new to this forum
 

3 mazda family son has 2017 cx-5 Grand Touring, wife 2025 cx-30 premium and me 2025 cx-5 preferred.

welcome...i have the same year & trim as you...felt it was the perfect trim for what i wanted...last year before update, no cylinder deactivation, no i-stop, no cvt, has smaller wheels with more rubber, has 40/20/40 rear seat, has drivers seat memory, has timing chain, has leather, has awd, has heated seats, has backup camera, decent gas mileage...this car was a nice step up from my last one ('13 subaru legacy)...i found my subaru did have better braking, better awd system, more front/rear seat room, slightly more cargo floor space and had an engine that provided a very clean oil change...but i do like the mazda better

Hey Point, exactly. I also got mine because it did not have I stop/CD. 17 " tires so much cheaper than the 19s on my old Venza. And nicely loaded.
Oh I am a car guy 2000 Camaro SS Convertible and 1991 Lotus Esprit. Turned quite a few wrenches in my lifetime.

Welcome to the forum

i was looking at the old style venzas when i was looking for a new car...i wanted a reliable fwd or awd wagon for more cargo floor area and better gas mileage than i was currently getting...the venza has the former but the latter not so much, even with the 4cyl...was also looking at the acura tsx sportwagon and the buick tour-x as well...was even entertaining the thought of a prius v but did not trust buying a used hybrid battery...ended up with the cx-5 which is a decent compromise...i like cars but have no desire to have to work on them...i see cars as tools for travel from point a to point b, at least the ones i own i see this way...i can appreciate nice cars but i drive a lot and need reliability over performance so a reliable econobox on wheels is what i'm after...when an issue arises i do like to watch a few youtube videos to see if the repair is within my wheelhouse or if it needs to go to a mechanic...if i have the tools and it's not too complex i will usually tackle it myself cause i like to learn

Point, had a 2013 Venza XLE 2.7 AWD was very nicely loaded was getting 24-25 mpg which was good way back when. I do miss the panoramic sunroof and JBL audio system, but other wise the 25 cx-5 is a welcome upgrade to a 13 YO Toyota.

was just editing/adding to my response above...i was getting similar gas mileage with my subaru but i have a heavy foot so i imagine my mileage would have been very poor with a 4cyl venza...the newer venza hybrid was not something i was interested in...most of the wagons on the market in the US i wouldn't entertain due to reliability worries and the ones i would are long in the tooth at this point