The Automobile Thread

That's one way to make mini vans cool.

 

So, I did it. I upgraded. Traded in the 2016.5 CX-5 Sport for a 2021 CX-5 Touring.

I still like the vehicle. It ticks all the boxes. And it's not $50K. Only $28,030.

With this version I get heated seats and zone AC (wife will like that) and nicer cabin, plus Android Auto and other stuff I haven't figured out yet.

With the trade I'm actually paying less per month than last time. Insurance only goes up by $5/month. There is no down side.

 

Can we see some pics?

 

It looks much like the old one until you sit in it.

 

Seems like a good value.

 

RAV 4 and CR-V outsell it 2 to 1. Not sure why; I looked at both and they just don't compare.

If you need buttloads of cargo space, maybe that would matter - wasn't a consideration f0r me. Price & stuff for that price - no brainer.

 

Mazda seems to provide a lot of bells and whistles as standard for their price points. Does that look like suede or Alcantara between the leather in the seats?

 

It's faux leather ("leatherette") which is a good thing for us MTBers, and suede inserts. Very nice trim for the price.

 

They are great cars.

 

You gonna hang a hitch mount on it?

 

Yep. Uhaul, just like the last one.

 

I think Mazdas are best in their individual classes. Mazda3, CX5, Mazda6... great vehicles!
I only wish they would put out a competitor to the WRX, I'd take it!.

 

2021 Mazda 3 turbo. But no M/T.

 

Exactly... So close!

 

'Grats @Runs with Scissors! As a guy who just bought a newer version of the same vehicle, I can relate to getting an updated and refreshed version of the car that ticks all the boxes for you.

 

For the last few years Mazda has tried to position themselves as what the marketing guys call “Premium”products-nicer than mainstream, not quite luxury. Like folks would have thought of Buick 40 years ago.

We’ve got a 2009 Mazda3 touring that the daughter uses. On the bells and whistles front, it has the rain sensing wipers that the wife’s old Volvo had, but the newer Outback doesn’t. So yeah, Mazda does a good job with features.

 

Suz’s 2016 cx-5 has everything except for being AWD....not bad for a $30k car.

 

It's got a manual selection, but no clutch pedal . Push the shift lever to the left and it switches over. Then you pull the shift knob back to upshift, forward to downshift. I think I used that feature twice on my old CX-5. Kinda fun when used in conjunction with sport mode (gas mileage goes in the toilet with that, though - but if you have the turbo who cares?).

The "M" to the left of the "D"

 

So Ford has dropped the new all electric Lightning.....thoughts?

 

Heck of a drink!

 

About as much of a "no brainer" deal I can think of.

I hear that a lot, and no, it isn't a manual. Dual clutch, PDK, whatever, it just an auto transmission if you don't have that third pedal.

Initial impressions are good. I would consider one of them way before a Tesla. Except I am a little disillusioned by Ford for ditching cars and the manual transmission*. At least stealing the Lightning moniker here makes sense, unlike the Mach E


But I am not going electric for a while. Base price is very interesting, but I don't want to stop enjoying vehicles yet.

*Bronco gets a half-assed attempt since you can only get the small engine in a manual, and the Mustang is just an anomaly.

 

Mustang, Camaro, GTI... that's about it for third pedal cars that are fun to drive and are attainable priced. Two of those three aren't very versatile, and the third is always a gamble for reliability.

 

I'm gonna let the early adopters buy it and bring the price down. If I ever need a pickup again, I'm not paying $40K for one. It's half the steel of a car the same size. Shouldn't cost twice as much.

On the other hand, I may very well never again need a pickup truck enough to own one.

 

Miata isn't too bad either

 

You are correct. Not a "manual" by definition. But as someone who grew up on clutch pedals in SoCal, I can state with some authority they are overrated here. For everyday driving I have zero use for a manual transmission.

Unless my 2x11 bike transmission counts....

 

I think the Bronco will be fantastic! Even the small engine has excellent power and torque and coupled with a manual should be a fantastic and fun off road truck. I ordered a 2.7 with the Auto for drivability and have found the 10 speed to be really good (for an auto).

 

Miata is always the answer!

 

I’ve got my finger poised over the “pre-order” button. Two things giving me pause:

1. My experience with the Ford Fusion plug-in hybrid setup has me worried about battery degradation. My Bolt EV doesn’t seem to have it nearly as bad, and long term Chevy/LG batteries have a pretty good reputation.

2. 150 kw charging is not fast enough for a battery this big. This battery is huge and should handle 250+ kw like the Taycan, Hummer, and Tesla.

other than that, 300 mile range is fine if you don’t tow things far. The work truck is a game changer at the price.

It’s going to be incredibly comfortable to road trip.

 

40k is just the work truck. You’re looking at $60k before your wife will be willing to be seen driving it.

 

More on the Lightning: abetterrouteplanner.com already has the Lightning in their app, so you can plan road trips. OC to St George requires 35 minutes in Baker and 21 minutes in Vegas, assuming 1000 lb payload and 10% battery reserve.

The app is predicting that the Rivian truck with the same range battery would do the same trip with just 11 minutes in Baker and 26 minutes in Vegas. That’s totally livable.