Topic: First Drive: 2013 Mazda CX-5

[dirtyjeffer]

blech...i hate spare tires on the rear hatch...makes the vehicle look so ghetto..."Hey, I just spent $35k on this nice SUV, like my extra wheel sitting out back?"

[Fobroader]

Im the exact opposite, spare on the back is a much better idea. Better acess, stays cleaner than underneath the vehicle, easier to remove/install and you get more storage inside......and I think an SUV looks better. Good on ya Toyota.

[dirtyjeffer]

Im the exact opposite, spare on the back is a much better idea. Better acess, stays cleaner than underneath the vehicle, easier to remove/install and you get more storage inside......and I think an SUV looks better. Good on ya Toyota.

are you talking about the RAV-4?...if you get the Sport model trim or the Sport Appearance package, they don't have a stupid tire mounted to the back...besides, new cars have road side assistance...if i had a flat, i'll let someone else come change the tire for me...i'm not crawling around under my car at the side of the road just waiting to get hit by some idiot who is texting and driving.

[2JDM]

Im the exact opposite, spare on the back is a much better idea. Better acess, stays cleaner than underneath the vehicle, easier to remove/install and you get more storage inside......and I think an SUV looks better. Good on ya Toyota.

are you talking about the RAV-4?...if you get the Sport model trim or the Sport Appearance package, they don't have a stupid tire mounted to the back...besides, new cars have road side assistance...if i had a flat, i'll let someone else come change the tire for me...i'm not crawling around under my car at the side of the road just waiting to get hit by some idiot who is texting and driving.

But then you get those awful run flat tires, which are $$$$$$ to replace. They also ride harder, and there is limited tire choice.

[Fobroader]

Im the exact opposite, spare on the back is a much better idea. Better acess, stays cleaner than underneath the vehicle, easier to remove/install and you get more storage inside......and I think an SUV looks better. Good on ya Toyota.

are you talking about the RAV-4?...if you get the Sport model trim or the Sport Appearance package, they don't have a stupid tire mounted to the back...besides, new cars have road side assistance...if i had a flat, i'll let someone else come change the tire for me...i'm not crawling around under my car at the side of the road just waiting to get hit by some idiot who is texting and driving.

I couldnt imagine waiting an hour to get a tire changed when I could do it in 15 minutes tops by myself. Plus, my buddies and and my dad would mock me, well deserved, till the end of time if I waited for my knight in shining armor to change my tire.

[dirtyjeffer]

I couldnt imagine waiting an hour to get a tire changed when I could do it in 15 minutes tops by myself. Plus, my buddies and and my dad would mock me, well deserved, till the end of time if I waited for my knight in shining armor to change my tire.

meh...i'd rather wait and remind them it's better to raz me in person, than curse my tombstone.

[Fobroader]

Ive always found a safe place to pull off to change a tire. I had a look at a CX-5 in a parking lot last night......great looking little truck, actually looks better in person than in pics.

[Solstice2006]

Wing,

Hype is coming up for the big CUV comparo, sounds great, haven't seen one in a while.  How come only Japanese brands? Rogue, Rav4, CR-V, CX-5, and Tuscon (ok Korean) No Chevrolet Equinox, or Ford Escape (I know the new one is coming soon),  but even to see how the old one is versus the newer suv's. No Subaru (the pioneer of SUV), or the  VW Tiguan?  I understand you can't do them all sometimes, but the Equinox and Escape, sell more than any other model right now.  (Except for the new CRV).  So I would think testing the more popular choices would make sense. 

[Mike]

Wing,

Hype is coming up for the big CUV comparo, sounds great, haven't seen one in a while.  How come only Japanese brands? Rogue, Rav4, CR-V, CX-5, and Tuscon (ok Korean) No Chevrolet Equinox, or Ford Escape (I know the new one is coming soon),  but even to see how the old one is versus the newer suv's. No Subaru (the pioneer of SUV), or the  VW Tiguan?  I understand you can't do them all sometimes, but the Equinox and Escape, sell more than any other model right now.  (Except for the new CRV).  So I would think testing the more popular choices would make sense. 

Wing didn't conduct this test so I can answer this for you.

-New escape isn't out yet and Ford does not carry an old one on their fleet.  Even if they did, we wouldn't test it as it is unfair to Ford.
-Forester missed the comparison by one week.  We do mention it in the article though.  Also, it is not the pioneer in the segment, the CR-V and RAV4 both beat it to the market.
-Equinox is not in this vehicle class (nor is the Journey) both are much bigger and approach Highlander/Pilot in size.
-The Tiguan we wish we had and will include in a rematch with the 2013 Escape at a future date

[Solstice2006]

I find it interesting that you mention that the Chevrolet Equinox is not in the same class as the Toyota Rav4, because they both have 4 cyl / V6 options, get around the same fuel economy, both offer AWD, and similar MSRP, the Rav4 even has 3rd as an option.  And in a previous comparision, it was the Made in Canada with Rav4 vs Equinox.  Wouldn't the Traverse been in the same league as the Highlander?

Well it's your comparison, but people do cross shop these vehicles.  I remember at the Autoshow, I was sitting with a couple in the Equinox, and they were noticing how impressive the interior was compared to the Toyota.

[Mike]

I find it interesting that you mention that the Chevrolet Equinox is not in the same class as the Toyota Rav4, because they both have 4 cyl / V6 options, get around the same fuel economy, both offer AWD, and similar MSRP, the Rav4 even has 3rd as an option.  And in a previous comparision, it was the Made in Canada with Rav4 vs Equinox.  Wouldn't the Traverse been in the same league as the Highlander?

Well it's your comparison, but people do cross shop these vehicles.  I remember at the Autoshow, I was sitting with a couple in the Equinox, and they were noticing how impressive the interior was compared to the Toyota.

We looked it up before hand.  Although the RAV4 does offer 7 seats, it is still smaller by a good bit

Equinox 4771 mm

RAV4: 4620
Higlander: 4785

CR-V: 4530
Pilot: 4850

Tucson: 4440
Santa Fe: 4676

[jyarkony]

I find it interesting that you mention that the Chevrolet Equinox is not in the same class as the Toyota Rav4, because they both have 4 cyl / V6 options, get around the same fuel economy, both offer AWD, and similar MSRP, the Rav4 even has 3rd as an option.  And in a previous comparision, it was the Made in Canada with Rav4 vs Equinox.  Wouldn't the Traverse been in the same league as the Highlander?

Well it's your comparison, but people do cross shop these vehicles.  I remember at the Autoshow, I was sitting with a couple in the Equinox, and they were noticing how impressive the interior was compared to the Toyota.

I agree that people definitely cross shop these vehicles on price and various other factors, but you have to draw the line somewhere (otherwise the test would become a logistical nightmare for us) and size was one way to rule out some 'compact crossovers'—we applied the same rule to the Journey (4888 mm) even though it, too, compares favourably with these other crossovers on price and features.

It's still great fodder for debate though, and we will likely revisit the list of candidates when we start planning for the rematch with the new Escape.

[dirtyjeffer]

It's still great fodder for debate though, and we will likely revisit the list of candidates when we start planning for the rematch with the new Escape.

one thing i don't like about the Terrain, is it looks like a regular CUV with a giant body kit on it, to make it look big, beefy and "truck like" in terms of appearance...i never really cared for that type of design...it reminds me of the cars like the Bonneville and Grand Prix, where you have large front ends, rear ends and wide bodies, but the interior size isn't really any bigger than say, an Accord or something in the same class...for example, despite the fact the Terrain is a foot longer and an inch wider than the Tuscon, the interior dimensions between them are very similar...if you look at the two vehicles, the Terrain looks quite a bit larger, which it is externally, but not inside...it is pretty comparable with other small SUVs in terms of interior space...my "complaint" is they have purposely added an extra big body to give it the appearance of something it is not, which is a larger vehicle...it would have been much better to make the exterior more inline with how it should have been, which would have made it lighter and easier to drive/park/etc.

if interested, here are the interior dimensions between the two:

Tuscon / Terrain

FRONT HEADROOM (IN.)
39.4   39.8   
SECOND ROW HEADROOM (IN.)
39.1   39.2   
FRONT LEGROOM (IN.)
42.1   41.2   
SECOND ROW LEGROOM (IN.)
38.7   39.9   
FRONT SHOULDER ROOM (IN.)
57.1   55.7   
SECOND ROW SHOULDER ROOM (IN.)
55.1   55.3   
FRONT HIPROOM (IN.)
55.5   55.1   
SECOND ROW HIPROOM (IN.)
53.4   51.3   

[jyarkony]

wow, that is amazing that the Terrain has less interior space than the shortest (not sure if it's smallest in all dimensions) CUV in our comparo, and the Terrain also has over 8 inches more in the wheelbase (112.5 in vs 103.9 in) over the Tucson as well and only 1 extra inch of ground clearance... and that shorter vehicles like the RAV4 can get an optional 3rd row of seats in that footprint. But I'm not convinced that they added bulk for the sake of appearance and they didn't just fill the interior with more crap and padding to encroach on the passenger space.

[bridgecity]

Passenger volume for the Tuscon is slightly larger than the Terrain, however the Terrain has a larger advantage in the cargo volume. 

                                 Terrain       Tuscon

Passenger Volume     2820L         2885L
Cargo Volume            894L           727L

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Consumer Reports does their own measurements. The Terrain is larger in every dimension but one compared to the Tucson and Sportage. It has a much larger cargo area.

I would have included the CX-5, but they had incomplete data, and most of the measurements were still n/a.