Mazda MPV

PF_Flyer · April 2005

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mtbiker1 · April 2005

We were at about 8100 miles on our '04 MPV when we had a blowout on I-5. There was little warning, and we got over to the verge asap. The 215-60-16 right rear had been pierced by some unknown object and flatted; before we could get to the side of the road the outside sidewall was totally destroyed. Word from all the tire and Mazda dealer folks was no warranty support. Is the total destruction of the tire (something I've never seen in over 30 years of car ownership and a few flats here and there) a function of the new low-aspect ratio sidewalls, or what? I don't see any handling benefit to the low sidewalls on a minivan. We are very unhappy.

sms · April 2005

I wouldn't consider the OEM tires 'low aspect ratio.' It's actually a pretty tall (and weird) tire size. I just replaced the OEM Dunlops 215/60-17s with Falken Ziex ZE-512s in a slightly wider size; 225/55-17. This change results in a very slight reduction in overall diameter. There was an earlier post in this thread regarding that very tire/size combo, and I concur - excellent choice. I only have ~ 21k miles on my '03 MPV and the OEMs were wearing out fast. The Falkens were almost $50 cheaper per tire and further, were rated #1 by CR (take that for what it's worth). I'm very pleased with the change - the handling part of 'zoom-zoom' is back...

jipster · April 2005

The 17 inch OEM Dunlops are performance tires that are suppose to give better handling characteristics....you didn't have the "zoom zoom" before your Falkens?
Do the Falkens give a "softer" ride? I was wanting a bit softer ride(willing to sacrifice some performance) and was considering the Michelin Hydroedge when my OEM 17 Dunlops wear out.

sms · April 2005

I should have been more specific - the Falkens are a much better choice with respect to handling. It's a significantly more aggressive tire that a) looks better, b) rides better (subjective I know), c) handles better, d) will last at least as long if not longer than the stock tires and e) is cheaper than the stock tires. I've owned several sets of Dunlop D60 A2s & SP Sport A2s on my '91 Infiniti G20, and I've always thought they were a good all around high-performance tire. The Dunlop tires that come with the MPV are not a high-performance tire compared with other tires in the category. I think the Michelins will give you a softer ride, and you can buy them in the OEM size. 'Handling' was my objective - why else would you put ZR speed rated tires on a minivan :-)

elie · April 2005

Even more reliable than Honda or Toyota! (Take that, Consumer Reports!)
Click here to see the Reliability Survey

jipster · April 2005

elie....you're my hero. Now over to those Ody and Sienna boards!

lumbar · April 2005

I'm pretty sure the MPV is not sold in Great Britain FWIW. Be careful jipster

elie · April 2005

Looks like lumbar is correct---the MPV is not sold in Britain. But I dont think that negates the proof this survey shows of the "across-the-board" quality of Mazda products.

jipster · April 2005

Thats o.k...our 2004 LX just went over 5,000 miles and we are very pleased so far in it's performance and reliability(knock on wood). We've had the oil changed twice and the tires rotated for the first time. As we don't put a lot of miles on it(6-7k a yr) will change the oil every 5,000 miles or 6 months whichever come first.

abang · April 2005

I distinctly remember seeing the MPV listed on the Mazda UK web site. It no longer is but when it was, it came with a choice of a 4 cylinder petrol or a diesel engine.

sms · April 2005

I saw several MPVs in Leuven, Belgium this past Autumn. They all had small diesel engines like most vehicles over there. I was also amazed to see a Chevy Lumina and a Pontiac Transport, both mid-90's vintage. The Pontiac even had a manual transmission. One of the students I met in Leuven drove an early 90's Chevy Caprice with the V8. I wouldn't want to park one of those in Europe.

asafonov · April 2005

According to mazda.co.uk, an MPV is not sold in the UK but Mazda5 (coming to NA soon?) is.

newhampster · April 2005

Interesting that the UK survey was co-sponsored by Warranty Direct -- 30,000 cars worth of data ain't bad.
The U.S. arm of Warranty Direct seems to get regularly slammed on the Edmunds extended warranties forum primarily because they are not affiliated with the auto manufacturer. Mazda's EasyCare extended warranty service contract that our dealer offered was outrageously expensive for so-so coverage, but EasyCare is owned by Ford. I'm considering a Warranty Direct policy on my new 2005 MPV to get comprehensive coverage out to 7 years/100,000 miles for about $1,200. Anyone had long-term experience with Warranty Direct for their MPV?

Sylvia · April 2005

You might want to try asking your question over in our Smart Shopper board, specifically the discussion Extended Warranties where you will find a greater number of people to tell you about experiences with Warranty Direct.

audia8q · May 2005

Look like the 2005 MPV will be the last one for a while.....at this point there is no 2006 MPV planned for the US market.

hansienna · June 2005

According to a newsletter from Edmunds, there will be a 2007 MPV which will be on sale in Fall 2006.

http://www.edmunds.com/future/2007/mazda/mpv/100531777/preview.html?mktcat=vans&kw=HTML&mk- tid=NL990385&DARTmail

abang · June 2005

According to this article at autoweek, there may no longer be an MPV in the North American market after the current model ends sales here this year.

">link title
<a href="http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=102428"

abang · June 2005

http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=102428

audia8q · June 2005

As we have seen Mazda has been trying to decide if they want to include the MPV in the 2006 line-up. Only a month ago I was told, by mazda, there would not be an MPV for 2006. But it appears that have changed their mind again and there will be a 2006 MPV. Just got the official word today.

There are NO changes other than color.

deleted colors....black mica, titanium, razor blue, sand mica

added colors....brilliant black, bronze metal, strato blue, galaxy gray.

jipster · June 2005

"sand mica"

The sand mica(tan) color is currently called Cosmic Sand. Which I assume will be called Bronze Metal for 2006. I don't know about calling a color bronze metal...that denotes third best. Maybe, Gold Metal.

jipster · June 2005

I've had my Mazda MPV LX for almost a year now. I couldn't be happier as it has proven to be a quality/reliable vehilce.(knock on wood) I had to take it in the first week of ownership due to whistling noise...got a free loaner car...5 hours later problem taken care of. Other than that it was been problem free. No door rattles or squeaks, no problems with a/c, or with condensor being punctured,no problems with stereo or sound, no problem with seat comfort, no transmission problems(hard shifts, surges etc), no problem with noise from windshield, no problems with brakes or warped rotors...worn out pads, no radiator problems,no problems with steering... only recall that I know of was side door sticker should have said to inflate tires at 35 psi not 32psi.

Have put a little over 7,000 miles on it during this time. MPG has been good...what we expected. Fit and finish excellent. Interior and exterior styling tops...sporty...very elegant and sophistacated lines. I do wish low end torque was a little better...but midrange and higher is excellent. Is lighter than bigger minivans...so handles more like a car.Parks a lot easier. Perfect for the family of 4 who doesn't need the extra space of the larger minis. With rebates and incentives available now...easily the best value for the money. :shades:

hansienna · June 2005

Was the recall for side door decal the reason CR no longer lists the MPV as very reliable?

jipster · July 2005

I believe it was Hans.You know how CR is, they look for the smallest thing...then put it under a neutron microscope.

By the way...you get anything for my MPV for its birthday? Which is today!
Already got a nice hood deflector for it. How about a nice windshield sun delfector for that sunny Florida trip we're getting ready to take? :shades:

nwng · July 2005

that's what happen when you purchase a car near the end of its production cycle and I am a great believer in running changes during the cycle to work the kinks out. I did it on my last two vehicles and they were great. If it wasn't for my wife I would be driving a 05 mpv

jc9799 · July 2005

Guess this is my return to Mazda. Previous Mazda was a 94 Miata, which I sold about 8 years ago. My MPV is 12 days old. Well, 12 days since it became mine. Very nice. LX with rear ac. Blue, not tsunami blue, the more subdued one.

nicks462 · July 2005

The Mazda MPV gets terrible gas mileage. I get like 17-18 miles to the gallon, worse than my Chevy pickup. After transitioning from a Toyota Camry (with over 200K miles) that got 37-41 MPG strong, I was in shock. I thought there was something mechanically wrong with my MPV - even though it runs real well. Anyway, those considering an MPV should be aware of this. The MPV does not deliver the gas mileage one would expect in an efficient Japanese engine design.

kentwong · July 2005

I am also previous owner of 99 Camry owner who had tried very hard to fit 3 childseat in the back seat of it. I got 28 mpg at the best with the Camry 50/50 city/highway. It did 40 mpg for me a few times when used in 100% highway trip without A/C running without a passenger.

There are several things affect the gas mileage.
profile, weight, size of engine, engine technology, numbers of peopele carrying, tire pressure, alignment... As far as talking about efficient Japanese engine design, American had never been good at building 4-banger. No mini-van out there can offer the gas mileage like the Camry with 4-cyl, period.

I have not taken a long highway trip with my 04 MPV so far. The worse I got was 19-20 mpg and the best was 23-24 mpg. Winter(using heater) and summer(using A/C) both hurt the gas mileage a bit. Also check the tire pressure and keep them above 35 psi will help.

k203206 · July 2005

I just read an article on "Fox News" website that the Ford Motor company plans to match GM's employee discount plan for Ford Products. This Ford employee discount plan will end on Aug 5. Does this discount plan include Mazda products.
If it does, I will be buying a Mazda MPV within the next month! Anyone hear about this :confuse:

subearu · July 2005

It's a Mazda tuned Ford Duratec motor that's in the MPV. I have gotten 25mpg highway and 17mpg during the winter in our '02 ES. Overall average is just under 20mpg, but we only average about 10k miles per year in mostly short trip/city driving. Looks like we're getting the rated mileage, which is 18mpg city, 25mpg highway.

Elsewhere on the 'net, I've read of others getting decent highway mileage (>24mpg) and those getting 17-18mpg city.

FWIW, real-world MPG figures of those with the new Ody are a bit lower than expected too.

-Brian

once_for_all · July 2005

after 37k on the Dunlop AS 4000s, it is about time.

Reading reviews on Tirerack and here, it looks like the Yokohama Avid Touring, the Yokohama Avid T4, and the Kumho ECSTA HP4716 might work out well. The T4 is a "T" rated tire (higher speed) and a bit softer. All are between $53 and $65 each.

Anyone have thoughts? We are in a HOT climate, no snow, minor winter rains.

John

jc9799 · July 2005

Hey John,

Listen, I'm no expert on tires...but...I'm under the impression that one should replace their old tires with ones that have at least equal speed ratings. The OE Dunlops are H rated, which only the Kumhos can match. Probably, a better place to ask would be the "Ask Connor..." thread in the Tires board.

I noticed the Tire Rack customer reiviews on the Dunlops were less than favorable. How did they do for you?

Good luck.

subearu · July 2005

The real rating you should watch for on tires is the load - the number before the letter for speed rating. The 16"s are 95H, so looking for a tire that is 95T would be acceptable as well (in fact, someone from another site got a letter from Mazda stating it was acceptable). The load rating is what the tire can handle for weight.

-Brian

audia8q · July 2005

mazda is not participating in the Ford employee pricing plan......A big reason to run the program is to eliminate excess inventory. Mazda has a product shortage with its best selling products so there is no reason to do a give away sale.....

oddly enough the AVP and lease rates for July increased tremendouly on mazda products. This is due in part to not enough product on the ground. example, MZ6 base went up $70 per month.

johnbullus · July 2005

Hello Everybody,

so I took my first HIGHWAY ONLY trip on the 4th of july weekend. I put 178 miles on highway, from 8am to 11 am in a 75 F temperature, using AC 80% of time. I was cruising between 70-80mph.
Much to my surprise, I got terrible gas milage: 15.67 mpg... (i filled the vehicle up before entering higway, and after puting 178 miles filled it up again - i got 15.67 mpg...)
What is the probable cause?

I take very good notes on my fuel economy.In the last 6 month, which translates to 5610 miles driven, my average mpg is 20.89. This is combined city and highway driving in chicagoland area.

What is your opinion?

johnbullus · July 2005

Aha, I am driving:
2000 Mazda MPV LX 2.5 v6 with 76k miles on it.

Thanks

once_for_all · July 2005

yep, I agree, the 95H would be preferable. There are a ton of reviews on Tire Rack though of MPV owners that put the 94S Yoko Avid Tourings on and simply loved them compared to the Dunlops.

No real complaints with the Dunlops here, we have 32K on them. But the new ones are "V" rated and cost over $100 a pop at Tire Rack. If the Yokos are cheaper, and according to many, in all ways an improvement over the Dunlops, that holds some weight with me.

John

96pathfind · July 2005

Very interested in a new '05 MPV. However, on first test drive yesterday, wife and I both noticed what we found to be excessive amounts of road noise echoing through the cabin. This was present on each and every type of road surface we encountered. In addition, we both noted the ride to be quite stiff, bouncy and jittery. None of the reviews I've seen have mentioned these qualities, and I'm beginning to wonder if we drove one that had a tire problem or something. Anyone have any thoughts/experiences/wisdom to share? Was this abnormal, or are my standards unrealistically high?

96pathfind · July 2005

Searched "noise" on this board (shoulda done it before my first posted message- sorry!), found several references to noise and jittery ride believed caused by the stock 16" Dunlops. Question is, has anyone actually replaced these with a decent touring tire and, if so, what was the result???

jipster · July 2005

Test drive a different MPV and see if there is a difference. I find the MPV to have a fairly quiet ride.Did seem a tad "jittery" when we first bought it...but fine now. The Dunlops tires are performance tires...designed to match the MPV stiffer and sportier suspension. I have read from many posters who haven't cared much for the Dunlops and have gone to a different tire. Though I don't know about putting touring tires on. I have heard many MPV owners have put on Michelin Hydroedges as well as several other brands...which give a softer,quieter, less jittery ride. There is a topic discussion called Ask Conner:tirerack.com(I believe). You can get some advice on picking out a better tire and opinions of other owners. Maybe, your Mazda dealer will switch out the tires for you. May cost a little more for the Michelins. Both the OEM Dunlops and Michelins are $110-130 tires. Good luck.

subearu · July 2005

also, it's likely that the tires are overinflated to help prevent flatspotting from sitting on the lot. This will contribute to a harder ride and possibly a noiser one too.

-Brian

sugoiya · July 2005

Since you seem to have an interest in tires, I feel I have an obligation to warn you about the Dunlops that come with this car. You see, in order to promote their zoom-zoom image, Mazda essentially put racing tires on this heavy car. This gives the MPV some pretty good agility, but the sticky rubber is severly taxed and creates with some pretty serious long-term problems.

First off, the tires are very noisy and will only get worse as the tread wears down. Second, the ride will be rough, particularly with the 17 tires from what I understand. Third, the tread will wear down very fast no matter how much you rotate the tires. If you research the Dunlops youll find that you can expect 35K at the most. The tires on my 02 wore out at 20K. Finally, when you do have to replace the tires youll find that the OE specs are unusual. So, unless you buy another set of OEs you will probably have to make some compromises.

Oh, and to answer your question: I did put a touring tire on the car and it did calm things down, but again, because of the unusual size I had to spend an hour talking tires with my mechanic before deciding on what to buy. We essentially wound up re-spec'ing the car pretty much the same way a company would spec' out their work trucks. But thats another lengthy post.

I hope this helps.

vrm · July 2005

Will there be a 2006 model for the MPV? If yes, when is it expected? Any known changes from the 2005 model.

Thanks!

hansienna · July 2005

Because the MPV engine is a Ford engine :sick: (as has been pointed out).
Ford, GM, Chrysler, Hyundai, Kia, Suzuki, etc. engines do NOT provide the high gas mileage of Toyota and Honda engines.

However, all of the engines produced by any of these manufacturers will be more reliable and last longer than engines built by Volkswagen, Fiat or Trabant.

bigdadi118 · August 2005

The CR used to rate MPV as No.3 side-by-side with Nissan Quest, just below TOY Sienna, HON Odyssey. This summer CR auto rating does not recommend MPV any more because of feedbacks from MPV owners on its harsh/noisy ride and the transmission problem.

once_for_all · August 2005

I don't see any recommended transaxle service for my '02 MPV.

What is the deal? Is this a maintenance-free item? Fluid good for life? What have any of you done regarding the auto tranny?

John

subearu · August 2005

I've read of some actually draining the pan (there is a drain bolt IIRC) and some have pulled the tranny cooler lines to drain with some assist.

-Brian

once_for_all · August 2005

I am capable enough to get some fluid out of it, but I want to know if anyone recommends it. It appears Mazda (corporate) does not. Although, lemme guess, the dealer is going to recommend it.

John

subearu · August 2005

No, not all dealers *will* recommend it, some will adhere to "it's not in the maintenance schedule so don't worry about it" mentality. I think some dealers may recommend the power flush type of fluid change, but those can sometimes do more harm than good.

Personally, brake fluid, coolant, and tranny fluid should be changed after a couple of years at least. Of course, you don't have to, you can leave these as-is. But, why when they're simple enough to change?

You figuring on DIY with the AT fluid?

-Brian

once_for_all · August 2005

dunno...not versed at all in Jatco 5spd autos. I didn't see a pan and filter on the bottom of it, so there must be a different way of flushing it.

IIRC if the auto tranny fluid doesn't get too hot (is it over 300 degrees?) it doesn't break down. I expect it gets contaminated though.

It just frankly surprises me. Subarus get their drain and flush every 30k.

I am all for less maintenance, but not for lack thereof that leads to equipment failure.

John

Mazda MPV

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