2021 Mazda CX-5

[Morris Minor]

Stream-of-consciousness thoughts.

   
• The smell of gasoline in the garage has gone.
• It's less tinny than the CR-V: doors close with a thunk & the panels have some level of sound deadening applied.
• There's no resonant boom that, in the Honda, necessitated noise-canceling from the sound-system
• There's not a lot of chrome - maybe because this is one step down from the top of the line trim.
• The color is gorgeous - it's grown on me. There's a depth & luminance that Mazda should be proud of.
• It's tighter on the inside, less storage space than the CR-V
• You feel you are sitting in the vehicle rather than on it. The seats hug you.
• Throttle responses are instantaneous. If you pull out into traffic there's no "Oh Christ I'm gonna die" delay that infuriated me in in Honda, that takes a few beats to hitch up it's skirts and get moving.
• Notwithstanding the abundance of torque, the transmission will drop a cog without hesitating
• In Sport mode it changes down and *really* wants to go on offense.
• The flappy paddles are suboptimal because they move with the steering wheel. Shuffle the wheel 80° to take an uphill mountain bend and the shifters are no longer under your fingers. 

Engine cover removed

[Laconian]

D'oh! Sub-lux flappy paddles always seem to move with the wheel. Sigh.

The Mazda metallic paints are very rewarding, so long as you keep the car clean and waxed. They lose a lot of their depth when the car gets a coat of dust.

[shp4man]

The Miata's AT6 is programmed completely differently than a Ford. Does the CX-5 downshift on brake application at freeway speeds? Even more aggressively with harder braking.

[Laconian]

That engine is made entirely out of plug wires and hoses.

[Eye of the Tiger]

That engine is made entirely out of plug wires and hoses.

The modern plastic engine cover has eliminated the need to properly dress an engine.

[Laconian]

The modern plastic engine cover has eliminated the need to properly dress an engine.

An automotive girdle.

[Morris Minor]

That engine is made entirely out of plug wires and hoses.

I used to be able to look at any under-hood layout and identify everything. But that was during the era of horse-drawn narrowboats.

[CALL_911]

That red is gorgeous. This is the turbo right?

[Laconian]

I used to be able to look at any under-hood layout and identify everything. But that was during the era of horse-drawn narrowboats.

My god... it's full of sensors!

[Morris Minor]

That red is gorgeous. This is the turbo right?

Yes, it's the 2.5 turbo. 250 hp and 320 torques... on premium gas.  On vin ordinaire gasoline it's 227 hp & 310 lb-ft

There's a "Turbo" badge on the back which seems a bit 1980s naff.

Side note: the non-turbo 2.5 in the lower spec models is 187 hp and 186 lb-ft., which is comparable to the CR-V's 1.5T: 190 hp 179 lb-ft.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Yes, it's the 2.5 turbo. 250 hp and 320 torques... on premium gas.  On vin ordinaire gasoline it's 227 hp & 310 lb-ft

There's a "Turbo" badge on the back which seems a bit 1980s naff.

Side note: the non-turbo 2.5 in the lower spec models is 187 hp and 186 lb-ft., which is comparable to the CR-V's 1.5T: 190 hp 179 lb-ft.

That is plenty of power. I bet it would really open up with a 3-inch exhaust. 

[FoMoJo]

Engine cover removed



That's a lot of plumbing.  Took me awhile to locate the valve/cam covers.

[MX793]

My god... it's full of sensors!

At what point do you have enough sensors to see the future?

[FoMoJo]

What the heck is that big shiny thing at the front/side of the motor?

[Eye of the Tiger]

What the heck is that big shiny thing at the front/side of the motor?

It looks like a turbine confabulator regulator.

[Morris Minor]

I'm going to like the cooled seats. Good for keeping one's parts of shame fresh & fragrant on the hottest of summer days.

[Morris Minor]

I've ordered some mats for the front & the cargo area. It gets muddy around here & we have to schlep our own garbage to a disposal area. So WeatherTech to the rescue. All those pages & pages of ads in C&D finally paid off.

I'm also considering a UV/infrared tint film on the driver & passenger door windows. I've read that the factory tint  privacy glass in the rear does nothing except cut down light transmission. So pondering the wisdom of a very light film back there.

[MrH]

Weathertech stuff is really nice.  I loved them in my 4Runner.

I got the OEM rubber mats with the Outback for free from the dealer.  I'd much rather have the weathertechs, but it isn't worth the money to me right now.

If you're getting tint, I found it's worth spending more and getting the ceramic tint, especially if you don't want to go really dark.  You can get a lot of heat rejection with lighter tints if you get the ceramic versions.  I did that with the Accord because the AC was so weak.

[Morris Minor]

Just on a nitpicking level. If dealers want customers to carry their advertising, they should pay them a monthly fee to have their stupid decals on the back - and their cheapshit tacky license plate frames.
I had to use shipping tape to lift some of the decal's residual sticky goop off the paintwork.

[MX793]

Just on a nitpicking level. If dealers want customers to carry their advertising, they should pay them a monthly fee to have their stupid decals on the back - and their cheapshit tacky license plate frames.
I had to use shipping tape to lift some of the decal's residual sticky goop off the paintwork.

I can tolerate license plate frames, but stickers are a no-no.  Fortunately it doesn't seem like that many dealers do decals around here.

[Soup DeVille]

I can tolerate license plate frames, but stickers are a no-no.  Fortunately it doesn't seem like that many dealers do decals around here.

Some of the older school dealerships here do badges. Not stickers, actual zinc cast badges.

[MrH]

Just on a nitpicking level. If dealers want customers to carry their advertising, they should pay them a monthly fee to have their stupid decals on the back - and their cheapshit tacky license plate frames.
I had to use shipping tape to lift some of the decal's residual sticky goop off the paintwork.

When I bought the Outback, I ordered it.  I told them if they drilled for a front license plate or put a dealer decal on I wouldn't accept it

[AutobahnSHO]

When I bought the Outback, I ordered it.  I told them if they drilled for a front license plate or put a dealer decal on I wouldn't accept it

If I ever buy new- I'm going to do the same- it will be written on the contracts!

[CaminoRacer]

My Miata had a plate frame & sticker but it wasn't difficult to get off, luckily.

Of course it also has holes for a front plate since it was from Washington, but I didn't put my front plate on. Utah cops can deal with it.

[Speed_Racer]

My Miata had a plate frame & sticker but it wasn't difficult to get off, luckily.

Of course it also has holes for a front plate since it was from Washington, but I didn't put my front plate on. Utah cops can deal with it.

I've been running w/o a front license plate here in UT for 8 yrs. They don't care (thankfully), and I don't believe they can pull you over just for that, it's a secondary offense.

[veeman]

Someone on this board told me that if you keep the dealer sticker/zinc badge on the car; the dealer gives you better quicker service when you take it in for maintenance/repair.  Anyways I've kept the rear dealer badge on my certified used Infiniti but had the Subaru dealer remove it from the Crosstrek before I took it.  They put it on even though I told them I didn't want it and so removed it before I drove it off the lot (just applied it and so it was easy to get off without leaving any mark).

[MrH]

Is this a 2020 or 2021?

[SJ_GTI]

Someone on this board told me that if you keep the dealer sticker/zinc badge on the car; the dealer gives you better quicker service when you take it in for maintenance/repair.  Anyways I've kept the rear dealer badge on my certified used Infiniti but had the Subaru dealer remove it from the Crosstrek before I took it.  They put it on even though I told them I didn't want it and so removed it before I drove it off the lot (just applied it and so it was easy to get off without leaving any mark).

Had the same thing happen when I bought my Audi S4. I specifically told them not to put one on then when I went to pick it up it had a decal on the back. I (politely) told them to remove it and they did (I didn't have to threaten them with not buying but I would have if it got that far).

When I bought my Golf the dealer was more enthusiast friendly. No decal of course but they asked if I even wanted a front license plate installed (I didn't) which technically isn't legal in NJ (my new car wouldn't pass inspection, but new cars automatically get 5 year stickers at initial registration).

[shp4man]

What you really don't want is a fucking wire hacked, Chinese made alarm system or tracking device that some dealers put in every car.
Then the finance person sells it for 3-4 hundred bucks. Or not. But it's still screwing up the human hair diameter wiring on your new car

[Eye of the Tiger]

What you really don't want is a fucking wire hacked, Chinese made alarm system or tracking device that some dealers put in every car.
Then the finance person sells it for 3-4 hundred bucks. Or not. But it's still screwing up the human hair diameter wiring on your new car

I have installed hundreds of those trackers with starter disabling if you don't make your psyment.