Sadly, a tree fell on my 2016 CX-5 GT and I have just been told that it has been totaled by the insurance company, so time for a new CX-5. I have not been keeping up with upgrades and additions and am considering new as well as 2019 and 2020 GT versions. Not sure I am interested in the Select or Reserve, if I go new, but I admit I have not really investigated. Had a 2007 CX9 before the CX5 and I remember missing the power of that engine, so I suppose I might want to spring for the CX-5 Turbo, which I gather is only available in 2021. Any thoughts on significant differences between 2019, 20 and 21 would be welcome!

 

The 2.5 turbo was first available in the CX-5 starting in 2019. The ‘21 has the upgraded infotainment with 10.5” screen. Your 2016 was first gen, later are second gen with many upgrades. Hard to make recommendations without knowing your budget, ‘21s will be higher in total cost but might have relatively low payments depending on the used dealer. How long do you keep your vehicles?



.

 

Thanks, as far as budget goes, I don't really have one. I can afford a new vehicle, but think it might be a better deal overall to buy a car that is a year or two old. Also, am attracted to the easier purchase of a vehicle via Carvana,Vroom etc, where there are only used vehicles and less interaction with a sales person. I am 61 and am a bit tired of the whole wheeling dealing thing for a new car - that said in my adult life, I have always bought new, but realize that comes with a big premium, price wise. I typically keep my vehicles 8-10 years.

 

You really need to drive a regular GT and GTR to know. You can also get a turbo(in either FWD or AWD) in the Carbon edition (a new for 21 model) if you are ok with the color and less included options(more on the level of a Touring) vs a GT. I have a '19 GT and when my lease is up next summer, I plan to buy a '22 GTR. The GT's motor is fine, but the turbo is a beast.

 

If you keep your cars for 8-10 years, I would go through the hassle with a dealership for a new turbo CX-5. Just my $0.02

 

I agree. You get the benefit of a full warranty, latest tech and not be concerned with how the car was driven/used/abused by the previous owner/owners. Test drive the turbo and non turbo to see which one meets your needs. Since you stated that budget isn't a concern (that's a great position to be in, BTW) get the model with the amenities you find useful. 8-10 years is a long time to drive something that you aren't you totally comfortable/satisfied with.
Regarding less interaction with a sales person, I'm not sure why the reluctance. Personally, I would never buy online w/o test driving a car. Dealer "hassles" can be mitigated by knowing what you want, know their "prices", know you bottom line and being able to walk away if you are in the least bit not happy with the dealership experience.

 

If you buy every 7-10 years as we do, we have never regretted buying the top level trim (2014 GT with Tech Package bought in May 2013) and now the 21 Signature. We just feel less behind the times as the years mount up

For my wife, the Signature fixes just about every issue she had with the 2014 GT...more upscale interior including memory seats, although not memory mirrors, heated and cooled seats and heated steering wheel are very nice. Turbo power, more controlled suspension, quieter, more safety features, especially the RCTA and emergency braking (too many parking lots where you park between full size SUVs and you cannot see anything until they are upon you, whether car or pedestrian) The HUD was thought to be a gimmick but it is very useful (they figured that out in airplanes a long time ago), and the 360 degree camera is great too given some tight spaces we regularly encounter.

The infotainment controller is a pain, since the old car was touch. but much better than the old system we experienced in 2016 Mazda6, but you get used to it. **** prevents a lot of missed taps as we have experienced in our WRX due to its stiffer ride. The Mazda nav is so much better than the 2014 nav, While we rarely use the Mazda nav, preferring CP, but when you are out of cell range, Mazda nav is very useful and the fact that the turn by turn shows up in the HUD is very nice.

As you might imagine, the turbo is not as fuel efficient, but the low end available torque is really very nice. No running up to 7000 rpm before the second cam profile kicks in like in the older Civic Si. But at least you can choose to use regular if you want to. We go in between and use 91 and not 93 or 94 octane.

The one thing that is disconcerting, and perhaps a little dangerous at first, is there is so much information available in the displays, that you can get distracted until you become familiar with the displays, and where to look for the info. We were used to looking for info from our 2014 in certain places, and the info is not there. There is so much more info available, including little niceties as speedometer "bolding" of a working range of speeds, so if you are going 40, 20-60 is much more visisble than 0-20 and above 60. There is a green line for where the cruise is set, and a red line for what the speed limit is, based on the TSR camera. This can be a little disconcerting because your speedo indicator may be near those lines or not. Once you understand what you are looking at, all is good.

 

Very good suggestions. On all that, I think getting a new car - WITH ALL/MOST the OP's desired safety features and bells and whistles is the way to go. If I were to do it over again, I would have thought things through more thoroughly and either gotten a higher end model or just kept my Allroad.

 

I was in your situation and ended buying a new one because it really wasn't all that much more expensive than a low mileage used vehicle. I ended up buying a new 2020 in Jan 2021 and got a good deal. As far as the turbo, it is a wonderful engine with tons of power. It is gas hungry though and, as we've seen recently, I suspect the price of gas is going to go through the roof. That's why I passed on it. I got a GT with the Premium package which is almost the same car without the turbo.

 

Have you looked to see if there are any new 2020s on your dealer's lot? They may be willing to budge a bit more on the price to make room for a '21; i went that route late January on a 2020 Touring. 3500 Miles so far and no complaints, 29-32 MPG at 70-75 on I-40 between Wilmington & Cary and usually 26-27 bopping around town. At the time I worked for a Cadillac dealer but given the stellar reliability of the Mazdas my late parents owned from 1981on and driving their 2016 Mazda 3 I realized I could get the features I wanted (adaptive cruise, Mazda's Nav & heated seats) for 20K less than a XT5 with better MPG to boot! I didn't haggle on the price however because I was using employee discount at another dealership under the same corporate umbrella (and then retired a Month later).