Mazda CX5 - Good or Bad

[Sam Lin]

I own the previous gen diesel here, and also a current gen petrol in another country.

 

They're great cars, excellent driving dynamics, interiors that are above their price class with ergonomics that have had more thought into them than any other option on the market. Sharp looking except for the back end (on the current KF model). Be aware the interior cargo capacity is nearly worst-in-class, a tradeoff you make for the looks. 2021 is supposed to get improved infotainment, the infotainment up to 2020 is nothing worth bragging about and I hate it. Does have Android Auto/Carplay so you can largely ignore the 'stock' infotainment.

 

Dealer experiences have been good, have had a few times needing to wait as week or two for uncommonly replaced parts, but anything regular maintenance is no issue. The cars are one of the more popular CUV in Thailand, support is good, parts availability is good, aftermarket service support is good, and (excepting the diesel, read below) resale is decent.

 

The current KF gen has issues with the auto folding mirrors, they are poorly weather sealed and are failing at a high rate. Mazda is replacing them with no argument, time will tell if the replacement is improved.

 

I'm quite pleasantly surprised that Mazda agreed to sell the 2.5turbo engine here, that's a very quick car. The diesel is a great driver as it has huge torque. That said, I would take the diesel with a grain of salt for at least another year or two until cars get up into higher mileage and we hear more owner experiences, because:

 

The previous gen KE 2012-16 diesels have had their issues.

2012-13 initial models had a serious issue with DPF cycles causing severe oil dilution. The resulting loss of engine lubrication resulted in many destroyed engines. They also had an issue with some batches of camshafts not being correctly hardened, again destroying many engines. These issues have largely been fixed.

 

Last and most serious, they have a severe flaw, something to do with head gasket. Mazda has officially extended powertrain warranty coverage on them to 6yr/180km mileage as an attempt at good will. Thailand DLT records show thousands of them have had engine replacements. In my extended family we've had 2/5 of ours need new engines, mine blew at 70k km. We were left without a car for nearly a month both times, with no loaner car. This extends across all ADR region cars, Taiwan and Australia both have very high incidences of issues as well. They completely stopped selling the diesel in Taiwan. Mazda issued a TSB to do a PCM reflash on all diesels, effectively de-tuning them. In more Western countries that would lead to a lawsuit as buyers no longer have the power and fuel economy they 'purchased,' but that's unlikely to ever happen given the sorry state of consumer protection in Thailand.

 

And here's where the ugly side of Mazda Thailand comes in. Owners of blown diesels staged a protest in front of Motor Show a few years ago, simply parking their cars in a row with hood up, and telling media and anyone who would listen about the engine issues. In return, Mazda Thailand sued them for defamation:

https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30336679

 

When I got my engine replaced under warranty, the dealer would not let me keep a copy of the repair documentation nor take a photo of it, they did not want any evidence of the issues to be public. There was a stack of blown engines on pallets in the corner of the workshop. The DLT records showing all the engine replacements were obtained direct from DLT by a law firm via subpoena, again Mazda was unwilling to share any info. At this point every car dealer and repair shop knows of this issue, and resale on the KE diesels is garbage.

 

If you want more info, there are a couple FB groups that provide much more info and user experiences. Taiwan in particular has a very educated group of owners and local laws that allow them to be totally open and post about all their issues with their cars.

 

Mazda would do better with public opinion going forward if they were open about the issue, the cause, and the fix, instead of trying to oppress and hide all evidence.

[Mavideol]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

And you would suggest it what?

 

may I suggest you to get familiar with the word..... what was your point ?

 

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/suggest

 

to mention an idea, possible plan, or action for other people to consider:

I suggested an Italian restaurant on fifth street for the party.

formal Might I suggest a white wine with your salmon, sir?

[ + (that) ] I suggest (that) we wait a while before we make any firm decisions.

Liz suggested (that) I try the store on Mill Road.

[ + -ing verb ] I suggested putting the matter to the committee.

[ + question word ] Can you suggest where I could buy a dozen roses?

 

suggest

verb [ T ]

us /səˈdʒest/ uk  /səˈdʒest/

[Jaggg88]

I hired a car in Vienna last August and I got an CX5, very impressed. I drove it down to Salzburg and the surrounding area. A very nice car. I particularly liked the heads up display.

Edited October 23, 2020 by Jaggg88

[DavisH]

On 10/22/2020 at 12:26 PM, Mavideol said:

fuel pump replaced free of charge, I went all the way down to barely no gas and the dirt on the bottom of the tank went into the pump, other than that absolutely NO problem, my friend has the diesel 2018 model and never had the slightest problem, maybe a matter of luck?

I think the problems are quite common; ofcouse not every car gets problems. But some of these faults look like design faults, rather than just random parts that fail. many complaints are leveled at the fuel pump failing in the  petrol version. Good luck after warranty if that part fails. There is even a facebook page dedicated  to problems with the cx-5 

https://web.facebook.com/groups/697776027228278

 

 The most recent engine range is basically the same as the previous one (aside from the introd. of the 2.5 turbo engine). A few companies also specialise in modifying the engine - mainly removing the dpf. I did spend several weeks researching various cars online and chose not to get a mazda, based on what I read in various sources. 

Edited October 23, 2020 by DavisH

[ballbreaker]

I have 2015 CX 5 2.5L (no turbo) that I bough new.   Currently have 66k+ trouble free kilometers since purchase.  The only complaint I have with mine is cabin noise at highway speed but I understand that was improved in later years.  The suspension and low profile 19 inch tires make for great handling car and 2.5L engine has enough power.

[Mavideol]

15 hours ago, ballbreaker said:

I have 2015 CX 5 2.5L (no turbo) that I bough new.   Currently have 66k+ trouble free kilometers since purchase.  The only complaint I have with mine is cabin noise at highway speed but I understand that was improved in later years.  The suspension and low profile 19 inch tires make for great handling car and 2.5L engine has enough power.

older models did had some cabin noise..... new models NO cabin noise at all, time for you to change 555

[thaiscot]

I have a 2013 2.2 diesel AWD model, Best car i have owned

Plenty low end power,  very comfortable, Dealership have been excellent even managed to give me free timing belt change even when warranty expired as i had always got any servicing or work done by them since i bought it

 

would buy another one or another Mazda without hesitation