Topic: First Drive: 2019 Mazda CX-5

[Gurgie]

I think this is a great offering overall, and now with the extra power and connectivity features I can see them moving a few more of these off the lot.

[Weels]

I'm about 5' 10, with driver seat set for me I can comfortably sit behind myself with a decent amount of leg and foot room.
With 4 people on board, it's comfortable, 5 is tight which would be the case for anything else in this class.
I think the CR-V does have more cargo space though.

Seat comfort in the Mazda is much better than the CR-V for me, but i seem to always find Honda seats somewhat uncomfortable.

[tortoise]

He said the interior in general, and back seat in particular, were a bit cramped for the class.  And he's not a big dude.

Weird.  Looking at the numbers it would seem the CX-5 has among the most legroom in its class.  And it's not like it's the narrowest.  Could be a case of the numbers not telling the whole story.

https://www.autoblog.com/2018/11/20/toyota-rav4-vs-compact-suvs-comparison/

[Ex-airbalancer]

Nice car, and that Signature trim is really cool, and Mazda finally gets their act together and offer Carplay and Android Auto.

What about the diesel engine though ? Is it finally offered in Canada ?

Have you noticed more forum member care about CarPlay/Android Auto than the build quality of a car

Indeed - and not just on this forum.  I get the feeling that a lot of contemporary buyers are more looking for a mobile connectivity platform / stereo system than they are looking for a vehicle.  Like how every review on The Straight Pipes (which I quite enjoy for the most part) has to have a discussion on whether the car offers rewinding satellite radio (I sure don't enjoy that part  ).  But the market is changing.  People barely want cars anymore.  That's life, I guess.

Soo true
The was an tv spot for Ford and all it said is you can get Wuze , big fack deal 

[dkaz]

Soo true
The was an tv spot for Ford and all it said is you can get Wuze , big fack deal 

Waze* 

[OliverD]

Nice car, and that Signature trim is really cool, and Mazda finally gets their act together and offer Carplay and Android Auto.

What about the diesel engine though ? Is it finally offered in Canada ?

Have you noticed more forum member care about CarPlay/Android Auto than the build quality of a car

Indeed - and not just on this forum.  I get the feeling that a lot of contemporary buyers are more looking for a mobile connectivity platform / stereo system than they are looking for a vehicle.  Like how every review on The Straight Pipes (which I quite enjoy for the most part) has to have a discussion on whether the car offers rewinding satellite radio (I sure don't enjoy that part  ).  But the market is changing.  People barely want cars anymore.  That's life, I guess.

There's a few things at work here. Cars today are all generally quite good, relatively speaking. There's very few true penalty boxes left (the Mitsubishi Mirage being the only one that comes to mind). So it makes sense that the infotainment system has become a true differentiator between makes and models.

Cars used to be desirable because they gave you freedom. You're right that people barely want cars. For a large segment of the buying public they're a necessary evil. They're expensive and congestion sucks. So people want to optimize their comfort and convenience, which is pretty understandable.

[OliverD]

Soo true
The was an tv spot for Ford and all it said is you can get Wuze , big fack deal 

I can see how it would be a big deal for people who commute in a lot of traffic, or generally drive for a living.

[Jaeger]

There's a few things at work here. Cars today are all generally quite good, relatively speaking. There's very few true penalty boxes left (the Mitsubishi Mirage being the only one that comes to mind). So it makes sense that the infotainment system has become a true differentiator between makes and models.

If you think cars are basically all the same, such that infotainment is a "true differentiator" then we occupy different planets.  The fact that cars are generally "quite good" does not mean that dynamics, aesthetics, ergonomics are so close to equivalent as to render them meaningless as differentiating factors.

[OliverD]

There's a few things at work here. Cars today are all generally quite good, relatively speaking. There's very few true penalty boxes left (the Mitsubishi Mirage being the only one that comes to mind). So it makes sense that the infotainment system has become a true differentiator between makes and models.

If you think cars are basically all the same, such that infotainment is a "true differentiator" then we occupy different planets.  The fact that cars are generally "quite good" does not mean that dynamics, aesthetics, ergonomics are so close to equivalent as to render them meaningless as differentiating factors.

I'm not talking about this from my perspective, I'm talking about the typical consumer who needs an appliance to get from point A to point B. Some of those people don't care about any or all of the other items you mentioned. But they might care that a car has Apple CarPlay.

[tortoise]

I guarantee you that price, features and badge are all way, way more important to most consumers than steering feel and chassis dynamics.  Aesthetics is personal so I'd call it a wash.  Ergonomics are important but most cars are pretty dialed on that front so I would also call that a wash.

[OliverD]

I guarantee you that price, features and badge are all way, way more important to most consumers than steering feel and chassis dynamics.  Aesthetics is personal so I'd call it a wash.  Ergonomics are important but most cars are pretty dialed on that front so I would also call that a wash.

Exactly. And some people couldn't care less about aesthetics.

[Niklasky]

I'm about 5' 10, with driver seat set for me I can comfortably sit behind myself with a decent amount of leg and foot room.
With 4 people on board, it's comfortable, 5 is tight which would be the case for anything else in this class.
I think the CR-V does have more cargo space though.

Seat comfort in the Mazda is much better than the CR-V for me, but i seem to always find Honda seats somewhat uncomfortable.

I have to agree with you there. I am 6'2" and I could sit behind myself comfortably in the CX-5. The fit and finish in the Mazda is also much nicer than in the CR-V which feels very hard-plasticky.

With that new turbo engine and features like cooled front seats and HUD (and now also CarPlay and Android thingy), this CX-5 is now a very strong contender in the segment.

[dirtyjeffer]

I guarantee you that price, features and badge are all way, way more important to most consumers than steering feel and chassis dynamics.  Aesthetics is personal so I'd call it a wash.  Ergonomics are important but most cars are pretty dialed on that front so I would also call that a wash.

agreed on all accounts...talk in here of power, 0-60 times, how many Gs it can do in a corner and whether it has an IRS is meaningless to the mass buying public...they want X features, in Y size, for Z price...most likely don't even know anything about the vehicle they bought (what engine is in it, how much HP/TQ it has, what kind of suspension is in it, etc)...they want something nicely featured, that's decent on gas and has a payment that fits the budget.

[Jaeger]

There's a few things at work here. Cars today are all generally quite good, relatively speaking. There's very few true penalty boxes left (the Mitsubishi Mirage being the only one that comes to mind). So it makes sense that the infotainment system has become a true differentiator between makes and models.

If you think cars are basically all the same, such that infotainment is a "true differentiator" then we occupy different planets.  The fact that cars are generally "quite good" does not mean that dynamics, aesthetics, ergonomics are so close to equivalent as to render them meaningless as differentiating factors.

I'm not talking about this from my perspective, I'm talking about the typical consumer who needs an appliance to get from point A to point B. Some of those people don't care about any or all of the other items you mentioned. But they might care that a car has Apple CarPlay.

Oh sure - well I already acknowledged that connectivity concerns reflect consumer demand.  The market is changing.  But just because I acknowledge it, doesn't mean I like it or agree with it.  Not does it make any kind of sense to me that Apple Car Play can be a determinative factor in a vehicle purchase decision.

[OliverD]

There's a few things at work here. Cars today are all generally quite good, relatively speaking. There's very few true penalty boxes left (the Mitsubishi Mirage being the only one that comes to mind). So it makes sense that the infotainment system has become a true differentiator between makes and models.

If you think cars are basically all the same, such that infotainment is a "true differentiator" then we occupy different planets.  The fact that cars are generally "quite good" does not mean that dynamics, aesthetics, ergonomics are so close to equivalent as to render them meaningless as differentiating factors.

I'm not talking about this from my perspective, I'm talking about the typical consumer who needs an appliance to get from point A to point B. Some of those people don't care about any or all of the other items you mentioned. But they might care that a car has Apple CarPlay.

Oh sure - well I already acknowledged that connectivity concerns reflect consumer demand.  The market is changing.  But just because I acknowledge it, doesn't mean I like it or agree with it.  Not does it make any kind of sense to me that Apple Car Play can be a determinative factor in a vehicle purchase decision.

A lot of features that we deem necessary are because we've grown accustomed to them. A buddy of mine just got rid of his Suburban for a Q7, and because the Suburban had CarPlay and because he found it useful, he only considered models that also had it. I suspect that there's amenities your car has that you wouldn't want to give up, either.

Edit: Thinking about this, I don't think I'd actually buy a new car that didn't have CarPlay, either. That's partly a reflection of how readily available the feature is today though. I can't think of a single car that's a realistic purchase for me that doesn't offer it at this point.

[Jaeger]

There's a few things at work here. Cars today are all generally quite good, relatively speaking. There's very few true penalty boxes left (the Mitsubishi Mirage being the only one that comes to mind). So it makes sense that the infotainment system has become a true differentiator between makes and models.

If you think cars are basically all the same, such that infotainment is a "true differentiator" then we occupy different planets.  The fact that cars are generally "quite good" does not mean that dynamics, aesthetics, ergonomics are so close to equivalent as to render them meaningless as differentiating factors.

I'm not talking about this from my perspective, I'm talking about the typical consumer who needs an appliance to get from point A to point B. Some of those people don't care about any or all of the other items you mentioned. But they might care that a car has Apple CarPlay.

Oh sure - well I already acknowledged that connectivity concerns reflect consumer demand.  The market is changing.  But just because I acknowledge it, doesn't mean I like it or agree with it.  Not does it make any kind of sense to me that Apple Car Play can be a determinative factor in a vehicle purchase decision.

A lot of features that we deem necessary are because we've grown accustomed to them. A buddy of mine just got rid of his Suburban for a Q7, and because the Suburban had CarPlay and because he found it useful, he only considered models that also had it. I suspect that there's amenities your car has that you wouldn't want to give up, either.

Sure - I never thought a heated steering wheel was any kind of a bfd, but I freaking love it on my car and wouldn't want to give it up.  Would it be the reason I choose NOT a buy my next car, if it otherwise checked the boxes of performance, style, ergonomics, build quality, reliability, comfort and value?  would I start my car search by saying that ONLY cars with heated seats will be considered?  Fack no.  Hell to the no.  But I see a LOT of web chatter where connectivity, for lack of a better phrase, is THE overriding purchase issue.  And I think that's absolutely nuts.  But obviously it really matters to a lot of people a lot more than the factors that really matter to me.  And that's fine - like I said twice already, the market is changing.  But I'm never going to view cars primarily as mobile connectivity devices regardless of how many others see them that way.

Anyway, none of that has much to do with the CX-5.

[OliverD]

I get it. That's basically how I feel about the people who value reliability above everything else.

[lebowski]

Not for nothing but I thought this might be relevant: in my aging Subaru, the aftermarket Bluetooth FM receiver and CD slot-mounted phone holder that I recently installed (and reviewed earlier) have both been remarkably seamless and effective.

As soon as I am in the car, my phone automatically pairs. The sound quality is good and the pairing consistent. And when mounted in the phone holder, the setup is about as convenient as having an OEM touch screen. I have been very, very impressed.

For the longest time I was convinced I needed (ok, wanted) to trade my car in for something newer because I craved and infotainment upgrade (yes, even as an enthusiast). It seemed so frivolous as the rest of the car has been running so well and at odds with its likely current trade-in value. But now I see the aftermarket infotainment tech has really caught up and there are now excellent solutions.

TL;DR: I realize I'm preaching to the choir here, but if we are correct that consumers are increasingly prioritizing infotainment availability in their car purchases, they really need to explore the aftermarket solutions (mine cost $45) for their current rides before they dump tens of thousands of dollars on a new one, just for the pleasure of asking Siri to "play Taylor Swift 1989, track 2" (I'm not a fan, I swear, GF is)

[tortoise]

I also have a CD slot phone mount and bluetooth aux in.  It's a great solution to add modern conveniences (music streaming and maps) to an older car.

But, the biggest reason I'd want Android Auto is that 95% of my music listening is done through Google Music.  Using the setup above, if I want to change the music I risk having a distracted driving fine, which in Ontario is going to be $1000 in the new year.  If I had Android Auto I wouldn't be risking a thousand dollars every time I skipped a track*.  AA would be a must if i was buying a new car.

*I don't actually think using a touch screen via AA is fundamentally different than using the phone interface, but the law is the law.

[lebowski]

I also have a CD slot phone mount and bluetooth aux in.  It's a great solution to add modern conveniences (music streaming and maps) to an older car.

But, the biggest reason I'd want Android Auto is that 95% of my music listening is done through Google Music.  Using the setup above, if I want to change the music I risk having a distracted driving fine, which in Ontario is going to be $1000 in the new year.  If I had Android Auto I wouldn't be risking a thousand dollars every time I skipped a track*.  AA would be a must if i was buying a new car.

*I don't actually think using a touch screen via AA is fundamentally different than using the phone interface, but the law is the law.

Whoah - I had no idea I was still able to be fined for using my smartphone touch screen. I thought once it was mounted in the cradle, I was ok. I wonder if it's different here in BC? I will investigate.