based on his
personal experience
with…
My Mazda CX5 has, for me, become more
about style than substance.
When the time came in late 2019 to replace
my SEAT Ateca, there wasn’t a deal to be
had for another one and I had conflicting
information from the dealer and VW Finance
about being able to ‘buy’ my Ateca at the end
of the leasing contract.
Two cars caught my eye; the Volvo XC40 and
the Mazda CX5. A test drive of the former
increased my desire, but the
cost/specification seemed out of sync with
other SUVs, and the finance quote for
leasing was nowhere close to being in line
with expectations. The CX5’s build quality
and Bose Audio are awesome, the
cost/specifications were far more in the real
world than the Volvo, and the buying
experience at the dealer was great. In fact,
it was the best I’d ever experienced, and
I’ve bought a lot of cars, as I felt that I was
being listened to and the sale was around my
expectations and requirements as a buyer.
And anyway, am I still not too young to drive
a Volvo?
Before you knew it, Covid has struck, and
with the wife and me stuck at home with two
cars, I lent my Mazda to our son so he and
his wife didn’t have to rely on using public
transport. My CX5 was returned after
lockdown ended in July 2020 and my son had
invested in his own car, but the ‘work from
home’ culture meant my CX5 really wasn’t
getting much use.
After lockdown 3 ended in 2021, my Mazda
started to get more use; it was still
massively short of its first service mileage!
It was now that a few things really started
to irritate me:
On the CX5, once you start driving the touch
screen that can be used when stationary
becomes inoperable. There’s a little wheel in
the centre console that Mazda want you to
use to navigate, change radio station, etc.
Apparently, it’s a safety feature. On
YouTube you can find the engineering
instructions to enable the Touchscreen
whilst driving for an earlier version of the
CX5. They’ve changed the codes for the
2020 model so I can’t solve it myself and
Mazda refuse to let a dealer do this either.
My SEAT Ateca allowed me to use the
touchscreen, my son’s Jaguar and my wife’s
Hyundai don’t lock out the touchscreen, and
my daughter has just taken delivery of an
AUDI Q3 and she can use her touchscreen.
And like me, they all believe that using the
touchscreen is quicker and safer. Using the
wheel on the Mazda you still have to look at
the screen to make sure you have the
correct setting!
The Apple CarPlay on my Mazda CX5 is
shockingly bad. When I connect the cable,
its hit and miss if it connects without me
using the wheel and going into select the
highlighted Apple CarPlay. After the end of
a phone call, I have to go back in and re-
select the radio station I was listening to
but which has now stopped playing. I
reported these issues to Mazda and was told
that a software update would solve it. When
my CX5 was serviced in June 2021, the
software update was applied, but it made no
difference. I was then told by Mazda UK
that a ‘problem’ with the TAU [Tuner and
Amplifier Unit] in the CX5 could cause these
Apple Play problems and they put one on
order. It took a few weeks for the part to
arrive, my dealer fitted the new unit and hey
presto, it was just the same as before. That
was in early August 2021 and since then
neither the Mazda dealer nor Mazda UK
[who arranged the work] have called to ask,
‘is your Apple CarPlay problem resolved by
the new TAU?’
And twice now, the window screen wash has
run out on me whilst on a motorway. Guess
what, on a car of this specification, there is
no sensor to detect if the screen wash is
running low. Who knew? It must be 15 years
since I last had a car without this; my
Passat, Tiguan, AudiA4, and Seat Ateca all
had this, what I like to call, ‘safety feature’.
In fact, I’d say that not having this was
potentially more dangerous than having a
touch screen. But that’s just my personal
opinion.
My CX5 is the first car I’ve had with a
‘heads-up display’ projecting on the
windscreen. I like this and find it very
useful, except in sunny conditions when it
can still be read without sunglasses, but not
once you’ve popped a pair on.
June 2023
That’s when my finance contract for the
Mazda CX5 ends. It still seems a long way
off, but in fact I’m more than 50% of the
way through my agreement so I just have to
live with it.
Will I upgrade my Mazda CX5 with another
one? No
Would I swap my Mazda back for my
previous SEAT Ateca - Yes - without a
second thought. I’d get perfect Apple Play
again, a Touchscreen that I can use when
driving, and a warning light to top up my
screen wash.
…the MAZDA CX5.
This is what happens when your
washer fluid suddenly runs out!
Why is the absence of a ‘Washer
Fluid Sensor’ less of a safety concern
than enabling the already-present
touch screen whilst driving?