Kilometres travelled
25,000 - 50,000 km
Did you buy this car new or used?
New
How much did you pay? (including all on-road costs)
47000
What were your needs when you bought this car? Has it fulfilled those needs?
I wanted an SUV with a good towing capacity (minimum of 1500kg braked) and with good safety features. Other considerations were that it had to be nice to drive, comfortable, and hold it's value as long as possible. We bought a Mazda CX-5 and agree happy that it met all the above requirements. Its braked towing capacity is a very good 1800kg (750kg unbraked) and it has excellent safety features which are similar to those found on much more expensive vehicles including a heads-up display on the driver's windscreen. Six months ago my wife and I toured the South Island in this SUV over three weeks (5000+km) which included many gravel roads. The vehicle performed flawlessly, was reasonably economical on 91 grade petrol (8.5l/100km) and was a joy to drive. The boot space was big enough to carry almost all our gear (everything except the kitchen sink), with a few items on the back seat.
What were your initial thoughts about the car? Tell us why it appealed to you.
We liked the design of the car, being modern and easy to get in and out of (lower-to-the-ground cars now becoming a mission to get in and out of as we approach our 70s). The heads-up display on the windscreen was a feature that really appealed to us for safety and convenience reasons. We liked the decent-size boot space. Lastly, the towing capacity is good and I am sure I have exceeded the 750kg unbraked limit a number of times with no adverse effect.
What have you discovered since owning the car?
Being a SUV, washing the roof is impossible unless standing on a stepladder. I have bought an aluminium stand from Trade Tested Ltd. (about 1.2m long and 900mm high) which works perfectly for that purpose and also has many other uses around the home.
What do you like/dislike about the car?
I like the safety features, the comfortable cabin, the good towing capacity, and the attractive lines of our CX-5. I dislike that the legroom for the rear seats is cramped and that we have to move the front seats forward if we have adults in the back. I dislike that there is a blind spot in the side mirrors where cars on either side at about the 4 and 8 o'clock positions cannot be seen. I have fixed that by adhering small circular convex mirrors to an outside corner of each side mirror.
Reliability
5
Features/technology
5
Performance/economy
4
Value for money
4
Overall rating
5
Lastly, would you buy this vehicle again?
Yes
Why would/wouldn't you buy it again?
We have had no problems at all with our CX-5, and it is a pleasure to drive so we would definately upgrade to a new CX-5 (or another Mazda) in a couple of years time.