I bought a 2023 2.5G and do wish it did not have this feature. Part of the reason I bought the Mazda is because it is actually one of the "lower tech" vehicles on the market today, which in my estimation, translates to better reliability. But, it still has a bunch of tech, no way around that in ANY new vehicle these days.

Just curious what the overall consensus is on the cylinder deactivation feature when it comes to reliability. I believe this is the 6th model year they've done it, yet the CX-5 remains well regarded and Mazda puts this 2.5L engine in every vehicle they make. That's a lot of risk riding on a single design. They must have some confidence in it.

I enjoy the vehicle so far, but do notice that with CD + locking torque converter + AWD - she's a bit jolty and clunky in stop and go traffic and other low speed work. Normal?

 

Congrats on your new CX-5.

We have now 5+ years on our 2018 CX-5 with cylinder deactivation and knock-on-wood, no issues so far. Also, we do not notice it kicking in and out and we get very good city and highway MPG numbers. No regrets so far.

 

Over 42,000 miles and cylinder deactivation still works fine. No problems due to CD yet.
And you newer model is clear of the cracked cylinder head problem that the older models have. So you should be fine. The previous 2018 to 2020 owners became unknowing beta testers. Enjoy the new CX-5....most of the kinks are worked out by now.

As far as the jerkiness, get your TCU and PCU software updates and settle into the vehicle. The CX-5 will adapt to your driving style. And you will adapt your driving style to it. You'll find you don't need to slam on the gas peddle at low gears. Mine drives as smooth as ever now.

 

Cylinder deactivation is not new technology, it was first introduced over 40 years ago. Current engines from all manufacturers don’t suffer from reliability issues related to cylinder deactivation. It should not be a reason to eliminate a vehicle from consideration.

 

Just hit 17k miles on my 2022 and no issues with the CD - Its impossible to tell when its on 2 or 4 cyl - On long road trips I like putting the display up to watch the cylinder status / and great gas mileage - particularly for an all time awd suv -31++mpg- on road trips consistently.
Regarding the break in - It was jumpy and not smooth until I hit about 4k miles - now it is a completley different vehicle - smooth , predictable . I found using high quality fuel helped the break in jumpyness - gas with additives like chevron , shell , 76 etc .

 

It's working fine for me got 35.6 mpg (best so far) on my last tank, I'm normally around 32 mpg.
I must say comparing my fuel calculations to the Mazda mpg display shows the display to be fairly spot on most of the time.
Something I did not expect.