Having used for over 3 years with more than 27,000 kilometers, it is not a big issue for the 2018 Mazda CX-5. The car still retains its value as when it was brand new with the owner.
Reasons for choosing Mazda CX-5
Le Nam – the owner of a Mazda CX-5 shared that he decided to buy the car after the social distancing period due to Covid-19 3 years ago. At that time, people were allowed to move freely, but public transport or ride-hailing services were still not allowed to operate.
With the urgent need for daily work commuting, Mr. Nam decided to buy a used 2018 Mazda CX-5 for his family. Before that, Mr. Le Nam owned 3 cars in different segments including Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Sonata, and Mercedes-Benz C250.
The decision to switch from sedans to crossovers by Mr. Nam stemmed from the transportation needs of the entire family, including a couple and a small child. Spacious interior and large trunk space are the values that CX-5 satisfies its customers with.
With its high ground clearance, the CX-5 can be suitable for various purposes of use, from work, going to the market, picking up or dropping off wife and children daily in the city, to going to the countryside, mountains, or sea – for travel and weekend trips in the suburbs or famous landscapes everywhere.
Not to mention that Mazda is a Japanese brand, a name associated with durability, fuel efficiency, and reliability. In addition, current Mazda models in general and CX-5 in particular all adopt the Kodo design with agility, simplicity, modernity and eye-catching features; especially for the young consumer group.
Design after more than 3 years
Mazda is one of the leading brands in the market in applying a common design language for its entire range of products – Kodo language. This is considered a successful move by Mazda, as the majority of consumers have enthusiastically welcomed the beautiful Kodo design.
After 3 years on the market, the design of the Mazda CX-5 although familiar to consumers, has not become boring or “old.” Instead, the beauty of the CX-5 seems to exist quite firmly, despite competitors like Honda HR-V, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, or Mitsubishi Outlander introducing mid-life updates or even completely new versions.
In terms of material surfaces, the paint of the Mazda CX-5 still shows no signs of fading. Of course, there are scratches on the exterior of the car, but that is unavoidable when driving in a complex traffic environment like in Vietnam. Exterior details such as lighting systems, rim and original tires still work very well, with a good level of maintenance.
Entering the interior, it seems that more than 3 years have not been enough to affect the Mazda CX-5. The leather seats in the car are still aesthetically pleasing, soft, and comfortable for users.
The luxurious atmosphere inside the car is brought by the metal elements. In particular, the function buttons still provide a solid, tight and comfortable feeling when touching or rotating.
The original screen on the 2018 CX-5 does not meet the basic entertainment needs, so the car owner replaced it.
However, in 2022, the original screen on the Mazda CX-5 has proven to be quite inadequate compared to competitors: small size and poor entertainment functions make passengers feel “disappointed”, especially on long journeys.
In addition, the “high-end” Bose speaker system has also been rated low by many consumers, with sound quality that does not match the “premium” German speakers.
Actual operation after 3 years of use
With over 27,000 kilometers driven, the 2018 Mazda CX-5 still proves to be an extremely useful and reasonable vehicle for the family. Unlike the majority of Mazdas using a 2.0-liter engine, the 2.5L Signature version of the CX-5 gives a much stronger acceleration feeling.
However, the SkyActiv engine block still ensures fuel efficiency (about 10L / 100km – mainly in the city) when daily commuting, not driving the car aggressively.
However, the Mazda CX-5 still has some flaws that need to be corrected to provide a better experience for users. Firstly, there is a “miraculous mirror” problem that is easy to encounter when using the car in heavy rain or after washing the car. When water gets inside the mirror, the CX-5 is prone to electrical malfunctions and causes difficulties in folding/unfolding the mirror, or cannot be folded/unfolded at the user’s discretion, posing a safety risk by obstructing the driver’s visibility.
However, this mirror problem can also be easily resolved. Mr. Nam – the car owner only needs to spend 1.5 million VND to buy and replace the electric motor system inside the damaged mirror to solve the problem completely. Although so, the manufacturer should also consider replacing this fragile component to avoid inconvenience and safety hazards for users.
The “soft” suspension system on the previous versions has been somewhat improved on the 2018 CX-5. However, Mr. Nam said that this soft suspension setup can still be considered an advantage of the CX-5, as it brings comfort to passengers sitting in the back – especially the wife and children of the driver – when traveling.
However, the driver will have to steer the car subtly, without being abrupt or sharp if they don’t want the passengers in the back to feel sick. In addition, the noise level is quite high, which can also be considered a “shortcoming” of the CX-5. But looking again at the same price range of the CX-5, other crossovers are not much better in terms of soundproofing either.
Additional convenience features needed
Next is the Bose branded speaker system, which has not yet provided a “convincing” experience for the majority of users. But for people who are not too demanding, meticulous like Mr. Le Nam, the Mazda CX-5 Signature still meets enough basic entertainment needs in terms of sound.
In addition, the original screen on the 2018 CX-5 has been replaced by a Gotech screen. The reason is that the Mazda CX-5’s screen does not support connection with smartphones via USB or Apple CarPlay and Android Auto standards.
Therefore, during the use of the car, if you want to listen to music for the entertainment of passengers, you have to connect via USB – and the music source is fixed and not flexible. If you want to listen to music on your smartphone, passengers have to connect via Bluetooth and hold the phone in their hand to operate, leading to a loss of concentration on the traffic ahead and causing danger.
Furthermore, the added Gotech Mazda screen also supports voice commands in Vietnamese – a very convenient and useful feature.
The Gotech Mazda360 screen product is different from popular choices on the market, it uses 2 operating systems in parallel: Mazda Connect and Android 10, allowing users to retain the habit of using the old screen but still enjoy full features of premium entertainment through a rich Android app store.
In addition, the added Gotech Mazda360 screen version also provides the ability to observe around the car with a 360-degree camera system, helping to enhance safety and minimize collisions – especially in urban areas, where Mr. Nam operates the car for 90% of the usage time.
Quick summary, after more than 3 years of traveling, the 2018 Mazda CX-5 with an odometer of 27,000 kilometers is still in very good condition, proving to be a reliable, versatile, and well-suited daily means of transportation for the whole family.
Anh Phan (Tuoitrethudo)
