I finally drove the fiance's new CX-5, how do you guys handle driving bigger vehicles?

For those that have missed the other 2 threads, our '18 Mazda 3 was totaled by hail, and we replaced it with a 2023 CX-5 Carbon Edition. 

I went to get us lunch today so I decided to take her car. Side note, the 10 speaker BOSE sounds fantastic. The thing I was most worried about was accidentally curbing those beautiful black 19" wheels. My vehicles the last decade or so have been BRZ's, NCs, 135i, the Mazda 3 she inherited from me back right before COVID (the totaled one). 

The suspension is taught and dare I say slightly sporty for a vehicle that size? The steering is great, very direct and a tight turning radius. And for the same 2.5 that was in the Mazda 3, it feels fairly punchy. The really surprising thing, if you look at the EPA ratings, it's a 3800lb AWD cute-ute that is rated 4 mpg better on the highway with 87 octane, then my 2800 lb BRZ on 91.  30 vs 26. 

But the most important thing, she really, really likes it and is very happy we decided to spend a little more than we initially planned so we could get something with low miles and the few features she really wanted. Those being sunroof, BOSE, leather and heated seats. She's more frugal than I am, so she tried to tell herself she didn't "need" those things, but I knew she really wanted them. 

My vehicles include a number of motorcycles (such as a Ducati Streetfighter) as well as a Very Large work van (NV2500 HR) and several in between, including an NB, a C7Z, a Cherokee, and a GX550. 

You just kind of get used to it.

Mazda makes a great car. The 2023 CX5 should be great fun to drive, particularly for its class. Drive it and enjoy it. If you're worried about the wheels, dip the right sideview mirror down when parking at the curb. 

...The CX5 counts as a bigger vehicle?  I ruled it out as being way too small...

wae said:

...The CX5 counts as a bigger vehicle?  I ruled it out as being way too small...

It does compared to this, the top of my car is where the windows start on her doors. 

I dailied a "cute ute"(XJ) for 6 years/85k coming from an E36. I loved every minute of it. More comfortable seating position for long trips and better visibility, while still being small enough to go and park anywhere. Does it handle like my E36? Absolutely not, but I keep my racing to the track.

z31maniac said:

wae said:

...The CX5 counts as a bigger vehicle?  I ruled it out as being way too small...

It does compared to this, the top of my car is where the windows start on her doors. 

 

I think you are confusing big with tall. I bet you will find length and width to not be all that different. 
 

This is a big vehicle versus a small one.

wae said:

...The CX5 counts as a bigger vehicle?  I ruled it out as being way too small...

Glad I'm not the only one lol. ~9 years of mostly DD'ing an expedition, I'm much more used to the big car. 

In reply to dean1484 :

Not really. It just feels so much larger, which I realize is subjective. It's only 3" wider, but it feels much more than from the driver seat, the cabin feels much more than 3" wider. It's only 12" longer, but again, subjectively feels much longer than that. 

Comparing a Fiat to that, seems like comparing an F-150 to an 18-wheeler. 

It wasn't meant to be a scientific treatise or anything. I'm just used to driving small, low to the ground vehicles, so the CX felt really alien to me. 

Variety is the spice of life. My current fleet is a fit, miata, odyssey, and Highlander. Fit and miata are small wheel base, Highlander is mid, and Odyssey is about 3 feet longer and 1 foot wided it seems. To park any 2 in the garage together and be able to load 3 toddlers into the larger requires that both be parked within about a 4 to 6 inch window. Cameras help on the larger two but you also just get a feel for it. I loved being a pool boy in high-school summers a jumping out of an E250 work van that felt like a boat and into my accord would make the honda feel like a ferrari. Sold our CX9 for the Highlander which is actually smaller. Having had a Mazda3 in the past it was only slightly bigger than the fit we have currently, I imagine a CX5 is a bit bigger but considered a compact SUV.