I'm back in 2020

[buster]

...from 2005. It's been only 7 months. I traded in the Frontier. I ended up getting the CX-30 - 2.5L AWD - No cylinder deactivation. I wanted the 3 Hatchback, but they all have the CD and I didn't want to chance it. I was going for either white, which really accentuates the plastic cladding, or the gray which hides it. My job has changed a bit and I'm going to still be working close to home, and from home, but periodically driving out to Lancaster, Pa from NJ. The Frontier was averaging 12 mpg. It wasn't the smartest decision, but for the 7 months I've had it I did enjoy it on the beach and in the Pine Barrens. I rolled over some negative equity into the new loan, but my payment is lower due to the lower i-rate. I'll also be saving a lot in gas.

I've had several Mazdas over the years (14 & 15 3's) so hopefully this one will be just as reliable.

As soon as I drove it off the lot, with 30 miles on it, I took it on the highway and put it into manual mode. From there I gave it several 80% throttle runs in 4th/5th gear up to 4k rpms and let it engine break. I also did one full WOT, which was actually by mistake. I now have 71 miles on it and will drive it normally the next few hundred miles.

It rained most of the day so I was able to test the AWD. Works extremely well. The 6spd trans is very precise.

 

[OVERKILL]

Very nice!

Paging Ws6

Seriously though, it sounds like you put some thought into what you did and didn't want. I'm not really surprised about the divestiture of the Frontier, I think you knew getting into it that the fuel economy was going to be bad, but it's one thing knowing it, it is quite another experiencing it.

Please provide a detailed update once you have some miles on it. Would like to see some more interior pics and critiques of surfaces, controls...etc.

 

[MCompact]

Nice!

 

[jayjr1105]

2.5 Sky and no CD, you did good. Any turbo? I somewhat regret my Mazda 3 vs the CX5. I came from a CR-V.

What are you doing near my neck of the woods? (Lancaster).

 

[Bjornviken]

Nice car👠The interior looks nice indeed👌

 

[4WD]

Well, Buster ... it's a good thing you ran nothing but good oil in that Nissan !

J/K ... nice Ute, mate

 

[AZjeff]

Can't imagine how you'd average 12 mpg. On Fuelly average mpg is solidly 17.5 going back 10 years. I get 15 around town and 19 (calculated) on 200 mile R/T runs to Phoenix going from 5000' to 1300' and back up at 75-80 in the Titan. So other than the mileage and turning radius what did you think of the Frontier? Good that you're not afraid to correct a mistake.

 

[PimTac]

Congrats. I think you are the first CX30 owner here.

 

[LoneRanger]

Nice CX5, Buster. I don't even think you've sacrificed that much cargo space sq ft, given how small the box is on the Pro 4X Frontier's. Okay, I'm stretching it some there, but for a daily driver and long distance vehicle the CX5 is going to treat you a lot better I think.

Love the color, excellent choice. My F150 is a similar shade of grey metallic. What does Mazda name that paint color? Looks good !! Metallic grey looks classic and confident. Great choice !!

 

[PimTac]

Its not a CX5. It's a CX30.

 

[Al]

After 100 miles or so I did WOT and let it bounce off the redline on both my forester and crosstrek.

 

[gman2304]

Originally Posted by AZjeff
Can't imagine how you'd average 12 mpg. On Fuelly average mpg is solidly 17.5 going back 10 years. I get 15 around town and 19 (calculated) on 200 mile R/T runs to Phoenix going from 5000' to 1300' and back up at 75-80 in the Titan. So other than the mileage and turning radius what did you think of the Frontier? Good that you're not afraid to correct a mistake.

Ditto! My 15 year old Avalanche 5.3 gets better than 12 mpg average. According to Edmonds the Frontier should have gotten a solid 18 mpg average! As excited as you were with the new Frontier, I thought you had a keeper. I hope your new CX30 serves you well.

 

[carviewsonic]

The reviews have been very good for the CX-30. That would definitely be on my shortlist (the CX-5 too) if I was currently in the market.

 

[buster]

Thanks. As OVERKILL said, it's one thing knowing it, but then experiencing it is another. It was worse than I anticipated. Going by what the truck figure showed, I was getting 12-14 mpg consistently. I could hit 18-20 mpg driving EXTREMELY conservatively (55mph for example). My driving conditions, which consist of 90% short trip driving, it was pretty bad. I LOVE the Frontier though. I'd still recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable, tough mid-size truck.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

And no cylinder deactivation. Maybe I don't have to cut Mazda off at 2017.

 

[aquariuscsm]

So,what will be your oil of choice?

 

[buster]

Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson
And no cylinder deactivation. Maybe I don't have to cut Mazda off at 2017.


Correct. Right CD is on all Mazda 3's, which is ultimately what lead me to the CX-30, which only has it on the Premium Trim level. I'm sure Mazda has or is going to work out the kinks with their CD. I just didn't want to take a chance on it. It's not important to me and just another thing that can go wrong.

 

[buster]

Originally Posted by aquariuscsm
So,what will be your oil of choice?

haha Likely Mobil 1 EP/AP 0w20 for (2) reasons - SA of .8 and a Noack of 10%. Good for GDI engines. I ran nothing but EP 0w20 on my last Mazda 3 and it ran like new when I sold it 5 years later with 63k miles on it.

 

[Mr Nice]

Very nice. I still haven't see one on the road.

Interior looks just like the Mazda 3.

 

[PimTac]

The interiors are identical in many ways across Mazda's lineup. A lot of shared design and control placement.

What is new is that blue soft touch on the dash and doors. It gives some variety Compared to a single color interior.