Mazda CX-5 KF Touring AWD, 2.5L Petrol (2017-2026)

Magnificent Mazda - Zoom Zoom! – Absolutely love our CX5 touring! The car drives beautifully, very low cabin noise (Oct 2021 model). The colour is Soul Crystal Red that looks spectacular! (its the vibrant red you can't miss when driving around (i've always wanted this colour). We have just had a week of rain and the car looks like its been freshly polished (does not show the… Read more ·  2

dirt!).

We chose the CX5 touring AWD 2.5 petrol as we do a mix of city and country driving and wanted the extra mumbo of the 2.5 on the open road. Also the touring has the 17" wheels that provide a comfortable ride when compared to the 19" wheels on the other models.

I love the way the car is so zippy and fun to drive around, but still has plenty of room for 4-5 people and the boot is a nice generous size. The rear seats can be folded flat, via a small lever on the side of the boot (its works well) which provides loads of room for bikes etc. The rear seat folds 3 ways (there is a centre part that folds flat for long items like skiis which is really handy if you have 2 people in the back). My kids also love the rear a/c vents and usb ports (note: on my touring, the USB ports are on the small fold down centre part, drink holder inside the seat, if you're looking for them).

Fuel economy is remarkable, I just did a run at around 80km/h and achieved 5.9l/100km (see photo attached). Adding in a few traffic lights, it went up to 6.5l/100km. There is no need to buy a $60k hybrid! The car gets along very well, accelerates quickly to 100km/h. The motor is super quiet and refined and the 6 speed gearbox changes quickly and smoothly. Open road driving is also a pleasure with plenty of go go, even with 4 people on board. Mazda motors are happy to rev and it provides a sporty and confident drive.

The interior is of high quality, nice seats and all the buttons have a nice "feel" of luxury (almost BMW quality).

We looked into Hybrids and electric cars but they are very expensive and don't save you anything. For example, we paid $30k for the CX5 (21 model), but to buy a hybrid at $60,000 you would need to keep the car for 80 years to pay back the minis cure fuel saving. Hybrids are very complex and will need a new battery after 8 years at $10,000 (ouch!!). Better to invest your money into a 12% return ETF rather than blowing your money on a car that will be worthless in 10 years, or better still, put down a deposit on an investment unit.

Electric cars are also $60K+ and even after paying petrol for the CX5 i'm miles ahead. EV's will need a new $25k battery in 8 years, but the CX5 will easily get 20+ years and 300,000km of driving. Also, there are many reports of Telsas only getting 220km of range, when they should get 455km (spec sheet) when open road driving and drivers selling them to go back to petrol (I couldn't even drive to Sydney without hunting around for a charger).

The CX5 uses a simple 4 cylinder 2.5l motor with maintenance free timing chain. The motor is so smooth and refined you can hardly hear it running. The transmission is a conventional 6 speed (not CVTs or DSGs like most manufacturers that are cheap and use a belt to push you along. I prefer gears any day). My friend at work has 420,000 Km on his Mazda and still buzzing along.

I would avoid the diesel in this model (many reports of issues, see reviews below) - the small fuel saving is quickly lost by repair costs. Most negative reviews relate to the diesel so just buy the petrol.

The entertainment system works well, with Navigation, USB Ipod, Bluetooth, Apple carplay and android auto. You can use the touch screen, or there is an nice button selector near the gearshift that is easy to access while driving.

The car has flappy paddle gear shifters. I liking being able to just click the paddle down a gear when travelling downhill, then the system reverts to auto mode again. Its very nice and works well.

This is my 3rd Mazda and they are all been very good. My last Mazda went for 220,000km and still going strong (only sold it for a new one, not because of any issues).

Servicing every 10,000km or 1 yearly.

We compared the CX3 and CX5 in the car yard, and the CX3 roof line is substantially lower, shorter and is very small. You would fill up the CX3 boot with a week of groceries. I would recommend the CX5 for most people, it provides a practical car that can easily do short town runs, but large enough for touring/day trips/camping etc.

My only hesitation (at first) with this vehicle was the engine stop/start Istop (this basically stops the engine at traffic lights). I feel that starting/stopping motors generates the most wear on cam shafts/bearings etc to save 2 drops of fuel. However, the engine only stops when you press the brake pedal "hard" whilst stopped, so if you are gentle on the brake pedal, the motor will stay running. There is also a button you can press, to keep the engine running, but not sure why the car does not hold this setting for the next startup (the button needs to be pressed on the next start). In summary, I'm happy with the Istop and has not been an issue at all (with light brake press the motor stays running, and no need to press the button).

Mazdas have always been a high quantity, reliable, and great value Japanese made cars, without paying $20k more for a Toyota.