Phone, GPS and Tablet Mounts for a Mazda CX-5 SUV

Mazda CX-5 InteriorThis week, I had the opportunity to drive a Mazda CX-5 SUV.  Nice size for an intermediate SUV.  Can’t say I’m a fan of the touch screen interface but there are a lot of good places to mount a phone, GPS or tablet.

Mount Analysis

A photo of the interior of a Mazda CX-5 accompanies this article.  Decent size with the usual long reach to the windshield common to an SUV.  Normal horizontal vents and a long reach down to the cup holders.

I’m not fond of the location of the cup holders.  They are set too far back to effectively work as a mount point on a Mazda CX-5.  So unfortunately, we need to remove this location from mount contention.

The seat bolt is another place that will not work.  While the seat bolt is accessible, it’s difficult to remove and located within a narrow track.  That means the claw that is part of a seat bolt mount will not fit as the track is too narrow and will block the width of the hook from fitting within.

So let’s scope out some mount options.

Mount Recommendations for a Mazda CX-5

We don’t often run into many vehicle specific mounts but we found one for this model.  Consider the AYADA Car Phone Holder for 2017-2024 Mazda CX-5. This is a custom mount specifically made for this vehicle.  The mount snaps between the middle vents, and does not interfere with air flow from the vents.

The windshield is another good place to mount a phone.  My favorite mount for this location is the Arkon MegaGrip Suction Cup Windshield and Dash Mount.  The mount has a vacuum locked suction assembly attached to a pivoting arm.  The phone can swivel into any orientation.  The mount also comes with an adhesive disk that adheres to the dash which turns the mount into a console mount.  The suction assembly can adhere to the adhesive disk just like it would on a windshield.  It’s my long time go-to mount for this location.

I also like the windshield location for a GPS.  Similar to the windshield mount but for a Garmin GPS is the Arkon Windshield Dash Garmin Nuvi Suction Mount.  I have recommended this one over the many years it has been available and have used it myself.  It’s an excellent mount that comes with a 2-year warranty.  It’s more rugged and longer than the Garmin mount you received in the box.  Can’t go wrong with this windshield mount.

The vents are located in an unusual location just below the display screen.  Using a mount in this location is a little lower than I would have preferred but it’s certainly doable.  You can also use the vent that is located to the left of the driver.

If selecting this mounting location, consider the Andobil Air Vent Mount.  This mount can be used to hold most phone models with or without a case.  The ball and socket design facilitates a 360 degree rotation.  The included cradle opens to accommodate phones up to 3.75 inches wide.  The mount uses a unique locking clip to securely attach to horizontal and vertical vents.

Apple iPhone owners can scope out the Andobil MagSafe Air Vent Mount which is the same mount but with a magnetic adapter that pairs perfectly.

Read our Andobil car air vent review for a lot more information.

The CD Player is in a good location for mounting a phone or GPS.  It’s near eye level and presents the device at a good spot to use it as a GPS. Consider the Apps2Car CD Slot Mount uses a knob on the bottom to secure the mount within the CD player. I prefer this mount to others in this category as it will permit a more custom and secure fitting.  You don’t want the mount to rattle around inside the player.  The cradle opens to almost 4 inches which is wide enough for most phones and many GPS devices.

Summary

The Mazda CX-5 SUV is an easy vehicle to mount almost all devices.  I think you might struggle to mount a full size tablet like an Apple iPad Pro but smaller tablets should fit well using the dash option discussed.

So in summary, thumbs up to the windshield, vent, CD player and dash.  Thumbs down to the cup holder and seat bolt mounts.