Topic: 2023 Mazda CX-5 GT. The nanny state?

[TheHire]

All very nice, but it rips the sh*t of the brakes.  How do I know this?  The MDX has an icon that shows you when the rear brake lights activate.  On follow cruise, even at the longest distance, the ECM maintains an exact distance from the vehicle ahead. 

If you are in a line of cars, even 3, there is a 99% chance that one of those drivers are using their foot and the speed goes up and down constantly.

Currently, the ECMs are not intelligent enough to moderate the vehicle's speed with engine input.   No coasting like in the "olden" days.  You know the thing you once did with your FOOT. 

Lots of adaptive cruise systems nowadays are smart enough to moderate the vehicle's speed with speed input. Your MDX isn't one of them, so while your use case is correct in that it's not a great system, it's not an accurate depiction of what others are like, especially in premium brands.

Brakes these days aren't lasting as long as they used to because of a bunch of factors, from material cost cutting to the added weight of newer vehicles. I genuinely don't believe that use of adaptive cruise control in highway settings is really doing anything to contribute to this.

[ktm525]

Through towns I speak the queen's english.  Out on the freeway it seems like on our divided stuff the slow lane is 120km/h below and the left lane is 130km/h. Can't really sit in the middle (120-130) as it's too fast for the right and too slow for the left.

You can get away with speeds like that here in Quebec on occasion but sooner or later the speeding tickets and demerit points would add up big time. If I did that all the time I would have my right to drive taken away. Our speed limit on highway is 100 kms/hr and I usually lock car in at 117 on long trip. I am careful and I have not had a ticket since early 90's.

You would like the Coquihalla highway in BC. 120km/h posted and traffic flows 130/140. Really our divided highways should all be 120 km/h. If you don't drive that anyhow you will get run over. Anyhow the best adaptive cruise is your right foot.

[Slow_lane]

Through towns I speak the queen's english.  Out on the freeway it seems like on our divided stuff the slow lane is 120km/h below and the left lane is 130km/h. Can't really sit in the middle (120-130) as it's too fast for the right and too slow for the left.

You can get away with speeds like that here in Quebec on occasion but sooner or later the speeding tickets and demerit points would add up big time. If I did that all the time I would have my right to drive taken away. Our speed limit on highway is 100 kms/hr and I usually lock car in at 117 on long trip. I am careful and I have not had a ticket since early 90's.

You would like the Coquihalla highway in BC. 120km/h posted and traffic flows 130/140. Really our divided highways should all be 120 km/h. If you don't drive that anyhow you will get run over. Anyhow the best adaptive cruise is your right foot.

This reminds me of the time years ago when I drove the autobahn near Lahr Germany (where there is a military base). It was two lanes in each direction. I was driving my friend's car (an old Toyota Supra). Not to blow up my friend's old car I drove at 150 kms but most drivers where driving at something like 200 kms. The trouble was the was a lot of military vehicles in slow lane doing only 100 kms. It was a tricky drive trying to enjoy the fast lane and being able to safely get out of the way of the faster drivers.

[Slow_lane]

Here is a boxing day update on my 2023 CX5.

We have not racked up many Kms on our CX-5. All dreams of road trips this summer were dashed by when my wife fell and broke her shoulder right after getting the Mazda. Then I got pinch nerve in my neck which sidelined me for 6 weeks. In the end we have only driven 3500 kms.

Had first oil change in Nov and got my winter treads on.

The Mazda has run great so far. I am really pleased with it. There are however a few things that I am slightly disappointed in. No car is perfect so these are just observations.

- Wish the whole steering wheel would heat up and not just at the 9 and 3 position.
- Wish the hatch had a button that would both closed and lock the car.
- Hatch opens just barely high enough. I am 6ft and I can hit my head on it.
- Heated seats work but are very slow to heat up. I was spoiled by our BMW 328 who had seats that would heat up in and instant. I find on many drives they are warming up only as I get to my destination. Having the seat heat only after car is warm defeats the purpose a bit.
- Before I bought the Mazda I did not even know what Android auto was. Now I wish mine was wireless.
- I noticed that the venting for defrosting on front windshield is only in center. I am worried about the ability for heater to clear whole windshield on very cold days. I have read that it may not do well on outer edges. I hope that will not be an issue.
- Using the "My Mazda" app while it is free for 1st 2 years. The only feature of any use to me is the car starter. But that is not enough for me to be willing to pay a monthly fee to keep it. I find it outrageous.
- When using car starter feature there is no way I have found to get into car without it shutting off. It is kind of irritating to have it shut down and having to re-start it once you jump in. Seems silly.
- I do not do a lot of driving at night but I do not notice any benefit at all from the headlights that supposedly turn with the wheels. I do not even see the impact of it happening. Maybe it would be more apparent on a dark country road but to me so far it is just a gimmick.

Dealing with the dealer

Not surprisingly I did not go to dealer for oil service. I checked out our dealer's service department. I found the service desk was manned by people that did not know cars. They were receptionists just there to basically take appointments. I looked over the service schedule and price list. The pricing is crazy.

They sent me a flyer about an oil change. The pricing included a tire rotation (which I did not need as I just put winters on). I called service department to ask about price with no tire rotation. I was transferred to voice mail (strike one), took 2 days to call back (strike 2), they left me a voice mail asking to to call to make an appointment and did not even answer my simple question (strike three). Off to my indie for an oil change.

I do have a small noise in front end. When going over speed bumps there is a very slight clunk, pop or bump on occasion.  It is very very slight and hard to re-create. I mentioned this to Mazda and they said if they look an find the issue they will fix it. If however they find nothing they will charge me to time spent. Pretty crazy.  I think I will wait for it to get worse and become more apparent. I also think I will have my indie look for problem so I know issue before setting foot into Mazda service.

Bottom line is dealer servicing gives me the creeps. As usual.


Despite my little wish list for improvements I still love it. It is quiet, full of great features and just the right size. It drives beautifully. Not a wallowing SUV. Tracks nicely and handles well. Most importantly it should prove to be very reliable. The interior is very upscale. Now that I have owned a while I have looked inside the Audi Q3 (the other SUV I was considering). I must say that overall the Mazda interior looks way better. 

My indie says it should be a great SUV. He did warn me that in his experience the CX-5 eats up brakes. He said the back brakes go fast. Not sure if anyone has had that experience. He said they do tend to corrode. He had nothing else negative to say.

[sszoomzoom]

Here is a boxing day update on my 2023 CX5.

We have not racked up many Kms on our CX-5. All dreams of road trips this summer were dashed by when my wife fell and broke her shoulder right after getting the Mazda. Then I got pinch nerve in my neck which sidelined me for 6 weeks. In the end we have only driven 3500 kms.

Had first oil change in Nov and got my winter treads on.

The Mazda has run great so far. I am really pleased with it. There are however a few things that I am slightly disappointed in. No car is perfect so these are just observations.

- Wish the whole steering wheel would heat up and not just at the 9 and 3 position.
- Wish the hatch had a button that would both closed and lock the car.
- Hatch opens just barely high enough. I am 6ft and I can hit my head on it.
- Heated seats work but are very slow to heat up. I was spoiled by our BMW 328 who had seats that would heat up in and instant. I find on many drives they are warming up only as I get to my destination. Having the seat heat only after car is warm defeats the purpose a bit.
- Before I bought the Mazda I did not even know what Android auto was. Now I wish mine was wireless.
- I noticed that the venting for defrosting on front windshield is only in center. I am worried about the ability for heater to clear whole windshield on very cold days. I have read that it may not do well on outer edges. I hope that will not be an issue.
- Using the "My Mazda" app while it is free for 1st 2 years. The only feature of any use to me is the car starter. But that is not enough for me to be willing to pay a monthly fee to keep it. I find it outrageous.
- When using car starter feature there is no way I have found to get into car without it shutting off. It is kind of irritating to have it shut down and having to re-start it once you jump in. Seems silly.
- I do not do a lot of driving at night but I do not notice any benefit at all from the headlights that supposedly turn with the wheels. I do not even see the impact of it happening. Maybe it would be more apparent on a dark country road but to me so far it is just a gimmick.

Dealing with the dealer

Not surprisingly I did not go to dealer for oil service. I checked out our dealer's service department. I found the service desk was manned by people that did not know cars. They were receptionists just there to basically take appointments. I looked over the service schedule and price list. The pricing is crazy.

They sent me a flyer about an oil change. The pricing included a tire rotation (which I did not need as I just put winters on). I called service department to ask about price with no tire rotation. I was transferred to voice mail (strike one), took 2 days to call back (strike 2), they left me a voice mail asking to to call to make an appointment and did not even answer my simple question (strike three). Off to my indie for an oil change.

I do have a small noise in front end. When going over speed bumps there is a very slight clunk, pop or bump on occasion.  It is very very slight and hard to re-create. I mentioned this to Mazda and they said if they look an find the issue they will fix it. If however they find nothing they will charge me to time spent. Pretty crazy.  I think I will wait for it to get worse and become more apparent. I also think I will have my indie look for problem so I know issue before setting foot into Mazda service.

Bottom line is dealer servicing gives me the creeps. As usual.


Despite my little wish list for improvements I still love it. It is quiet, full of great features and just the right size. It drives beautifully. Not a wallowing SUV. Tracks nicely and handles well. Most importantly it should prove to be very reliable. The interior is very upscale. Now that I have owned a while I have looked inside the Audi Q3 (the other SUV I was considering). I must say that overall the Mazda interior looks way better. 

My indie says it should be a great SUV. He did warn me that in his experience the CX-5 eats up brakes. He said the back brakes go fast. Not sure if anyone has had that experience. He said they do tend to corrode. He had nothing else negative to say.

Glad to hear you’re still enjoying your cx5.
I have 9500 km on mine.
My dealer it’s been amazing so far and the service department very good during my first oil change and tire rotation.
My seats heat up really fast and get very hot.
I’ve been driving Mazdas since 2010 so I got used to how the steering only hears at 3 and 9.
My Signature model has a button on the hatch on the right of the electric liftgate opener that locks and unlocks the car, similar to the button on the door handle.

[EV Dan]

I do have a small noise in front end. When going over speed bumps there is a very slight clunk, pop or bump on occasion.  It is very very slight and hard to re-create. I mentioned this to Mazda and they said if they look an find the issue they will fix it. If however they find nothing they will charge me to time spent.

That is infuriating. It feels like they try their best to rid themselves of repeat customers. Have your indie shake the wheels or do it yourself for any sign of play. If there is anything to worry about, this 2 minute test will show it.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

- Hatch opens just barely high enough. I am 6ft and I can hit my head on it.

There is a way to raise or limit the lift height of the hatch.  Push the button to open it, then push or pull the hatch to the height you desire, then push and hold the 'close hatch' button for a few seconds.  I believe the car will beep.

Or perhaps it's possible that it just doesn't go up high enough for you at all.  I think that lack of height is something I also noticed at first (I'm 6'-1"),  but I quickly got used to it, and now don't even think about it. 

Good summary, though.  I don't think I've ever had a vehicle that I've 'liked' as much as the CX-5.  I don't get the urge to replace it anytime soon. 

[Slow_lane]

Here is a boxing day update on my 2023 CX5.

We have not racked up many Kms on our CX-5. All dreams of road trips this summer were dashed by when my wife fell and broke her shoulder right after getting the Mazda. Then I got pinch nerve in my neck which sidelined me for 6 weeks. In the end we have only driven 3500 kms.

Had first oil change in Nov and got my winter treads on.

The Mazda has run great so far. I am really pleased with it. There are however a few things that I am slightly disappointed in. No car is perfect so these are just observations.

- Wish the whole steering wheel would heat up and not just at the 9 and 3 position.
- Wish the hatch had a button that would both closed and lock the car.
- Hatch opens just barely high enough. I am 6ft and I can hit my head on it.
- Heated seats work but are very slow to heat up. I was spoiled by our BMW 328 who had seats that would heat up in and instant. I find on many drives they are warming up only as I get to my destination. Having the seat heat only after car is warm defeats the purpose a bit.
- Before I bought the Mazda I did not even know what Android auto was. Now I wish mine was wireless.
- I noticed that the venting for defrosting on front windshield is only in center. I am worried about the ability for heater to clear whole windshield on very cold days. I have read that it may not do well on outer edges. I hope that will not be an issue.
- Using the "My Mazda" app while it is free for 1st 2 years. The only feature of any use to me is the car starter. But that is not enough for me to be willing to pay a monthly fee to keep it. I find it outrageous.
- When using car starter feature there is no way I have found to get into car without it shutting off. It is kind of irritating to have it shut down and having to re-start it once you jump in. Seems silly.
- I do not do a lot of driving at night but I do not notice any benefit at all from the headlights that supposedly turn with the wheels. I do not even see the impact of it happening. Maybe it would be more apparent on a dark country road but to me so far it is just a gimmick.

Dealing with the dealer

Not surprisingly I did not go to dealer for oil service. I checked out our dealer's service department. I found the service desk was manned by people that did not know cars. They were receptionists just there to basically take appointments. I looked over the service schedule and price list. The pricing is crazy.

They sent me a flyer about an oil change. The pricing included a tire rotation (which I did not need as I just put winters on). I called service department to ask about price with no tire rotation. I was transferred to voice mail (strike one), took 2 days to call back (strike 2), they left me a voice mail asking to to call to make an appointment and did not even answer my simple question (strike three). Off to my indie for an oil change.

I do have a small noise in front end. When going over speed bumps there is a very slight clunk, pop or bump on occasion.  It is very very slight and hard to re-create. I mentioned this to Mazda and they said if they look an find the issue they will fix it. If however they find nothing they will charge me to time spent. Pretty crazy.  I think I will wait for it to get worse and become more apparent. I also think I will have my indie look for problem so I know issue before setting foot into Mazda service.

Bottom line is dealer servicing gives me the creeps. As usual.


Despite my little wish list for improvements I still love it. It is quiet, full of great features and just the right size. It drives beautifully. Not a wallowing SUV. Tracks nicely and handles well. Most importantly it should prove to be very reliable. The interior is very upscale. Now that I have owned a while I have looked inside the Audi Q3 (the other SUV I was considering). I must say that overall the Mazda interior looks way better. 

My indie says it should be a great SUV. He did warn me that in his experience the CX-5 eats up brakes. He said the back brakes go fast. Not sure if anyone has had that experience. He said they do tend to corrode. He had nothing else negative to say.

Glad to hear you’re still enjoying your cx5.
I have 9500 km on mine.
My dealer it’s been amazing so far and the service department very good during my first oil change and tire rotation.
My seats heat up really fast and get very hot.
I’ve been driving Mazdas since 2010 so I got used to how the steering only hears at 3 and 9.
My Signature model has a button on the hatch on the right of the electric liftgate opener that locks and unlocks the car, similar to the button on the door handle.

Thanks for the heads up on the lock / unlock button on the lift gate. I did not even know it was there. I have watched many u-tube reviews and many seem to have no knowledge of this button.

Funny how our experience or impressions of seat heater performance differs. I drive to gym 6 to 8 kms away and it is only shortly before I get there that I start feeling any real heat. My wife agrees that they seem slow to heat. Maybe Signature models with upgraded leather function better. Who knows???

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Thanks for the heads up on the lock / unlock button on the lift gate. I did not even know it was there. I have watched many u-tube reviews and many seem to have no knowledge of this button.

I find that button pretty useless.  I know it's there, but I NEVER use it.  After I push the button to close the hatch, I've already started walking away from the vehicle. 

I have the car set up to auto-lock when exiting and walking away.  Unfortunately, auto-lock doesn't activate if you raise the hatch from the dashboard button, as I always do as soon as I pull into my driveway to unload stuff.  Once you close the hatch, it doesn't autolock.  The number of times I've come back to the car the next day after unloading something from the hatch and finding the car unlocked is maddening. 

I've gotten in the habit of bipping the car locked from the keyfob now whenever walking away from it.

[Slow_lane]

I find that button pretty useless.  I know it's there, but I NEVER use it.  After I push the button to close the hatch, I've already started walking away from the vehicle. 

I would agree. I am glad it is there but what it really needs is a button to close and lock so you do not have to stand around waiting for it to close. I think some other SUV's have 2 buttons side by side and others have a button you push once to just close or push twice to close and lock.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

I find that button pretty useless.  I know it's there, but I NEVER use it.  After I push the button to close the hatch, I've already started walking away from the vehicle. 

I would agree. I am glad it is there but what it really needs is a button to close and lock so you do not have to stand around waiting for it to close. I think some other SUV's have 2 buttons side by side and others have a button you push once to just close or push twice to close and lock.

That second button would be boss!  What's the point of a power hatch if you need to wait around for it to close?

Anyways, these are all small niggles in an otherwise excellent, fun to drive, practical vehicle.

[sailor723]

Interesting comment about the seat heaters compared to your BMW.  Our 2011 328 seats get much hotter much faster than the seats in the 2017 X5. Not sure why BMW toned them down although I find the 328 seats get so hot I have to drop them down to level 1 soon after starting out. I agree that the wheel only heating at 9 and 3 would be annoying. I often drive with my left hand at 11 or 12.

[Slow_lane]

Interesting comment about the seat heaters compared to your BMW.  Our 2011 328 seats get much hotter much faster than the seats in the 2017 X5. Not sure why BMW toned them down although I find the 328 seats get so hot I have to drop them down to level 1 soon after starting out. I agree that the wheel only heating at 9 and 3 would be annoying. I often drive with my left hand at 11 or 12.

The seat heaters in BMW were great. The engine also started producing good cabin heat in less than 1 Km. Also found that engine retained heat for a long time so that when doing errands it blew hot air right at start up when returning to car. It was a great winter car.

The CX-5 heats up pretty good. Thankfully waayyyy better than our 2005 Mazda 3 sport. Love that car but it took forever to get toasty inside. The AC in that car sucked pretty bad as well. And yes I change my cabin air filter regularly.

[sailor723]

Interesting comment about the seat heaters compared to your BMW.  Our 2011 328 seats get much hotter much faster than the seats in the 2017 X5. Not sure why BMW toned them down although I find the 328 seats get so hot I have to drop them down to level 1 soon after starting out. I agree that the wheel only heating at 9 and 3 would be annoying. I often drive with my left hand at 11 or 12.

The seat heaters in BMW were great. The engine also started producing good cabin heat in less than 1 Km. Also found that engine retained heat for a long time so that when doing errands it blew hot air right at start up when returning to car. It was a great winter car.

The CX-5 heats up pretty good. Thankfully waayyyy better than our 2005 Mazda 3 sport. Love that car but it took forever to get toasty inside. The AC in that car sucked pretty bad as well. And yes I change my cabin air filter regularly.

I do find it interesting that there is such a difference between the 2011 328 and my 2017 X5. The X5 seats are much slower to heat up. I wonder why?

edit

In thinking about it the X5 seats do seem to be a little more cushy/padded than the ones in the 3 series. Maybe the heating coils are buried deeper in the seat?

[rrocket]

The seats in our first Gen Audi TT were the hottest we've ever had.

If I wrapped a chicken in foil and put it on the seat, I think it might be cooked on a decently long commute!

[2JDM]

Interesting comment about the seat heaters compared to your BMW.  Our 2011 328 seats get much hotter much faster than the seats in the 2017 X5. Not sure why BMW toned them down although I find the 328 seats get so hot I have to drop them down to level 1 soon after starting out. I agree that the wheel only heating at 9 and 3 would be annoying. I often drive with my left hand at 11 or 12.

The seat heaters in BMW were great. The engine also started producing good cabin heat in less than 1 Km. Also found that engine retained heat for a long time so that when doing errands it blew hot air right at start up when returning to car. It was a great winter car.

The CX-5 heats up pretty good. Thankfully waayyyy better than our 2005 Mazda 3 sport. Love that car but it took forever to get toasty inside. The AC in that car sucked pretty bad as well. And yes I change my cabin air filter regularly.

Yep my 1series heated up real quick - seats, cabin heat. Those inline6 engines run hot.

[sailor723]

The seats in our first Gen Audi TT were the hottest we've ever had.

If I wrapped a chicken in foil and put it on the seat, I think it might be cooked on a decently long commute!

Funny but if I'm going to pickup takeout in the winter I'll take the 328. Put the passenger seat heater on high and throw a jacket or something over the bag.....food is still piping hot when i get home. 

[rrocket]

The seats in our first Gen Audi TT were the hottest we've ever had.

If I wrapped a chicken in foil and put it on the seat, I think it might be cooked on a decently long commute!

Funny but if I'm going to pickup takeout in the winter I'll take the 328. Put the passenger seat heater on high and throw a jacket or something over the bag.....food is still piping hot when i get home. 

Yup!

The best is a plain old large bath towel.

I learned that trick from smoking foods. Since smoking isn't exact and it's "done when it's done", sometimes you end up done early. So the advice was to just pack the meat in foil and then wrap in a large bath sheet.

Would stay quite warm for a shockingly long time!

Now I bring along a bath sheet when doing take out from the city (40 minutes away).

Keeps it warm and as a bonus prevents any leaks from escaping onto car seat.

[Slow_lane]

Smokin!!!!

[marcus_go]

I remember some VW/Audi models from the mid-2000s had heated seats that were so strong they would catch the seat on fire. 

Edit: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vw-jetta-driver-terrified-by-burning-seat-warmer-1.1354602