I would't say the CX-5 is quieter then the RX-8 but neither car seems "noisy" to me.

The steering certainly feels lighter in the CX-5, a bit more assist happening there.

 

Great riding car. Nothing gets 26 mpg at an average speed of 80 over 3 hours that size. Great for momentum. And the manual mode allows you to rapidly downshift for passes and uphill climbs. Its actually a car that can be driven fast, for the right drivers of course.

 

Welcome WildBill.

Yes, more powerful compact SUV's are widely available. But none have the same fuel efficiency of the CX-5. Fuel economy versus power trade off, nothing new.

 

Diesel CX-5 gets to 62mph in 8.8 I would wait on getting the CX-5 if your in the US till the diesel version comes out. It is really THAT much better. It also has 172hp and 309lb*ft torque.

 

FWD/Auto Touring, 6000k: There is enough power for me, it is borderline for my VW GTI-driving husband.

This is a high gas mileage vehicle, and it is tuned to be driven to deliver that mileage. We both feel that it is downright zippy from a stop, the difference is mainly on the highway. The 6th gear is very high, and the vehicle seems to really like being driven at a consistent speed on the highway so it stays in that gear. My husband tends to accelerate going uphill, so he ends up having it downshift. He is also an aggressive driver in traffic, changing lanes and accelerating around cars. If you drive like him then definitely don't get this vehicle for yourself, one week of rush-hour DC driving with the CX-5 when his car was in the shop and he was ready for his GTI back.

The CX-5 behaves noticeably different when you load up the car for vacation, adding 500 pounds of cargo produced downshifts at 65MPH going up moderate hills, increasing speed to 70MPH eliminated them (I use cruse control on highway). It really is about the tradeoff between MPG and horsepower/torque/weight, there is no magic pill. The CX-5 seems to make the most out of the low-cost, low-weight, regular-gas burning engine.

 

That is good acceleration, in the US market Ford offers the Ford Escape 2.0L turbo which is even faster.

In Europe are diesel owners experiencing the rising oil level situation (like some Australian customers)?

 

Not from what I have heard and seen, I think alot has to do with our higher highway speeds, maximum legal speed for the highway here is 130kph (80mph) and maximum in between towns on 2 lane roads is 100kph (62mph) so I dont think the engine has to force a regen with extra fuel since the exhaust will get plenty hot going down the road. That said though I will keep an eye and ear out for anything here.

 

i bought my cx-5 in june of 2012, just rolled over 30K... i drive at altitude between 6K and 11K... the cx-5 doesn't skip a beat. there is plenty of power when driving in the manual mode. when i add a couple of passengers, i can tell there is more weight in the vehicle...but it has no problem zipping me up and down the mountains. love this vehicle.... so will you

 

dwhit - Welcome to mazdaforum.com

Good to hear of your driving experiences in Colorado, certainly plenty of high altitude roads in your state.

 

I was concerned that 2.0 would not be enough I consider waiting for the 2014.
The car has Plenty/Enough power depending what you expect.
The automatic transmission make a big difference in how well the car accelerates.
The transmission is the best transmission I have ever had. It shift just how it should.
It just moves quickly thru the gears. I live in Pennsylvania so we have large hills and even some mountains. Occasionally it will downshift a gear or two going up a hill.
Around town I get 29.2 MPG