A Month in My 2018 Mazda CX-5 - Best in Class Used SUV Bargain!

It's been one month since I purchased my replacement daily driver, a 2018 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring. So far, the car has served my needs perfectly while actually being fun to drive - something that is rare in the smaller SUV segment. The styling both inside and out also stand out in the class. There are a couple of annoying things about the car I do address, but nothing that would cause me to regret my purchase.
Trunk liner featured in video: amzn.to/44hxhf0
Dash Clip Phone Holder - No Stick (Specific to CX-5): amzn.to/44BeTxi
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
00:44 Exterior Walkthrough
02:13 Interior Walkthrough
11:16 Engine
12:02 Daytime Driving in Sport Mode
14:36 Rear View Camera / No Touch Display
16:23 Night Driving / Heads Up Display
19:07 Final Thoughts

[@bill7481]

I used to own a 2017 Grand Touring, the top trim at the time, with the additional package that made it fully loaded. Sometimes I regret selling it. This thing just glides on the road. The attention to detail, the quality of materials throughout, even in the trunk, make it a standout. Even though I now drive a 2019 CX-9 Signature, I still believe that the CX-5 is the best vehicle that Mazda builds.

[@petrolectric]

Great to hear Bill! I’m still loving it 7 months in… I’ll have an update on it soon as I had some unexpected things come up with it

[@bill7481]

@@petrolectric Great! I am looking forward to it!

[@valsimotdesign]

I've been driving Mazdas for 20 years, and ever since Mazda introduced that handy scroller infotainment, I don't want a touchscreen car anymore. This way is so much faster, so much safer, that I'm sorry that everyone in the auto industry doesn't use it. They used to have BMW and Peugeot, but I think now only Mazda. Once you get used to this system,...you won't want a touchscreen....trust me.

[@petrolectric]

I don’t hate it anymore BUT I wish it still had the option to touch it as well. The wheel is quite fast but I am in and out of a lot of cars that all have touch screen, so when I jump in the Mazda I still find myself trying to touch now and then and get annoyed.

[@valsimotdesign]

@@petrolectric I understand,....this is like I¨m jumping from my automtic geat car to a wife¨s manual gear car:))

[@petrolectric]

If you enjoyed this video, would really appreciate a like & subscribe to Car Snubs Trunk liner featured in video: amzn.to/44hxhf0 Dash Clip Phone Holder - No Stick (Specific to CX-5): amzn.to/44BeTxi

[@josemacias790]

Great review and detailed fun video

[@petrolectric]

Thanks Jose! I’ll be doing an update soon, put about 10k miles on it since and had some maintenance issues come up, still love it though!

[@515coldfire]

I got a 2021 cx5 grand touring with premium package , 32k miles paid 25k dollars. Picking it up today!!!

[@charliem432]

Good review from a real owner. Thanks.

[@petrolectric]

Thanks for watching!

[@Brooklynraised68]

Great review

[@petrolectric]

Thank you! I’ll have a 10k mile update soon too, look out for that.

[@sukhichana]

Totally agree. I rent it frequently but now I own a 2019 CX-5 GT. It's also is made in Japan car. It is the quietest in this class. It has cooled seats. Rain sentive wipers. It's gas usage isn't much different from it competition that have smaller engines and nosy high reving turbos. I do wish the engine would shutdown at traffic light to save fuel. Great car and value for the money. Love it.

[@petrolectric]

Six months in, still love mine too! Wish it was a little faster but overall… it’s been awesome so far

[@mrbungle589]

It gets negative 20 below where I live, even brand new cars have trouble starting in the morning. Wearing out your starter faster in my area with spotty cell service can be big trouble🥶

[@petrolectric]

@@mrbungle589 I hate auto start stop, I’m glad my CX-5 doesn’t have it!

[@richardr2238]

ERROR, you meant to say a 2.5 liter 4 cylinder ! This is NOT a V6, they don"t even offer a V6, only the 2.5 liter 4 in a non turbo or a turbocharged version. ! So If you want HIGH reliability , I suggest not getting the turbo version which is prone to blowing the head gasket just a little after the warranty expires (about a 4000 dollar job) ! My 2015 Mazda 6 has PLENTY of power , has ZERO oil or coolant leaks, other than normal maintenance, I have not needed ANY major repairs in 8 years ! 😀

[@petrolectric]

Yes I’ve addressed that in the comments, that was my mistake

[@roselleangellano1159]

I just traded in my 2018 CX5 Grand Touring for a 2023 CX5 Carbon Edition. Though KZbin, phone and other apps connect wireless, my 2023 car play still needs a chord. There's a difference with my SiriusXM which gives more stations in my new car. The seats are not 60/40. Take a look there are 3 portions that drop down separately. The center arm rest goes down without the other two back seats folding (skiis etc fit). SkyActiv does make a difference for fuel efficiency and engine output. In 2023 the Gvectoring with Skyactive work together for better handling for different road surfaces. You're camera is not working properly, my 2018 back camera is similar to the 2023 model (slightly better). The camera is a safety feature, so for under 60,000 miles you might have a warranty that covers the repair. They covered my seat belt replacement. The back storage in the arm rest is just to lay electronic devices while charging. The CX-5 is made in Japan (unlike the CX50 whichis made in U.S.). The CX5 is a great car and fun to drive. Consumer reports ranks this car as one of the top reliable cars. The newer models come with AWD as a standard feature.

[@petrolectric]

I know someone that just bought a 2023, and you can’t even touch the screen while stopped anymore, that would almost be enough for me me not to buy the car! And yes no wireless CarPlay - easy fixes Mazda could do to win over customers.

[@23majesticblue]

I have the same mazda year and model, and I got it in my favorite color blue.

[@petrolectric]

Nice!

[@AzizSk91]

This head up projector available in 2020 i guess. 2017-19 available in a piece of glass extension.

[@Shamus71]

I guess cars have definitely gone up in value. I bought the exact 2019 CX-5 with 18,000 miles in June 2020 for $25k

[@petrolectric]

Yeah totally. At the time (December 2022), was a good value.. and my daily was dead, so was happy to get what I could. If it had been a couple months later, I think I could’ve got a better deal

[@lindaeaton9572]

I had to buy another car fast, and didn't get to shop around much. I bought from a local dealer in my small town. I bought a 2021 Mazda CX-5 Touring with 42,000 miles on it for $24,750 in machine gray. Most of the cars I looked at had been Avis rental cars. I don't know if I got a bargain or not, but it's the best I could do at the time. I have only driven it about 300 miles, so I don't know much about it yet.

[@petrolectric]

I think you did well! Do you like it so far? I still like mine a lot

[@lindaeaton9572]

@@petrolectric I like it so far, but I've only had it since December 28, 2022. I'm going to get a friend of mine to check it out for me. I know that should have been done before I bought it, but I didn't have time. My sister was in the hospital and I was having to stay with her.

[@rebeccabannister5304]

Linda, how is the CX5 working out for you?

[@lindaeaton9572]

@@rebeccabannister5304 I've had my 2021 Mazda CX-5 Touring for 4 months now. I've put about 700 miles on it. So far no problems. I'm liking it more every time I drive it

[@Three3Nill]

Good lord only 700 miles in 4 months? I wish I could pull that off. I drive about 1100 miles a month

[@robbrown6240]

I love mine the only thing is the seats, no matter driver or passenger I have a hard time getting comfortable, gives my lower back problems.

[@petrolectric]

I’m a little uncomfortable too, hard to find a good position but I think the steering wheel placement contributes to that more than the seats for me personally

[@cormaro13]

The 2021 radio upgrade is worth spending the money

[@petrolectric]

I don’t mind the smaller screen - and the Bose speakers sound great. That being said… most 2018s didn’t have CarPlay & mine does. No CarPlay would’ve been a deal breaker for me as I rely on it a lot for work

[@bettyclaxton2188]

How did you get Apple car play? I have the same model as you

[@petrolectric]

I think either this was a late 2018 model that had it or the first owner had it retrofitted. Mazda was doing a $199 offer to install it at dealers when first available a few years ago. I contacted a local Mazda dealer and they told me they could still upgrade it, but now it’s $500. Not a bad deal still, worth looking into at your local dealer

[@M9_Prime]

The rear seats are 40/20/40 folding… if you have 2 baby seats in the back you will know exactly why this is a great feature. 60/40 is inferior… which sadly the CX-50 has… but CX5 has the 40/20/40 still (I have the 2016 and 2023 and both have the better folding seats)

[@petrolectric]

Funny i was going back to reference this as im about to shoot the one year! (Still love it btw) but I don’t think I even realized this when I first shot this I just got the car but cool feature!

[@sonjavukoja4936]

It is 2.5 litre four cylinder engine, not V6 as you said in this video, sorry

[@petrolectric]

Yes I’ve addressed that multiple times in the comments… was my mistake

[@user-mc3tg3qd8x]

who makes that phone mount

[@petrolectric]

Here’s the phone mount: amzn.to/43SBg0A Doesn’t mark up your dash & works great!

[@user-mc3tg3qd8x]

@@petrolectric thank you

[@rafffer3951]

You can get it for 22k now

[@kurtasee2314]

Have a 2016 Nissan rouge wish it was the awd model. They are surprisingly really nice. Looked at marty too and a ford explode. They all look the dam same lol but in the mountains mazdas break suspension and trans too much frm what i gatherd. Hot damn though lil jealous on the steal price i got fked at 16.7 with 117k miles! 0credit and first car though with like 0 down

[@petrolectric]

Ah dang, yeah that’s a lot to pay on car with over 100k miles - hope it stays reliable for ya! So far still loving the Mazda and it’s in the mountains everyday, no issues so far. Also used a credit union and got an amazing 3% rate even after all these increases. Dealers and banks are a ripoff (although I have an almost perfect credit score). Might be worth your time checking out. A credit union to refinance

[@timingenkamp3973]

Make sure you change the trans fluid regularly as CVT transmissions have serious reliability problems and when they do fail, it usually means replacing the whole thing. I hope this is not the case with your car, and it continues to work trouble free.

[@moomoo1996]

I got a brand new carbon edition with bose + power trunk, red leather seats for 31k. 24k for a 5 yr old car is too much.

[@petrolectric]

I feel ya, at the time (Dec 2022) this was a good deal. Today I’m sure it would be less. And miles wear out a car much more than age (especially in SoCal weather), so 26k miles for $24K on a loaded nice car felt good. And KBB at the time was $26.5K according to my credit Union.

[@teresacorrigan3076]

Safety rating? Reliability rating?

[@petrolectric]

It’s an IIHS Top Safety Pick every year, and JD Power gives it a 83/100 reliability rating which is considered their “Great” category. I’ve seen some issues with the 2.5L Turbo models, but the non-turbo models are rock solid. I’ve put another 10k miles on my car since this video and no issues beyond normal maintenance items - I still love the car!

[@teresacorrigan3076]

Thank you!!

[@sajithkumar2450]

How much you paid

[@petrolectric]

I said it right away… $24k

[@christo2974]

I only care about the reliability of the engine.

[@petrolectric]

I’m at 35k miles now and no engine issues! Hoping it stays that way… did have a couple other issues though and will be making an updated video Soon

[@cruz5037]

V6?🤔

[@petrolectric]

Yeah that was my mistake, noted it in the comments earlier!

[@tommymas1]

Um, "traffic is pretty bad" at 13:15?? That's not traffic at all. 🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️🙄

[@petrolectric]

Meaning like to drive it hard and fast and not have anyone hold you up… not like it was heavy traffic

[@yellowsnowman9157]

Good vehicle....but 25k for s 5 year old mazda is nuts. The car market right now is awful.

[@aussie8114]

Can always get a good deal on black cars.

[@petrolectric]

Huh?

[@yoecardoza2764]

V6 engine ? Mazda has a 4 cylinder

[@petrolectric]

@@yoecardoza2764 yes sorry that was a mistake it is a 4 cylinder

[@f.ferenc88]

Rustbucket with unreliable engine.

[@petrolectric]

The CX-5 has some of the best reliability ratings in its class and rust issues were in the Ford owned years (over a decade ago now).

[@bettyclaxton2188]

Looking for the link for the mat in the trunk please!

[@petrolectric]

@@bettyclaxton2188 I got it on eBay here but it says out of stock :( I’m sure they have similar ones for the price: www.ebay.com/itm/175334993978?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=k7mmqre2ruk&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=YCMxGd0ZR0i&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

[@axe2200]

Bro is living in 2010.