When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
To be sure, the so-called info-tainment system is not the 2021 CX-5's strongest point--too klunky and un-intuitive for my taste. I sprung for the maps SD and tried the built-in nav system for a couple of weeks but found that just don't care for Mazda's navigation system. So I now use a touch-screen
above the CX-5's non-touch-screen and it's a very good compromise--easy, intuitive, voice-controled navigation.
No car is perfect . . . every one has it's strong and weak points. For me all the other good points of the CX-5 outweigh the barely-acceptable info-tainment system.
So I'd say that if you like most everything else about the CX-5, go for it. Try the Mazda nav system first, but if you don't like it just order a Garmin!
MiltB
Last edited by miltbaker; May 22, 2021 at 10:59 AM.
The Nav system on the 2021 CX-30 is not the greatest compared to my Garmin, the system on my previous 2012 KIA Sorento or a previous Magellan. Poorest feature on my CX-30.
Selecting destinations in the 2021 navigation is about as bad as it gets. Each letter/number has to be entered by rotating the commander **** around a circular display of the alphabet and selecting the appropriate letter when highlighted. Nothing could be slower. However, the turn by turn instructions in the HUD do make it worthwhile, and the fact that the Maps SD is needed to unlock sign recognition justifies the $65 eBay purchase.
Yeah, I LOVE the heads-up display . . . so nice to have all the key info on display right on the lower part of the windshield so the driver doesn't have to look away to glance down at the dashboard instruments. Although not shown in the picture below, I especially like that the HUD shows when there's a car in either the right- or left-side blind spots--immensely helpful and a great safety feature!
The HUD (AKA active driving display in Mazda-speak) was taken from the aviation world where fighter pilots cannot spare even a second to look away, and it works perfectly for me in the "cockpit" of my CX-5.
Can't an address be entered via voice commands?
Regarding the HUD, I had it on my last car (Audi Allroad) and found it very helpful. I miss it on my Carbon Edition.
Can't an address be entered via voice commands?
Regarding the HUD, I had it on my last car (Audi Allroad) and found it very helpful. I miss it on my Carbon Edition.
Yes- the CE is missing some key features. I don't understand why they can't have a PP option to add things like signature lighting, HUD and heated rear seats.
Something I forgot to mention--and it's my backup--is using Apple CarPlay (or the Android equivalent) for navigation. It requires plugging you phone into the Mazda and is a little klunky, but it allows you to access all the contacts in your phone and use them as destinations. I still prefer the Garmin solution, and I find that Apple CarPlay makes a decent backup system, much better than the built-in Mazda nav system IMHO.
Not much annoyance on my side that the nav is non-touch. As other members pointed out, you typically have the option to use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. In my case, I just use a magnetic vent phone mount and the Mazda nav is just a backup in case I am in a region where I do not have a good cellular signal.
