After God blessed me with my second child, I needed a larger and more family-friendly car. I tried several Korean and Japanese models, but most were either over my budget or didn’t meet my expectations in terms of features. I eventually narrowed it down to three options: the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, and Mazda CX-5. The Sportage felt too sporty and the design didn’t appeal to me. I was really excited about the Tucson, but when I visited the dealership, they left me waiting for nearly an hour without any attention — so I ruled it out. Finally, I test drove the CX-5, liked it, and went ahead and booked it. In terms of space, I’m 182 cm tall and felt comfortable, and the rear seat space was good for my wife and kids. Performance-wise, it’s a bit sluggish at the start, but once it picks up speed — even when fully loaded — it feels confident on the highway. Other owners told me the gearbox adapts to your driving style over time, so I’m looking forward to seeing how it improves. Handling and stability are excellent — that’s something Mazda is known for. The car feels solid on the road, and the suspension gives you a good sense of the road without being uncomfortable, so overall ride comfort is great. As for fuel consumption, after 3,000 km the reading is 7.5 L/100 km, which is pretty accurate based on my own calculations. On highways it’s between 6–7 L/100 km, and at speeds above 120 km/h it goes up to 8. In heavy city traffic it can reach 9–10, but overall, I’m satisfied. I usually drive a bit aggressively with strong acceleration, and even then, the fuel economy is reasonable. If you drive more gently, you’ll likely get even better numbers. The one thing I didn’t like is how soft the brakes are at the beginning — I’m used to American cars with firmer braking, so it took a bit of adjustment. All in all, I believe Japanese and Korean cars are great choices for anyone looking for reliability and peace of mind. After 3,000 km with the CX-5, I really feel I made the right choice.

If you're interested in the Genesis G90, feel free to ask me. I live in Korea and have a friend who owns this car, so I know quite a bit about it.

Finally got my car, but none of the dealers called me despite leaving so many numbers. BYD dealers kept calling, so I ended up buying a BYD.

I recently filled up with 48 liters of fuel and only managed to drive a bit over 310 kilometers, all within the city. Why is the fuel consumption so high, even when using eco mode?

I’d like to ask Mazda 5 owners about the fuel consumption of this model. What’s the fuel economy like, especially in the city? I’m considering buying a second-hand one, so I’d love to get some insights. Thanks, everyone! 🌹

Yesterday, I went for a car maintenance, and the oil draining took a bit longer. The mechanic said that adding just over 4 liters of oil wasn't enough, so they added a bit more, totaling 5 liters. Is this reasonable?

I have a 2012 Subaru Outback with an EJ25 engine, almost 200,000 kilometers. It has noticeable shaking at idle and stalls during sudden braking, especially when the engine is cold. I cleaned the throttle body carbon build-up recently, which improved it a bit but didn’t completely solve the problem. The engine is quite loud during hard acceleration, and I’m not sure if it’s the engine or the transmission. Also, recently it shakes at speeds over 100 km/h. Anyone experiencing the same issues?

Why is my Citus so light, only 1228 kg? Can anyone answer me?

I've had the car for about a month now, and honestly, I feel like it's a great fit for younger drivers. The design is sporty, and the interior space turned out to be better than I expected, so I didn’t hesitate to go ahead and place the order. At first glance, the look is pretty standard — nothing too flashy — and the car sits lower than most other SUVs. So far, I’ve driven around 600 km. Fuel consumption is currently between 8.8 to 9 L/100 km, mostly city driving. I haven’t taken it on the highway much yet, but I believe the fuel economy will improve over time. Acceleration is quite strong — it uses the same engine as the Civic — though I don't push it hard often; I only tried flooring it once just to see how it feels. The rearview camera is clear, and I didn’t install a 360° system since I’m used to using the mirrors, but I might add it later — blind spots are always a risk. Friends and coworkers who sat in the back all said the space felt pretty good. What annoyed me the most is the infotainment system. Wireless CarPlay has a 1–2 second delay, which isn’t terrible but still noticeable. I’ve seen people online claim some versions have zero delay — not sure how true that is. The voice assistant is also a bit frustrating; it sometimes activates randomly in the middle of a conversation and starts talking out of nowhere! The horn also sounds cheap — one guy compared it to an electric scooter and honestly, I couldn’t agree more. Another weird thing: there’s no one-touch window up/down feature, which feels like a missed basic feature. And the sound insulation is weak — you can clearly hear wind and tire noise, especially at higher speeds. I usually end up turning up the music just to drown it out — maybe that's just typical for Japanese cars? Overall though, as my first car, I’m pretty satisfied. I don’t have much experience with other cars yet, so this is just my perspective. Hope it helps anyone considering this car — no offense intended to anyone!

Since I got the car, I’ve driven it a few times on intercity highways and elevated city roads. At first, fuel consumption was quite high — around 12 L/100 km — but after some regular use, it dropped to 7.8. It hasn’t gone any lower since then, even though I’ve only driven about 500 km in less than a month. Honestly, every time I refuel, it stings a little 😅. This is my first car, so I don’t have much to compare it to, but driving feels smooth overall. Once you hit 100 km/h, tire noise becomes noticeable, but throttle response during overtaking is pretty decent. The thing that annoyed me most is the infotainment system. There’s no built-in CarPlay, so I bought an external adapter. While it technically works, Bluetooth is unstable, and the navigation voice won’t come through the car speakers. On top of that, the system randomly activates and starts saying weird things, and the voice assistant sometimes greets you with “Hi” and other times with “I’m here” — honestly, it feels awkward. I’m not sure if all Japanese brands do this, or just this one. As for interior space, the rear seat area is quite good, but the new car smell is still strong, so I’ve thrown in a bunch of charcoal bags to absorb it. Overall, I’m satisfied for a first car, but there are definitely things that could be better.

I was looking for a good sedan, and I went through the usual headache of choices like anyone else. I looked at the Sentra and the Civic—each had something I liked, but also something that made me hesitant. The Sentra felt a bit too quiet for me—I’m still young—and while the Civic was tempting, I just couldn't fully buy into it. I randomly walked into a Toyota showroom, and right there in front of me was the Corolla. I took it for a test drive, and honestly, the sales team was incredibly polite and respectful—unlike the staff I’d dealt with at other dealerships. In the end, I was convinced and bought the hybrid Corolla. After a year of use, the car has been comfortable and smooth to drive, with no major issues. But it’s not without its annoyances—like the sluggish, outdated screen and the old-school head unit, so I replaced them. Even the seats and the center armrest would get dirty easily, so I had them covered in leather. The headlights were halogen, so I swapped them for LEDs. The horn also sounded weak, so I changed that too. In terms of performance, it's decent—not a rocket, but more than enough for daily commutes. At speeds over 120 km/h, the car felt a bit floaty, so I upgraded the wheels and tires from 16" to 17", which really improved its stability. The most impressive thing, hands down, has been the fuel consumption—it once dropped to 3.9L/100km! But after I accidentally reset the system, it now reads 5.3 and I can't figure out how to get it back. Space-wise, it's fine—comfortable up front, and okay for two people in the back, but three will feel cramped. The one thing that really bugs me is the A/C, especially for rear passengers. There aren’t effective rear vents, and airflow is a bit weak during summer. I enjoy tweaking my car, so I’ve done a lot of modifications—brakes, tires, wheels, lights, sound system, and a few small accessories. Overall, though, I’m satisfied. My advice for anyone planning to buy one: don't go for it just because everyone else is. Buy it because you’re personally convinced. Compare prices and features carefully. At the end of the day, the Corolla is a solid, respectable car. It won’t let you down, but it’s not perfect—there are things that need a bit of work, depending on your preferences and how willing you are to spend a little more after buying it.