Is the Mazda CX-5 a Good SUV for Dogs?
When your adventures involve taking your pooch along for the ride, you’ll want to know if your new vehicle will work well for your dog. Just because a vehicle boasts good cargo room and comfortable seats doesn’t make it ideal for your furry friend. Look at the 2024 Mazda CX-5 and see if it’s right for your dog. You might be surprised by the results.
Can your dog get in the Mazda CX-5?
The CX-5 features large rear doors and a sizeable rear hatch, allowing your pet to enter the vehicle. This is a good start for the Mazda compact crossover, but your pooch needs to be pretty athletic to make it onto the seats or in the rear without assistance.
A rough measurement of the rear seat and cargo area, courtesy of The Drive, shows you need a spry and relatively young dog to get in and out of this SUV.
Some of the important measurements taken are:
- Height to rear seat footwell from ground – 20 inches
- Height to rear seat from ground – 29 inches
- Height to cargo area entry from ground – 30 inches
These measurements tell us your dog must be able to hop up almost 2 ½ feet off the ground to get onto the seat or into the cargo area from the ground. Some dogs might enter at the footwell, but this still requires stepping up 20 inches.
Is there enough space for your pooch to relax?
Mazda has a history of providing upscale, premium materials in the cabin of its vehicles. The CX-5 is no exception. The rear bench has bolstering for the outboard seats, which could be a comfortable place for your dog to curl up and relax.
Of course, if you’ve got a curious pooch who wants to spend time in the front seat with you, the center console could become marked from scratches with their nails as they move about the cabin. This can be remedied with a doggie harness and seatbelt that can keep them secure.
If you like to keep your dog in the rear cargo area, they will have only 34 inches of space. Folding the rear seats down expands this distance to 65 inches. This cargo space is only 30 inches tall and 45 inches wide. This means you’ve got limited space for your dog.
Can your dog ride in a kennel in the Mazda CX-5?
The rear cargo area has a sloping rear hatch, which cuts down on rear cargo space. This means the Mazda CX-5 isn’t large enough for a medium-sized kennel. You can fit one if you drop the rear seats to use the enclosed carrier.
Is the CX-5 a good SUV for dogs?
If you have one medium-sized, athletic dog, the Mazda CX-5 might work fine for them. On the other hand, if you have multiple dogs or have older dogs that can’t make the leap inside, this isn’t the ideal vehicle for your furry friend. It doesn’t take long for the interior space to feel much smaller when your pooch begins to move about the cabin.
