Mazda CX-5 - Buying Advice

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Thu 16 Apr 2020 08:39
Mazda CX-5 - Buying Advice - Rench88
Hi all, new to the forum and looking for some helpful advice from those far more knowledgable about cars than me. My wife and I are expecting our first baby on 1 July and so it’s time for us to get a car. Neither of us have ever owned a car, although we’re both licensed. We live in zone 3 London so have previously relied on public transport. When the baby arrives we will be making fairly frequent (at least once a month) trips to Birmingham to visit parents. We will probably not use the car every day otherwise, although that may change once nursery etc comes into the picture.

Having done a fair amount of research, I like the look of the Mazda CX-5. It seems to fit the bill as good looking, nice to drive and of a good size to fit buggy. We would be buying used (2017-2019) and looking to spend £22-25k, hoping to keep the car for 7+ years, potentially to carry around a second child too. We will buy an automatic.

I have a few questions:

1. Any opinions on choice of car for our situation would be welcome. I’m aware there are other good options in this class, but the Mazda is leading at the moment as it appears to tick all the boxes and I like the look.

2. A lot of the reviews suggest the diesel is the best choice. The petrol engines are not turbocharged and reviewers often complain they feel a bit sluggish. Is this something that should concern me? I am an inexperienced driver (although that will be changing) and wonder whether I will not be as bothered about how punchy a car is as seasoned reviewers. Are there any concerns with buying a diesel that is intended to last several years (I am thinking of future legislation/tax changes)? Or should I go with the reviews and avoid the petrols? We will not be high mileage users, although will be doing some reasonably long drives to see family and on holiday etc.

3. Finally, advice on the practicalities of buying would be appreciated. With COVID, obviously dealerships have shut before I have had the chance to test drive or buy. I’d like to secure a car by the beginning of June given the impending arrival. What would you do in this situation? Will some dealers arrange delivery? I am aware of sites that allow a car to be bought fully online and delivered to your door, but am wary about using these with our lack of car knowledge and inability to try before you buy.

All advice very gratefully received.

Edited by Rench88 on 16/04/2020 at 08:42

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Thu 16 Apr 2020 08:51
Mazda CX-5 - Buying Advice - Will deBeast
... we will be making fairly frequent (at least once a month) trips to Birmingham to visit parents. We will probably not use the car every day otherwise...

It's probably much cheaper just to hire a car when you need it. At least in the short-term.

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Thu 16 Apr 2020 09:43
Mazda CX-5 - Buying Advice - Avant

Welcome to the forum.

There have been a lot of major engine problems with Mazda diesels in the past as the miles mount, and it's not clear whether the newer models have overcome the problem. Better to play safe with petrol.

Another factor is that diesel particulate filters can clog up with too many short journeys. You may not do too any of these at the moment, but with a baby you probably will, because of the sheer inconvenience of taking a baby on public transport.

A petrol CX-5 should be a good choice and give you long and reliable service. You could also consider a Toyota RAV-4 or something from Kia or Hyundai as they all have longer warranties.

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Thu 16 Apr 2020 10:18
Mazda CX-5 - Buying Advice - SLO76
Stick with the petrol here, the Mazda Skyactiv diesels are pretty notorious for failures while the petrol is vice free and actually quite economical and while it’s not as quick it’s perfectly capable. The CX5 is an excellent car but don’t allow any sales staff to talk you into the diesel. Yes it will be better on fuel and drive a bit better but it has an awful reputation for problems and they’ll of course neglect to tell you this. If you can’t find one then the smaller but much more nimble, economical and cheaper Mazda 3 makes an excellent small family car and is a real hoot to drive.
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Thu 16 Apr 2020 11:13
Mazda CX-5 - Buying Advice - FP

As usual, SLO with his considerable experience is on the money.

I bought a petrol CX-5 a few years ago, having ruled out diesel on account of the poor reputation of Maxda's diesels and the manufacturer's reluctance to admit there are problems.

Some say those problems have been rectified, but it will take a long time before anyone can feel confident about that. And the diesel failures have often been serious, even catastrophic and expensive failures. Clearly not every Mazda diesel fails, but I was not minded to take a chance.

The 2-litre petrol is a lovely engine. To get the most out of it you need to rev it, which it will quite happy do. It does not have the "poke" of a diesel, however. I'm a gentle driver these days and more interested in economy; I usually get well in excess of 40 mpg in mixed driving, rising to 44 - 45 on a long journey in summer.

The car as a whole is excellent. In the four years I've had it, it has been serviced and has had new tyres. Apart from fuel that's it. Totally reliable. It's comfortable bar the skinny tyres that come with the Sport version - you might want to avoid that, but you may miss some of the bells and whistles that come with the top-of-the range models.

Handling is also exemplary and you can forget you're driving a relatively tall car. Of all the cars I've owned this is the one I've enjoyed driving the most - by a long way.

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Thu 16 Apr 2020 12:05
Mazda CX-5 - Buying Advice - Andrew-T

I usually get well in excess of 40 mpg in mixed driving, rising to 44 - 45 on a long journey in summer.

These days, '44 - 45 on a long journey in summer' is not especially good economy, even for a 2-litre. Otherwise all that has been said above sounds like good advice.

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Thu 16 Apr 2020 12:10
Mazda CX-5 - Buying Advice - Rench88
Thanks everyone - really appreciate all of the above. It’s good to be reassured about the petrol engines.

Does anyone have any thoughts on my third question - the practicalities of actually buying a car at the moment?
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Thu 16 Apr 2020 12:33
Mazda CX-5 - Buying Advice - SLO76
Most dealers will respond to online enquiries, some will take calls and a deal can be worked out often a test drive can be arranged too. I really like the current and recent Mazda petrol range, they’re reliable and great to drive. I’d seek out a good approved used example, preferably the new face-lifted model which is really nice in that deep metallic red but even with such a low risk model I’d still want to physically inspect it for paintwork damage before committing and don’t let them fool you into thinking there’s no discounting with the current restrictions, dealers will be keen to shift stock and get money in and you’re in a great position with no trade-in.


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Edited by SLO76 on 16/04/2020 at 12:42

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Thu 16 Apr 2020 14:11
Mazda CX-5 - Buying Advice - Engineer Andy

I usually get well in excess of 40 mpg in mixed driving, rising to 44 - 45 on a long journey in summer.

These days, '44 - 45 on a long journey in summer' is not especially good economy, even for a 2-litre. Otherwise all that has been said above sounds like good advice.

Perhaps, but the CX-5 isn't a small car. The Mazda3 with the same spec and engine will likely get 10-15% more on a similar journey pattern and time of year, just by virtue of it being smaller, lighter and more streamlined.

I agree with many that C-Sector cars are well worth a look, as long as the boot (and access) are sufficient, given they cost about 10-20% less to buy and run. The CX-5 has a decent-sized boot, but it's not the largest in its class by any means, and a good number of C-sector cars have decent sized boots.

Personally speaking (even as a Mazda car owner and general fan of the brand), if I were the OP, I'd seriously consider getting a KIA Ceed or Sportage, given their mileage won't be huge and they come with a 100k/7 year warranty.

As also has been said, avoid the 'Sport' spec cars with big wheels/low profile (50 and below) tyres because they'll give an overly firm ride, poorer mpg and will be more susceptible to damage and need changing (at far greater expense) much more often than 'standard' wheels and tyres.

Most mid-spec cars (especially oriental ones, including both Kia/Hyundai and Mazda) will have more than enough kit.

One thing the OP will need to bear in mind is that many larger towns and cities, like London, will be introducing more stringent ULEZs, which rules out vehicles with diesel engines if they are not EU6 compliant and petrol ones that aren't EU4 (which could be upped in the not too distant future), so it's by far easier to source a petrol vehicle to meet those standards, and without having to break the bank to buy one that's far newer.

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Thu 16 Apr 2020 14:35
Mazda CX-5 - Buying Advice - catsdad

While very good cars neither the CX 5 nor the Mazda 3 in auto petrol are very economical. The real mpg figure accessible from the HJ home page suggests 35 and 40 mpg respectively. I don’t know if the figure quoted above might be for a manual?

Also the 3 is not a big car and has a moderate boot compared to, say, a Civic. We have one as our second car and given the amount of clobber that modern babies need I would think carefully before considering it over the CX 5. I say this as someone who coped with a three door Nova when our first baby arrived 30 years ago. But times change.

Another good point with Mazdas is their approved use scheme. Prices are not too inflated but just beware that a full service history does not appear to be a prerequisite to qualify for the scheme.

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Thu 16 Apr 2020 16:28
Mazda CX-5 - Buying Advice - Engineer Andy

My bad for not realising they wanted an auto. Still, dual clutch ones, perhaps aside from the Hyundai/KIA one, aren't exactly reliable, so the Mazda TC version and others with reliable versions of the CVT would be in order.

TBH, if the OP could afford one, perhaps a nearly new version, the new Mazda CX-30 would do just as well space-wise as the CX-5 but at a lower purchase cost - it's got a decent-sized boot and comes in auto version for both the standard 2.0 petrol and the new (HCCI) Skyactiv-X version which is both more powerful and more frugal.

They might be able to source an early one for the top end of their budget, if they can find one. My comment about avoiding the low profile tyred versions stands for this car as well - the mid-spec ones are well kitted out for the money. I'm sure once the beer-bug crisis is over or at least in the manageable phase, then dealerships will be glad of the business.

That being said, I'd still have the Kia/Hyundais as my faves because of the longer warranty, and, at least for some of their cars, higher likelihood of them being able to hold a space saver tyre (and coming as standard, unlike Mazdas) and even a full sized one.

That's also a benefit of some VAGs, especially Skodas. The lack of any spare tyre facility (some, including Mazdas, have to reduce the boot size to take one) would put me off a car.

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Fri 17 Apr 2020 09:34
Mazda CX-5 - Buying Advice - FP

"I don’t know if the figure quoted above might be for a manual?"

Correct - it's a manual gearbox.

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Thu 16 Apr 2020 14:23
Mazda CX-5 - Buying Advice - FP

"These days, '44 - 45 on a long journey in summer' is not especially good economy, even for a 2-litre."

Even when it's in an SUV?

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Thu 16 Apr 2020 14:41
Mazda CX-5 - Buying Advice - Avant

I too was thinking that 44-45 mpg was pretty good for a 2-litre petrol. The 42 that my 2-litre Q2 gives on a long run is I've always thought very creditable, and a lot better than the XC40 that some friends have that does 32 mpg at best.

Volvos have many virtues, but economy seems not to be one of them. I never saw more than 50 mpg from my previous V60 diesel, and that not even an SUV.

Anyone know of any really economical petrol engines? My nomination would be the 1.4 TSI / TFSI VAG engine which would do 55 mpg on a long run (without hanging about) in SWMBO's last car, an Audi A1.

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Thu 16 Apr 2020 15:06
Mazda CX-5 - Buying Advice - SLO76
“ My nomination would be the 1.4 TSI / TFSI VAG engine”

A good engine but the OP wants an auto and intends on longterm ownership so a DSG equipped VW isn’t one I’d recommend, if it was a manual I’d look at the VW.
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