2014 Mazda CX-5: Fuel Economy Update For July
August 2, 2013
During the month of July, our long-term 2014 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring AWD traveled 3,479 miles across California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Wyoming. In that time it used 153.9 gallons of gasoline including a mix of 91, 88 and 87 octane. Higher octane was used in hotter climates where temps were regularly above 100 degrees.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Wyoming Road Trip Part 1
August 1, 2013
Last week, I piled the miles on our long-term 2014 Mazda CX-5 driving it more than 2,500 miles to Wyoming where the roads are straight and empty.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Excellent Split-Folding Rear Seats
July 25, 2013
In April I took a road trip with the family to Arizona. There are four of us and we absolutely filled the 2014 Mazda CX-5 with our stuff, including two bikes on the hitch-mounted rack. We have a one-year old who requires a Pack 'n Play collapsible crib. If you've never dealt with one before, those things are huge.
We needed a place to put it.
2014 Mazda CX-5: For-Real Sun Visors
July 24, 2013
This is what the 2014 Mazda CX-5's driver's side sun visor looks like in its fully deployed position. There's full coverage to the side thanks to that pull-out plastic panel. It is excellent.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Hidden Start Button
July 23, 2013
I can appreciate the convenience of keyless ignition. But finding the CX-5's start button removes at least some of that convenience. From where I sit, it's almost completely covered by the windshield wiper stalk.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Personal Comparisons
July 22, 2013
If you haven't checked-out Magrath's SUV comparison test you really should. Go ahead, I'll wait.
You're back? Great. Here's my take. Admittedly, my personal opinion on SUVs varies from nearly everybody else.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Best Seats In Any CUV
July 19, 2013
I think these are the best seats in any crossover utility vehicle. It's a bet I'm willing to take, too, because I'm about to drive our long-term Mazda CX-5 2,500 miles to Wyoming and back. They're supportive, soft enough and they even look good.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Zoom-Zoom Manual
July 18, 2013
Mazda hasn't given up on its zoom-zoom philosophy. In fact, the automaker uses the first page of the CX-5's owner's manual to remind buyers of the importance of zoom-zoom.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Irritating Questions
July 17, 2013
No, I don't want to help you, and stop trying to talk me into it.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Comparison Test
July 15, 2013
Our 2014 Mazda CX-5 recently found itself embroiled in a comparison test against two of the best crossovers in the segment, the 2012 Honda CR-V and the all-new, 2013 Toyota RAV4.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Front Seat Comfort
July 16, 2013
One of my favorite things about our 2014 Mazda CX-5 is the simple comfort of the crossover's front seats. Firm, but not too firm, just enough bolstering to hold me in place without squeezing. It's easy to settle in.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Needs All the Power It Can Get
July 15, 2013
A few months ago, James Riswick noted that we purposely held off on getting a 2014 Mazda CX-5 until the larger 2.5-liter engine was available. I'm glad we did as the CX-5 wouldn't be nearly as satisfying with the weaker 2.0-liter engine. As it is, our CX-5 offers solid all-around performance, but it's far from quick. Subtract another 30 horsepower and it would feel pathetically slow.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Any Idea What This Is?
July 12, 2013
Does this look familiar to you? It doesn't to me. It's on the left side of the dashboard in our 2014 Mazda CX-5 just behind the turn signal stalk. It looks like some kind of infrared receptor along with a possible opening for a connector.
I flipped through the owner's manual and found no references to it. In fact, most of the diagrams didn't even show it was there. Seems odd that Mazda would use a relatively visible area of the dashboard for something that's not used by the driver. Could have put a change drawer there.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Not Bringing the Heat
July 10, 2013
Like Donna D., I like me some seat heat. My occasionally sore back (due to a compressed lumbar disc/a workout/a run/old age) appreciates the soothing warmth that a heated seat brings to the back.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Fuel Economy Update for June
July 2, 2013
During the month of June, our long-term 2014 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring AWD traveled 1,697 miles. In that time it used 80.9 gallons of gasoline, mostly 87 octane. There was one 91-octane fill-up.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Fun With SCBS
July 1, 2013
Who needs coffee when you have the Smart City Brake Support (SCBS) system?
As I was pulling into our underground garage at work this morning, and approached the parking security arm, our Mazda CX-5 screeched to a noisy halt. Jolt! Wake up.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Quiet Ride
June 28, 2013
I was out running errands in our long-term Mazda CX-5, and I came to a rather long stop light. I took the opportunity to change music selections.
That's when I noticed, without any musical interference, the 2014 Mazda CX-5 is really quiet when idle. It's much quieter than our long-term Honda CR-V was, even though Honda made an effort to reduce noise in the CR-V's cabin.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Rear-Facing Child Seat Fitment
June 27, 2013
Rear-facing child seats represent a real challenge, mostly for the person who has to sit in front of them. Because they recline heavily, they eat into longitudinal space. And there's no exception in the CX-5.
2014 Mazda CX-5: 10,000 Miles
June 25, 2013
Our long-term 2014 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring AWD has passed the 10,000-mile mark.
In its time with us, we've experienced some audio issues, installed a trailer hitch, and brought it in for its first oil change.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Seventeens Are Enough
June 21, 2013
The 19-inch wheels on our long-term 2014 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring sure are pretty, but for me, the sacrifice in ride quality just isn't worth it.
I remember thinking the same thing almost two years ago when I drove a bunch of European-spec CX-5 prototypes. Those vehicles all had summer tires (because Europeans are willing to slap on a set of snow tires when the ground freezes, I'm told), but the ones with 19-inch wheels and tires were a little too harsh over bumps for my liking whereas the ones with 17s were acceptably compliant.
2014 Mazda CX-5 AWD: Measuring Ramp Travel Index
June 20, 2013
I like our 2014 Mazda CX-5 quite a bit. It steers and handles nicely — zoom, zoom, and all that — and it's got some style. And the new 2.5-liter engine gives it decent power.
Ours is the all-wheel drive version, so one would assume it's good for at least a little low-level off-roading.
But how much? To my mind, this question begs a series of follow-up questions, one of which is this: how much articulation can the suspension manage? I recently drove our Mazda CX-5 up a 20-degree RTI ramp to answer that one.
2014 Mazda CX-5: First Service
June 18, 2013
Due to a long road trip and some other obligations, our 2014 Mazda CX-5 missed its first scheduled service appointment. Shame, but not the end of the world. Had we not waited, we might not have noticed that there's a new Mazda dealership / service center right here in Santa Monica, Santa Monica Auto Group. (For those of you not here in SoCal, Mazda's had an iffy history of dealerships in L.A. They have solid outposts in the Valley, Long Beach and the IE, but nobody who lives on the West Side or Mid-City is going to go any of those places. Ever.)
The car was going in for two things: 1) an oil change and 2) to address the stereo issues we've been having.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Another Audio Issue
June 17, 2013
Just the other day we told you about the intermittent iPod, today it's done something even stranger.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Intermittent iPod Interface
June 13, 2013
The iPod interface in our 2014 Mazda CX-5 isn't working correctly. That is to say, it's working worse than normal.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Does the Stationary Bike Fit?
June 12, 2013
This weekend I found an Airdyne Evolution Comp stationary bike on Craigslist for what I thought was a steal. There were only two problems: 1) It was something like 130 miles away and 2) I wasn't sure if it would fit in our Mazda CX-5. The Airdyne's arms don't remove easily and the CX-5 has less cargo space than our Honda CR-V.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Tom Tom Nav Inexpensive, But Also Rudimentary
June 11, 2013
The navigation system in the 2014 Mazda CX-5 is sourced from Tom Tom and is included in the $1,625 Technology package along with keyless start, adaptive bi-xenon headlights, an auto-dimming mirror, Homelink and the Smart City brake support system. That's excellent value when you consider the going rate for many navigation systems is $2,000.
2014 Mazda CX-5: San Diego Road Trip
June 10, 2013
As luck would have it, I ended up with our long-term 2013 Mazda CX-5 for a weekend road trip down to San Diego to see my horrible baseball team play the somehow not as horrible Padres. Pleasantly, the drive down was the better part of the trip, as my wife and I took a scenic detour on California 79 through the old mining town of Julian.
The town itself is nice enough with a main street filled with shops, a great many of which sell pies for some reason. We skipped those and went for The Bailey Woodpit Barbecue instead. I'm not a BBQ aficionado by any means — I would direct you to the gentlemen driving the Grand National around Texas — but it made me happy.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Zero Range
June 7, 2013
I like that the 2014 Mazda CX-5 will count its remaining fuel range all the way down to zero. This is how it should be. Some other vehicles out there, like my wife's GMC Acadia, don't do this. When the GMC's fuel range drops below 50 miles, the display switches to a constant "low fuel" which is, of course, pointless.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Fuel Economy Update for May
June 3, 2013
After three months and change in our care, the long-term 2014 Mazda CX-5 is averaging 24.5 mpg compared to the EPA's 26 combined estimate. That's 2.4 mpg up from April and not bad given it drives through the world's third-worst city for traffic jams every day (thankfully, we aren't located in Brussels or Antwerp). However, May did see the CX-5 achieve its worst tank average of 20 mpg over 196 miles. This was only 14 days after Josh Jacquot set the best tank of 29.3 mpg during his desert road trip.
2014 Mazda CX-5: No Paddle Shifters?
May 31, 2013
I think it's a sin that our long-term 2014 Mazda CX-5 is without paddles shifters on its steering wheel. It is a Mazda right? Zoom Zoom and all that.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Cargo Area Is Big Enough
May 28, 2013
Our long-term 2014 Mazda CX-5 passed the track gear test. Everything fit in the rear cargo area easily. This can't be said for all CUVs. So, credit where it is due. And I have to add that I really like the cargo cover. Rather than those that extend from the back of the seats, this one is attached to the door. So I don't have to fumble with it to use it.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Drives Like a Mazda
May 24, 2013
"It drives like a Mazda." These five words, as they pertain to our long-term 2014 Mazda CX-5, are not just a compliment, they're a succinct description of its overall character and competence. They are to say, the action of the CX-5's various driving interfaces (steering, brakes, transmission and throttle) along with its suspension tuning coalesce into a spirited, precise and rewarding whole.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Road Trip Fuel Economy
May 22, 2013
After nearly 900 miles of California and Arizona desert driving — including windy stretches in 100-plus degree heat with bikes on the rack — our long-term Mazda CX-5 averaged 23.9 mpg. Its best tank was 29.3 mpg on a largely downhill stretch. Its worst tank was 20.6 mpg in the wind and heat.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Packed for a Road Trip
May 21, 2013
Several weeks back I packed our long-term 2014 Mazda CX-5 to the gills with everything a family of four could use on a weekend adventure in Arizona. Then we drove 350 miles across the California and Arizona deserts to Prescott, Arizona. Because we had bikes, we also had bike gear which filled the cargo hold. However, the CX-5's flexible mesh cargo cover handily stretched to accommodate our oversized load.
Still, we used every inch...
2014 Mazda CX-5: Finally, a Bike Rack
May 20, 2013
The 2014 Mazda CX-5 is a well-packaged crossover SUV. Even-so, there's no way to put two bikes, four people and a bunch of gear inside for a road trip. Our solution was the Mazda Accessories trailer hitch.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Are CD Players Obsolete?
May 17, 2013
Our long-term 2014 Mazda CX-5 has an in-dash CD player. But not every new car has one. There are so many alternate ways of listening to music that manufacturers may stop supplying them in their cars.
General Motors, for example, left the disc in its MyLink system out of the new Chevy Sonic and Spark. Instead you can connect with your smartphone. Kia will also be leaving out a CD player in the 2014 Soul because it doesn't fit the car's buying demographic.
2014 Mazda CX-5: Ball Mount Storage
May 16, 2013
A few weeks ago we installed the Mazda Accessories trailer hitch on our CX-5. It was an easy two-hour process.