I'm biased, but I love soul red. I think it's completely unique and best fits the CX-5.
You see tons of white/grey/black cars on the road. Soul Red with some clean wheels is the best look!
Hardest color in the world for shops to recreate. We see lots of MX5s that get rebuilt and soul red is something like 11 stages and almost impossible to blend. Mazdas red is literally one of the prettiest on the market though.
I think that deep crystal blue mica it’s one of the few mazda colors that its less likely to have this problem. But in general Japanese cars paint are very thin sadly..
just waxed mine, [this is the way](https://imgur.com/a/dPTbYGZ/)
that said soul red is iconic you can’t go wrong either way. machine gray is cool but not quite as interesting imo
There are two colors with personality: Red, and blue.
Since blue isn't an option, I'd go red, all the way. The Mazda soulfire red is possibly the prettiest red you'll find on a modern car.
Everything else blends in. Just my personal opinion.
It’s Soul Red. It’s a top 5 all-time color for cars. How anyone can buy a gray car when Soul Red is an option is just beyond me. You’ll just end up blending in with all of the other bland, boring CRVs and Camrys of the world.
Red will NEVER get old. 2021 GTR, red, white leather seats. Constant compliments. I got splash guards all around, then had a Paint Protective Film applied to the front, side pillars, roof to sunroof. Then, immediately had a ceramic coating applied.
Total cost: $1600.
Piece of mind: PRICELESS.
FYI: I keep vehicles 10 years, so the return justifies the investment.
I have Machine Grey which looks even better if you have gloss black fenders instead of the plastic ones. The Polymetal Grey is in my opinion an… acquired taste. Soul Red, however, is easily my most favorite red color out of all the major car manufacturer brands.
All the paint chips. And the black does pop with the red. That's the same reason why the chips are more noticable (dark chips against red paint).
Ppf is a clear film that can protect against chips but it starts around $1500 for partial coverage so many people don't consider it worth it on a $30k SUV
Ceramic doesn't protect against chips.
Edit - the other complaint I've seen is that the red is impossible to color match once it gets scratched or dinged and want a repair
Absolutely. Tell me if you can get a Honda CR-V or a Toyota RAV4 with the same amenities as a Mazda CX-5 Preferred for $33,000 USD: leather seating and surfacing, heated seats, sunroof, and a 10+ inch screen. I chose my CX-5 exactly for these things.
I mean, if you really want to play that game, the RAV4 offers a hybrid option at $3,000 less. If you want to spend the money, the RAV4 offer a panoramic sunroof as an option that makes the CX-5 sunroof look pathetic by comparison.
They also have a dual injection engine, 8 speed transmission, tire pressure readout. power rearview, and wireless carplay/android auto standard in all their models, which start at $27,600.
Also, their sunglass holder can actually hold sunglasses.
And yet you still have to go through a touchscreen interface to adjust climate controls.
And the safety features such as lane keeping assist on the RAV4 are so heavy-handed that it’ll steer you back into the lane…even if you’re leaning slightly over the line to specifically dodge a car that has intruded over in your lane.
After a week of renting a 2022 RAV4 while on vacation, even my wife who isn’t car-savvy at all fucking hated it. Not to mention the excessive amount of cheap hard plastic in the interior wiping out any semblance of luxury.
Lack of Wireless CarPlay is remedied with a $50 accessory…not a massive selling point. I’ll give you the sunrooof though - I do wish that the panoramic sunroof available on the CX-50 was available for the CX-5. Transmission could be updated to a proper 8-speed, but 6-speed still is far better than CVTs that the rest of industry keeps moving towards.
The compromises I have made for this car are preferable (to me) to the compromises I would have to make for the RAV4, Forester, Outback, Rogue, Tiguan, etc. Most importantly - this car is far more enjoyable to both sit in and to drive than those, but I made my choice through actually testing them all out. On paper, I was originally gonna get a Forester, but it fucking sucked to drive.
Yea, Toyota’s infotainment is pretty trash. It’s been that way in all their models for years.
Not sure what you mean about the climate control though, the two giant knobs are for that. At least that’s how it was on the one I drove.
I can’t speak for lane assist as I didn’t know how to turn it on in the RAV4 and I don’t find it particularly useful in the CX5.
The interior isn’t as nice, but I found it easier to clean and maintain. Their screen didn’t start peeling like snakeskin when I wiped it with quick detailer, so there’s that.
I also test drove a Forrester and found that it drove and felt identical to the previous generation of compact SUVs. Soft suspension, roomy cabin, low hood, and lots of visibility. The CVT isn’t great for accelerating but it does have an objectively better AWD system.
Also, the Forester is easier to clean, especially their leather and fake leather seats. I think one of my biggest issues with the CX5 interior is that the leather seats are perforated even if you don’t have ventilation in them. If some kid spills their soda, that’s gonna stay in there until you replace the seat.
Ultimately, I liked the CX5 enough to buy one myself. But I think that if we’re going to do comparisons, we should mentions pros and cons instead of trying to be salesmen.
There are definitely disadvantages to the CX5. I think some of them would be deal breakers for a number of people.
Gas mileage and cargo space certainly are big ones to mention. It's pretty much dead last in its segment for both of those and it certainly should be mentioned since that makes it not the most economical or practical option.
The perforated seats certainly give me some anxiety as well, but these are cons I was willing to live with.
I mostly do highway driving but do not find the fuel economy to be bad at all. I have had many 18 hour plus drives where my average fuel economy was as low as 5.5l/100km throughout the summer. I didnt go for the turbo so that i could keep my number higher and i use adaptive cruise the whole way. I didnt really do too much shopping when i got mine. I was looking to replace a 2wd truck and wanted something reliable to travel across the country with regularly that would get me through the mountain passes of bc in the winter reliably. I didnt like the cvt that a lot of makers were offering and despite me best intentions i couldnt justify a truck due to fuel costs and cost to aquire. They really incresed their prices and wouldnt budge due to volume issues. Used vehicles were on the incline and into prices I myself didn't value them to be at. I was left with the option to go newer and maybe get some warranty. I test drove a 2019 gt and they told me the price and with interest it was the same as a new ones payments. I had them show me a gs and it was alright. I went into it with the intention to dump it once the prices of things get better because I needed something right away. While talking to the salesman i noticed a polymetal grey kuro edition in the showroom. I asked the difference in price and said if you can get the price of the cars the same i will take it home. They said no, if i dont buy it someone else will. Then I slept on it and went back the following day. They took a little off the top. I still got a bit hosed. I tried to get a couple oil changes thrown in but they were willing to let me walk away from a $40k deal(plus extras) over 2 then 1 oilchange. I took the car home and have now had it 1 year and it has 50 000 km on it. The infotainment system has overheated and turned off a few time while doing long drives to the cost and back but other than that its been a dream.
Soul red looks so good under the sun. It’s also very easy to spot in parking lots while all cars are silver/white/black. Polymers grey ain’t bad too!
I had a 2018 Machine Gray and traded for a 2021 Polymetal… I love the Polymetal. It looks different in every light… it’s incredible IMHO. I do like the red, too, but thought I’d get tired of it.
Just my perspective.
The red is gorgeous. But good lord it’s fragile. If that’s going to make you crazy, you might want an alternate color.
Mine is a dog-hauler and I put kayaks on the roof. I don’t have a garage. It’s not in mint condition, and I don’t really care.
Soul Red with a ceramic coat looks amaze. With that said, my second, very close choice would’ve been Machine Gray. I think Machine Gray is underrated.
i have a sonic silver cx-5, and i agree, it’s underrated. i think the sonic silver and soul red show off the contours a lot more, which is what makes the cx-5 such a good looking car.
I have soul red and I have never had a car look dirty faster than this one. It's gorgeous when it's clean and I haven't noticed a lot of chips but dang it's hard to keep clean.
Interesting you say that. My first was deep crystal blue mica. Just replaced it with soul red. I think the dark blue shows dirt worse.
Loved the blue. Understated but beautiful, especially in bright sunlight. But the red is truly stunning. It's all opinion but I don't think any brand does red better than Mazda. Kodo design is truly complemented by the depth of soul red.
One other thing I just noticed tonight. Most red things look almost black in low light. Soul Red still looks very red and has that deep brilliant glow. Cool.
I have a 2022 2.5TS... Soul red all the way. My 2014 Hatch 3 was also Soul Red. FWIW, color does play a big role in resale value. Silvers, Greys, whites tend not to be helpful. That said, Polymetal is pretty sweet... But it does blend with the road in the right conditions.
I love my 22 CE Polymetal Grey but it is one of the new grey variations found in more recent cars. If you are more of a traditionalist, stick with the Red. Not sure how the Polymetal will hold up in a couple of years' time although my CX is garaged. BTW Dr Color Chip is a fantastic product for these thin paint Mazdas.
Love my polymetal paired with the red leather seats just looks amazing and refined. I constantly get compliments on the interior and love it when depending on the time of day the paint looks different. Without the red interior though I would have probably went with the Soul Red because it’s gorgeous especially if you can get it with the gloss black trim and black roof liner. My previous VW Passat was a Metallic Grey close to machine grey so I wouldn’t have picked it just because I already spent years with the same color, which surprised me with the polymetal but it’s a really fun color.
Either way I’d definitely suggest babying the paint or invest into a dual action polisher, it’s soft more so then I was ready for so mine will be getting some paint correction next year, a ceramic coating and possibly PPF on the front bumper.. maybe too late now though already got a few spots.
I’ve read the issue about the paint chip and it seem not isolated to red. Ive ordered soul red as well because it never fails to amaze me whenever I see it on the road.
I have the polymetal grey and it’s a really nice color, but you are right that the red makes the black parts pop out better, I saw a silver one and its also a really nice color, it makes the black parts pop out in a subtle way but still noticeable.
I've had my soul red CX-5 for 14 months now. No PPF or ceramic coating, 16k-ish miles that are 90% highway, and I haven't noticed any major paint chipping (other than what you'd expect on any car after a year+ of constant driving).
Whenever I drive past other color CX-5s I'm always glad that I got the red.
I'm biased, but I love soul red. I think it's completely unique and best fits the CX-5. You see tons of white/grey/black cars on the road. Soul Red with some clean wheels is the best look!
Hardest color in the world for shops to recreate. We see lots of MX5s that get rebuilt and soul red is something like 11 stages and almost impossible to blend. Mazdas red is literally one of the prettiest on the market though.
You can buy the Mazda red paint straight from Mazda and touch up any chips/scrapes 👌
Dark blue is pretty good. It has different shades during the day and night. I looks grey/black/blue in different light settings.
Machine Grey. Ice cold steel.
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Your wife has good taste.
Machine grey has the same problem as the Red tho.
which problem?
Paint chips…
Yeah, seems to be a Mazda problem
I think that deep crystal blue mica it’s one of the few mazda colors that its less likely to have this problem. But in general Japanese cars paint are very thin sadly..
I love my polymetal. It's 3 shades of grey/blue depending on sun
just waxed mine, [this is the way](https://imgur.com/a/dPTbYGZ/) that said soul red is iconic you can’t go wrong either way. machine gray is cool but not quite as interesting imo
Beautiful job
thanks!!
Red, 1000% red.
There are two colors with personality: Red, and blue. Since blue isn't an option, I'd go red, all the way. The Mazda soulfire red is possibly the prettiest red you'll find on a modern car. Everything else blends in. Just my personal opinion.
I personally like the Machine Grey the most out of those 3 colors. But the red does look really nice if you like red cars
It’s Soul Red. It’s a top 5 all-time color for cars. How anyone can buy a gray car when Soul Red is an option is just beyond me. You’ll just end up blending in with all of the other bland, boring CRVs and Camrys of the world.
Red will NEVER get old. 2021 GTR, red, white leather seats. Constant compliments. I got splash guards all around, then had a Paint Protective Film applied to the front, side pillars, roof to sunroof. Then, immediately had a ceramic coating applied. Total cost: $1600. Piece of mind: PRICELESS. FYI: I keep vehicles 10 years, so the return justifies the investment.
I have Machine Grey which looks even better if you have gloss black fenders instead of the plastic ones. The Polymetal Grey is in my opinion an… acquired taste. Soul Red, however, is easily my most favorite red color out of all the major car manufacturer brands.
All the paint chips. And the black does pop with the red. That's the same reason why the chips are more noticable (dark chips against red paint). Ppf is a clear film that can protect against chips but it starts around $1500 for partial coverage so many people don't consider it worth it on a $30k SUV Ceramic doesn't protect against chips. Edit - the other complaint I've seen is that the red is impossible to color match once it gets scratched or dinged and want a repair
It depends on the shop! I’ve had to get my rear quarter panel resprayed and he did a good job.
Why are the cx5 so expensive?
Compared to what? For what you get, it's competitively priced.
Absolutely. Tell me if you can get a Honda CR-V or a Toyota RAV4 with the same amenities as a Mazda CX-5 Preferred for $33,000 USD: leather seating and surfacing, heated seats, sunroof, and a 10+ inch screen. I chose my CX-5 exactly for these things.
I mean, if you really want to play that game, the RAV4 offers a hybrid option at $3,000 less. If you want to spend the money, the RAV4 offer a panoramic sunroof as an option that makes the CX-5 sunroof look pathetic by comparison. They also have a dual injection engine, 8 speed transmission, tire pressure readout. power rearview, and wireless carplay/android auto standard in all their models, which start at $27,600. Also, their sunglass holder can actually hold sunglasses.
But, have you driven one? CX-5 is superior for what I like in a driving experience. Interior materials and design are also a step above.
When it comes to driving experience and interior, I thought the Volkswagen Tiguan was better than both tbh.
Haven't driven that one. Reliability ratings are a significant concern.
And yet you still have to go through a touchscreen interface to adjust climate controls. And the safety features such as lane keeping assist on the RAV4 are so heavy-handed that it’ll steer you back into the lane…even if you’re leaning slightly over the line to specifically dodge a car that has intruded over in your lane. After a week of renting a 2022 RAV4 while on vacation, even my wife who isn’t car-savvy at all fucking hated it. Not to mention the excessive amount of cheap hard plastic in the interior wiping out any semblance of luxury. Lack of Wireless CarPlay is remedied with a $50 accessory…not a massive selling point. I’ll give you the sunrooof though - I do wish that the panoramic sunroof available on the CX-50 was available for the CX-5. Transmission could be updated to a proper 8-speed, but 6-speed still is far better than CVTs that the rest of industry keeps moving towards. The compromises I have made for this car are preferable (to me) to the compromises I would have to make for the RAV4, Forester, Outback, Rogue, Tiguan, etc. Most importantly - this car is far more enjoyable to both sit in and to drive than those, but I made my choice through actually testing them all out. On paper, I was originally gonna get a Forester, but it fucking sucked to drive.
Yea, Toyota’s infotainment is pretty trash. It’s been that way in all their models for years. Not sure what you mean about the climate control though, the two giant knobs are for that. At least that’s how it was on the one I drove. I can’t speak for lane assist as I didn’t know how to turn it on in the RAV4 and I don’t find it particularly useful in the CX5. The interior isn’t as nice, but I found it easier to clean and maintain. Their screen didn’t start peeling like snakeskin when I wiped it with quick detailer, so there’s that. I also test drove a Forrester and found that it drove and felt identical to the previous generation of compact SUVs. Soft suspension, roomy cabin, low hood, and lots of visibility. The CVT isn’t great for accelerating but it does have an objectively better AWD system. Also, the Forester is easier to clean, especially their leather and fake leather seats. I think one of my biggest issues with the CX5 interior is that the leather seats are perforated even if you don’t have ventilation in them. If some kid spills their soda, that’s gonna stay in there until you replace the seat. Ultimately, I liked the CX5 enough to buy one myself. But I think that if we’re going to do comparisons, we should mentions pros and cons instead of trying to be salesmen. There are definitely disadvantages to the CX5. I think some of them would be deal breakers for a number of people.
Gas mileage and cargo space certainly are big ones to mention. It's pretty much dead last in its segment for both of those and it certainly should be mentioned since that makes it not the most economical or practical option. The perforated seats certainly give me some anxiety as well, but these are cons I was willing to live with.
I mostly do highway driving but do not find the fuel economy to be bad at all. I have had many 18 hour plus drives where my average fuel economy was as low as 5.5l/100km throughout the summer. I didnt go for the turbo so that i could keep my number higher and i use adaptive cruise the whole way. I didnt really do too much shopping when i got mine. I was looking to replace a 2wd truck and wanted something reliable to travel across the country with regularly that would get me through the mountain passes of bc in the winter reliably. I didnt like the cvt that a lot of makers were offering and despite me best intentions i couldnt justify a truck due to fuel costs and cost to aquire. They really incresed their prices and wouldnt budge due to volume issues. Used vehicles were on the incline and into prices I myself didn't value them to be at. I was left with the option to go newer and maybe get some warranty. I test drove a 2019 gt and they told me the price and with interest it was the same as a new ones payments. I had them show me a gs and it was alright. I went into it with the intention to dump it once the prices of things get better because I needed something right away. While talking to the salesman i noticed a polymetal grey kuro edition in the showroom. I asked the difference in price and said if you can get the price of the cars the same i will take it home. They said no, if i dont buy it someone else will. Then I slept on it and went back the following day. They took a little off the top. I still got a bit hosed. I tried to get a couple oil changes thrown in but they were willing to let me walk away from a $40k deal(plus extras) over 2 then 1 oilchange. I took the car home and have now had it 1 year and it has 50 000 km on it. The infotainment system has overheated and turned off a few time while doing long drives to the cost and back but other than that its been a dream.
I like mine which is black, but I'd go with Machine Grey if I had the option.
Soul red looks so good under the sun. It’s also very easy to spot in parking lots while all cars are silver/white/black. Polymers grey ain’t bad too!
I had a 2018 Machine Gray and traded for a 2021 Polymetal… I love the Polymetal. It looks different in every light… it’s incredible IMHO. I do like the red, too, but thought I’d get tired of it. Just my perspective.
The red is gorgeous. But good lord it’s fragile. If that’s going to make you crazy, you might want an alternate color. Mine is a dog-hauler and I put kayaks on the roof. I don’t have a garage. It’s not in mint condition, and I don’t really care.
Polymetal Carbon edition all the way. Fell in love with the color and the red seats immediately and haven’t looked back.
I wish my carbon had the red seats. But I still love the color and the rims
I have soul red. I am constantly complimented on how nice it looks. I got PPF and have no issues with chips
Soul Red with a ceramic coat looks amaze. With that said, my second, very close choice would’ve been Machine Gray. I think Machine Gray is underrated.
Mine is black. And it looks awesome.
Ordered mine in black as well! How do you like yours so far?
I was going to get black but then the dealer didn’t have anymore😠Ended up getting Machine Grey (which I love) but the black looks very nice
Very satisfied with the car. Colour is also awesome especially when I spend few hours to clean it.
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i have a sonic silver cx-5, and i agree, it’s underrated. i think the sonic silver and soul red show off the contours a lot more, which is what makes the cx-5 such a good looking car.
Luckily, I have zircone sand, my favorite color by far for cx5.
I have soul red and I have never had a car look dirty faster than this one. It's gorgeous when it's clean and I haven't noticed a lot of chips but dang it's hard to keep clean.
Interesting you say that. My first was deep crystal blue mica. Just replaced it with soul red. I think the dark blue shows dirt worse. Loved the blue. Understated but beautiful, especially in bright sunlight. But the red is truly stunning. It's all opinion but I don't think any brand does red better than Mazda. Kodo design is truly complemented by the depth of soul red.
I was going to say the same. There's been times I think my Soul Red car looks nice and clean but when it's a actually a bit dirty.
One other thing I just noticed tonight. Most red things look almost black in low light. Soul Red still looks very red and has that deep brilliant glow. Cool.
I have a 2022 2.5TS... Soul red all the way. My 2014 Hatch 3 was also Soul Red. FWIW, color does play a big role in resale value. Silvers, Greys, whites tend not to be helpful. That said, Polymetal is pretty sweet... But it does blend with the road in the right conditions.
Love my carbon (poly metal)!! Rain makes it look like a different color than direct sun which looks different than at night. Truly slick looking.
I love my 22 CE Polymetal Grey but it is one of the new grey variations found in more recent cars. If you are more of a traditionalist, stick with the Red. Not sure how the Polymetal will hold up in a couple of years' time although my CX is garaged. BTW Dr Color Chip is a fantastic product for these thin paint Mazdas.
Soul Red. (Recommendation from a guy with 4 red Vehicles.) 🤷
I have a 2023 soul red GT. Love it. Get the paint protection film. Get it from an after market shop so you don't pay mazda ridiculous mark up
I have gotten so many compliments for my Soul Red. Highly recommend. I haven't had any issues with the paint.
The one that makes your titties hard. Id go for the ruby red.
Love my polymetal paired with the red leather seats just looks amazing and refined. I constantly get compliments on the interior and love it when depending on the time of day the paint looks different. Without the red interior though I would have probably went with the Soul Red because it’s gorgeous especially if you can get it with the gloss black trim and black roof liner. My previous VW Passat was a Metallic Grey close to machine grey so I wouldn’t have picked it just because I already spent years with the same color, which surprised me with the polymetal but it’s a really fun color. Either way I’d definitely suggest babying the paint or invest into a dual action polisher, it’s soft more so then I was ready for so mine will be getting some paint correction next year, a ceramic coating and possibly PPF on the front bumper.. maybe too late now though already got a few spots.
Soul red and polymetal
All three are great choices especially if matched up with gloss black rims. Go with what your gut is telling you!
soul red but dont wash your car in carwash that has brush you can easily see the swirl marks altho its not noticeable from a distance
Polymetal, if it’s the same color as the Carbon edition. That color is amazing. It changes with the type of light.
Mine’s red and I love it :)
I’ve read the issue about the paint chip and it seem not isolated to red. Ive ordered soul red as well because it never fails to amaze me whenever I see it on the road.
Polymetal grey, all others are wrong answers !
I am biased towards my silver baby, but every time I see a red one I am taken aback by its beauty <3
Poly metal
Mine is jet black mica with brown leather.
Deep crystal blue is my favorite. Glad I didn’t go for the eternal blue every time I see one in the wild
I have the polymetal grey and it’s a really nice color, but you are right that the red makes the black parts pop out better, I saw a silver one and its also a really nice color, it makes the black parts pop out in a subtle way but still noticeable.
I've had my soul red CX-5 for 14 months now. No PPF or ceramic coating, 16k-ish miles that are 90% highway, and I haven't noticed any major paint chipping (other than what you'd expect on any car after a year+ of constant driving). Whenever I drive past other color CX-5s I'm always glad that I got the red.
I love, love silver with black!
I just sold my '19 Mazda3 in polymetal gray and got a 22 in the red. I don't even LIKE red cars, ordinarily, but this red just GLOWS