Comments:
Not Quite the DBX...
I like to replace vehicles every three years and prefer to keep the budget around $50K, give or take. That said, I do want a fun vehicle that offers some engagement, or in this case some Zoom Zoom.
The 2025 Mazda CX-5 is the final year of its generation, and I appreciate it for some of what it hasn't got:
- No CVT
- No touch switches
- No electric power train
This is the turbo version which brings more get up and go relative to its peers. The interior is upscale and it is fun to drive. And, for whatever it's worth, I appreciate Japanese cars that are actually made in Japan.
Next time around I will probably go with an X3, but I'm enjoying this Mazda for now.
Quite nice I think!
I've always considered them myself, but the practicality of a pickup truck has simply dominated my daily driver lifestyle for the past 11 years.... Many happy miles!! Cheers, Filip
I love the Mazda designs !
Congrats on this one, only the 2.5 non turbo available where I live ... 140 hp :-( .
So this one makes 230 hp and that's plenty enough for some smooth fluid driving I guess 
.
.My cousin has a Mazda 3 and I am always amazed by the build quality and the materials used for the interior, I would definitely choose your CX-5 above the X3 which will cost a lot more and will be less reliable I think.
Enjoy !
Filip
After 1 Year of ownership reliability has been 100%
For the turbo they rate it at 256 hp on premium fuel. But I think what is most noticeable with the turbo motor is the 310 - 320 pound feet of torque.
Same here with the Megane Turbo.
1.8 turbo with supposedly 280 hp (probably 260/270) and also a lot of torque 390 Nm (290 ft-lbs) but probably well over 400.
So the torque is very present, especially considering this is only a 1.8 litre.
Left the NA Clio , right the turbo Megane.
Great design! A very handsome car. Looks like something from Giugiaro Design house!
Mazda's interior and exterior designs really are very appealing. However, they're going backwards in terms of mechanicals in many ways. Their small sedan, the Mazda 3, no longer has independent rear suspension (which made it a segment leader along with the Honda Civic as the only ones with an independent rear suspension for that class of car), and actually went back to a Torsion Beam (torsion beam is cheaper and less performance friendly than an independent suspension)! What's next? Mazda Miata/MX-5 without a double wishbone front suspension (double wishbone allows better wheel/tire contact to both on-camber and off-camber roads or well built and poorly built roads, the alternative is MacPherson strut, a design that has noticeably less contact on off-camber corners - car has less grip in off-camber/poorly-built roads)? Mazda's executive team has said they are going for more design and lower engineering costs as this is what the average customer is looking for. While this is very true and probably the path to corporate longevity, it is against the ethos of the brand which has always been a more engineering and performance-first approach.
I believe CX-5 uses multi-link independent rear suspension. CX-50 uses torsion beam for more space (and lower cost I am sure)
I see! That's kind of odd, since both the CX-5 and CX-50 in USA are both priced about the same.
I don't know about the SUVs, but I was just a little disappointed when the Mazda 3 sedan went to torsion beam. The current Mazda 3 sedan is such a beautiful car - it really looks like something from Giugiaro. Just wished it had an independent rear suspension like they used to have in the previous generation.
Yeah I know what you mean. I had a 1991 Acura Integra with double wishbone suspensions. It was a good handler.
But cost and packaging are main reasons to move to McPherson strut and torsion beams.
Yes! The Honda Accord and Honda Civic used to have Double Wishbones! Now they're MacPherson struts!
Never really had a Honda as a rental car. But I bet they were very good relative to their competitors back in the day! Honda went backwards too and didn't suffer any major sales loss - so maybe that's why Mazda thinks they can go backwards too. Can you imagine, Porsche 911 and Boxster/Cayman are still MacPherson strut in the front suspension. It is the only very-expensive car in the world to have a MacPherson strut suspension!
Great choice, and the X3 is meh.
We love Mazda and wife has the CX50 top-line turbo. Rides on rails, tight, and nice torque too.
I considered the CX50 too.
Actually a lot. In the end I picked the 5 because it's been around longer and (hopefully) completely sorted out.
That really is a great looking Mazda and the I love the colour of yours as it makes it look really sporty.
Marc
Great choice!
I’ve driven them all and the Mazda stands out, I find the steering feel and handling to be excellent. It’s the Macan on its category.