Mazda CX5 – real world opinions ?

I will be ordering a new car on a PCP later this year, using a Company Car Allowance and had pretty much whittled it down to a Volvo XC60 (AWD SE spec). Saw one of these the other day and have had a look at the glowing reports on WhatCar.

Coming from a BMW 5 Tourer the Volvo is going to be a little smaller inside, and probably a bit ‘less nice’, but needs must (current car is a company car, rather than my sourcing through PCP, but new rules at work). Is the CX5 comparable to the Volvo, or step down in size and niceness ? – would be going for an AWD one with toys

Can’t comment on the CX5 but I’m very impressed with our Mazda 3. Build quality is excellent, very comfortable, engine and gearbox are great. It’s excellent value for money.

In every way it’s actually a better car than my Mercedes C-class and it’s half the price. I probably should have bought a Mazda6.

I test drove a CX5 a year or two ago, found it very nice. Not sure if as nice as a Volvo or BMW (nice but not that nice, had a 3-Touring for a few years) but certainly as nice as the Ford Kuga that I now drive. CX5 a tad smaller than an XC60 I would say. Like going from a Mondeo to a Focus

I’ve recently bought a 2.2d SportNav 175 awd so I’m guessing the same model as you would be looking at?

Good points are the handling which is definitely the most car like of all the cars I test drove and suits me perfectly but some say it’s a bit firm. Power/torque are both decent so I imagine it would be great for towing if that’s your thing. Interior quality is pretty good but not quite up to German standards (switches aren’t quite as nice) but it is a decent place to be. Seat bases are quite short which is great for me but may be an issue for taller people.

Bad points – Fuel economy is nowhere near what’s quoted, after 3300 miles of mixed motoring I’m averaging about 39mpg. The infotainment system is my biggest bugbear, the Bose hifi is very front/centre biased & I’m having trouble setting it up as I would like. I also don’t think the satnav is very good at all, it’s not very intuitive & to get ‘live’ traffic you have to connect it through a wifi hotspot on a smartphone & is also a paid for service which in the days of free updates for life TomToms etc is pretty poor imho

Overall I like it but it’s not perfect.

Any specific questions just ask & if you’re near me (Hindhead/Haslemere area) you’re welcome to have a poke around it.

I’ve had one since last summer, fwd 150 sport nav. As above the drive is the best of anything comparable, and ride quality seems fine to me. The sat nav isn’t the best and tbh I’ll probably stop using it when the 3 years free map updates expire. I also had issues with the car not connecting to my wifi hotspot and (after a bit of educating my dealer) I had the cars comms hardware changed under warranty and that’s fixed it. I average 46 ish so I guess that’s the difference between 175awd and 150fwd.

Xc60 is a much nicer place to sit mazda looks and feels abit outdated inside compared to it. Looked into both volvo was our favourite by far. Ended up staying with the car we have as just couldn’t justify the cost.

Oh I forgot to mention the most important good point, the 40/20/40 split rear seat & flat load floor which was one of the reasons I bought the car. It means that I can fit my bike (a small Turner Burner) in upright by dropping out the front wheel & lowering the dropper post & still have 2 usable rear seats.

Great feedback, thanks. Will definitely go and have a look and compare with Volvo, cheers. Simwit – kind offer, thanks, Glasgow here tho !

Just gone from a Mazda6 estate to a Volvo XC60
Looked at the CX5 & Ford Kuga, not big enough in the load area for a wheelchair.

So far very pleased with the Volvo as its a nice place to sit/drive & much easier to lift the wife in & out of. TBH if Mazda had a jacked up 6 estate that would have been great but the CX5 is somewhere between the 3(focus) and 6(mondeo) in size as the number tells you I guess.

^^^ useful to know, thanks. I need a good sized boot space for family holidays with the kids, bikes etc (bikes will be on roof) and am currently a bit spoilt with the 5 Tourer’s load space, so sounds like XC60 may work better that Mazda.

Can’t comment on the CX5 but I’m very impressed with our Mazda 3. Build quality is excellent, very comfortable, engine and gearbox are great. It’s excellent value for money.

In every way it’s actually a better car than my Mercedes C-class and it’s half the price. I probably should have bought a Mazda6.

Sorry to butt in, I’ve been looking at the Mazda 3, can you fit a bike in the boot? Coming from a mazda 6 but fancied something a bit smaller but worried about space for camping trips etc

Ian as you say the XC60 will be smaller than your 5 Tourer as I would say its a cm here or there smaller inside than our Mazda6 Estate. I think the XC70 would be closer to the 5 series

If your under 6 foot getting bikes on the roof will also require a platform.

Is the CX7 too big or outside your budget? Seem to be a lot of size questions reading through this

CX7 I not a current model.

MrOvershoot – many thanks. Yes, had a quick look at XC70 but they don’t get great reviews compared to XC60. The getting bikes onto roof carriers is an issue we had with a CMax a few cars ago, solved with a small folding step, which will come back out I guess 🙂

I’ve had two xc60’s and demo’d a cx5 for a week before I bought my second.

Overall, I just felt like the cx5 wasn’t as well finished and felt a bit tinny compared to the Volvo. The leather seats were too firm, the sat nav was a bit rubbish & everytime I got in & out the car, it took about 15 minutes to sync all my phone contacts. I know it’s all small stuff but if you spend a fair amount of time in the car, it makes a difference.

Both my xc60’s have been by far the most comfortable car I’ve owned & I loved the driving position. The old 5 cylinder engine is better than the new 4 in my opinion too, but the emissions are a bit better now.

If it was my money, there wouldn’t be any choice, I’d have the Volvo but they are getting expensive these days.

thanks Chris, that has helped my decision, so I’m pretty much there now. Not ordering till later in the year so will see what deals are about at the time. I did have a play on CarWow with XC60 (AWD SE spec)and there seem to be some decent discounts around, but that will likely change by time I come to ordering

Sorry to butt in, I’ve been looking at the Mazda 3, can you fit a bike in the boot? Coming from a mazda 6 but fancied something a bit smaller but worried about space for camping trips etc

I must admit, I’ve never tried as I have roof racks on my car (Mazda is my wife’s). But I’m pretty sure one would but with wheels off. For camping, I’d personally put the bike on the roof and gear in the boot.