New Mazda CX-5 sitting in the garage

[MillCreek]

My wife decided that she wanted to trade in her 2016 Subaru Outback for another compact crossover with a heated steering wheel.  She was diagnosed last year with Reynaud's syndrome, and it turns out she really misses a heated steering wheel in the winter, which did wonders for the range of motion in her hands.  

We went and kicked tires and took test drives on the new Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage, Toyota RAV-4 and the Mazda.  I don't think any of them was a bad choice; I liked the Honda for the storage space, the Kia for the price, and she went with the Mazda since it drove better, was peppier than the others, a very nice interior, and the Grand Touring trim line offered a lot of bang for the buck, plus Mazda was offering 0.9% financing.  It is ten inches shorter than the Outback, so that reclaims some space in the garage.  The Mazda consistently ranks at number two of the compact crossovers on the major review sites; the CR-V is number one.

[Scout26]

What did you get for the trade-in, if you don't mind me asking.

[dogmush]

My wife adores her Mazda3 Grand Touring.  It's a lot of value for the money.

If they'd have come out with a MazdaSpeed 6 this year I'd be getting one when I get home.  Unfortunately I really want more HP than Mazda puts in their vehicles.  Great chassis though, even the crossovers.

[MillCreek]

What did you get for the trade-in, if you don't mind me asking.

She had the top of the line 2016 (bought two years ago) Outback with EyeSight, etc., the body and interior were perfect, all service records and 26,000 miles.  She got $ 25 K for the trade in.  We briefly debated selling it privately on Craigslist, or eBay motors, and noticed that similar cars were typically going for around $ 26-28K in this area.  With the trade-in value offered, she decided it would be quicker and easier to do the trade.  We would have sold it privately if the trade in was less than $ 23 K.

I personally loved that car and would not have gotten rid of it, but this is why we have separate bank accounts: it is her money to spend.  I did insist that the CX-5 have all-wheel drive, since it does snow where we are.

[Fly320s]

The people at Jalopnik.com give the CX5 high recommendations.

I like it, too, but I'm not in need of a new ride yet.

[Kingcreek]

I like the size and utility of the crossovers but when we were looking, everything had big blind spot areas and poor visibility according to my 5 foot nothing spouse. She struggles somewhat with every vehicle and never seems to understand where her wheels and corners are. She would be happiest with the old boxy jeep Cherokee.

[T.O.M.]

Mazda is putting out good cars.  Only reason I bought the Ford Fusion I'm driving now instead of a Mazda is I got a great deal on my Fusion.  Better than the Mazda sales guy was offering me.

[zahc]

Isn't Mazda owned by Ford? My Mazda has a Ford engine.

[MillCreek]

Isn't Mazda owned by Ford? My Mazda has a Ford engine.

I think that years ago, Ford owned 20-25% of Mazda, but Ford subsequently sold their stake.

[Scout26]

Lots of cross pollination in cars.  Just watch old Top Gear and they are constantly talking about British car makers using American engines and American car makers using British designs.  Same with Japanese cars, especially in 1990's when car companies were buying each other left and right.

[Declaration Day]

Though they get mixed reviews, aftermarket heated steering wheel covers exist, and are quite cheap.  I'd at least have tried one before trading in a nearly new car.  On the other hand, I am a car nut and love taking delivery of a new car.

[MillCreek]

^^^We tried a fancy one from Hammacher Schlemmer that was supposed to be the acme of heated steering wheel covers.  It was recommended by the Reynaud's support group website.  It worked for about two weeks, never got above lukewarm and only at the bottom of the wheel, and then stopped working altogether.  She also did not like the wires that would occasionally get tangled up with the stalks. We returned it for a refund.  Out of curiosity, I just checked and HS no longer sells this item, and many of the reviews pretty much recount our experience with it.   We also could not find heated gloves that were really useful for driving.  Lots of heated gloves for snowmobiling and the like, but they were pretty bulky.

The other interesting thing we found that it is only within the most recent model year, that some, but not all, of the crossovers are offering heated steering wheels, and those only in the top trim lines and with an additional premium option package.  Subaru did not offer one at all when she bought her 2016 Outback, and Service said it would be impossible to install the 2017/2018 heated wheel on her 2016 model.  It is interesting that she had a heated steering wheel on her 2011 Kia Optima, although it too was part of the premium option package.