Hello, newbie here.

I would appreciate the opinions of forum members as I make a decision here concerning the probable purchase of my first Mazda.

Is there concern about carbon buildup on the intake valves due to this being a GDI engine, or has Mazda engineered things to largely eliminate the problem?

Is there any real reason to wait for the 2020 model?

Does the turbocharger make a real difference? I live at sea level and I'm pretty sure I don't need the turbocharger, but never having owned one, I'm kinda drawn to it. Just not sure a test drive would be enough to convince me one way or the other.

Local dealers are bidding in the $33,500 range.

Thanks

 

Well, I have the non-turbo version and I am happy with performance and MPG values I get. But that's a personal/budget choice at the end. I still would do (if possible) two lengthy back-to-back test drives. Especially, test merging onto the highway and going from 0 to 60 mph. At the end, you will know which one to prefer.

We have two cars in our household, the other is a VW Golf with a 1.8 turbo engine which I love to drive and which I would not trade-in for a non-turbo hatchback. But for our CX-5, the non-turbo version is adequate in my opinion.

 

The only possible reason to wait for a 2020, would be if the infotainment system were updated to load faster upon startup. It's painfully slow in my 2019 GTR, but once booted up, performs just fine.

As to the turbo, as suggested above, you should test drive one with and one without. My bet is you'll jump at the turbo after a good test drive. I'm at 13,000mi on mine and it purrs just like the day I drove it off the lot. My daily commute is mostly freeway and I'm seeing 28+ mpg now that it's its well broken in.

 

Thank you for the responses. Gonna test drive this weekend.

 

Haven't seen any issues with the 2.0, 2.5 or 2.5 turbo engines regarding carbon build up.

2.2 Diesel is best avoided if 2nd hand, latest versions are meant to to fixed.

 

Thanks. I'll admit I knew nothing about carbon build up in GDI engines until a friend mentioned it to me, with links to several YouTubes, some featuring the CX-5. Some have quite noticeable built up even with low mileage.

I've asked the two dealerships I'm dealing with about it; they both recommend a procedure that does not involve removing the heads to be performed every 15,000 miles at a cost of $203 US. Of course, I am very skeptical that this might be a scam. Anyway, thank you for the response. If forum members aren't seeing the purported loss of mileage and horsepower, I'm not going to worry about it.

 

After extensive comparison shopping with Honda CRV (NOPE, I dislike CVT trannys) the RAV 4 (NOPE, FAR too pricey for the slightly quicker Hybrid) and even the Acura RDX (base model is TOO base) I have decided that the Mazda CX 5 GT Reserve is the compact SUV I really want - in Red Crystal Soul, of course).

I'm in Henderson, NV and got a price from a Las Vegas dealer of $33,550. in red & W/O dealer add-ons. Visiting our daughter here in Thousand Oaks and I showed the Mazda dealer are the printout from the Las Vegas dealer. He said "Buy it because we're $1,000. over that price." So I will.

OPTIONS-> for rails & racks, lighted door sills, trunk "tonneau" cover. (Prices to be bargained.)

->I'll use premium gas with an occasional 1/2 tank 100 octane gas to "pep it up".
->K&N air filter
->After the OEM tires are shot I'll put 145/40/R19 tires on it for better handling.(and worse mileage - I know).

I will not pay for a single dealer add-on and my max for "documentation fee" is $300. They already made their profit off the car and the options.

Eric B.

 

I drove the CX-5 GTR and liked it a lot. I did find the ride to be very stiff. I could feel every pebble and bump.

But, wow, what an education! I went back and forth with a few dealers via email and finally got a price from one dealer that seemed OK. Another dealer promised he would beat it by $200. Being equidistant from my home, I went to the dealer who promised $200 off. Was I in for a surprise.

First, after the test drive, comes the hard sell on the extended warranty for $3000. Don't you want to protect your car? Do you know how expensive these are to repair? I said no, not interested. Then he presents me with the amount due, and it's $850 above the other dealership. "There are errors in their bid. They got the cash back wrong and the taxes wrong", OK, so why is that MY problem? You saw the bid and promised to beat it before I came in. No answer to that. Then the final insult - I had asked about the two shades of blue before I went in. Any difference in equipment or price? "No." So I had chosen the Eternal Blue, and now the fellow tells me, "We just got that one in and it's $550 more than the Deep Crystal Mica".

At that point I thanked him for his time and walked out. At home I checked their inventory - both blues are the same price. So I do not own a CX-5.

 

I drove the CX-5 GTR and liked it a lot. I did find the ride to be very stiff. I could feel every pebble and bump.

But, wow, what an education! I went back and forth with a few dealers via email and finally got a price from one dealer that seemed OK. Another dealer promised he would beat it by $200. Being equidistant from my home, I went to the dealer who promised $200 off. Was I in for a surprise.

First, after the test drive, comes the hard sell on the extended warranty for $3000. Don't you want to protect your car? Do you know how expensive these are to repair? I said no, not interested. Then he presents me with the amount due, and it's $850 above the other dealership. "There are errors in the bid. They got the cash back wrong and the taxes wrong", OK, so why is that MY problem? You saw the bid and promised to beat it before I came in. No answer to that. Then the final insult - I had asked about the two shades of blue before I went in. Any difference in equipment or price? "No." So I had chosen the Eternal Blue, and the fellow tells me, "We just got that one in and it's $550 more than the Deep Crystal Mica".

At that point I thanked him for his time and walked out. At home I checked their inventory - both blues are the same price. So I do not own a CX-5.

So...a word to the wise, as you can see from my story above, be prepared to find out they will tell you anything to get you to sit down in their office and then the B.S. starts.

 

Hi RobA, sorry to hear about your bad experience. I had two interactions with Mazda dealers, one in Wisconsin and one in North Carolina. The one in WI was really a bad experience where the dealer at some point insulted me. On the other hand, the one in NC was really pleasant to deal with and our purchase was a very smooth process. So I would not give up and try the other dealer as well.

One more point about the extended warranty, if you plan to keep the car more than three years, I would actually suggest to consider extending the bumper-to-bumper warranty for at least up to six years. With all the electronics and sensors in these new cars, it's good to have some peace of mind beyond the three years of the bumper-to-bumper warranty.