drivencarreviews.com/ Everyone wants great fuel economy. No one wants to give up fun and utility. Is the Mazda CX-5 a no comprise solution? Tom Voelk beats up on a fully loaded Grand Touring model to find out.
Much appreciated. The most common post here is "why doesn't this guy have more views?". I would be grateful to anyone who can figure that out. The trajectory is upward but very slowly.
Merely your opinion. We test drove the CX-7. We almost bought it. The next day, the CX-5 arrived and fell in love with it. Much better looking inside and out. We got the Cx-5 instead. Mazda definitely did not miss the spot. It just needs a bigger engine. We also have a 2011 Mazda 6 V6. Cant wait to see the new mazda 6.
I have the CX-5 with manual transmission and it is an absolute joy to drive. I'm averaging 32 mpg over the course of 10,000 miles, mixed city and highway driving.
I like a lot about the CX5 and think it looks great but am missing the Skyactive message. In awd drive trim, the EPA rates the CX5 at 31 mpg highway. I was under the impression this "Skyactive" technology was something special. The 2012 CRV (about 100 lb more) returns only one mpg less on the highway yet comes with a significant 30 hp/ 13 ft lb more.
The man in front of the camera looks/sounds awfully familiar. Didn't he used to do car reviews for one of the networks in Seattle Washington? His reviews are one of the best out there.
It is definitely smaller than other displays, but it is much more functional than others as well. For example, it is quite a quick system, there is hardly any lag in between touches.
Tom! You always mention to test drive 3 cars. At the end of your videos, you should mention your top 3 favorite cars in group, based on the car that your reviewing for that video. For example in Chevy Cruze video review you could've said " in this category of cars I would test drive the Cruze, Elantra, & Focus. Thats just my recommendation for this category." Just a suggestion. I love the videos Tom! :) Don't Stop!
Still have our 2013 CX-5 GT 85,000 trouble free miles. 155HP not much power available in this original model. Very reliable and handles nicely but slow as a snail in a uphill race ;-)
I subscribe to many auto channels and after a while they make me bored to death where i can hardly watch there videos with your channel i find myself watching your videos over and over and say hi to the evil twin for me and keep these great reviews coming!!
wow this car is beautiful! i wish i would have bought it, i go the 2013 Nissan Altima. i love my Altima tho but this car is beautiful very elegant, Mazda has come a long way!
Hey Tom, great reviews man. I know you have been saying at least test drive 3 vehicles. I have done a lot of internet research and I have can't seem to nail my choices down. I'm looking for a great compact car with good fuel economy. Right now I'm leaning towards a Jetta, Elentra, Sonata (even though mid-size but has good MPG), and Forte. Also I need a vehicle that's pretty reliable and require low-maintenance. Do you think the Jetta is fit for me? Thanks in advance.
It has almost the same gauge layout as the first gen Honda CR-V, which my family has, but is brushed metal and has digitalized fuel, mileage, and temp gauges. It has the same displacement as the first gen CR-V, but it's paired with the 6-speed transmission. It has almost the same overall interior room as the CR-V. Since my mom does heavy city driving to and from work, this one is more economical.
Tom, I have an old Saturn LW200 wagon that has lasted forever but is getting old and annoying to repair as fewer and fewer dealers can service it. I am looking at the CX-5 as a replacement, but I'm concerned about the power. I drive over a pretty demanding mountain every day to work. I was wondering if you had experienced any slowness when driving on an incline. Everything else looks awesome about this car! Thanks for the awesome review!!!
I test drove one today (2.2 liter diesel) and the acceleration was awesome, but the road noise was horrible. Also, there was no power seat option, and the only one-touch automatic window was the driver's. Thinking I prefer the VW Tiguan.
My brother has the wagon. I'm curious what your point is. I can go to my Ford store and get a Focus hatchback with better mileage than the wagon even though it's larger and more powerful. CX-5 is larger than that wagon and has more room. Some people need it. If AWD saves me once a month it's worth it. It has all the covers cars have but it was subjected to very intense punishment on very rainy and muddy courses. You can see it on my site later today.
For the price, the CX-5 has a lot of bells & whistles. It's also a good-looking small SUV with decent power (especially the 2.5L engine in the 2014 models) and great fuel economy.
hmmm im shopping for a crossover currently...This looks very good, but however i think ill the 2013 escape will be better for my purposes. I will still probably go test drive a Mazda cx-5 tho you never know.
So far my only quarrel with the car is the 160 HP engine. I'm the type of person that would be willing to sacrifice some MPG if it means my car can drive a little faster. I'm not talking about blistering 0-60 times, but I drive in a mountainous region, so I need horsepower for hills. Can't wait to see how the diesel engine performs.
Awesome car, hopefully they will add a v6 option or at least a more powerful version for towing. till then, ill stick with my 2012 acadia (i know, different class).
Mazda definitely has a winner here! They're a heavily underrated brand. This and the new Escape are worthy enough of being the new benchmark of the crossover class. Sorry CR-V!
Isn't there a 184 hp engine available on the GT for this model? Thats what i saw on the Mazda website, oh wait that was for the 2014, may not be applicable for the 2013
The industry is moving very fast. If I said, "Cruze, Elantra, and Focus are my top 3 picks", six months from now that might not be true. Take Dodge Dart. It's good enough to replace one of those on that list. I have a hard time saying "this is the best". That is very egotistical. There isn't a best car, only one that's right for an individual. The biggest mistake people make is buying a vehicle without really looking at the competition. I say drive 3, to understand what's out there.
I've test drove this car a few days ago and was impressive but the sale person I talked to is too aggressive and he keeps avoiding answering my question about the cons of this car. Can you please tell me some of the cons of this car?
well awd takes more gas and the grand touring is a auto. trans and as you know auto .trans drink a bit more gas had it been a manual transmission it probably would have gotten more hence why the Mazda cx-5 is the most fuel efficient SUV in it class even hybrids with 35 mpg and also remember Mazda would sacrifice some mpg for it zoom zoom which is not a gimmick!
This car looks better in pictures than it does in real life. In real life this car is mini van ish. Soccer mom ish. It's a bit pricey at dealerships also. The doors are a lot taller feeling. Like a minivan when you climb out. It handles okay but I don't see it being sporty like all these reviewers are saying. It's a crossover there's no steering breakthrough. Good car bit overpriced but it's a bit girly in real life.
I agree that the 155 hp isn't acceptable, but many basic 4-cylinder in most compact SUV are slow in my opinion unless you get a turbo or V6. Honda CR-V offer 30 more horsepower, although Honda still use 5-speed auto :/. Toyota RAV-4 continue to offer 4-cylinder, however, dumb Toyota drop the V6 smh. The Ford Escape seem to have plenty of options when it come to engine choose, although they are having some reliability issues. For my money, I would rather get neither the Mazda CX-5 or Honda CR-V.
THANK YOU!!! I'm so glad I'm not the only person that feels this way. Honestly, I hate the looks of the new CX-5. It's just not proportioned right. The interior is rather bland looking, and that screen... god it's ugly. After test driving it, I have to wonder why reviewers all say it's sporty too. It was very comfortable, but sporty was not a word I would have used. Long story short, I bought a used CX-7. It looks better inside and out, and drives better. Mazda missed the mark with the CX-5.
Mazda usually does very good interiors, but I think they made too much of a departure this time. It feels like they tried to make an evolution of the Tribute, not the CX-7. That's a problem because the Tribute was very ugly. I understand the need for fuel economy, but when Ford puts a 180+ hp engine in their NEW Escape that gets 33 mpg highway, it means that Mazda missed the mark, both on power and fuel economy. You also get more kit on the Escape. Mazda has lost their core focus on the CX-5.
