2018 Mazda CX-5 consumer reviews

I am a stickler for a quiet cabin and good handling and this delivers in spades! There are literally too many features to list here, but if you test drive this car, you'll not consider anything else. It is comfortable, extremely safety conscious, nimble, and honestly, fun to drive! Best of all, it's an AWD that handles as well on rainy, snowy, and even icy roads as it does on bare pavement (with appropriate caution, of course). Love, love, LOVE this vehicle!

So far I love this car. Super smooth drive, comfortable and modern interior. Love the navigation system, back up cameras, blind spot monitoring and the heated seats.

I like it so much more than the 2017 Ford Escape that I totaled. It's so much fun to drive. Depending on positioning the steering wheel and how you adjust the seat, you can get the feel of a 50's stock Car, or a Indy Car or a LeMansCar. It really holds the line on curves and the Gas Mileage is great. I love it......However the Instrument cluster sucks so bad on the 2018 that I plastered Mickey Mouse Stickers all over it. If the sun hits the information Gauge it disappears. I can get the same information that I got on my '38 Chevy. The 2019 model is entirely different. I'm a little peeved that they didn't recommend the 2019 if only for that reason. I jacked knifed my trailer both ways and broke out the 2 lower reflectors on the back bumper. The Shocker was that practically the whole rear end was one piece and would cost $1000.00 to replace. I cobbled it back together with Gorilla glue and zip ties. Got a reflector from Amazon for $54.00 and glued the other one. Bottom line if fun is a big factor then get a 2019 CX-5, I overlook the drawbacks of the 2018 but fun is a big factor for me and I'll trade up in a couple years.

I have two complaints about this gem, only two. The A-pillars are too thick, they have hidden pedestrians from my vision several times. I have learned to move my head and look around them. And the onboard infotainment system seems like was designed for a 1994 Edsel, if there had been one. It is just awful. Installing Android Auto helped a lot, but one must then remember to plug the phone into the USB-C, wait and wait for the onboard (perhaps vacuum tube operated?) system to wake up, recognize it, and manually establish the link to Android Auto. It is SO clunky. Other than those niggles, the CX-5, mine's a GT, is a delight that is pleasant to drive, carries two bicycles in back, is quiet, so comfortable that passengers often compliment it, and feels like it's going to last a very long time. Very likely, longer than I will. And here's a unique good thing about this car: I thought I'd miss my Honda S2000, one of the best sports cars ever, which I traded on the Mazda. The CX-5 is so all 'round good, that S2000 ain't even a whistle down the valley.

I absolutely LOVED my CX-3 but had a baby so needed a slightly larger car. Liked and went with the CX-5, which is really great for a small family

I've had my CX-5 for over a year and it has great handling, provides a smooth ride, continues to look great inside and out, and had plenty of space in back to accommodate 2 huge suitcases and 4 fair size duffel bags.

It has a lot of options but I’ve had more comfortable cars for this type of money and the options without all the medical issues this one has caused me. The seats are narrow and hard even in the upgraded leather option, and the features are not made to everyone’s height. Would recommend renting this vehicle for a few weeks before buying one to see if it really fits what you want before committing.

Enjoy the car, once we figure out each issue with the interface. Drives nicely and is comfortable on long trips. Cars are difficult for my 6’6” husband, and he has no complaints about fit.

After researching Nissan Rogue, Toyota Highlander, & Honda CRV, I decided to test drive the Mazda CX-5. I’m glad I did. I loved the cars style, & the test drive was fun! It’s just enough space for us. Not to big & not too small.

I'm a car fanatic and I really want to like the CX-5 more than I do. I've had this car for a year, mostly for commuting and transporting the family daily and on road trips. It's decent. The interior is well-appointed and near-luxury, making it the best part of the driver's experience. The exterior styling is a little funky and angular, but still looks good. The handling and suspension are taught and makes driving much more engaging than any soul-sucking CVT in a Honda or Subaru. Two things are major issues for me though. First, the engine / transmission combo is barely adequate. Power really only comes on at 3,000+ RPM, which means you have to always give it more power and so the transmission is always downshifting. It just makes the car feel busy. The transmission clunks around between gears at times, especially if you let off the gas and coast, or in cold weather. There's a turbo model now, which solves half of my complaint, but it's limited to top-trim levels making it too expensive. Second, the infotainment system is straight up terrible (even after paying $350 for Apple CarPlay upgrade). It makes using the car day-to-day a frustrating experience. For $30k, you would expect the radio to work consistently and seamlessly with Apple CarPlay. Try putting the car in reverse to back out, then drive away (like you would any day from your driveway) - want to change the channel or adjust the volume on the radio? You have a 50% chance of it allowing you to do that in the next 1 minute. CarPlay feels not seamlessly integrated and it often switches audio sources on its own. Even without CarPlay, the interface freezes. You cannot use the touchscreen when the car is in motion, so why is it a touchscreen? The whole system is outdated and slow. Overall, the CX-5 has great potential - it has good styling, the interior touchpoints are great, and it drives really well - but the infotainment and powertrain issues make loving this car hard.