaru -- costs more, seems cheaper Honda -- couldn't get the salesman to show me top of the line. Mazda -- I'm back home. I owned a Mazda before and I'm glad to own it again.

I recently purchased a new CX-5 Grand Touring that my daughter will be driving. In the meantime, I have been driving it and am loving it. Looked at lots of vehicles, but to ace the safety ratings, it was either this or a Volvo XC60, which was much more expensive., What I like: Great Safety Rating, blind spot monitor Decent acceleration, great handling, good seating , great gas mileage. Needs improvement: Bad navigation, slow blue tooth integration, takes forever to connect and bring up Pandora with my android phone.

Adequate power for its size. Just to give a perspective, its about 0.1" shorter than a Honda Civic in length. Drives like a small sports sedan, nimble, and agile. I get a lot of compliments on the car, also because I own the Sky Blue which is a rare color. Simplistic interior but a very german style to it, without too many buttons. The only con are the leather seats and Leather steering wheel in winter. Front Seats at least are heated but the steering wheel is hard to hold for a few minutes until the car warms up.

Test drove a CX5 ad relly like it. Smooth ad quiet, decent power. Comfortable. Was all set to buy one and asked to check out a manual transmission version. Told it's not available with AWD? Seriously! Why bother to even offer it at all if you can't combine it with the primary reason for getting a CUV !? Done. Hello Subaru Forester.

Confronted with several thousand dollars out-of-pocket for scheduled maintenance on my '06 PT Cruiser, I went looking for alternatives. I've driven small cars all my life (more than half a century of driving), and after comparing dozens of models of 5-door hatchbacks and small SUVs, the CX-5 was the best match for what I needed to carry, how I like to drive, and offered excellent fuel economy for an old retired guy on a fixed income. I was VERY surprised to find myself in the market for an SUV. I drove several, and even in person, the CX-5 won me over. I've had mine for a couple months now, and am so far very happy with it. Positives: Exterior styling, done so well that it conceals to some extent the fact that the CX-5 is an SUV. The car's coefficient of drag is lower than the much smaller PT Cruiser it replaces! The interior is stylish without being too extreme, and I like the all-black look. It's quite comfortable, and ? another reason I ended up with an SUV ? easier for someone with a surgically-repaired back and balky knees to get into and out of than the 5-door hatchbacks that I was also considering. The car comes with most of the features as standard equipment that I'd have ordered as options in years past, including A/C, 4-wheel disc brakes, alloy wheels, and a USB port in the console that allows me to listen to my iPod while it's hiding inside the console. The 6-speed manual transmission might be the best manual transmission I've ever driven, and I've driven a lot of them since I got my first driver's license in 1960. Throws are short, crisp, and gear engagement is positive. It's a pleasure to row through the gears in traffic. 6th is truly an overdrive, and I don't generally use it under 50 mph. I did not opt for 4-wheel drive, so winter traction is only "adequate," and I also did not opt for the larger engine, so "adequate" is a fair description of the car's power as well. It wouldn't win many drag races, but I'm able to merge with highway traffic without any problems. Negatives: Color choices are limited on the base model to silver, dark gray and black. To get actual colors, you have to move up a trim level, and in doing so, you lose the manual transmission, which is only available on the base model. I wasn't willing to give up the 6-speed, so I settled for silver instead of the sky blue I wanted. Mazda's larger engine is also not available in the base model, and I'd have liked to have had the extra horsepower, but the 6-speed came first, and I'd have had to go to an automatic transmission if I moved up to a Touring model. I wasn't willing to do that. I've had the car about 2 months now, not long enough to get a feel for reliability. So far, I like it very much. It's not only comfortable, it's nimble. While it's quite a bit larger than my previous vehicles, when I'm behind the wheel, it doesn't drive like it's larger. Steering is quick and positive, brakes are powerful, gear changes are smooth, and the driving experience is very pleasant. Sitting up a bit higher not only makes the CX-5 easier to get into and out of than a "regular" car, it's a bit of an advantage in traffic as well. Mileage so far in almost exclusively urban traffic has been 27 to 28 mpg, so I'm well satisfied with that as well. Maybe not quite as much zoom-zoom as the TV ads would have you believe, at least not with the small engine, but it's versatile, carries a lot of stuff, and it's genuinely fun to drive.

What can I say more? Efficient MPG, hands free bluetooth and pandora compatible, sexy color ( i got the soul red) and classy black interior. This is the zoom zoom I needed for my busy job and active lifestyle ! This is my second Mazda SUV/CUV and they never fail to amazed me ! And oh I love the warning blink for the blind spot detection.

I could not be happier with the car, the ride, the utility, the mileage, the quality, etc.. My only regret (now) is getting the Touring rather than the Grand Touring . . . I'm thinking that the 19" wheels and leather interior would make it THAT much more fun.