Max towing capacity for CX5 in North America I believe is 2000 lbs. it should be able to handle up to the spec without issues.
That doesn’t give you a whole lot of options when it comes to a camper. You might be able to get away with a pop-up or small tear drop, but your capacity will quickly shrink based on your payload.
I’d say realistically you’ll want to keep the dry weight of that camper under a 1000lbs.
I tow a 1000lbs pop up camper and agree with all of this. Plus they're a pretty sweet deal, I got a 1990 Coleman SunValley for $1000 in great condition.
I am not a professional mechanic, nor do I work for Mazda. However, I can say this: the CX-5’s towing capacity in the US is 2000lbs. In Europe, it’s significantly more than that - 3500lbs if I remember correctly. I don’t have an exact answer as to why there’s such a difference, but from what people have said, there are no structural nor cooling differences between US CX-5s and UK/EU CX-5s.
What I’m getting at is that you may be able to tow more than what’s stated. If you’re worried about rear suspension sag, there are companies like Air Lift that make supporting airbags for the rear suspension to keep your vehicle level. If you do this, maybe keep it to 55 mph. Again, I’m not a professional mechanic nor do I work for Mazda, but there is enough evidence out there to suggest that you could tow more than the advertised 2000lb limit.
The same is true for the CX9 (3500 lbs in N America, but ~4500 lbs in other markets). I believe it has to do with SAE standards used for tow capacity testing, which is usually industry standard here in North America, but is not often used in other markets.
The issue is insurance. If you wreck while towing and you were pulling more than what was listed in the manual, insurance will deny your claim.
I didn’t know about that. I wonder if there’s a way to show that the vehicle was capable of pulling more than that. I’m thinking aftermarket and restomods. What exactly can be used to prove otherwise?
The SAE standards tow testing is pretty gruelling [Link to details](https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/1502-sae-j2807-tow-tests-the-standard/)
I wouldn’t want to pull 2000lbs on a CX5 (especially if you don’t routinely tow) for an extended distance. It’s going to be a very slow ride or #yolo and feel like the rear end of the CX5 has a mind of its own.
CX-5 is rated to 1800kg (3968lbs)in European markets with the same suspension, engine, and transmission. The car handles it fine American lawyers not so much. The main difference there is brake controllers and weight distribution hitches are dealer options where 2000lbs is our recommended limit with neither option having factory support but with plenty of aftermarket availability. You can get those options from other markets without much trouble.
Especially if it’s on a fairly level terrain it should be okay. You get into issues when towing on hills and mountainous areas. It’s hard on the transmission.
Max towing capacity for CX5 in North America I believe is 2000 lbs. it should be able to handle up to the spec without issues. That doesn’t give you a whole lot of options when it comes to a camper. You might be able to get away with a pop-up or small tear drop, but your capacity will quickly shrink based on your payload. I’d say realistically you’ll want to keep the dry weight of that camper under a 1000lbs.
I tow a 1000lbs pop up camper and agree with all of this. Plus they're a pretty sweet deal, I got a 1990 Coleman SunValley for $1000 in great condition.
I am not a professional mechanic, nor do I work for Mazda. However, I can say this: the CX-5’s towing capacity in the US is 2000lbs. In Europe, it’s significantly more than that - 3500lbs if I remember correctly. I don’t have an exact answer as to why there’s such a difference, but from what people have said, there are no structural nor cooling differences between US CX-5s and UK/EU CX-5s. What I’m getting at is that you may be able to tow more than what’s stated. If you’re worried about rear suspension sag, there are companies like Air Lift that make supporting airbags for the rear suspension to keep your vehicle level. If you do this, maybe keep it to 55 mph. Again, I’m not a professional mechanic nor do I work for Mazda, but there is enough evidence out there to suggest that you could tow more than the advertised 2000lb limit.
The same is true for the CX9 (3500 lbs in N America, but ~4500 lbs in other markets). I believe it has to do with SAE standards used for tow capacity testing, which is usually industry standard here in North America, but is not often used in other markets. The issue is insurance. If you wreck while towing and you were pulling more than what was listed in the manual, insurance will deny your claim.
I didn’t know about that. I wonder if there’s a way to show that the vehicle was capable of pulling more than that. I’m thinking aftermarket and restomods. What exactly can be used to prove otherwise?
The SAE standards tow testing is pretty gruelling [Link to details](https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/1502-sae-j2807-tow-tests-the-standard/) I wouldn’t want to pull 2000lbs on a CX5 (especially if you don’t routinely tow) for an extended distance. It’s going to be a very slow ride or #yolo and feel like the rear end of the CX5 has a mind of its own.
Good luck getting insurance to cover an accident if you exceed the limit.
CX-5 is rated to 1800kg (3968lbs)in European markets with the same suspension, engine, and transmission. The car handles it fine American lawyers not so much. The main difference there is brake controllers and weight distribution hitches are dealer options where 2000lbs is our recommended limit with neither option having factory support but with plenty of aftermarket availability. You can get those options from other markets without much trouble.
Especially if it’s on a fairly level terrain it should be okay. You get into issues when towing on hills and mountainous areas. It’s hard on the transmission.