Watch This Before Buying a Subaru or Mazda

today we're looking at two compact crossovers the subaru forester and the mazda cx-5 we'll drive through and see how each crossover evolved in technology and style we'll also see which model years are the best to buy used which ones to avoid and more so hop in and let's go for a ride in 1997 subaru announced an impressa-based crossover it was named the forester it was larger it was taller than the impreza featured a spacious interior 7.5 inches of ground clearance and came equipped with all-wheel drive the forester had all the capabilities of an suv but drove like a road car the forester was lower than a regular suv which meant there was less risk of rollover when cornering subaru marketed the forester as suv tough the first generation came with a 2.5 liter h4 engine with dual overhead cam chats later this double over cam engine was replaced by a single overhead camshaft engine it was available with either a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual transmissions the standard all-wheel drive system used by the forester used a 60 40 split to power the front wheels and rear wheels the all-wheel drive system however dynamically adjusted the power split as needed for example when driving uphill the all-wheel drive system transferred more power to the rear and when the weight shifted forward such as going downhill the forester added more power to the front end this gave the forester sporty handling and better on-road capability it was also easier to load cargo into a forester since it was lower in height compared to other crossovers of the time a few years later subaru released the second generation forester it too shared from the impressive platform and came standard with all-wheel drive with the same 2.4 liter h4 boxer engine but there were noticeable improvements for one it was even larger than the previous generation with increased cargo space yet it weighed 100 pounds less this was made possible due to aluminum bonnet perforated rails and a hydroformed subframe later model years of this generation saw a turbo engine added then subaru made the forester even larger the third generation forester was rounder and less box it was three inches longer one and a half inches wider and 4.3 inches taller its wheelbase also increased by another three and a half inch although oddly enough the interior and cargo space of the crossover didn't increase at all on the contrary it was decreased under the hood was a new 2.5 l h4 boxer engine that output 170 horsepower all-wheel drive remained standard and drivers still had a choice between a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic around this time mazda started designing a new compact crossover based on the mazda managi the new vehicle was released as a cx-5 and it was the new competition in the growing crossover market mazda designed the cx-5 by focusing driver passenger comfort and connection to the car or oneness with the car mazda engineers were inspired by the japanese concept jinba etta which means horse and rider as one and a theme reflected in many aspects of the vehicle from the responsiveness of the throttle to the driver-focused cockpits and to the flexible steering the cx-5 was also the first mazda vehicle to feature the full suite of sky active technology to provide fuel efficient engines and transmissions resulting in lower emissions and lower fuel consumption the cx-5 shared the same platform as the mazda 3 and mazda 6. the original 2013 model was offered in three trim levels sport touring and grand touring each powered by 155 horsepower 2-liter 4-cylinder engine 6-speed manual transmission with standard front-wheel drive a 6-speed automatic transmission with an optional all-wheel drive system was also available in 2014 mazda introduced a new more powerful engine the touring and grand touring were now standard with a 2.5 liter four-cylinder engine with 184 horsepower while this new engine was more powerful it didn't impact the cx-5's renowned fuel economy further refinements led to the 2016 model year with revised suspension setup to optimize performance improved vehicle sound insulation for a quieter cabin was also added the body of the car had also been redesigned to make it slightly smoother meanwhile subaru released the fourth generation forester with the 2014 model year this new generation was 1.4 inches longer and 6 10 of an inch wider the wheelbase also grew by one inch subaru also introduced their eyesight driver assistance as an option for the touring trim forester but the most significant update came with the addition of the continuously variable transmission cvt the subaru cvd technology provided for advantages in linear acceleration and performance and less wear and tear on the transmission while also offering improved fuel economy and lower emission and the 2.5 premium trim still came with a six-speed manual transmission other models received the new cvts standard not to be outdone mazda overhauled the cx-5 in 2017. this marked the beginning of the new generation cx-5 it sported a more aggressive and more modern appearance this new generation featured four trim levels the 2.5 liter engine output more horses than before this engine now came with a six-speed automatic transmission also mazda discontinued offering manual transmissions in the cx-5 that year mazda again revamped the cx-5 lineup in 2019. they added the grand touring reserve and signature as the top two trim levels not only did they offer more standard features than previous models but these also came equipped with high quality leather upholstery and wood trim plus a 250 horsepower 2.5 turbocharged four-cylinder engine take from larger cx-9suv the 2020 model saw a major upgrade to the standard safety suite including adaptive cruise control lane departure warning lane keep assist forward collision warning and pedestrian detection meanwhile subaru launched the generation 5 forester and they increased the forester size again for additional cargo and cabin space the new forester came equipped with only one end 2.5 h4 mated to a cvt with a standard all-wheel drive and tech features like eyesight apple carplay and android auto were now standard forester had only one engine option because subaru dropped the turbocharged forester 2.0 xt model in 2019. the 2021 forester is currently subaru's number one selling model and has even passed the popular outback wagon in fact the forester sales make up 30 of all subaru sales now subaru also dropped the six-speed manual transmission into forester in 2019. it's in line with what many car manufacturers have been doing since sales of manuals have been consistently dropping in recent decades and this is a generation of the current forester it rides on the new subaru global platform subaru has invested one billion dollars to build the new platform it offers a large 76.1 cubic feet of cargo space when the back seats are folded flat kelly blue book rates the new forester as best in its class in terms of value we're talking about affordability good fuel mileage an ability to retain its relative value with a 5-year depreciation of 51 percent according to ic cars what about safety ihs gave the new forester the highest top safety pick award subaru attributes its superior ranking and front crash dimension due to its proprietary eyesight driver assist technology as far as 2021 mazda cx-5 the most notable upgrade is the infotainment system larger screen on the dash it's more than three inches larger new mazda connect interface it's also possible to get 250 horsepower turbo engine outside of the top two trim levels the cabin space is sufficient although it's smaller than what competitors are offering there's no such thing as a perfect car and all cars have some issue whether minor or major so if you're looking at a used mazda cx-5 or subaru forester which models should you avoid and which are worth considering you might want to be a bit cautious with the 2016 cx-5 that model year received high ratings and more major issues like engine and transmission and over-reliable but it also received the most volume of customer complaints than any other model year most of the complaints had to do with lights for example blinkers going out prematurely failing data running lamps problems with windows and windshields and low reliability of in-car electron so which model should you look at 2017 the newer models have better crash test ratings in general compared to other models also the 2017 was redesigned for improved overall ride dampened cabin noise and that year mazda included the mazda connect infotainment system so if tech features are priority for you that year can be a good one the cx-5 in general has an average lifespan of 200 000 miles and also has a lower annual maintenance cost compared to the forester on average the cx-5 can cost some 447 dollars per year which is 185 dollars less than the forester's average maintenance cost of 632 dollars a year when it comes to reliability jd power and htsa have estimated that no other compact suv on the market can be more reliable than the mazda cx-5 besides having the highest quality ratings on the market the cx-5 also offers more standard power and torque than the forester and better safety features and interior technology well how about the subaru forester the worst model to buy used is probably 2014. many owners reported excessively high oil consumption even as little as 26 000 miles fixing this can run you an average of two thousand dollars the 2014 and 2015 models reportedly had problems with the transmission interior accessories electrical issues and faulty suspension those models also had the most reported complaints so it's probably best to avoid those years if possible if you're looking for a used force then what is the most recommended years in the models between 2011 and 2013. well those are the best cheers they were part of the third generation when subaru used the fb 25b engine in the forest in general a forester's lifespan ranges between 200 000 250 000 miles or about 13 to 17 years of course you can expect to exceed these averages if you regularly maintain it and apply good driving habits last year subaru sold almost 177 000 foresters in the us compare that to mazda who sold 146 000 cx-5 but now what do you think which one of these two crossovers would you choose subaru forester and the mazda cx-5 please comment below and share your opinion if you like this episode please subscribe to my channel thanks for your support

Channel: Scotty Kilmer

Views: 563,507

Keywords: auto, auto repair, car, car diy, car repair, cars, diy, how to, mechanic, repair, scotty kilmer, car review, are mazdas good cars, are subarus good cars, car advice, is subaru worth it, japanese cars, mazda, mazda cars, mazda vs subaru, mazdas, reliability, review, subaru, subaru cars, subaru or mazda, subaru or mazda reliability, subaru or mazda which is better, subaru reliability, subarus, buying a subaru, buying a mazda, mazda cx-5, subaru forester, subaru vs mazda, cx5, forester

Id: YH6EKqdtOrg

Length: 10min 40sec (640 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 19 2021