We spent just over five months and 5,200 miles living with a 2024 Mazda CX-5 Premium AWD to evaluate real-world wear on the surfaces you touch every day. Here is how the seat bolsters, steering wheel, piano-black trims, and switches have held up.
Our test car was a 2024 Mazda CX-5 Premium AWD with the 2.5-liter naturally aspirated inline-four (187 hp, 186 lb-ft) and a six-speed automatic. Curb weight is around 3,800 pounds, riding on 19-inch wheels with all-season tires. The Premium trim brings leather seats, a heated leather steering wheel, and a gloss-black center console around the shifter and Commander control. Testing included daily commuting, two 300-mile highway trips, a pair of mountain drives, and regular school runs.
The car carried two adults and two kids, plus a rear-facing child seat. Climate ranged from 45 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit with several wet weeks. Interior cleaning was kept realistic: vacuuming every two weeks, a damp microfiber wipedown weekly, and a pH-neutral leather cleaner used twice over the test period. Seat bolsters: The driver’s outer bolster shows light creasing and a faint flattening where thighs slide across during entry.
No cracking or dye transfer was observed, and stitching remains tight with zero frays. Foam support feels unchanged, and lateral shape retention is good after roughly 1,500 ingress/egress cycles. The passenger seat looks nearly new by comparison. Tip: lowering the seat slightly and rotating in rather than sliding across reduced new crease formation over the last month.
Steering wheel: The leather has developed a mild sheen at the 9-and-3 positions and a smoother patch at 10-to-2, expected for this mileage. There is no peeling at spoke junctions, no lifting around the heated sections, and the seam stitching sits flush with no loose threads. Sunscreen and hand lotion accelerated glossing after beach days; a quick wipe with a damp microfiber removed residue and restored a more even matte. The Mazda logo cap and airbag cover show no scuffs, and the wheel-mounted buttons actuate with a consistent click and no wobble.
Piano-black trim and switches: The gloss console around the shifter and Commander knob is the only area showing noticeable wear. Even with microfiber, hairline swirls and a few straight scratches appeared within the first month; after six months, they are visible in direct sunlight but easy to ignore in shade. Dust accumulation is frequent, and fingerprints show readily. The window switches, rotary HVAC controls, and stalks feel solid with consistent backlighting and clear icons; no paint rub-off on pictograms.
The Commander knob’s knurled ring resists polish wear and still rotates with a precise detent. Door grab handles show light polishing but no discoloration. Overall, the CX-5’s touchpoints age gracefully: leather surfaces hold up well, switchgear remains tight, and the main vulnerability is the piano-black console, which scuffs easily. If you are sensitive to micro-scratches, consider a matte protective film or choosing a trim with less gloss black.
Routine gentle cleaning and mindful seat entry minimize wear. After 3–6 months, everything presents as high quality and consistent with Mazda’s reputation for durable interiors.
