2020 CX-5 FWD Touring
Yesterday, June 18, 2020 I leased my third Mazda, a 2020 CX-5 FWD Touring, again with Soul Red Crystal Metallic paint, but with beige instead of black seats. I turned in early my leased 2018 CX-5 AWD Touring because the tires were reaching the point of needing replacement and I didn't want to buy new tires for a car that I'd be replacing withing the next nine months (March 9, 2021 was when the lease would expire). Also, Mazda has a $1500 loyalty program for June which I didn't want to miss out on.

What got me worried about the tires was when a few weeks ago I was driving on I-95 in Del Ray Beach, FL during a thunderstorm and I started to hydroplane. I realized that the tires must be getting close to needing replacement. So that got my mind working on replacing the 2018 CX-5 sooner than later.

This time I went with FWD over AWD because when I leased the 2018 I was living on Long Island, NY and snow was a major factor, now that I live in Florida that isn't as important, and so a slight gain in fuel economy plus a slightly lower price would be a nice trade off.

The other issue was whether to go for another CX-5, or downsize to the CX-30. I had watched several YouTube review of the CX-30, and what concerned me was the rear seat legroom issue. All of the reviewers showed how tight it was. So when I brought in my 2018 CX-5 for service on June 9 I went over to a CX-30 and tried one to see for myself how the rear seat legroom was (I'm 5'10"). With the driver's seat slightly further back than I would normally set it I found that the was still knee room behind the driver's seat. It was less than in the CX-5, but not unlivable. Most of the time I'm by myself in the car, but on occasion I also take my adult daughter and her mother (ex-wife), so the rear seat does get some use. Otherwise the CX-30 was a nice car to drive. It handles well, has a nice ride, and is reasonably quiet inside.

But I ended up with another CX-5 because while the CX-30 Select is about $3000-4000 less expensive than the CX-5 Touring, when the numbers were checked for a 36 month/36,000 mile lease, the difference per month came out to $23 per month. So I figured that I might as well go for the CX-5, and get a roomier car, plus the driver's power seat, sunglass holder, and better rear suspension.

One other thing. My 2018 CX-5 was also Soul Red Crystal Metallic as well. I never had any problems with it chipping.

Stuart

 

Congratulations on your new Mazda. I would be interested to hear your thoughts about the difference between the drive between FWD and RWD.

 

Well, so far I only have 19 miles on the new CX-5. On the AWD I always felt like the system was invisible. The few times I drove it in snow I did like the traction (no slipping). The FWD has traction control which should be fine in the rain. I'll post an update in a week as I get to drive the new one.

Stuart

 

So is the lease rate similar to what your 18 was? Just curious as to the trade off between buying a set of tires (probably not bad since you don't have 19" wheels) and early turn in. What did they do with your leftover payments on the 18 (usually you need to be within 3-6 mths of lease end to get them absorbed)?

 

The price quoted by the dealer for a set of 18" rubber was around $800. I probably could have bought tires elsewhere for less, but I didn't want to spend money on tires when the car would be returned in nine months. If I returned the car with less than 4/32" of tread left I would have had to pay for new tires anyway, so why risk it.

The dealer paid off the last nine months of lease payments, my new lease was about $10 more per month than the old one. The big surprise is that Mazda is no longer financing through Chase Bank, but instead through Toyota Lease Trust, GAP and "wear and tear" coverage aren't included in the lease anymore, so that's an extra $50 per month that I have to pay (would have happened whether I leased now are waited until March 2021).

Stuart

 

Well if you are happy that is all that matters. FYI you could have bought tires for under $500/set. The only reason to buy them at the dealer is if they have a better promotion than the local tire shop.