Mazda CX-5 SUV SkyActiv-G 165ps 2WD SE-L Nav 5d Owner Review

I have to say, I was very disappointed with the CX-5. We had a 2.0 manual petrol 2WD model in soul red. It's a great looking car, and has a lot of showroom appeal. But the reality of ownership is not so great. Let's first consider the positives:- It's quite economical for such a car, probably because of the eco-tuned engine and the relatively low weight. You should be easily able to achieve fuel economy in the mid- to high 30s mpg in the 2.0 petrol model. It handles reasonably well for an SUV, so enthusiastic drivers shouldn't be too disappointed in the twisty bits. The stereo system is great, especially with the optional Bose package. It's a good looking car, especially with the LED lights etc Now for the negatives:- Really, the worst point for me, which is a VERY significant problem - is the quality of the paintwork. Before you buy a Soul Red model, spend some time Googling paint problems with this paint choice, and you'll see what I mean. It's a beautiful, beautiful colour, and it suits the CX-5 perfectly. But it's just insanely fragile. I always look after my cars very well, but the number of scratches and stone chips on the car after a year or so was simply unbelievable. You literally only have to look at the car, and it seems to scratch. My previous car was a 14-year old BMW and had nothing like the stone chips which the CX-5 had after 12 months. I was gutted about this, and this was a large part in my decision to cut my losses and sell the car after just over a year of ownership. I mean, if it looked that bad after 12 months, imagine how it would look after 5 years? For me, the 2.0 petrol engine simply doesn't fit with this type of car. Maybe it's nice in the MX-5 or in the Mazda 3, but in the CX-5, it feels like the wrong engine in the wrong car. You need to have some hefty revs on the clock to make decent progress (3500 rpm and above), but when you do start to extend the engine, it feels somehow strangled. I would assume it's somehow been tweaked in order to meet emissions requirements etc - but you always have the feeling that the engine could give more, but it's not allowed to. As far as I'm concerned, you should either go for the diesel (although they had a lot of reliability issues) or hope and pray that Mazda bring out a turbo petrol model - that would be much better, I think. The stability at speed is not good - I did quite a lot of motorway driving, and it is not a reassuring car at speed. There is quite a lot of road noise and other speed-related noise at motorway speeds. Also, the driving position is not all that comfortable - so ensure you take a long test drive before buying one. The blind spot monitoring system is really ineffective. The leather seats already looked tired after one year. The leather trim (much like the rest of the car) looks great in the showroom and for the first few months, but doesn't seem to be at all durable. I'm not actually sure that it's even real leather, to be honest! As mentioned above, I was disappointed with the car, and sold it after only a year or so of ownership. However, there seem to be lots of happy owners, so maybe I'm simply too fussy. I replaced the CX-5 with a Mercedes-Benz GLA 200, and that has been much better, I'm very happy with that. My advice - don't be seduced by the good looks alone, and make sure you take the car for a long test drive before you put down your deposit. Also, maybe check out a few 2-year old cars on the second-hand forecourt, to see how you think they're looking. Check the paintwork!