bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

lots of enthusiasts have a soft spot for mazda, including me. from amazing rotary engined cars, the iconic miata / mx-5, and the whole 'zoom zoom' past campaign, mazda has a deserved enthusiast reputation from its past.

but now? i would argue that besides the mx-5, their product line is finished. so far behind the competition.

i just watched this review of the 2022 "refreshed" CX-5, which according to the video, represents *50%* of Mazda's sales.

i really couldn't tell what was refreshed. this car has a 6 speed auto. it's not that roomy. the gauges 'look' analog even though there's an lcd display behind the middle gauge ring. the seat leather looks nice but the overall interior is still trying to straddle some kind of 'premium' idea, even though just about everything is 'premium' now and mazda's interior just looks OLD.

situman

Many U.S. consumers give Mazda a hard pass, if that makes you feel better.

The same can be asked of Lexus. What have they done that is revolutionary or class leading lately? And lately I mean in the last 10 to 15yrs.

Toys4RJill

I see why some people want a Mazda. But I don't really like the direction of Mazda the last few years. I liked the Zoom Zoom era the best.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

not a question of feeling better... i'm actually sad for mazda really... their volume is tiny... used to be similar to subaru in u.s. which now outsells it probably 5 or 10 to 1.

change doesn't have to be revolutionary, and i've certainly expressed a lot of frustration at lexus' very slow development but i would at least say they've been a leader in hybrids for one thing. even though not for enthusiasts, no other brand has a hot selling fwd sedan that prints money for lexus like the ES. although late to the party, they're now finally putting a new and seemingly quite impressive infotainment system in (starting with NX). the LC500 may not win the drag strip, but i believe it has no competition really (NA v8, great sound, gorgeous looks). the fact that they came out with a convertible version after the coupe release is quite impressive and has quadrupled sales. we all know this gen LS is a dud, the GS is gone, the RX/GX are very old. the new LX isn't for everyone, but it's unique and a lot better than the one it replaces (although why they didn't offer the hybrid engine is beyond me).

anyway, back to mazda.

mmarshall

I, for one, never thought much of the silly "Zoom-Zoom" campaign....seemed inane and juvenile to me. Back when I had my first Mazda in the mid-1980s (I owned three of them, into the mid-90s) the company had the "Kansai-Engineeing" slogan, which was far more realistic and accurately described the products they were then selling......despite having FWD, BMW-like in their driving feel/road-manners and designed for precise, tactile-feel to their steering and suspension. Indeed, they got reputations as the "Poor Man's BMW".....only with Japanese reliability.

It was Mazda, BTW, that finally got me out of the unreliable GM/Chrysler lemons back in 1984 (as I just described above). At the time, during the Reagan Administration's quota on Japanese imports, they could be bought for less-outrageous markups (or for no mark-ups) that were typical of the Honda/Toyota stealerships back then. Later, Ford took control of the company, and most of their products, IMO went downhill somewhat, although, to their credit, they also introduced the superb MX-5 Miata. (if one could fit into it LOL)

The Rotary Engine, at least to some extent, was a lost cause from the beginning. It excelled in compactness, lightness, high-RPMs, and smoothness (spinning semi-rotors instead of up-and-down pistons). It gave the RX-7 / RX-8 truly outstanding handling from the light front end. But it consumed oil as part of its normal operation lubricating the apex-tip-seals (which are comparable to piston rings), consumed a lot of gas because the twin spark-plugs fired on every engine-revolution instead of every other one, made oil-smoke and emissions in the exhaust that was a difficult load for the catalytic converters to handle, and tended to have a relatively short life due to excessive rotor-tip wear....that rotor-tip weakness was never fully-addressed. Plus, service/repair parts for the rotary engine were generally expensive because Mazda had more or less a monopoly on those parts, and there was not a huge demand for aftermarket parts as an alternative. And owners quickly learned to carry an extra bottle or can of Rotary-Engine-Approved oil in the trunk.

Striker223

I never really saw them as anything impressive at all, just a slightly sporty Toyota alternative.

tex2670

I test drove a Signature CX-5 in '19; it was nice, but I agree with what you say.

But I also compared a Honda CR-V Touring. You could say the same thing about that car:
-Nav screen that's annoying to navigate for simple tasks
-No surround view camera available even on the Touring trim
-Cheesy fake wood trim cheapens the interior
-Secondary gauges (like gas) are stylistic rather than just easily legible

These issues are easily fixable, but Honda doesn't bother. I would have definitely chosen the Mazda over the Honda, if I hadn't gone with a Santa Fe.

But as Mazda has higher aspirations to move to "upscale" cars, absolutely Mazda needs to address these things. If they are going to remain competing with Hondas, Toyotas and Hyundais, they can get away with more, just like Honda does.

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

Our 2013 CX-5 was good to us when we had it and it definitely drove and looked better than the CR-Vs and Rav 4s of that time. Wasn't enough to keep us with the brand once the family hauling moved over to the Ody though.

I did get one as a rental recently and not having a touchscreen and trying to use CarPlay with a **** is a frustrating experience

swajames

A modified Miata can leave almost anything for dead on an interesting road. It's not just about straight line speed, where the Miata obviously doesn't shine, it's what you can carry into a corner and keep. That's where the Miata really comes into its own.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

i agree wholeheartedly the mx-5/miata is wonderful, unique, and special, and a joy to drive. lightweight, balanced, great manual transmission, just so much fun. no fun though if you have to go some distances. it's why i had a miata 15 years ago but now have an lc500.

Kense

Only Mazda I like is the FD RX7 other than that YAWN
But This?

KennyFSU

Having owned 3 manual Mazdas (Protege5, NB Miata, and Speed3), huge fan. However, nothing new from them excites me anymore so I'm kind of disappointed by their inventory.

FrankReynoldsCPA

To be fair though, you don't like fun.

Mike728

We've been enjoying our 2019 CX-5 Signature for over 3 years now. I actually like driving it way more than my old 2013 ES. Its fit and finish are at least as good, if not better than the Lexus. Some of us are happy to have a 6 speed trans. My Ranger has 10 and I wish it had a few less. Too much gear hunting for me. The only draw back for some is that cargo space is less than the competition, but that wasn't a concern for my wife and me. I would buy it again in a heartbeat. That said, I never would have considered a non turbo version.

The refresh is somewhat minor. I think they are waiting to see how their new models like the CX-50 do in the market. The auto industry as a whole is about to be turned upside down, so no point in making drastic changes to your best selling vehicle.

swajames

Absolutely, it's not the best car for a long road trip. And yes, the LC is quite the upgrade!