Interesting. My wife and I are now discussing our pending financial rearrangements we've planned. As we now see the extent to which the financial world invades our life here with bureaucratic legalease, forms, etc., we are beginning to understand anew how entangled we will become the more we, "sign on the dotted line." We are well into retirement and stepping into today's commitment world is suddenly looking a little scary. We, having had our home paid for for years are unaccustomed to all this. And we've not bought a car for some 12 years, which was cash out of savings at that time.
Bottom line today is we are wondering if we might cancel a new car, and drive our others for a while longer. And while I can still, "fix," some things on our 2000 Cherokee and our 1989 Volvo 240, no chance on a new car of any flavor. (Except maybe an oil change or light bult)
Maybe we should back up for a bit. Think. And consider just leasing a CX-5. Sorry for long response, but the DSR comments caught our attention. (Although I've never heard of DSR and know nothing of them)

 

As far as your concerns about the turbo in both the CX-5 and the 9 go I wouldn't worry about it. I just got the CX-9 ( had a 2016 previous gen CX-5) and have been inquiring on the forums about warranty work or engine issues now that that engine has been around for a few years. There are guys out there with 70-80k miles on early CX-9's with no reported issues. Being direct injected and turbo-charged I don't know if this is a 300k engine without some work but so far this whole 2.5 motor both N/A and turbo have been pretty bullet proof. I think both the CX-5 and CX-9 are very good and way more engaging to drive than most of the others. If your still deciding and can swing a few more bucks get the 9.

 

I had a 2017 CX-3, however I needed a bit more interior room, so I traded it on a 2019 CX-5 Signature trim two weeks ago. The turbo was what convinced me to go ahead and do it. The CX-3 was a great car (tiny size notwithstanding), and I was so impressed wit Mazda and their build quality, I wanted to stay with Mazda. I test drove the CX-9 on two occasions and although I was very impressed, fact is it was, to me, just too big (eight inches longer than my Acura MDX). Late last year when the announcement was made regarding the availability of the turbo in the CX-5, I new I'd have to try one out. When I did I was sold.

 

Have to agree.

My wife drove a whole host of SUVs in the class over several months. The 2018 CX-5 made the short list, but I encouraged her to wait for the turbo. That proved to be a game changer. We even compared against the redesigned 2019 RDX. While we'd probably need some more detailed driving comparison between the two; and with maybe a slight nod to rdx for overall handling, the RDX wasn't better by the cost differential (the RDK being a high premium) in our opinion.

Personally, I wasn't a fan of the RDX styling and much preferred the Mazda styling and zoom zoom. The RDX also made you select between fog lights (only available on the top trim level), and a spare tire (NOT available on the highest trim). At approx. 8k to 10k higher in MSRP (over the Sig), we couldnt bridge that gap.


We are only a few hundred miles into the 2019 CX-5 Sig, but really happy so far.

 

All good information and helpful to us. We are still about a month out from buying. Had a slightly off-topic conversation recently that gave me additional concerns: My mechanic, (intelligent, capable - a good thinker), suddenly turned up with a new Subaru Outback. Says he'll drive it for 250K plus. However, ----- a few days later he reported that they made a rather quick 300 mile trip, he and his wife switching off driving with minimal stops. At the end of about 4 hours he said they couldn't take the seats any longer and had to take a long break. Better on return by stopping often. Now they are looking for some kind of seat pads to make that car livable.
!!!!!! On a car that expensive?
So how does one have confidence in long-trip seat comfort with only, at most, an hour or two in dealer demo? I do remember I thought the seats in a CX-9 were more comfortable, but my wife thinks it's too large a car. Seats in CX-5, "seem," OK, but haven't spent a lot of time in one. As we are in retirement and older, these things mean a lot more to us than ever before.
Outside of that, the Mazda SUV is still our top pick......so far.
Dennis in E WA state

 

DennisT, check out the CX-5 seat comfort thread on the "mazdas247" website and search for prior threads also.That website has a whole lot more discussion on most anything Mazda and especially the CX-5. Jmaz

 

jmaz: That was a great tip. Never knew they existed. And a lot of info there. Thank you.
Dennis

 

You're welcome Dennis.Ever considered renting a CX-5 for a few days and put some hours in the seat to help make your decision.And seat comfort is absolutely important.My cloth seats in my 2014 touring are well broken in and just big enough for me,at the max really (6',200 lbs,35 waist -- was about 15 lbs lighter and a little narrower in my fanny when I bought it 5 years ago LOL ).They "cupped" me well but firmly which I really liked when I test drove it.The leather seats in the 2014-16 felt hard and uncomfortable as soon as I sat in them.Can't really say about the 2017+ models but there is alot of people buying them and giving their comments. Good luck. Jmaz

 

Thanks. We tried to find a way to rent one. Only local/regional dealer does not rent them. Major car rentals, (Hertz, etc.), either do not list Mazda at all or won't really tell us what chances we'll get one when we go to pick, "something," up. We actually wanted to exactly this for the past 3 months. Just don't know how to find one to rent.

 

Fellow Spokanite: We traded our Hyundai Tucson in for a 2016 CX-5 and have not looked back. Excellent build quality, great performance (even without the turbo), solid gas mileage. All the creature comforts we could ask for. I have a dedicated set of snow tires for it, and it goes wherever we want it to. Unless you plan on hauling lots of people around, the 5 is plenty big enough. You could probably find a good deal on a good used one around. No need for the higher financial burden of a brand new vehicle.