Smart thing, to look at NHTSA info. Also IIHS - Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Among their data are ratings of headlights. Many vehicles do poorly - sometimes one trim is good and another not so good.
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great point on headlights!
this was one of the major points for me when shopping for a car recently
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Not at all. In the event of a frontal crash, the design of the Subaru frame will be better even if they both got the same 5-star crash ratings.
Maintenance costs on the CX-5 are not cheap and they are known for going through brakes. I actually watched a show yesterday that featured a segment on buying used CX-5s, and they basically concluded that in real-life maintenance and repairs are quite costly on the Mazda. I will also point out as it gets older there will not be as many aftermarket parts available, and my guess is it will require a number of expensive dealer only parts.
Interior visibility is much better in the Subaru. If you want the Subie to drive more like the CX-5 just throw 235 or 245 width 18āā tires on it. Thinking an 8 speed automatic will be more viable long term than a steel chain run CVT may prove to be mistaken.
Look both are good cars. I am just not convinced the arguments made here should sway you away from the Subaru. I really think the maintenance cost aspect has been flipped on its head, and FYI Mazda has reduced its oil change intervals on newer models. I wonder why?
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Michael,
I do not see what is so magic about Subaru design, what makes it stand out to compare to Mazda, safety-wise.
I used to have 5 Subies before and Iām not predisposed against this brand, but I do not see anything making them so unique in safety department.
Yes, they had a quite successful āThey livedā¦ā advertisement theme, but I would not take it at face value.
Per my experience, maintenance costs on Subaru were not cheap either, and brakes would not be too high on my cost items list to worry about.
Edmundsā TCO estimates CX-5 maintenance to be $1,100 lower to compare to Forrester over 5 years.
I think these guys have some more statistical data to compare to what you and me would be able to cobble from our personal experiences.
Interior visibility in Forrester is nice, hands down, here I will agree.
CX-5 transmission is 6-speed automatic, a very nice one to compare to 8-speed competition, it gives great driver feedback, but robs it some fuel economyā¦ because it is 6-speed, not 8.
As far as I know, Subaru is not yet out of the woods with CVT reliability. Yet another āwarranty extensionā campaign not long time ago. I had multiple Nissan CVT in failed or pre-failure state, so shopping for a car recently I paid keen attention to the topic. That was one of the factors I said āthank you, but ā¦ thank youā to Subaru at the time.
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If I donāt need all wheel drive why would I buy one like a Subaru that might make me buy four tires because one was damaged when I could just get two on a two wheel drive vehicle .
Maintenance costs on most vehicles is not that far apart and of course where you have it done makes a difference.
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Thanks for a realistic response! Our son had a 2004 Mazda 3, the first model in that line. The brakes were fixed under warranty and the car was very reliable and cheap to operate. He sold it with some rust on the back fenders and nearly 200,000 miles on the clock, in 2018 for $2000, because he needed a truck. The car was very cheap to operate and maintain.
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I hopped on websites for Informed For Life and Insurance Institute For Highway Safety and didnāt see a hill of beans difference between the two.
Also, for decades I spent winters in an area that had frequent severe winter weather and never had AWD, nor did I ever desire it. I commuted (and my wife, too) long distances. I never got stuck and never had an accident/incident.
Visibility is what would raise havoc with travel, not traction, from blizzard conditions, ice fog, etcetera. Now I winter where itās very warm and I still would never own AWD. I need it like I need tap-dance lessons.
2WD or AWD, these vehicles all stop with 4 wheel braking.
Also, I seriously doubt that a Mazda is more expensive concerning repairs and maintenance than a Subaru.
By the way, I have a daughter with a late model AWD CX-5 and a son with a six year-old Outback. They both like their vehicles.
CSA
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According to Edmunds, maintenance on a 2018 Subaru Forrester is $1000 more than a comparable CX-5.
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A few seconds looking at the color Reliability charts in the April 2019 Consumer Reports shows that year after, newer ones and older ones, Mazdas are better than average or much better than average in almost every system and model year, even as they get older - the one exception the CX-3, with worse (2016) and much worse (2017) along with a much better for 2018.
Subarus have a few much better than average ratings, many above average and average and below average, and no much below average. Thereās a significant move toward lower ratings as the Subarus get older.
Thereās a lot to like about Subaru if you want AWD - their system tested out better on snow than Hondaās and Toyotaās. But overall design, engineering, and reliability is better in Mazdas. Then thereās zoom-zoom, too.
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Not a selling point, as far as Iām concerned
Iāve always hated that slogan, and I never liked the tv commercials, either
Thanks to everyone for all the replies and information. I really appreciate it! I havenāt completely decided yet (still doing some research and thinking) but I am leaning towards the Mazda.
Has anyone else had a problem with (or heard about) Subaru windshields cracking easily or for no reason? My 2017 Outback has a crack in the windshield right now. It has cracked twice. The first time, it was hit by a rock on the interstate and I got it replaced. The second time, I donāt think anything hit it. I got in it to go to work and there was a crack that wasnāt there the day before. A third class action lawsuit was filed a few days ago. I hope this link works:
No thanks. Iām good with whatever you choose.
Although I can offer only second hand anecdotal opinion hereās what I know.
A friend has had a Mazda CX-5 for several years. It is used for daily commuting and average volume of grocery runs, frequent camping trips loaded with a lot of camping gear, several long trips each year, and also frequent transport of fire spinning gear which includes both a variety of performance and related safety gear, and frequent accomodation of up to five adults in reasonable comfort, the comfort to which I can personally attest. This CX-5 has proven very reliable, versatile, easily packable with a considerable volume of cargo, and capable of hauling such weight while retaining good handling, drivability, and gas mileage. Both exterior and interior finishes are holding up well under relatively heavy cargo use.
Another friend drove a Suburu Forester for 15+ years until replacing it last year with a new Forester. The earlier vehicle saw heavy use carrying cargo related to my friendās work as an industrial HVAC tradesman. It did develop a large horizontal crack across the lower part of the front windshield for no apparent reason when it was about fourteen years old. The newer vehicle has been getting heavy use carrying everything needed for DIY house renovation. My friend swears that both the old and new Foresters compare to a pick-up truck in versatility, cargo capacity, and durability for less purchase, maintenance, gas, insurance, and tax costs while getting far superior gas mileage to a truck. Iāve not ridden in the one year old Forester so cannot personally attest to its ride and comfort.
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Now Iām curious-what is āfire spinning gearā?
This is a decision you must make for yourself. A used vehicle of any sort is a crap shoot, A new vehicle may come down to things such as one person feels Car A has great seats and another person may think theyāre garbage and want to unload a car for that reason alone.
Reliability studies donāt mean much to me as most people responding to them are talking about a new or fairly new model. Just because a Subaru head gasket has not failed in the first 5 years does not mean it wonāt fail in the second five.
Some years ago some people were saying the 2009s, 2011s, etc were problem free. Fast forward a few years and Iām sure a number of those people had a change of heart.
Every decade since the early 70s itās been claimed that Subaru has finally got a handle on the head gasket issues. The only period they did not have issues (overheating excluded) was from around 1977 to the mid 80s.
My friendās boyfriend performs fire spinning mostly with long staffs that have special pads on the ends that get soaked in a flammable liquid (donāt recall exactly what) then lit. Itās rather like baton twirling only the fire staffs are longer and sturdier than batons. There are also special fire pots that hang from chains and can be spun through the air. Along with the staffs and such there is safety gear including special asbestos fire-suppressing large ātowelsā (canāt think of the proper term) used to wrap around the fire to extinguish it as well as traditional fire extinguishers, burn first-aid kit, etc.
If I remember right the fire spinning you are talking about is called POI I saw a vidio of it & it is awesome.
What is the source for that statement? It is not true of Consumer Reportsā methodology.
Maybe you are thinking of the JD Powers new car quality surveys - that would be owners of new cars reporting their experience as it relates to their perceptions of the quality of their new cars.
That sounds terribly dangerous. Is there a point to it?
It looks awesome, spectators love it, and those who spin fire have fun just like other artistic performers.
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