CX-5 vs Forester vs CRV
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Joined: Aug 2014
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I realize the OP has purchased a vehicle already...with that said there are some things for others to consider. I've gleaned these things from owner's forums.
Mazda in general, especially with the SKYACTIV vehicles...light weight seems to be key. Lots of issues with cracking windshield. They seem to crack almost dead center from either the top or bottom. It's predominantly on the models with the anti-collision options that are mounted on the inside of the windshield. Some believe it is due to possibly thinner windshields (saving weight). Others think it might be either a mounting issue at the factory or maybe a chasis rigidity issue again due to the weight reduction SKYACTIV plan.
There seems to be some issues also with paint. Lots of excessive chipping, more so than on owner's other vehicles.
And then there's some complaints, possibly already fixed though, about mirror and hood vibration. There were some TSBs on this and the mirror was supposedly fixed by installing some extra, strengthening brackets in the door, and the application of some sort of foam to the underside of the hood.
On the Forester, there seems to be an oil consumption issue on the 2.5 engine. Some people experience this and others don't. Some are using 1 quart per 1000 miles, or throwing in 3 quarts or more between oil changes. Subaru has a program that it seems you have to qualify for, where they check your oil consumption. Maybe you'll qualify and maybe you won't. But the fallback line is that in the owner's manual it states that this excess oil consumption is normal. So if you buy two identical cars and one uses no oil in 3,500 miles for example, and the other used 3 quarts, subaru will tell you that the oil consumer "is normal"!!! Learn to live with it,and keep a case of oil in your trunk for those long drives. Maybe youll hit the oil consumption lottery out maybe not.
Haven't done much research on the CR-V, but there's a huge amount of issues with the TPMS system. The system constantly tells the driver that the tires are low. Honda dealers are told not to diagnose the issue but to just hit the reset button. Problem fixed! Except the dash light comes back on as the customer drives off the lot. Probably something that honda will fix with an ECM flash, and it will be a thing of the past, but i don't think they've gotten it solved just yet. At least that's not as bad as the issues on the other vehicles.
I've also looked at the Nissan rogue which was redesigned recently. Most reviewers says its a far better vehicle than the older rogue, although it's supposedly not as comfortable of a ride on the highway. Biggest issue seems to be Nissan's CVT transmissions. They're built by Jatco, a subsidiary of Nissan. They've been problematic to the point that Nissan recently doubled the warranty on them (it was needed) for model years 2008-2010. Seems they overheat and may or may not go into limp-home mode. Reports are that you cannot fill the tranny to the full line. If you do, its actually overfilled and will foam and not cool properly. Antifreeze has to be set at precisely -25°F. Set it to a cooler temp which seems better, but it's reported colder is not better. Some owners out of warranty are told to purchase a tranny cooler at an unbelievably high cost of$ 1500. This overheating issue seems to be mostly after multi hour drives, or hilly drives, or just hot weather with miles or hills. Many trannies have been replaced after the bottom pan was removed and lots of metal fragments observed. Unsure if the issue has been fixed in the newer models as there are still some reports here and there about whining and overheating. And the 2011 and newer vehicles do not have that doubled length warranty.
Mazda in general, especially with the SKYACTIV vehicles...light weight seems to be key. Lots of issues with cracking windshield. They seem to crack almost dead center from either the top or bottom. It's predominantly on the models with the anti-collision options that are mounted on the inside of the windshield. Some believe it is due to possibly thinner windshields (saving weight). Others think it might be either a mounting issue at the factory or maybe a chasis rigidity issue again due to the weight reduction SKYACTIV plan.
There seems to be some issues also with paint. Lots of excessive chipping, more so than on owner's other vehicles.
And then there's some complaints, possibly already fixed though, about mirror and hood vibration. There were some TSBs on this and the mirror was supposedly fixed by installing some extra, strengthening brackets in the door, and the application of some sort of foam to the underside of the hood.
On the Forester, there seems to be an oil consumption issue on the 2.5 engine. Some people experience this and others don't. Some are using 1 quart per 1000 miles, or throwing in 3 quarts or more between oil changes. Subaru has a program that it seems you have to qualify for, where they check your oil consumption. Maybe you'll qualify and maybe you won't. But the fallback line is that in the owner's manual it states that this excess oil consumption is normal. So if you buy two identical cars and one uses no oil in 3,500 miles for example, and the other used 3 quarts, subaru will tell you that the oil consumer "is normal"!!! Learn to live with it,and keep a case of oil in your trunk for those long drives. Maybe youll hit the oil consumption lottery out maybe not.
Haven't done much research on the CR-V, but there's a huge amount of issues with the TPMS system. The system constantly tells the driver that the tires are low. Honda dealers are told not to diagnose the issue but to just hit the reset button. Problem fixed! Except the dash light comes back on as the customer drives off the lot. Probably something that honda will fix with an ECM flash, and it will be a thing of the past, but i don't think they've gotten it solved just yet. At least that's not as bad as the issues on the other vehicles.
I've also looked at the Nissan rogue which was redesigned recently. Most reviewers says its a far better vehicle than the older rogue, although it's supposedly not as comfortable of a ride on the highway. Biggest issue seems to be Nissan's CVT transmissions. They're built by Jatco, a subsidiary of Nissan. They've been problematic to the point that Nissan recently doubled the warranty on them (it was needed) for model years 2008-2010. Seems they overheat and may or may not go into limp-home mode. Reports are that you cannot fill the tranny to the full line. If you do, its actually overfilled and will foam and not cool properly. Antifreeze has to be set at precisely -25°F. Set it to a cooler temp which seems better, but it's reported colder is not better. Some owners out of warranty are told to purchase a tranny cooler at an unbelievably high cost of$ 1500. This overheating issue seems to be mostly after multi hour drives, or hilly drives, or just hot weather with miles or hills. Many trannies have been replaced after the bottom pan was removed and lots of metal fragments observed. Unsure if the issue has been fixed in the newer models as there are still some reports here and there about whining and overheating. And the 2011 and newer vehicles do not have that doubled length warranty.
