It’s been a while since you last saw our long-termer Mazda CX-5, so we’ll forgive you if you think we’ve forgotten; don’t worry, we haven’t. Our first update comes four months after we introduced this Sonic Silver Diesel Sport AWD as the newest member of our garage, and we’re happy to report that everything’s a-okay.
At the moment, our CX-5 is taking a break from her daily driving duties (she’s getting a well-deserved pampering), so it’s a great time to catch up on the ownership front. We’re happy to report that it’s been painless thus far with zero problems. It must be recalled that at this point in time, our last long-termer, the Mazda3 Speed encountered a problem with its deep-cycle battery necessitating a change; that’s not the case so far with the CX-5.
The biggest lesson we’ve learned based on our past experience with vehicles equipped with idle start/stop (i-Stop in Mazda lingo), is that charging it once a week is key to keeping the battery in tip-top shape. It should be part of the ownership routine like checking the fluids, tire pressure, and so forth. A word of advice to would-be Mazda owners then? Invest in a quality battery charger/tender.
In terms of mileage, our CX-5 hasn’t really gone around that much—it’s logged in about 3,000 kilometers in five months. However, in that short period of time, it’s managed to play various roles from having to pickup a balikbayan at the airport to being a lipat-bahay cargo hauler. Now, you’d think it wouldn’t do well under these circumstances, right? Well, at first, us too. But, with careful planning, it can actually fit four full-sized suitcases and two carry-ons without having to fold down the rear seats.
Since we treat the CX-5 as a daily driver, her route takes her around Metro Manila. And despite the terrible traffic, she manages to squeeze more than 370 kilometers on a single tank on any given day (the least is 377.6 kilometers, while the most is 724.8 kilometers). What’s more, fuel efficiency is pretty consistent, averaging 11.20 km/L (best is 13.10 km/L, while the worst is 9.4 km/L). She’s also gone out of town several times too. Baguio is so far the longest continuous drive resulting in 17.5 km/L based on the trip computer.
And speaking of long drives, the CX-5 does it well. You’d think that Jinba-Ittai is all marketing BS, but it actually works! Mazda’s spot-on driving position is well-documented, but what’s even better is how the ergonomics actually promote the use of the right (i.e. stronger) muscle groups. When driving, it’s the weaker forearm (transradial) muscles that gets the workout making you feel tired, especially after a long stint behind the wheel. In the CX-5, the focus shifts to the stronger deltoids, biceps, and triceps (transhumeral) muscles. Because they are stronger, they can certainly do the heavy lifting making you feel less tired. The same goes for the pedals which promote the use of the larger, stronger calf muscles than the smaller, weaker calf muscles. This is one of those things you realize after some time.
Our CX-5 was also equipped with the retrofit Apple CarPlay / Android Auto system several months before Mazda rolled it out locally. So far, we’ve been very happy with the installation, although there are two things worth noting.
First, make sure to use a reliable high-speed USB cable (such as the OE cable supplied with your iPhone). Using a cheap third-party cable may cause unwanted disconnections, such as when using the hands-free calling function.
Second, because the Apple CarPlay system is designed to use the touchscreen and the Mazda Connect automatically cuts off the touchscreen function at speed, you’ll need to use the Commander Control Knob to navigate around. This takes some time to get used to, but because the home screen is customizable, at least the amount of scrolling can be minimized. Oh, and Siri Hands-Free also works fine.
As we write this, our CX-5 is getting a bunch of accessories installed, and she’ll be getting some much-needed detailing too. More on that during the next update.
Do you want to share your ownership experience with the CX-5? Feel free to comment below or send us a message on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
2019 Mazda CX-5 Skyactiv-D AWD Sport Long-Term Test Update # 1
- Months Since Last Report: 4
- Kilometers Traveled: 3,139
- Kilometers Since Last Report: 2,210
- Average Lifetime Fuel Consumption (km/L): 11.20 km/L
- Best Fuel Consumption (km/L): 13.10 km/L
- Worst Fuel Consumption (km/L): 9.40 km/L
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