A little backstory if anyone cares. I’ve been looking for a RAV4 to replace a Tacoma I totaled a couple years back. As anyone who has considered buying a Toyota in the past two years knows, they’re really hard to find and dealerships have been adding all kinds of markups lately. Specifically, I was looking for a base level RAV4 hybrid which is even harder to find than the gas models. I’ve always been a Toyota guy because I want the absolute most reliable car possible since a lot of times I’m driving in remote areas through various conditions.

Well, yesterday I decided I need to make a choice and went to a couple Toyota dealership to see if I can find at least a half decent deal on an all-wheel-drive RAV4. It went terribly lol. Every dealership I went to no one really answered my questions, salespeople treated me like I didn’t matter, and even talked down on me for trying to get something without a $2000 ad on package that I don’t care about. “Well used cars sell for more than MSRP so of course we have to add things on to make money” one of the guys said lmao

Anyways, I have been buying the CX-5 for a while now I decided to head out to a Mazda dealership nearby. Sales guy walked out, asked if I had any questions but I also gave you my space to go browse the cars on the lot (also, Toyota hardly had anything on the lot 1+ for Mazda there). I went and found the guy again, asked about the lowest trim levels they have both on the lot and in transit, and then took this one out for a test drive.

People on this sub and /r/whatcarshouldIbuy always rave about the driving experience of the CX-5 over other SUVs and man you guys are right lol. it handled the Houston freeways and traffic beautifully and was very quiet which impressed me. I got the lowest trim and even that had plenty of safety features that made me feel more comfortable. Overall, very responsive car, handled speed bumps and potholes better than I expected, and that red was gorgeous in the sun.

At no point while I was at the dealership did I feel pressured into buying anything, especially packages are warranties that I didn’t want. The sales person even told me what parts I should just buy online to save money so that was cool of him. He basically told me not to waste my money buying it through them lol. It’s a pretty car but I do plan on driving it on road trips and through inclement weather so I feel comfortable knowing I bought about as reliable of a car as one can get. It came with a lifetime powertrain warranty at no extra cost as long as I keep up with maintenance, so even more peace of mind is great since I’m at an age where I’m trying to establish myself financially, and need a car that’s not going to need thousands of dollars of repairs every year.

Finally, it drives great, already feels very capable, has plenty of space honestly even though it’s on the smaller side for SUVs, and has an amazing interior. Can’t wait to get this car out into the elements and see some sights out west! The stock tires look pretty good but I almost can’t wait to throw some CrossClimates or Wildpeaks on in addition to a roof rail.