The Mazda CX-5 is an immensely popular SUV here in Australia for being one of those very rare vehicles that beautifully balances the knife edge between having stylish good looks and a dynamic driving experience while still being practical, economical and sensible.

While it received upgrades and revisions every year of its production cycle, now that this generation of CX-5 is nearly five years old, are used CX-5s worthy of the car’s acclaim and should you buy one? Read on to find out.

What goes wrong with a used Mazda CX-5?

• We found very few “common” issues when it comes to petrol-engined CX-5s. We know of minor timing chains issues and the odd oil leak but by no means are these common issues
• The red paint on some early CX-5s was known to flake off in tiny amounts but this was sorted under Mazda warranty
• Some diesel-engined CX-5s are starting to show typical common rail diesel engine issues like DPF issues, EGR valve issues and some turbo problems

Should you buy a used Mazda CX-5?

Yes. In fact the Mazda CX-5 may very well be our pick in this segment.

The CX-5 is popular for a reason, it just does everything so well and even with a few years and thousands of kilometres under its belt, Mazda’s reputation for providing reliability, precise Japanese engineering and a genuinely entertaining driving experience is only let down by minor discrepancies when it comes to the CX-5.