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davidcarson48
Guest
A close friend, for whom money is tight, asked for my help in researching and purchasing a new car for her. She is looking at the 2014 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring. We test drove it today and, I gotta say, it's impressive. It handles great, the electric steering is the best I've driven, the exterior looks good, and the interior is really roomy with fantastic front seats. The 6-speed transmission is fantastic and feels like a dual-clutch German unit. The 2.5L four cylinder is adequate with 185hp and returns about 26 (AWD) to 28 (FWD) in mixed driving. It even has lane departure warning as standard equipment.
The only downside we saw was the Tech package isn't worth the cost ($1650) as the in-dash NAV is just a glorified Tom-Tom unit. Luckily, there aren't any other "must haves" in the Tech package, so she can skip that altogether.
So here is the question for you guys. I'm in NJ and we do see some snow (more this year than most years). The car is available in FWD and AWD with a difference in price of $1600. The AWD model weighs an extra 175 pounds and is FWD-biased until slip is detected. Gas mileage is 1-2mpg lower with the AWD and maintenace is more costly (transfer and front diff fluid changes down the road plus any unknown AWD issues/repairs that could crop up).
Negotiated prices are roughly $26,600 for the FWD and $28,200 for the AWD. Sticker prices are about $28,500 and $30,000.
I'm thinking save the money and go FWD. It would be a little quicker, handle a little better (on dry roads), get better gas mileage, and easier to maintain. If it were my purchase, I'd probably go AWD, even though I'd have the same argument as to if it's worth the cost/weight/gas/maintenance.
The only potential downsides are 1) the AWD would be better in snow and 2) resale value (people would probably prefer the AWD). But...if the thing is that bad in the snow, she could get dedicated winter wheels/snows for less than $1600.
We are in no rush as the 2015 model will be out in April with only minor changes. The deals on the 2014s may get better. It's a TON of car for the price.
Any thoughts or experiences with this delimma on a CX-5 or another similar CUV/SUV? Anyone driven a FWD CX-5 in the snow?
Thanks in advance!
The only downside we saw was the Tech package isn't worth the cost ($1650) as the in-dash NAV is just a glorified Tom-Tom unit. Luckily, there aren't any other "must haves" in the Tech package, so she can skip that altogether.
So here is the question for you guys. I'm in NJ and we do see some snow (more this year than most years). The car is available in FWD and AWD with a difference in price of $1600. The AWD model weighs an extra 175 pounds and is FWD-biased until slip is detected. Gas mileage is 1-2mpg lower with the AWD and maintenace is more costly (transfer and front diff fluid changes down the road plus any unknown AWD issues/repairs that could crop up).
Negotiated prices are roughly $26,600 for the FWD and $28,200 for the AWD. Sticker prices are about $28,500 and $30,000.
I'm thinking save the money and go FWD. It would be a little quicker, handle a little better (on dry roads), get better gas mileage, and easier to maintain. If it were my purchase, I'd probably go AWD, even though I'd have the same argument as to if it's worth the cost/weight/gas/maintenance.
The only potential downsides are 1) the AWD would be better in snow and 2) resale value (people would probably prefer the AWD). But...if the thing is that bad in the snow, she could get dedicated winter wheels/snows for less than $1600.
We are in no rush as the 2015 model will be out in April with only minor changes. The deals on the 2014s may get better. It's a TON of car for the price.
Any thoughts or experiences with this delimma on a CX-5 or another similar CUV/SUV? Anyone driven a FWD CX-5 in the snow?
Thanks in advance!
