Mazda for a first car… is it a good idea?

General Forums
21

The CX-5 is hard to beat. If you can afford a new one, it’s worth it—they’re offering low-interest rates right now, which could make a brand-new 2025 model more attractive than a slightly used 2022 or 2023.

If you’re looking at trims, the GS, Kuro, and Sport Design Turbo are great value options, priced at around 36K, 42K, and 45K CAD respectively. Even the GX trim at 33K CAD is solid.

If you go used, stick to models without Cylinder Deactivation (2017 and earlier or some 2018 GX and GS trims) or the 2022 and newer Turbos.

22

The CX-5 is a great choice. CX-3 is a bit small unless you have no kids. Other models are newer, so finding used ones might be harder.

Think about what you need from the car first—Mazda might not even be the best fit for you, depending on your priorities.

23

The Mazda 3 is awesome, but in my opinion, Honda has the edge when it comes to higher trims. The Civic Si beats the Mazda 3 at the top level.

Mazda’s crossovers, though, are fantastic. My wife just got a 2025 CX-30, and it’s perfect. We also checked out the CX-3 and CX-5. I wouldn’t bother with Honda’s CR-V because of reliability concerns, but that’s just me.