In reply to z31maniac :
I honestly didn't really start noticing it until people in reviews started complaining about the road noise. Tires definitely make a difference. Again, I think the car is actually quieter than other cars I have driven, it's just the road noise is relatively loud compared to how quiet the rest of the car is. That's my theory anyway. It could also all be in my head. I'm baffled too honestly.
I too am a huge Mazda fan. I get the sense they really care about the little things that other companies don't, take the auto shifter for example, it actually shifts the right way in the autos in manual mode as I mentioned above. There is a feeling of quality there, at least for the price point.
They aren't the fastest cars, but they just all seem to drive really nice in a way that other brands don't. My parents have a hybrid Toyota RAV4 and it's just a terrible driving experience compared to the Mazda (yeah not apples to apples I know). My dad wanted the CX-5, but they didn't offer the hybrid when he bought it.
That is funny because another car on my shortlist is the RAV4 Hybrid. If I could lower one about 10"....
Ideal car is a Mazda 3 manual with a hatch big enough to fit a mtb upright in the back of, but I don't think that car exists. I think the closest thing is likely a Toyota Matrix but they haven't made those for a while and the later ones have oil burning issues.
I recently bought a 2018 Mazda 3 with 2.0 for my youngest daughter. This is the base model with a full featured entertainment center with two USB ports. I do need to see if it will take satellite radio.
Its a nice car and feels solid. Engine isn't buzzy or make strange sounds. Could use 30 more hp (LOL) but has enough acceleration to not feel scared merging onto Houston traffic.
I took a recent trip of about 360 miles. I got around 34mpg. Not a world beater but reasonable. I've cruised at 75-80 for long distances and it doesn't feel squirrely or like an 18 wheeler or cross wind will blow it off the road.
My research said there were more problems reported with the 2.5 engine than the 2.0.
In reply to TravisTheHuman :
You described the Mazda 5 which were getting harder to find in anything close to decent shape vehicle 5 years ago, when they had only been out of production 5 years.. and now? a decade out of production.. forgettaboutit
TravisTheHuman said:
Ideal car is a Mazda 3 manual with a hatch big enough to fit a mtb upright in the back of
I do wish the Mazda3 hatch was slightly bigger or at least had a bigger opening . It is a pretty practical car for us, but we mostly pack it full of surfboards and clothing from our suppliers. To me the opening needs to be bigger. I'm just spoiled by my cherokee where the entire rear end opens up, rather than the Mazda3 where the hatch is smaller than the full size of the rear end. I have put my MTB in it, but it's not super easy.
Exactly why I liked the Mazda 5 so much. I still see them for sale. I wish Mazda hadn't nixed them.
fidelity101 said:
common mazda compliants.
needs 30 more hp
the infotainment is pretty dated
road noise
why so many sunroof options and less hard top options?
I've been eyeing a new or new to me one myself lately, this is hard to argue for the money but I need to give up the manual trans...
this is basically a cheap GR, with probably better around town mannerisms.
If you look at the specs on the turbo engine, it may be "only" 250hp but that's only because peak power is at a low RPM. It's like an STI/Evo engine with the top 1500rpm that you never use truncated. I'm good with that on the street. I probably never see over 4500 with a similar engine.
As for transmissions... I don't shave with a straight razor, I don't ride a fixed gear bike, I'm okay with not having a clutch pedal 
BTW - Turbo AWD trunk 3s also do exist. I've worked on one. I was shocked enough to take photographic proof.
Edit: Here's one. And it's white, too. My cars seem to go on a white-silver-black-red rotation for Mazda and VW, and my last Mazda was red... hmm...
Actually if you count the FC and the RX-3, which I don't because they never ran, I go blue-white-silver-black-red, and the last Mazda was blue. Either way I need to buy this car.
In reply to jharry3 :
Interesting, I don't think I've read anything about the 2.5 having common problems. That's the engine that was in our 2018 Mazda 3 and is in our 2023 CX-5.
Although I'd really like to get the fiance a new CX-70 with the 3.3 turbo I-6. But we have no justification for a $55-60k vehicle that we aren't going to at least tow a small travel trailer or something.
TravisTheHuman said:
That is funny because another car on my shortlist is the RAV4 Hybrid. If I could lower one about 10"....
Ideal car is a Mazda 3 manual with a hatch big enough to fit a mtb upright in the back of, but I don't think that car exists. I think the closest thing is likely a Toyota Matrix but they haven't made those for a while and the later ones have oil burning issues.
My fiance will not allow me to do the supercharger kit for the CX-5. It is her car, so that's understandable.
I told her I think it would look awesome slammed to the ground with flares, wide tires, and the SC kit that adds 100+ HP.
Alas, she likes it just how it is. But I do still have a weird desire to get a CUV and do what I just described. The 10 speaker BOSE in the car sounds REALLY good as well. Way better than the OEM Audio+ I put in the BRZ.
