# New Mazda CX5 rental vs. Tiguan SE, Impressions:



## schagaphonic (Aug 24, 2008)

Last week I had the pleasure of renting a new 2019 Mazda CX5-Touring in SLC, UT. Since my car previous to the VW was a 2016 CX5, I was excited to give this shiny, red ute a test drive (3 days) Here are my impressions:

*The good:*

* Damn, it looks great in red!
* Excellent off idle response/power up to about 3K RPM
* Responsive, sporty handling
* Shorter wheelbase means it's more agile in city traffic and a little easier to park.
* Instruments are clear, informative
* No engine stop-start feature. Yes, I know we can change this on our cars.
* Seat comfort was pretty good but the suede fabric (touring trim) got hot and sweaty for me. Not perforated!
* Useful safety features: Audible BSM's, Variable cruise and lane-keep-assist are standard. LED headlights too!

*Not so good:*

* Biggest disappointment is how rough and choppy the ride is. Shorter wheelbase and firmer suspension.
After driving 2 hrs before I turned it in, I was so happy to get my sore and sweaty backside out of the seats!
My 2016 CX5 GT was a better ride and had superior seats that were perforated. But had a similar, choppy ride.
* Power was corse and lacking at hwy speeds. Passing power was barely adequate. My _lighter_ 2016 CX5-GT had more guts.
So, for those of you who keep harping on Tiguan's lack of power, I strongly disagree. At altitude, my SE's transmission and engine
swiftly kicks down one or 2 gears for effortless passing at all highway speeds. This Mazda would sometimes not kick down at all!
* Outward view was like looking out of a cave. Shorter, smaller side windows made for limited view with more blind spots.
* Reflections from the dash onto the windshield are very distracting.
* Road and wind noise makes for a tiring ride.
* Fuel economy seemed one or 2 ticks lower than my SE because I had to keep my foot in it to maintain power. Probably would be very similar if I 
were just cruising on flat roads at constant speeds. My SE averages 450 miles on 16 gallon tank. My previous CX5-GT averaged 380 miles on a similar sized tank.

In conclusion, I'm so happy I didn't opt for this CX5-Touring which would've cost $3K more! Comes down to greater comfort, power, economy for the Tiguan.
I really half-expected to have regrets when I saw the spicy-red Mazda! No regrets!


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## phlegm (Apr 24, 2019)

Good write up.

That reflection issue is one of those things that you wouldn't know about without longer exposure, so good catch.

You didn't mention cargo space. The more car-like shape (which looks nice), really cuts down on the rear room.


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## 1054521247 (Jun 17, 2018)

schagaphonic said:


> Last week I had the pleasure of renting a new 2019 Mazda CX5-Touring in SLC, UT. Since my car previous to the VW was a 2016 CX5, I was excited to give this shiny, red ute a test drive (3 days) Here are my impressions:
> 
> *The good:*
> 
> ...




*My opinion on Tig and cx5*
i loved my 2017 CX5 grand touring plus (now is the 2019 CX5 Grand Touring Reserve)with HUD;
*LIKE cx5*

1. The HUD in cx5 is best thing i like about that car. where BSM, land keep assist, traffic sign and turns all shows in HUD. it does a fantastic job on keeping eyes on the road. Where US Tig doesn't have even the European Tig had that weird plastic for HUD.
2. Fuel economy on the cx5 is a lot better than tig. cx5 FWD average 28mpg and my 4motion Tig 23.6mpg. I know my 2019 Tig is 4 wheel drive not a good comparison but still shouldn't be that much of difference.
3. Soul red crystal metallic with parchment leather (white-ish looking) they look so gooood! i love it.
4. cx5 the seat is more comfortable to me. 
5. Road noise is much better on cx5 it has 2 layers of glass. 
6. i personally feel like build quality on CX5 is better than Tig. (Tig rattles just about everywhere feel like putting a shaker on both ears.)
7. same 187HP cx5 is much faster. Tig has very annoying lag.
8. cx5 offers a turbo engine too with 227HP.
9.voice command does much more than cx5 (like say the name of restaurant and it will find it for you). 
10. heated front and rear seat and (Ventilated front seats on 2019 ).

*DISLIKE cx5*
1. Cx5 soul red paint quality sucks just about 6000miles into the car i had about 150 chips all over the front of the car and it turn gray!!! hear other color of paint in cx5 is just a little better.(not sure if that problem still going on with 2019 cx5. i know the 2018 does). Driving over the same road everyday with my Tig there's only 9 chips on the paint and 6 chips on the front glass. 
2. Infotainment looks cheap. But it works good. 
3. Second row seat tig has more room (not a dislike but compare to Tig cx5 is little smaller)
5. The fake seat leather on cx5 not as good compare to Tig (about 8500 miles into the car the seat started bobble up the center).
6. Cx5 does not come with phone app in the factory you will have to spend about 750 to install it and paid 75 each year to get the app(first year is free). And the app only allows you to start your car thats it!! 
7. The app is very slow.
8. Cx5 is not as customizable as Tiguan(cx5 does have a hacking tools to customize infotainment but head unit need to be taking out and tap into usb wires). where on Tiguan obdeleven, vas and vag can customize so many things not just infotainment.


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## dragonpalm (May 9, 2016)

Such varying opinions on road noise and power between the two cars! OP said CX-5 is noisier and less powerful at highway speeds than Tiguan while someone else said it's quieter and much faster. I shopped a 2019 CX-5 Signature against the 2019 Tiguan SEL-P and bought the VW due to price and overall features although, sometimes I feel a bit of regret not buying the CX-5 for the turbo alone.


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## 1054521247 (Jun 17, 2018)

dragonpalm said:


> Such varying opinions on road noise and power between the two cars! OP said CX-5 is noisier and less powerful at highway speeds than Tiguan while someone else said it's quieter and much faster. I shopped a 2019 CX-5 Signature against the 2019 Tiguan SEL-P and bought the VW due to price and overall features although, sometimes I feel a bit of regret not buying the CX-5 for the turbo alone.


the road noise is because sel-p had a bigger tire and had more road noise i guess. i like how quiet cx5 are. (drove an se as an loaner car before its much quiet would say about the same as cx5)
tiguan it is powerful but the lag is what im taking about. also when you floor both of cars cx5 is quicker to pick up speed.


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## schagaphonic (Aug 24, 2008)

phlegm said:


> Good write up.
> 
> That reflection issue is one of those things that you wouldn't know about without longer exposure, so good catch.
> 
> You didn't mention cargo space. The more car-like shape (which looks nice), really cuts down on the rear room.


The Tiguan carries a greater quantity of cargo. With my standard amount of gear (plastic storage bins, tools) there's over 
a foot of extra space for my buddy's gear that used to have to be stowed in the rear seat of my CX5. BTW, I have the 3rd row option but keep it
in the folded/flat position. 

To be clear, my Tig is an _*SE*_ with the basic, narrower 225 width tires with taller 65 series rubber for slightly better ride quality, fuel economy, less noise. Each wheel/tire weighs in at about 45lbs (weighed on my digital scale) My former, beautiful 19''set on the CX-5 GT weighed in at over 55lbs each. In my experience
10 extra pounds per corner makes a significant difference on any car so if you have a higher trim level above an SE, your results and will most definitely be different than the SE's. Since this is mostly my daily, work vehicle, I specifically chose the SE-4MO for the great "bang-4-buck" value ($25,500) and comfort of the smaller 17'' wheels.

Curious if anyone with the SEL, SEL-P, R-Lines have the weight of your wheels with tires?


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## 1054521247 (Jun 17, 2018)

schagaphonic said:


> The Tiguan carries a greater quantity of cargo. With my standard amount of gear (plastic storage bins, tools) there's over
> a foot of extra space for my buddy's gear that used to have to be stowed in the rear seat of my CX5. BTW, I have the 3rd row option but keep it
> in the folded/flat position.
> 
> ...



all i know is SEL-P R line 20 inch Hankook tire Weight 29 lbs each. wheel idk


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## BsickPassat (May 10, 2010)

THe choppy ride.... but it is a sporty SUV, which is why magazines love the Mazda.

I hope Mazda fixed their awful radio controls, since it is not very intuitive to use at all

Mazda styled the CX-5 to have the stereotypical Asian slant eyes front and rear.


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## schagaphonic (Aug 24, 2008)

Yes, the Mazda radio takes some getting used to, but eventually the controls are learned.

_More driving impressions from another 1200 miles road trip to UT:_

* 1-2-3 quick downshifts from highway speeds and going uphill is very satisfying in the Tiguan. Power was never lacking driving at elevations between 5000 and 8000ft and even going into 40mph headwinds. The former Mazda had it's virtues in the handling department but struggled with headwinds and long uphill climbs. Passing other cars on these i-80 runs was not an easy task with the 2.5L non-turbo engine.

* Getting some tailwinds heading east yielded a measured 34.3 mpg and got 463 miles on a single tank. Westward into the headwinds I dipped to 28.1 mpg. Both numbers are 2-3mpg better than the CX5.

* At night, I still miss the audible BSMs on the Mazda. The dim LEDs in the side mirrors are inadequate but Tiguan's larger side windows give better outward visibility.

* I've been running the deAUTO-LED headlights for 2 months now and they've been a great improvement over the standard halogen lamps. They come darn close to the Mazda's Xenons.


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## schagaphonic (Aug 24, 2008)

Picked up some new furniture today and very pleased that the Tiguan easily swallowed a 5'8'' by 39'' futon box! Perhaps 2 inches to spare.
I'm pretty sure the CX5 couldn't have swallowed that big of a box

For people complaining about how useless the third row seats are, I strongly disagree.
I got talked into giving a ride to part of my son's HS basketball team. No one's under 5'10 and my son is 6'3''
Without fussing to optimize the second row seats tilt or fore/aft settings, the passengers piled in the tiguan.
No one fussed or complained and all exited easily. Even though we only drove 15 minutes, I felt like a transport hero
getting 5 guys and myself to our destination.  

This may not be the greatest, cross-country ride in the third row, but this is the second time on a short run that the tiguan proves
itself as a versatile people hauler that gets the job done. The CX5 and most other small SUV's don't have this feature or people hauling capacity.


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## appleman (Jul 8, 2003)

Agree with most everything you posted. However there is one thing I can say about my 2018 Cx-5 touring vs our 2018 tiguan. The mazda hasn't been to the dealer one time since purchase. Rock solid and a nice vehicle to drive. Not only was our tiguan a frequent flyer at the dealer, it was ultimately bought back by vw.


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## JSWTDI09 (Feb 22, 2009)

appleman said:


> Agree with most everything you posted. However there is one thing I can say about my 2018 Cx-5 touring vs our 2018 tiguan. The mazda hasn't been to the dealer one time since purchase. Rock solid and a nice vehicle to drive. Not only was our tiguan a frequent flyer at the dealer, it was ultimately bought back by vw.


Every auto manufacturer makes good cars and every one also makes lemons. Apparently you got one of the lemons. If you look at Mazda forums, I'm certain that you can find owners who have had their Mazdas bought back also. My 2018 Tiguan is over 2 years old and it had never been at the dealership except for a coolant bottle recall and the ECM/TCM software update TSB. It has been completely trouble free. When you buy a car (new or used), the "luck is in the draw".

Have Fun!

Don

P.S. I looked at the Mazda CX-5 and CX-9 and both were too small for my long legs. I couldn't turn the steering wheel without my hands hitting my knees. They need several more inches of seat travel for me.


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## schagaphonic (Aug 24, 2008)

JSWTDI09 said:


> Every auto manufacturer makes good cars and every one also makes lemons. Apparently you got one of the lemons. If you look at Mazda forums, I'm certain that you can find owners who have had their Mazdas bought back also. My 2018 Tiguan is over 2 years old and it had never been at the dealership except for a coolant bottle recall and the ECM/TCM software update TSB. It has been completely trouble free. When you buy a car (new or used), the "luck is in the draw".
> 
> Have Fun!
> 
> ...


This brings up another good thing about the Tiguan. My son has sprouted to 6'3'' and can put the passenger seat all the way back so that he's comfortable. There's still room for an average sized adult sitting behind him.

On the topic of reliability, it's a mixed bag with most mfrs. I dumped my CX5 mostly because of the burnt out LED/Xenon headlight replacement cost being $1200 plus labor and out of warranty. There were good odds that the other headlight was on it's way out too as Mazda had reliability issues with this particular year of manufacture, 2016. I also had a chronic rattle in the front suspension that the dealer couldn't resolve. Neither of these issues deterred me from buying another Mazda. Nor did any prior reliability issues deter me from buying another VW. I go with how good a car drives and feels when I take the test drive. Still no regrets.


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## David9962000 (Feb 2, 2011)

Anymore CX5 opinion? I'm considering one.


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## Paddie.e.kelly (Jan 4, 2020)

David9962000 said:


> Anymore CX5 opinion? I'm considering one.


It's a really nice car. If you grab the turbo it's quick and drives well. Build quality and styling are great.

But it's small. Much smaller than the other vehicles in its class (Tiguan, CRV, Rav4, etc). Mazda classifies it as a Compact SUV but most reviewers say it's more like a sub-compact SUV. Rear seating and cargo capacity are much lower than the Tiguans.

My wife and I looked at a CX5 when shopping for our Tiguan and all of the aforementioned reasons turned us away. I really like the style and drive but we had a baby on the way and the space of the Tiguan has been perfect for us. 
Also at the time (2019) the top trim Mazda offered less convenience features than the VW. No sensor lift gate, no panoramic roof, inferior infotainment, no driver FOB specific settings. There was a few others that I cant recall.

So like most any car purchase it really depends on your use.


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## David9962000 (Feb 2, 2011)

Thanks, I'm looking at a turbo Carbon edition, 

New Mazda Cars & SUVs for Sale in North Hills, near Los Angeles, CA - Galpin Mazda


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