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A Tale of 2 Crossovers


groupw

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About a year ago, my boss replaced my Buick Park Avenue with a Buick Enclave. It was a welcome upgrade as the Park Avenue was near 300,000 miles! 
In November, we replaced our 2005 Mazda 6 with a 2013 CX-5. The car still ran well, but several items were going to be due for maintenance soon and I would rather put that money toward a newer vehicle. 
The Enclave is a full-size, 3rd row seating vehicle. The CX-5 is a mid-size, 2 row. Scooter’s CX-9 purchase inspired me to share a little on these 2. 
The Enclave is wildly popular in this part of the country. You can’t swing a dead cat with hitting one. Considering the closest active Mazda dealer is 100 miles away, there are more Mazda’s than you would expect. But that mid-size class crossover is very popular. Needless to say both can be tough to find in a busy parking lot. 
Size - the full size is great for work! I need to haul small copiers, multiple PCs at a time, etc. The 3rd row seats are permanently down. I have only needed to use my pickup for work once since I got the Enclave. Previously I needed my pickup a few times per year. However, despite a decent sized cargo area, I still have to flip forward one of the 2nd row seats to get my bike to fit! The CX-5 gives up the 2nd row of seats to fit a bike. Not a big deal for just the 2 of us. I plan to put a hitch mount rack this spring so people can ride with us if bikes are being hauled. Parking else is noticeably better with the CX-5. It just fits spaces better and visibility of the vehicle corners is better. 
The Enclave is 1500 lbs heavier. You feel every pound on acceleration and corners. The Enclave seems to take a deep breath before accelerating from a light. The CX-5 just goes. 
The Enclave has decent power from its V6   Once rolling, it has decent pep! The transmission is also very intuitive about being in the right gear at the right time. The Mazda is not powerful, but let the engine rev a little and it is more than capable in traffic. The transmission is pretty good except it can’t wait to shift to a higher gear for economy. We have it trained to shift at appropriate points when accelerating. But it can sometimes bog if you need a lower gear to accelerate  quickly or go up a hill. Luckily the manual shift mode works great! I use that in cities with lots of hills with no mileage penalties to speak of. 
Kudos to Buick for finally allowing cars to handle well! Yes, I feel it’s weight in corners, but it will get around ok. The suspension is firm. The philosophy seems to be to crush the road into submission but it gets the job done. The Mazda drives like a Mazda. This is a very good thing! You won’t mistake it for a Miata, but there is a certain eagerness to attack corners. Oddly the suspension feels a little softer than the Buick’s. It seems to glide more over road imperfections. 
The Buick interior has a little Art Deco feel. It is stylish, but sometimes busier than need be. Some of the soft plastic surfaces are not exactly pleasant to the touch. The seats are the best I have ever experienced in a GM vehicle, but not enough side bolster support on corners. For the most part it is laid out ok, but some controls don’t make sense. The headlight controls are a knob on the dash instead of a steering column stalk. The rear window wiper is low on the console. Not exactly handy in traffic on a rainy or snowy day!

The Mazda is monochrome black with a few satin chrome touches. The leather seats are comfortable and well bolstered. Other surfaces are generally a better tactile feel than the Buick and controls are laid so you learn them quickly. 
The Mazda CX-5 was the first vehicle they designed with the “kodo” design language. I think it’s a very good looking vehicle. It’s simple, but unique. Buick did the best it could with the platform it was given. I am not a fan of the waterfall grille. I like their new grille style much better. Otherwise it seems less porcine than its Chevy and GMC cousins. 
So at the end of this long article, I am very glad we chose the CX-5. It has fit our lifestyle very well. However, I am surprised how well the Buick compared in many aspects. If I needed the larger vehicle, I would give the CX-9 a test first, but I would not be upset with an Enclave. 

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Just now, jsharr said:

Nice write up.

Yes!  I love driving a light car.  The other night I went from the van to my daughter's Fit, and that thing feels like a go-kart!  One reason I vastly prefer cars over SUVs.   I think my dream car might be a Lotus because they value lightness so much.  Thankfully I think my wife is leaning more toward a CRV than a Pilot.

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53 minutes ago, team scooter said:

Excellent write up. Our 9 feels lighter then our two friend's Lincoln and Volvo CUVs. Must be the lightweight turbo four cylinder. :dontknow:

Our Mazda dealer is only about 45 minutes away. Still makes the oil changes a half day process though. :(

Lighter weight is part of it, but Mazda definitely believes in an active rather than passive driving experience. Drive a first gen Mazda 6 and a same vintage Ford Fusion. They are the same platform and drivetrain yet they are 2 distinctly different driving experiences! I tested a Fusion when we were shopping for the 6. No comparison. 

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1 hour ago, RalphWaldoMooseworth said:

Yes!  I love driving a light car.  The other night I went from the van to my daughter's Fit, and that thing feels like a go-kart!  One reason I vastly prefer cars over SUVs.   I think my dream car might be a Lotus because they value lightness so much.  Thankfully I think my wife is leaning more toward a CRV than a Pilot.

I can’t remember the details, but we needed to get my pickup from work. Decided to get it after a nice evening drive in the Miata. My pickup is a 99 Dakota with V6 and manual transmission. The back to back experience was so drastic, I thought something was wrong with my pickup! Nothing felt right! Light cars are great. We debated about another Mazda 6 but the market was pretty tight for them when we needed to buy. The AWD in the CX-5 has proven worthwhile several times this winter and it is a lot more convenient for hauling items. 

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1 hour ago, groupw said:

Lighter weight is part of it, but Mazda definitely believes in an active rather than passive driving experience. Drive a first gen Mazda 6 and a same vintage Ford Fusion. They are the same platform and drivetrain yet they are 2 distinctly different driving experiences! I tested a Fusion when we were shopping for the 6. No comparison. 

I actually like the Fusion as a passenger. Very comfy and nice ride. 

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I still don't see the point of Buick :(  Chevy and Cadillac would be my full GM line-up.  Of course, I don't run GM, but really a "mainstream" and a "premium" line are all that a car company needs these days. I'm assuming the Enclave is a Traverse in different trim? Same as an Acadia as well?

I certainly think it would be a fine choice, just feel it could be a Chevy instead.

 

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