Yeah sounds a lot of people end up hovering around Subaru/Toyota/Mazda with Subaru and Mazda being very similar in driving, but I’ve heard mixed opinions about Mazda’s reliability. Myself I wish I’ve stayed with Toyota instead of getting a Crosstrek..

 

The funny thing is, Mazda sells the car on being sportier.

I found it claustrophobic and lacking in practicality.

The only thing I liked about ti was more physical controls, including for the screen... that pointer wheel is at least in concept a great idea.

 

Mazda's reliability has never been that great. Nowhere near the reliability of Toyotas, Hondas or Subarus. Add to that their vehicles are bulbous and look like turtles.

 

The common thread on all of Mazda's crossovers and SUVs is the poor footprint to internal space ratio, and how poorly that internal space is used / laid out. And visibility is universally poor.

Somehow, the CX-70 has a worse 2nd row than the CX-90, despite being a 2-row version of that latter 3-row vehicle. The seats don't recline, they don't get any more legroom or "carseat room", etc.

Both the 70 and 90 have a massive tract of front end / engine bay giving them poor forward visibility and eating up a lot of the vehicle's length.

The CX-30 feels like a cocoon, and has back seats about as roomy and comfortable as a 1990s S-10 or Ranger extended cab...

 

I looked at the Mazda very closely — mainly because of the better power and traditional automatic transmission.
But honestly, I just don’t like the way it looks. The Crosstrek won the design contest for me, and that was the deciding factor.
That said, I do think cars with a "normal" 6 speed automatic transmission drive better. Even with fake gear shifts, CVTs still don’t feel the same.

 

Some of the recent car styling cues leave me shaking my head. In it's category, the Crosstrek definitely wins in the looks category. Subaru hasn't gone full cute or angry like some car makers. I never liked the grille design on recent Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

The world is angry enough, we don't need more angry looking vehicles. Mr. Regular from RCR described these styling cues as "Ridiculously agressive styling that has no real reason to exist other than to quietly reassure sales managers with five figure alimony payments that masculinity isn't under attack".

Honda's HRV and Hyundai's Kona used to look decent. Then their designs changed and it looks like what might happen if you melted the old version of those vehicles. Are they now trying to imitate Mazda?

I disagree on your take on transmissions. Personally, if it's an automatic, why not have it be as smooth as can be? If it's a CVT, why have fake shift points? I think Honda got it right with their CVT's. They are super smooth.

 

It's not just the US, and it's not about being lazy... FFS.

It was about size, weight, efficiency, etc.

 

I do sometimes feel bad bashing the cars that other people like or end up having to own/drive.

Can see why someone would subjectively prefer say a CX-30 or an HRV, if they wanted different things, like the turbo option in the CX-30 or that physically controlled infotainment system.

But that's subjective, and I do get a little prickly when car reviewers treat the Crosstrek as a lesser choice because of things I consider secondary or even silly. "OMG CVT, it must drive like a decade old Nissan" or "OMG no power lift gate" or "OMG it won't do 0-60 under 5 seconds" or whatever.

 

I do sometimes feel bad bashing the cars that other people like or end up having to own/drive.

Can see why someone would subjectively prefer say a CX-30 or an HRV, if they wanted different things, like the turbo option in the CX-30 or that physically controlled infotainment system.

But that's subjective, and I do get a little prickly when car reviewers treat the Crosstrek as a lesser choice because of things I consider secondary or even silly. "OMG CVT, it must drive like a decade old Nissan" or "OMG no power lift gate" or "OMG it won't do 0-60 under 5 seconds" or whatever.

One has to take what car reviewers say with a grain of salt. Remember that one person's trash is another's treasure. The only way to find out for sure what you like is to spend time, go out and test drice vehicles. Look at vehicle specs and dimensions. Check CR reliability ratings since reliability is one thing you will never know from a test drive.

Note that CR reliability and customer satisfaction ratings can be very different. I agree that car reviewers, even CR reviewers put too much emphasis on the latest features and technology like mega touch screens, automated driving features and huge rims with ultra low profile tires.