Do You Guys Like the Key Fob Design?

@Wes
Blows my mind that they couldn’t somehow design the key in a switchblade fashion yet got basically everything else right about their current lineup.

Luca said:
@Wes
Blows my mind that they couldn’t somehow design the key in a switchblade fashion yet got basically everything else right about their current lineup.

Like Kia’s lovely new fob that’s also cleverly a switchblade on lower trims.

@Wes
This one is good: mazda 2013 keyfob - Search. The rest is crap.

Blair said:
@Wes
This one is good: mazda 2013 keyfob - Search. The rest is crap.

Can confirm. And no stupid app to remote start your car over the internet. Fucking ridiculous.

Blair said:
@Wes
This one is good: mazda 2013 keyfob - Search. The rest is crap.

Yeah, that version of the fob was great. This was the one thing about upgrading I didn’t like.

Blair said:
@Wes
This one is good: mazda 2013 keyfob - Search. The rest is crap.

It’s an interesting example of where the old design was far superior to the new one.

Sage said:

Blair said:
@Wes
This one is good: mazda 2013 keyfob - Search. The rest is crap.

It’s an interesting example of where the old design was far superior to the new one.

This fob was better than the predecessor, too. I had that one, and it was also great except for the key release button that lost the spring, and the key couldn’t be folded.

Blair said:
@Wes
This one is good: mazda 2013 keyfob - Search. The rest is crap.

Best key design, very sad they dropped it.

@Wes
My dude, hahaha, exactly the same happened to me.

@Wes
Same thing happened to my mother. I bought her a cover as well. Stupid. They should’ve invested a few more pennies into the fob quality.

@Wes
I dropped it just once, now it has all the scratches of the world over it.

@Wes
The key ring on mine broke off in my pocket, just from regular use. I’ve tried fixing it in many different ways, and Mazda has given me no solutions. It’s held together with zip ties.

Where did you get that lanyard for the key?

Levi said:
Where did you get that lanyard for the key?

I would like to know as well. Edit: Amazon has similar ones; search Mazda keychain.

It looks nice, but that’s where my appreciation ends. The buttons along the side are hard to press when needed, and it’s easy to accidentally hit the wrong button when wearing gloves. Not a huge deal when driving alone, as I just open and close via the proxy key function. But when I have passengers, I like to unlock when walking up to the car so people don’t have to wait for me to get to the door. The tiny buttons are finicky and require looking at the fob to use, versus, say, my Honda Odyssey fob which I can use by feel alone as the buttons are well separated. And that fob is a masterclass in utilitarian design, having to back two additional buttons on it! (One for each motorized sliding door). Also, the range in it seems to suck. Shortest fob range of any vehicle I’ve owned. To be clear, these aren’t deal breakers for the car or brand; I still love my ‘24 CX-5 Turbo. It’s just a minor annoyance.

@Hollis
You can change the settings in the car’s infotainment so keyless unlocks all doors, game changer for me personally.

Kerr said:
@Hollis
You can change the settings in the car’s infotainment so keyless unlocks all doors, game changer for me personally.

On my driver’s door handle, there’s a button. One press unlocks the driver’s door. Two presses unlocks them all. 2023 CX-5.

This design sucks. The buttons are easily activated in your pocket. A thick leather case mostly helped that. Trying to take it apart to access the emergency key or change the battery is needlessly complicated and the pieces feel cheap.

@Charlie
Needlessly complicated to open? Just gently drop it. It will open up like a sandbox tree fruit. (Explodes and flies apart in various directions… lol)

@Charlie
This was my biggest problem that doesn’t seem to be talked about enough. Always have to make sure nothing else is in my pocket with it. I’ve come back to my CX-30 countless times with the trunk wide open; I wonder how many more times it’s been opened and closed without me knowing.