I think the best I could find on a red (upcharge) CX-5 AWD GT (33k MSRP) at 36/15 was something around $375/mo (maybe even higher) If I would have found someone willing to hit $350, I would have done it, but I couldn’t find a single dealer in Michigan willing to play ball. I just couldn’t justify almost $400 on a $30k vehicle.
I actually ended up going with an F-150. A truck wasn’t on the radar at first until I saw I could actually get a good deal. Ended up with a $53k XLT SuperCrew for <$350/mo on a true sign and drive at 36/15k.
Rogue is on the list. But I am not a fan of the CVT. Wife has no problem with it.Rogue is about 3K more than the CX5 and it has more incentives and rebates than the Mazda. However getting a deal on it has been challenging as well.
What state are you in? I agree it doesn’t drive great but if she doesn’t mind, you may as well explore it. My broker has offered me $275/month for the SV trim. $0 down and just 1st month DAS.
Thats amazing…I can guarantee a truck is not coming up on wifes radar anytime soon. WE looked at the Escape titanium. Love the turbo but no one wanted to deal at all…Ridiculous quotes like 425.00 or more with 1K down.Low residual and high MF didnt help. Anyway Congrats on that score!
But yeah, I was in the same boat as you and OP. I didn’t want anything the size of my wife’s full-size SUV, but wanted something with some comfort and to accommodate all the baby-related stuff I need to lug around, but also with AWD/4WD for the Michigan winters. But instead, I ended up with something even larger than my wife’s car, and with less of the luxuries I was looking for. Again, go figure.
But since I went through all of this, I’ll just say that the two smaller SUVs that made my final list were the CX-5 and the Terrain after researching and driving several other models. Both had great styling, amenities, and drive well (at least the 2.0L on the Terrain). Terrain was more competitive on lease price, but overall liked the CX-5 better. I think if you go that route, you’d be very happy there (but just know it has pretty limited cargo space compared to others in its class).
Hey…Thanks for the insight. We looked at a terrain denali as well. she just could not get past the front end/Grill she thought it looked to much truck like.
Did you only look at Denali’s? The SLT has most of the same creature comforts but leases better. It also doesn’t have the “multi-dimensional” grill that the Denali does. That styling may appear to her more.
But anyway, good luck! I’m interested to hear what you end up with.
Im currently helping my mom and sis find a crossover suv for under 300 and we came across the CX5 as well. Im just wondering if anyone knows what % off the msrp i should be targeting
It depends on what trim you’re getting, as some are marked up a little more than others. I always start with the invoice price and negotiate from there.
As I recall a couple months back there was a posting of someone getting a loaded Terrain denali for 350 or so.But the incentives were incredible back then. Those deals are long gone…
My gripe about the Equinox you have to spend 40k for the Premier trim if you want the 2.0 and leather. The top trim cx5 with AWD and all options is about 5k less. You also get adaptive cruise control with the CX5 GT, and that’s not available on the 40k Nox. A Premier Nox is also over 400 all in with Nothing down, whereas, you can snag the CX5 GT for 320-340 if you can find an aggressive dealer, and depending on your tax rate.
The Nox wins on storage space by a bit, and the 2.0 engine is better than the CX5. If you’re looking at the 1.5 in the Chevy, I’d choose the CX5 over the Nox all other things being equal.
Overall, both are capable…just depends on what you value most.
I love the terrain and nox… is ok… great in every way size … and the 1.6 diesel amazing engine 39 mpg … but the price high on the terrain… box a bit better … I’m looking too for a great SUV… not easy
