Originally Posted by HyundaiAbuser
For those of you who have bought cars that have turbos from factory, how do you like them in comparison to previous generations? Do the turbos give you any troubles and how does it affect your driving experience?
I love mine. I have a 2019 CX5 GT-R, and have never owned a turbo vehicle before.
Previous cars:
1993 P71 crown vic with 5.4L motor swap
1995 LT1 Trans Am Auto
1988 Mustang GT with crate motor and TKO500
2001 WS.6 LS1 6-speed
2002 Infiniti G20
2011 Z06 corvette
2012 370Z
2010 Jeep GC w/HEMI/QD2
2015 CX5 Touring AWD 2.5L
The CX5 GT-R feels most like the LT1 Trans Am, mixed with the LS1 Trans Am. It doesn't really hit hard on the big end, and it's a tiny bit "soft" at under 1200rpm or so. It doesn't have that INSTANT punch of a big cube engine, and if you've driven 427's, etc. you know what I'm talking about. That INSTANT response. It's just not there "off idle" like my Z06 or LT1. It's similar to the LS1 though. It's not soft to the point that most people will care, it's just not that instant shove that allows you to spin the tires with precision at idle and get that half-turn or whatever "posturing" at a redlight. However, it also has ZERO "lag" feeling. The turbo spools near instantly once you're off idle. Full torque by 2000rpm. In this way, it feels just like my LT1, minus that 650-1000rpm "off idle punch" you have from a light. It noses over a bit after 5K, just like the LT1.
Power "under the curve" for daily driving is great. So much so that my average mpg is about 2 greater than in my 2015 CX5 with a 2.5L engine WITHOUT the turbo.
The one fly in the ointment is environmentals. Mazda has aggressively tuned for cold weather boost creep, and under 20*F, the engine takes a big hit on power. This is not new, or exclusive to Mazda, but it isn't brought up much, I guess because most people don't pay it any attention. I notice though, and dislike it. However, it's worth the price for the fuel economy and all of the other good traits vs. the current crop of 6 and 8 cylinder engines, in some applications.
Overall, very pleased. Only 30K miles on it, so no real reliability data.