Mazda MX-Flexa / Mazda5

once_for_all · August 2005

power doors would do for me is to keep me from cringing when one of my boys slams it home.

John

frank4cars · August 2005

I think the power doors are like the keyless remote. It seemed like an extravagent nicety until you realized how darned convenient it was. With the doors, it's not so much the weight of the door that makes it nice to have, but the hands-free operation if it opens from the key fob. Walking up to your 5 with your arms full of groceries and being able to click a button instead of having to pull a handle and slide it back is nice.

anonymousposts · August 2005

for me it's a convenience. We could make it without them of course. But we could also make it without a sunroof, leather, CD, XM, etc but we still wanted them in our Accord.

stickguy · August 2005

all the people that are always walking around with their arms full of groceries? I use a cart!

jonathanv_00 · August 2005

OK, I and the family finally got our butts down to a dealership and did a test drive. We're still kind of hovering between a minivan and the Mazda5; thinking mainly that we don't need all that space in a minivan all the time. Plus, we also like smaller vehicles for city driving and gas mileage.

That being said, we liked the Mazda5, but my wife has three questions about it. One is that she thought it seemed kind of cheap on the inside, and is worried about durability. She's thinking the interior isn't going to last much longer than a 5-year lease, and we'd plan on keeping the car longer than that. Any thoughts?

We also felt it was a bit underpowered. Not that it was a slug, but it didn't strike me as "sporty." I know there was a discussion about this up above, and I wasn't really looking for it to be a hot rod, but when I got back into our Subaru wagon, that struck me as much better handling and bit quicker. Maybe I'm just used to driving it - the soft clutch on the Mazda really threw me at first. The Subaru takes a lot more pressure to depress the clutch. (My wife just pointed out that the salesman was a big boy - probably pushing 225-250, so maybe that slowed us down...) One of our favorite places to go is up in the mountains, and now I remember something from one of the car reviews that said driving up the (leetle teenie weenie) Blue Ridge Mountains back east was kind of slow going.

Finally... the air conditioning. It was one of the hottest days of the year in Southern California - the thermometer on the MPV we drove afterward registered 100 degrees - and it was pretty toasty in the far back seat. I felt the AC a little bit when they cranked it up to 4, but it wasn't too effective overall. Plus, it didn't seem all that cool just coming out of the vents... again, the AC in the Subaru seemed much better when we got back into it. My wife doesn't do well in the heat.

Anyway, those were our negative thoughts.... I mean, we liked the layout of the thing, although the gap between the two back seats when they were down kind of bugged me, but I could live with it. I liked riding up a bit higher than in the Subaru or a regular car.... Handled OK in terms of turning radius, that kind of thing.

I dunno. I was all gung-ho before driving it, but now I'm kind of ambivalent... but I don't know if we want a minivan, either. Grrr.

frank4cars · August 2005

Good questions and ones that have been addressed here and in the other Mazda5 threads. See if I can shed any light on them.
1. Durability: should be at least as good as the Subie.
2. Power: Common complaint for people comparing this to a car, but not compared to a van or SUV, especially considering the great gas mileage. Definitely sportier handling and much tighter turning radius than anything in those categories. You didn't mention if your Subaru is a turbo or not, but the base engine should give a similar power-to-weight ratio. And this thing is deceptively fast because of how quiet it is. But it's basically like a Mazda3 with an extra two of those salesmen along for the ride, permanently.
3. A/C: I can only speak for the climate control in the Touring edition, but I've never felt like it was a problem. I set it at 72 and forget it. When I've had 5 people in it and the temp was in the 90's, the third row passenger was fine. If I want cold, cold air blowing on me when driving alone, I set it to 60 degrees and it's at least as cold as my old Civic. If I want that cavernous interior cooled quickly for three rows of people, I choose dash AND foot vents from the selector, open the windows for a couple of minutes to vent built-up heat inside, close the side vents, and direct the center vents upward. In about 3 minutes, everybody is fine.
Hope that helps. P.S. I still love mine a month and a half into ownership.

ccweems · August 2005

#1 Tint the rear windows and back glass. There are some films that block IR well without making it too dark. That will cut heat absorbtion a bunch but over the long term does not ulitmately reduce interior temperatures (enough hot sun will eventually raise the interior temp to max).

Look at your use profile. Live in Phoenix, park your car outside and typically use all seats for short commutes? You will not be happy. Car starts with high internal temp and never has a chance to catch up. If however the times when you use all seats is for longer trips you're good. Initial capacity will cool the driver and front passenger. As soon as they are out of the "beads of sweat" stage close the outboard vents to direct all a/c to center vents which are crossed; right center vent aimed at left rear second row, the other reversed and aimed slightly above. As the second row folk are getting cool aim center vents up and center, try closing the vents a bit. This will raise the velocity of the airflow giving it more throw and hence cooling the back better. Obviously this is all done at the highest speed untill thing get cool front to back.

I once kept the third row seats cool in my MB ML320 in 110F weather with fan on low. Had gotten the interior cool (also remember that not only must you cool the occupants, you must cool down all the interior components like carpet, seats and headliner so they will stop radiating IR) at higher fan speeds. Kept shutting down vents and fan speeds till it wouldn't go down anymore. Must note the ML has very dark privacy glass and the third row occupants were Brits!

Anyway, from my test drive the Mazda5 has more than initial capacity to cool the front seat quickly under any conditions. Those that expect to pack a hot car full of folk, run it on "3" and immediately cool everyone need to buy something else.

rampg · August 2005

I have always loved Mazda's above average design quality. I've had a few since my 1984 626. But in retrospect, looking nice is no substitute for quality and reliability. In those, Toyota excels by the mile. The MPV (we have one) being a good example of Mazda undercutting the competition: smaller cabin; less amenities, less powertrain; less price.

You get what you pay for.

charlotte7 · August 2005

I went to our local Mazda dealership yesterday to test drive a 5. I've been following this car for months and had seen a few on the road, but this was the first time I've actually been in/drove one. I've pretty much decided that my new car purchase this fall would be a used car, but when I saw the 5 at first, I started re-thinking that decision.

Size-wise, it's perfect for me (cyclist with big dog, no kids). I loved how the rear seats folded flat, I love the mini-van style sliding doors, and the overall look of the vehicle. I brought two friends with me (5'6" and 5'11") and they went along for the ride.

I definitely would not want to have to sit in the third row seat for any length of time unless I was a midget. We put my shorter friend back there, and she wasn't comfortable at all. We stopped and let her move to the second row seat for the remainder of the drive.

I drove an automatic (that's what I would want to purchase) and honestly I was pleased to note that that it wasn't as sluggish as some people have complained. I thought the power was surprisingly good and certainly adequate, even merging on a busy Austin freeway. I mean, it's only 157 horsepower and the 5 is 500 lbs heavier than the 3--I didn't expect incredible throttle action. I was happy with the power. The 5 shifted smoothly, cornered very well, and braked fast and tightly.

Overall I was really pleased with the 5 except for two areas, one of which is a real deal-breaker for me.

1) The interior fit and finish, especially the seat fabric, looks and feels cheap to me. I know the 5 IS a less expensive car, relatively speaking, and I didn't expect major luxury, but the seat fabric looked like cheap rayon that would snag if it got caught on my bike or my dog's claws. I have the same complaint about the 3's interior, but I actually thought the 5's interior was worse.

2) The deal-breaker: the air conditioning. Plain and simple, it was terrible. It was not adequate to cool even the second row of seats, and we had it on maximum for the entirety of our test drive in 100 degree Texas heat. My second row passenger ended the drive with a shirt soaked in sweat because she was not getting any cooling. I also hated the small, rectangular size of the vents and where they are placed--what's with that? The 5 and the 3 both have larger, round vents which spew out much more air flow and are better positioned.

I've read that some Mazda3s have AC problems (my friend who owns one does not--I drove her M3 manual hatchback to Houston a few weeks ago and it was icy cold) but this 5 DID have some problems. It wasn't just that the vents were small and poorly-positioned, the AC just wasn't cold. I know it was a hot hot day and the car started out hot, but it did not cool adequately. The temperature of the air coming out the vents actually changed depending on whether we were idling or accelerating, but there didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to why. I have a '93 MX-6 that does the same thing, but it's as 12 year old car and there's a known leak in the coolant line. I expect it to get hotter when I'm idling and cooler when I accelerate. It's a beater! The 5 would sometimes spew out hot air even when we were accelerating. It was very strange, and very noticeable, and both of my passengers commented on it.

After we drove the 5, I drove an MPV for comparison. The MPV had a LOT more power, especially at high RPMs, had a much more comfortable seat for me and passengers, and the AC was great. It was like it was a completely different manufacturer inside--it was just a much nicer vehicle. My passengers are both Honda/Toyota coupe drivers, and they both loved the MPV.

For me personally, until the 5 has been out a while longer and the AC vent system is improved, I probably won't be buying one. I will be looking more closely at a new or used MPV, though! I know I could get a minimally-equipped MPV for about the same price as a 5 here, and it looked like their gas mileage was pretty similar, too. There are also lots of nice, lightly used MPVs . (That's another thing that one of my passengers was surprised by--the 5s relatively bad mileage compared to the bigger, heavier MPV.)

rlawrence · August 2005

Hi Charlotte7 we have conversed in the HHR forums. As you may remember I am a Mazda5 owner and I want to address some of your concerns. First, with the interior fit and finish, I don't recall if you test drove a Sport or Touring edition, but as you know, interior design and materials used is a matter of opinion. For me, I really like the interior, and I think it's well done. In regards to the seating areas, I have been transporting my bicycles for a few weeks now and I have had no problems. I do use a blanket, but that is only because I don't want the grease from the chain getting on my seats. However, on the occasions I did not use the blanket, I received no snags. And to quickly add about the roominess, or lack thereof. Don't forget, the middle row seats, like the front row seats, can be adjusted backwards and forwards to accommodate other passengers.

As for the air conditioning, some of the advice given is to tilt the two center vents upward toward the ceiling while keeping the outside vents closed to force the maximum amount of air to the center vent. It was over 100 degrees yesterday in Riverside, California, and I had no issues. My car was parked outside the entire day. The A/C cooled down the car quite quickly. I do have a Touring Edition with the climate control and maybe that makes a slight difference. However, I do concede that like tastes in design, what is a comfortable temperature setting can be very subjective.

I will also mention that the EPA fuel economy ratings can be deceptive. I am not aware of real world performance for the MPV, but I have looked at anecdotal evidence of the Sienna and Odyssey as well as what I have experienced with my own '5. I have noticed that Sienna and Odyssey drivers as whole appear to be not meeting the EPA posted mileage and are falling about 10% shy. Personally I have been getting much better mileage than EPA estimates. Obviously, I cannot segment it into city or highway mileage exclusively, I can only tell you that in 1300 miles I have averaged over 29 mpg and my most recent fill up gave me a 30.7 mpg average (Touring Edition with 5-speed manual).

Finally, if I recall, one of your wishes is to have a vehicle that allows you to transport your bicycle without having to remove the front wheel. Unfortunately, I don't think it is possible with the '5. Again, I have always removed my front wheels so that has never been an issue with me. But from what I recall in your posts on the HHR forums, the width of your tires couple with the narrowness of the space between your front brakes makes removing and attaching your front tire very cumbersome. I do think that if this is truly a continuing concern of yours, the MPV, with its added height might be a better choice.

charlotte7 · August 2005

The 5 I drove was not a Touring edition--I wonder if that climate control helps cool more efficiently?

29 or 30 mpg is really good mileage! What are other 5 drivers getting?

I actually took measurements of my bike with me to everything we test drove, and I think I could fit the entire bike in there without removing the wheel. (We measured the 5, too.) I've also decided I may just have to learn to love mostly deflating the tire and taking the front wheel off that way if it comes to it. Ugh.

smaria · August 2005

It wasn't just that the vents were small and poorly-positioned, the AC just wasn't cold.

Hmm...sounds like maybe the test-drive car had a defective AC unit? My AC works great, never blows warm/hot air. If you do buy a Mazda5, just make sure you don't buy the one you test-drove

I know I could get a minimally-equipped MPV for about the same price as a 5 here, and it looked like their gas mileage was pretty similar, too.

Careful here. The EPA ratings don't look hugely different between the Mazda5 and the MPV. But, on full tanks, many new Mazda5 owners are reporting at least 25 MPG. In real-world driving, Consumer Reports gets (at best) 19 MPG on all of the minivans it tests (Odyssey, Sienna, etc.). It only gets 18 MPG on the MPV.

As an aside: 30 MPG in the Mazda5 sounds very high to me...not sure how that was achieved (I've gotten 23-25 MPG).

rlawrence · August 2005

As an aside: 30 MPG in the Mazda5 sounds very high to me...not sure how that was achieved (I've gotten 23-25 MPG).

smaria,

What can I say, I guess I am just very talented or lucky :-)

Here's my log of fill ups. My usual MO is to fill the tank when the meter hits the halfway mark. (I apologize if it's a bit difficult to read - it looks fine in compose mode)

Miles Gal MPG
196.5 6.949 28.3
193.6 6.906 28.0
231.6 7.912 29.3
205.2 6.829 30.0
276.5 9.875 28.0
227.9 7.422 30.7
1331.3 45.893 29.0

PS - Just so there's no confusion, I am in the LA/OC/IE area so the mileage is calculated using US gallons.

smaria · August 2005

I believe you, I just wish that my AT wasn't doing so much worse than your MT (5.5 MPG worse than your numbers so far on average). I know that the AT is EPA-rated 1 MPG worse than the MT, but a real-world 5.5 MPG difference is a huge difference...$350 per year in gas! (assuming 15k per year, $3.00 per gallon).

Steve

rlawrence · August 2005

Well, if there's any consolation, most of my trips tend to be at least 10 miles one way and I am either driving on the freeway or on high speed boulevards (don't believe the hype, LA traffic moves better than you might think).

jbollt · August 2005

don't believe the hype, LA traffic moves better than you might think
yea Right! Depends on when and where you are dirving! If you are in a Mazda, and zoom zooming, perhaps the time just flys by? ;-)

ateixeira · August 2005

That's impressive, and the engine isn't even fully broken in.

-juice

perfectofc · August 2005

I'm getting very very similar numbers, and I'm around 5,000km on my 5.

bjerry · August 2005

I have a 5 speed MT and to date most of my driving has been in the city, lots of stop and go, so I haven't seen anything close to 30 mpg.

Recently, I had a chance to drive a Mazda 6 wagon automatic for a day while my car was in the shop. I noticed it kept getting up to 5th gear under 40 mph. Normally I don't shift to 5th until i'm above 45mph, so I've been trying to shift up to 5th whenever I get to close to 40mph, but I haven't filled the tank since then to see if my around town mileage has improved.

What are others doing to get better mileage?

frank4cars · August 2005

Not sure if anybody has brought this up or not, but the Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS) is only available with the navigation system. Was at the dealer today and it isn't listed in any of the brochures or on the window sticker, but there was a demo on the showroom floor with little feature stickers on it and one of them said Navigation and TPMS package. New spotters' trick for knowing if it has Navi when walking the lot or seeing one in the wild: look for silver valve stems and caps instead of the black ones. I, like my salesman, had thought all of the Touring models had it, but alas, no.

isda65 · August 2005

99% city driving here with an AT. Average of 15kms/day with stop-and-go situations between 23-43 times. I drive mostly at 50kph at times up to 70kph. With this type of driving, I get 11.2l/100kms or 21mpg which is Mazda's stated rating. I did a tankful of highway driving in July and I got 7.5l/100km or 31.36mpg. Pretty amazing considering that it's only supposed to get 8.3l/100km or 28.34mpg. Average highway speed was 90kph. I also made sure that the tire was properly inflated at 34psi.

dapont · August 2005

Here's the Mazda British site. Check the videos in the lower right, especially the first one which is long but which shows the power door and fold-up center seat. Why can't we get stuff like that?

http://4a.mazda.com/product/mazda5/

bjerry · August 2005

Why can't we get stuff like that?

Where could we find the numbers on what Mazda plans to sell in Europe and Japan versus North America? I believe the European market for this size of vehicle is much stronger (more competitive) than in the US and Canada, and Mazda already has an idea of what the market is like, whereas here they're just dipping their toe in the water, so to speak.

frank4cars · August 2005

The power door will probably be added when they add leather and decide to offer a 25,000 USD version. The "+1" seat is probably not coming because of the lack of a three point harness anchor point and the fact that 6 + 1 Americans would probably excede the weight rating.

cocotel76 · August 2005

Some one please tell if the window for the second row, the one attached to the sliding door, goes up and down?

mazdasid · August 2005

Yes they do. All the way down, not half way like most 2nd row automobiles.

perfectofc · August 2005

I do wish the third row windows would "pop out" though... that would have been nice.

charlotte7 · August 2005

Does anyone (audia8q?) know the S-plan pricing for the 5? I have a coworker who's interested in one, and while we have our Ford Partner Recognition PINs, Mazda doesn't list the 5 yet on their S-plan pricing site. My coworker is interested in just a plain Sport model with auto transmission.

jonathanv_00 · August 2005

Hey, folks, thanks for the feedback on my questions - looks like Charlotte7 had much the same experience.

Frank4cars - you said it should be as durable as the Subaru... did you mean mechanically, or the interior? Mechanically I could see, but I just don't know about the interior.

That being said... we're still leaning toward getting one, mainly because my wife doesn't want to drive an automatic, which pretty much rules out the entire minivan segment. Plus, it does still fit our needs pretty well. Might try another test drive this weekend, see if the AC on a different car works any better. Since some folks haven't noticed anything, but others think it's weak, I'm wondering if it depends on the individual car for some reason...?

mdaffron · September 2005

Yes they do. All the way down, not half way like most 2nd row automobiles.

... Another nice carryover from the Mazda3 ... I was very impressed to see its rear windows go all the way down! First car I've ever had that does it.

Meade

smaria · September 2005

Since some folks haven't noticed anything, but others think it's weak, I'm wondering if it depends on the individual car for some reason...?

I'm one of the people who's said my Mazda5's AC works great. And it does. But...I did a comparison this week by driving the Mazda5 to work yesterday and my Civic to work today. It's a 25-minute commute, 80-degree outside temp. I was comfortable in both cars, but I noticed that the AC experience was very different between the 2 cars:

(1) Civic: After about 5 minutes, I had to turn the AC off because it got too cold in the car.

(2) Mazda5: Left the AC on the entire time. I was comfortable, not too hot, but the car never got cold enough for me to want to turn off the AC.

So, although I'd characterize my Mazda5's AC as "fine" and "good enough", it certaintly seems to be less powerful than my Civic's AC. I can see why the Mazda5's AC unit may not be powerful enough for some people.

That said, there's no reason for the Mazda5's AC to blow warm or hot air unless there's something wrong with that particular car...mine doesn't blow warm air, just not as cold as my Civic.

audia8q · September 2005

S-plan is available on the MZ5......But the ultimate decision is up to each dealer.

charlotte7 · September 2005

Right--do you know the pricing for it, though? My coworker is looking at a Toyota Matrix, the 5, and maybe the HHR. We know the GM Supplier Discount price for the HHR, and she won't get any discounts from our employer for the Matrix, but we can't find anything about the specific discount in numbers for the 5.

ateixeira · September 2005

I'm sure the A/C is as good or better, but it has to cool a much greater space, so it's working a bit harder. That should come as no surprise.

-juice

smaria · September 2005

How specific do you need your pricing numbers to be when you compare the 3 cars? I assume you want the price just for comparitive purposes?

If you look up the invoice here on Edmunds for the car/options you want, it's probably ok to assume that's the best you can do (I don't think S-plan will go below invoice for a brand new model). Also, it's probably safe to assume that the most you'd pay is $1000 under MSRP (I got $600 under MSRP with no haggling or S-plan). Since MSRP is only ~$1500 over invoice, that leaves you only a $500 uncertainty range. Good enough for comparing the 3 cars?

Also, when pricing the Mazda5, don't forget that you can get a $500 rebate from MazdaUSA (this would take $500 off of the S-plan price, I believe). You can get the rebate certificate by attending a Zoom Zoom Live event, or by following the directions for obtaining a Gerber rebate certificate (the directions have been posted on this forum numerous times).

Good luck! I hope you end up with the Mazda5

audia8q · September 2005

S-plan is invoice on the MZ5.....just remember to include the ad fee which is not listed on most websites.

bobw3 · September 2005

That's assuming that the Civic and 5 use the same A/C compressor. If the A/C on the 5 is the exact same as on the Civic then you're right, it has to work harder. But if you look on the Mazda3 boards, I think you'll find people there with the same A/C issues as on the Mazda 5, and the 3 is smaller.

charlotte7 · September 2005

How long does that Gerber rebate good for? While I am interested in these cars, this is actually for my co-librarian here who is less car savvy than I, so we're going to go test drive together (I already drove the 5 last weekend, but I'd be interested in driving another one to see if it had the same AC problems, because I DID like the 5 other than the lack of cooling). She wants to buy in October, and I wasn't sure if the Gerber thing ended in September, or what?

frank4cars · September 2005

We also have a Passat and it has similar A/C coldness to the MZ5. People put their hand in front of the vent when the A/C is on max and complain that it doesn't feel like they are sticking their hand in a freezer. Not all cars do that. Compared to the VW and MZ5, my old Civic was uncomfortably cold and I had to constantly monitor it. So the MZ5 may not be adequate if you want things frosting up like some Asian and American cars can do, but it will bring cabin temps down to acceptable levels quickly and should be fine for most front seat passengers in any temp. The size of the vehicle would only effect back seat passengers, not the driver. And for what it's worth, I have had no complaints from 3 rows of passengers in 90 degree SoCal heat. Just use the tips found in other threads here.

ateixeira · September 2005

With the Civic I'd be more worried about the engine having enough torque with the compressor on. I guess nowadays the ECU can turn it off temporarily when power is needed to pass.

-juice

smaria · September 2005

I'm not sure when the Gerber rebate stops being available...there's no posted expiration date. But, the way that the rebate works, you need to sign up for it and then Mazda will email you a certificate. The certificate that they email you is valid for 3 months from the date that the certificate is generated. So, presumably, if you get a rebate certificate today, it'll expire on December 1st.

mdaffron · September 2005

But if you look on the Mazda3 boards, I think you'll find people there with the same A/C issues as on the Mazda 5, and the 3 is smaller.

And you'll also find people like me whose air conditioning in their Mazda3's (I have a 2005 Mazda3 hatchback) is as cold as any other car they've owned. It's a mystery -- most seem to be OK, but others have obvious problems (e.g. blowing 70-degree air out of their vents with the a/c on -- I've tested mine and it's 42 degrees). So who knows -- just test-drive the car before you buy it, I guess!

Meade

ateixeira · September 2005

Odd, I didn't get anything after registering on the web site for that BlockBuster offer.

To the ones that got it, did it come by e-mail? Snail mail?

-juice

jbollt · September 2005

I just got one yesterday,snail mail

ateixeira · September 2005

Thanks, I can't re-visit the site, must have cookies to know I've registered.

-juice

jaserb · September 2005

Both by snail mail. They're actually kind of cute for marketing fluff - it's designed to look like a package of microwave popcorn, with nutritional information on the back. 100% daily value of Zoom-zoom, that kind of thing.

I haven't bothered to go drive one, mostly because the only reason I'd like a 5 over our MPV is the stick shift, which is a deal breaker for my wife. A 5 with its 4-spd auto probably wouldn't get much better gas mileage than the MPV with the 5-speed auto. As for the A/C issue, I agree with Juice that it's likely the size of the vehicle that makes it slow to cool. My reg cab pickup gets so cold that after 10 mins you can practically see your breath, even on a hot day. The rear A/C in our van is a godsend.

Edit: This may be why I got two - I'm registered on Mazda's owner portal, and I registered at this site: http://www.nbc.com/NBC_First_Look/sweepstakes/

BTW, I like the 5 but if I win I'm getting an MX5 instead...

-Jason

charlotte7 · September 2005

I got mine by e-mail.

charlotte7 · September 2005

What kind of mileage are you getting with your MPV? I thought the same thing about the mileage in the auto 5 versus the auto MPV, and I'm curious what you're getting.

I drove an MPV immediately after the 5, and there was a *noticeable* difference in the temperature of the air coming out of the vents in the MPV. It was actually cold, versus "mildly cool" or sometimes even "warm" like the air in the 5 was. The more I think about this I think the 5 I drove must have had a defective system.

jaserb · September 2005

Generally we'll go 370 miles or so on a tank, and it will take 16-17 gallons. It likes regular unleaded just fine. We do better if there's a lot of highway trips mixed in, or a bit worse if I'm driving it a lot. I don't think we've ever been much under 20 MPG. Our van has the 4 seasons package, which adds rear heat along with the rear A/C. The MPV is small enough that rear heat/air probably isn't strictly necessary, but after renting a shorty Dodge Caravan this summer I know it makes a difference. That van wasn't any bigger than the MPV but the lack of rear air meant it took a long time to get down to a comfortable temperature.

-Jason

smaria · September 2005

Hope this isn't too far off topic, but...

370 miles on 16-17 gallons? That's roughly 21-23 MPG. If that's really what you're getting, then no there won't be a huge difference between that and the Mazda5. You could roughly expect to get 25-28 MPG (or maybe slightly better) with a 5-speed manual Mazda5, 23-26 MPG (or maybe slightly better) with a 4-speed auto Mazda5, saving you roughly 20% and 11% on your gas bill, respectively.

By the way, 21-23 MPG on an MPV is pretty good. Check out http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=browseList for real user fuel economy measurements on a bunch of different vehicles. Almost all minivans on that site seem to have average numbers around 18-19 MPG. 18-19 MPG average fuel economy is also what's reported by Consumer Reports for the minivans they've tested. If you were getting only 18 MPG on your MPV, I'd tell you that a Mazda5 could save at least 33% of your current fuel costs.

Mazda MX-Flexa / Mazda5

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