Mazda CX-5 - Direct Injection?

spasm3 said:
I've driven the rav 4 and the ride quality is nowhere near as good as the cx-5. The cx-5 is also much quieter.

I would buy another one , the plus side outweighs the minor annoyances.
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RAV4 Hybrid is one of the good candidate for us. But they're much more expensive, saving a bit for gas isn't worth the extra cost. I hear a lot of complaining about the RAV4's harsh ride and performance.

I'm leaning toward a mid trim CX-5, either 2020 or 2019. But Carmax doesn't have many AWD CX-5 to choose from.
 
spasm3 said:
No idea what it is. Even made sure we approach with only one remote , does not matter. Does not do it every time. But most times. Maybe I'll make a video of it.
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When I bought the car I went into the settings and I unclicked the audible alerts on pretty much everything. Same with the doors. The flashing turn lights in the mirror are enough notification for me. I carry the fob but don’t use it. I push the button and the doors unlock. I have that set in settings as well.
 
Sparky16 said:
I was going to buy a Mazda CX-5 once I get rid of 2020 Tucson.
I have been reading how good the CX-5's are, anywhere I looked, it's the best selling, best rated SUV in it's class. But all those reviews and test drives, none mentioned it's a DIRECT INJECTION! I can't believe I missed that.

Anyway, like a few others, I'm trying to avoid Turbo, Direct Injection and CVT at all. Are the Mazda's DI any better than others' DI? I know Porsche and some others' DI is somewhat better, but I'm not looking to buy any European vehicle. I'm looking for a small affordable trouble-free CUV/SUV. Thanks for your advice.
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Man, it sure is a good thing that you found out about the car having DI before you considered buying one.
Now you won't have to buy a car so good, people only ever talk about how much they like it, instead of talking about how the fuel injection system isn't causing carbon buildup because Mazda designed it to not have problems with carbon build up on the valves.

BC.
 
Mazda has a unique and very well designed system that pairs the exhaust of 2 cylinders ( and does that twice in a 4 banger ) so that the fast initial pulse of an exhaust pulls more volume from the low pressure of the late part of the exhaust cycle of the other cylinder it is pared with. The result is more volume and more even exhaust flow to the drive side of the turbocharger. That keeps the turbocharger spooled up much better at low throttle so it is capable of providing appropriate boost if you give it more throttle when accelerating from a low RPM running engine to a higher RPM requirement. The results are no delay when you ask for more power. Look up some YouTube videos about it. The zoom zoom saying is appropriate and applies to the vehicles equipped with this clever and useful design. It is a nice feature that other manufacturers probably should be licensing for use from Mazda.

Mazda vehicles are in general well designed and well built, and a good vehicle for the amount they cost.

What they are not good at is providing proper protection from rust. Especially on the underside. If you buy a Mazda and want it to last a long time and or have good resale value if you ever do trade it in, one of the very best things you can do to make it last long is get it rustproofed ( undercoated ) at a good place that does that and has a deal for bringing it back yearly for touchup ( unless you live in an area that vehicles do not rust such as Arizona, and the vehicle will not be used in rust belt areas ). Rust is the Achilles heel of Mazda. Protect it from rust and you have a top notch vehicle.
 
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I am very pleased with my 2019 CX 5 GT-Reserve, It has the turbo engine. I only drive it a couple of times a week now that I am retired but each time I do I am reminded by just how well it drives. It is very quiet, handles better than I expected out of a heavy SUV with a high center of gravity, and the 6 speed transmission is very well mated to the 250 HP engine that makes a lot of torque at low RPM's.

Regarding the DI system and maintenance: Perhaps it is overkill but I change the oil every 5000 miles and use Mobil 1 EP which is a very robust oil. I also add some Marvel Mystery Oil to the gas tank every 1000 miles and a bottle of Techron before each oil change.
I am confident that I will have no issues with the engine or injection system for as long as I own the car.

I live in the Sou. Cal mountains and we get snow just a few times a year. They don't salt the roads though so I don't worry about rust.
And reportedly Mazda addressed their rust issues several model years ago.

Drive one before you make a decision. I think you will be impressed.
 
Sparky16 said:
Not driving much any more, no need to drive fast, got all the time in the world.
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Mitsubishi Outlander sport GT or base if you are not going fast. But, CVT.
Mid 20's cost at the most. We just bought a new Subaru outback before the "shortage" panic.
But, neither I nor my wife like it at all. Interior is cheap materials and, seats narrow , short and uncomfortable for large adults.
Ride is fair, handling good, engine economical ( low 30's average MPG!) but engine is horrendously noisy.
This is the base model with a fair amount of standard equipment.
10 years ago the Outback was an excellent car, especially with the 6 speed manual
 
PimTac said:
Same here but when I bought our CX5 the main points were the comfort and utility for our needs. I get 32-33 mpg and that is comforting with gasoline prices approaching $5 a gallon here.

The engine runs butter smooth on 0w20 and the transmission is one of the best I’ve owned. We have had it four years with absolutely no problems.
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And, near me, Mazda, unlike most others, has cars on the lot for sale!
 
ARCOgraphite said:
And, near me, Mazda, unlike most others, has cars on the lot for sale!
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Same here and it’s a good point. The car carrier ships might have less delays because they tie up at specific car terminals instead of a general container terminal.

I am lucky because the Port of Tacoma is one of the ports where Mazda ships from Japan. A few weeks ago as I drove by the local Mazda dealer had plenty of stock on hand.
 
Sparky16 said:
RAV4 Hybrid is one of the good candidate for us. But they're much more expensive, saving a bit for gas isn't worth the extra cost. I hear a lot of complaining about the RAV4's harsh ride and performance.

I'm leaning toward a mid trim CX-5, either 2020 or 2019. But Carmax doesn't have many AWD CX-5 to choose from.
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If you’re concerned about “new tech,” I’d lean towards the turbo Mazda. The non-turbo has the cylinder shutdown tech and to me, that is way over complicating a reliable 4 cylinder. Even if there’s no reported issues with it yet, when there are issues, that will not be cheap. Not worth gaining a mile per gallon to me.
 
Luftmasse said:
The CX-5 does have cylinder deactivation. It is another thing to think about if it bothers you.
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My other car, 2015 MDX also has cylinder deactivation. But it's V-6, so it may not be noticeable (at least to me), quite a few owners are complaining about it, they installed VCM (variable cylinder management) muzzlers. AFAIK, no such thing available for CX-5.
 
The cylinder deactivation is only on the non-turbo 2.5 liter CX 5 engine.The extra power of the turbo is so beneficial that I would do whatever I needed to do to step up a level in price and buy that version.
 
The only vehicle that meets all of your requirements is the 2019 and up RAV4 non-hybrid. The dual fuel injection systems solve the problems of DI-only engines. None of the RAV4s use cylinder deactivation. The RAV4 also has more horsepower than the CX5 (203hp vs 187hp), it gets 3-4 mpg better gas mileage, and it has an 8-speed automatic (verses a 6-speed in the CX5). The RAV4 Hybrid uses a CVT but it is a totally different design than any of the CVTs used in any of the other non-hybrid vehicles and has proven to be virtually bulletproof.
The latest generation of RAV4 rides better than the previous generation, just stay away from the larger 18" or 19" tires/wheels as they make the ride much harsher and noisier. The overall NVH and ride is comparable between the two.
Although the RAV4 beats the CX5 in virtually every substantive area, IMO styling is another matter. I am not a fan of Toyota's angry face huge grill styling.
The bottom line is that the current used vehicle market conditions will likely determine what you can find, and at what price. Both vehicles are good choices. Don't automatically assume that you can purchase a used 2019 or 2020 for less than a new one. That may not be the case right now. Be sure to look-at and price-out new ones. You may very well find that nice low mileage used ones are selling for as much (or more) than you can purchase a new one for. This is particularly true for CarMax's excessively high prices. I personally ran across this when we purchased my wife's CR-V. Personally, I would rather pay a couple thousand dollars more for a new 2021 or 2022, you will get that money back when you sell or trade it, and you can get what you want if you are willing to wait a few weeks.
 
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Hard to find a good used CX-5 GTR, naturally looked a few new ones if available. Current market is effected by automotive chip shortage, dealers are advertising MSRP as SALE price, others are marked up $1,000 on top of MSRP, no pick and choose color combo in this small Portland market. I may just sell mine and ride out, CarMax's offer is good for two more days to decide.
 
Sparky16 said:
Hard to find a good used CX-5 GTR, naturally looked a few new ones if available. Current market is effected by automotive chip shortage, dealers are advertising MSRP as SALE price, others are marked up $1,000 on top of MSRP, no pick and choose color combo in this small Portland market. I may just sell mine and ride out, CarMax's offer is good for two more days to decide.
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Don't look at what you are paying for the new one right now, look at the difference in price between a new one and an acceptable used one (with miles on it). I reiterate, you will get that money back when you sell or trade it. Plus, with a new one you can get exactly what you want. Any new car dealer will order you one in any color if you insist. Regardless of market conditions, you are still in control because you have the money. If they want to try and control you, leave!
You do know that the CX-5 GTR has a turbocharger, don't you? I thought that you were looking for something that didn't have a turbocharger. You can get a CX-5 GT that has the same equipment and doesn't have a turbocharger (for significantly less money).
 
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Only if there are plenty new ones to choose from. Dealers here are taking $500 deposit for a new arrival, don't even know when they'll get it. Saying, maybe this weekend or by the end of month. Mazda vehicles are coming from port of Tacoma, only 130 some miles away.

Oh, I know GTR and Signature trims have Turbo, but taking a chance, price difference between GT and GTR is about $2k.
 
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