I did this by myself after watching some videos and took about 1.5 -2 hours. I absolutely recommend Graphic Fusion's Alternative Method. It is the only way to do this install with one or two people. You do have to lower the exhaust. I used a strap tied to the springs to support some of the weight and used a lithium spray for garage doors on the rubber mounts. With the lithium spray the rubber mounts were easy to disconnect from the muffler. I was able to get one bolt on the forward hole by myself then slide over to the put the bolt on the other side. With those bolts in, the rear (next to the bumper) holes almost perfectly aligned with the frame holes. Then follow the procedure to get the bolt and backing plate phished through. I would recommend phishing the wire through before putting the backing plate and bolt on the phishing wire. With the bolt and the backing plate on the wire it kept pulling it back before I could grab it on the other side of the hole.Quote from Graphic Fusion:"If I might propose an alternative method that will work better with an inexperienced helper:1. Follow the instructions for lowering the muffler.2. Prep the hitch receiver with the taped-on washers as instructed.3. Position the hitch receiver. The main square beam will rest safely inside the lower lip of the bumper cover. Each person should hand-thread a hex bolt and washer through the FORWARD holes of the receiver and into the captured nut on the body. If the helper is unable to accomplish this, the receiver assembly will stay safely in place with just one end attached and the main beam sitting on top of the bumper cover, allowing the experienced hand to switch places and thread the opposite bolt.4. Secure the rear end of the receiver into position by cramming a cardboard box underneath the receiver socket. The correct position is the highest position it can be supported. All remaining work can be done by the experienced person, perhaps with an occasional push or tug from the assistant.5. THEN use the fish wires to insert the carriage bolts and backing plate into the frame and out through both the side hole in the frame AND the hitch receiver hole. The reason for doing this step in this order, at this point, is to prevent the awkwardness of stringing the fish wire through the receiver hole while raising the receiver into place, which can result in a hung or bent wire and a lot of frustration and cursing. Tip: if the bolt won't insert through all the holes, align the washers and components by sticking a tool through the hole, and forcing it around in a circular motion. This may be done with the fish wire in place.6. Tighten it all down, and thank your helper. :-)"

Good news is this hitch fits nice and snug and looks great installed. The bad news is the hitch is so snug, it tucks into bumper. Basically, the hitch can NOT be lifted straight up to the mounting holes and must be lifted towards the front and tucked back inside the lip of the plastic bumper cover to line up the holes. This is a two person job. I have installed 3 Curt hitches on different vehicles. The CX-5 has been the most difficult. I was able to complete it by myself, but it was a PITA and took several hours.Couple FYI's: the edges of the heat shield between the muffler and the car is sharp...be careful. I had a small problem getting my old beam style torque wrench on the bolts towards the front. I either had to buy a new (thin) Torque Wrench or trim away a small piece of plastic. I did the latter.

I've had 3-4 CURT hitches installed on the various different vehicles I've owned over the years and have always been happy with the quality of CURT products. This was the first time I installed a hitch myself and while it took longer than expected, in my book it was worth the money I saved by not paying a shop for installation.I ended up finding a great video on the CURT YouTube channel for this model hitch that did a great job of showing the step by step instructions for installing the hitch on a 2020 model CX-5. I actually own a 2016 model and my installation varied slightly from the 2020 installation. All I'm trying to say is I recommend looking up the video and take note that that your installation may be slightly different on models other than a 2020 model CX-5..I thought this might help someone else down the line. Keep up the good work CURT!

This is a quality product, and it fit our CX-5's mounting holes perfectly. The "novice' installation was supposed to be only 40 minutes. Ha! It was more like a few hours. Even so, we saved a lot of money by installing it ourselves. Here's what we learned:1. You will need TWO people who know how to turn wrenches. This is too awkward a job for someone experienced with mechanical work and someone who doesn't really have any mechanical skills. That's because both ends of the hitch receiver have to be positioned at the same time. It MIGHT be possible to make the 40 minute mark with two experienced people, if you don't waste any time. But with an experienced person + an inexperienced person, expect it to take hours. You might improve on that time if BOTH people watch the installation video, because it's hard for one person to explain things to the other person in the moment, with both people under the car.2. It's not necessary to jack up the car. In fact the working distance is reasonably decent with the car on the ground.3. I didn't want to just hang the muffler down. Instead, I supported it on a box. That didn't really work. Just leave it hanging, because you'll need the room. Nothing will break - I don't think. At least nothing broke on my exhaust.4. The fish wires work brilliantly, unless they get bent. Do not let them get bent as you raise the hitch receiver into place.5. Leave the rear muffler hangers on the body!!! There's a reason they tell you to do this. It is because with the hitch receiver in place, it's hard to work the hanger over the hook on the body. Not IMPOSSIBLE, though: Lube the hole well with WD40, turn it upwards, and mash it sideways over the hook. It doesn't look like it would work, but it does.If I might propose an alternative method that will work better with an inexperienced helper:1. Follow the instructions for lowering the muffler.2. Prep the hitch receiver with the taped-on washers as instructed.3. Position the hitch receiver. The main square beam will rest safely inside the lower lip of the bumper cover. Each person should hand-thread a hex bolt and washer through the FORWARD holes of the receiver and into the captured nut on the body. If the helper is unable to accomplish this, the receiver assembly will stay safely in place with just one end attached and the main beam sitting on top of the bumper cover, allowing the experienced hand to switch places and thread the opposite bolt.4. Secure the rear end of the receiver into position by cramming a cardboard box underneath the receiver socket. The correct position is the highest position it can be supported. All remaining work can be done by the experienced person, perhaps with an occasional push or tug from the assistant.5. THEN use the fish wires to insert the carriage bolts and backing plate into the frame and out through both the side hole in the frame AND the hitch receiver hole. The reason for doing this step in this order, at this point, is to prevent the awkwardness of stringing the fish wire through the receiver hole while raising the receiver into place, which can result in a hung or bent wire and a lot of frustration and cursing. Tip: if the bolt won't insert through all the holes, align the washers and components by sticking a tool through the hole, and forcing it around in a circular motion. This may be done with the fish wire in place.6. Tighten it all down, and thank your helper. :-)