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Mazda5 Owners - Give Us Your Report
Congratulations on your new car! This is the place to post your first impressions.
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I made it official yesterday, July 31, with the purchase of a cardinal red Touring Edition with manual transmission and no navigation - a combination that is difficult to find. Maybe the initial exuberance over the manual will wane, but if these boards are any indication, there are definitely a lot of clutch and shift fans out there. SIDEBAR: If you want a manual, stick to your guns. Don't let a salesperson try to convince you an automatic is a better choice because they supposedly have better resale value; the truth is they don't.
For bobw3, I will take a photos this evening to show how comfortable the middle row of seats is. I am of average height, 5' 9" and I have more than enough space, but I cannot say what the level of comfort will be for those in the long legs club. Keep in mind, middle row space can be affected by how far back the front row passengers like their seats. Of course the great thing is that the middle row seats also move fore and aft for greater versatility.
Is it a bright red or deep red? No. I would call it more of a desert red or maybe an anemic red. Actually that is why it was acceptable for me because it wasn't so red. Here's a picture of mine I took on Sunday.
Thank you. Salmon red is a perfect description. Actually, my first choice was the stratos blue, but no one had one in stock in a touring edition manual with no navigation. When I looked at the red, I was pleased. Of course, if I had been more patient and waited 10 days (I didn't think they would arrive that soon - Mazda said end of August), I could have had the stratos blue (I checked inventories online), however, I am quite pleased with my choice.
That was enough - I had them find me a carbon grey from another dealer. I would definitely suggest viewing the cardinal red in sunlight before buying (ordering)!
What part of the country are you in?
"Have you called 800-639-1000? The nice folks there can tell you when models will be arriving at dealerships in your area"
Who/where does this number call?
Do they know what's on the next boat-load coming in?.
That would be very useful since I am looking for an auto touring W/O nav (maybe Phantom Blue...need to see that color for real first), and the local dealer claims not to know what might be "on the boat".
Thanks
Don't limit yourself to one dealer though. I am sure there are at least three or four dealers within 100 miles of you if you live in a more rural part of the country. I was fortunate because I am in SoCal, there are about 20 or so dealers to pick from. Also, have you used the inventory lookup system at www.mazda5.com?
Thank you very much for that info.
I am in a "rural" area....the next 3 nearest dealers are about 75-90 miles away, and then more in the Portland, Oregon area.
I have been checking their stock on the Mazda USA web site, so know what they should have on hand.
I want to see some other colors (local dealer has a charcoal gray and a platinum silver), so will have to make a road trip soon.
None of the other dealers have a model/color I am interested in, but I still want to check out several other colors in person.
I will give that number a call and see if they can tell me what might be coming into this area of Oregon.
Thanks.
I also had 5 11-year old boys with me in the car last night. They got a little wild, but the seat fabric and floor carpet looks no worse for the wear. It stood up really well.
I couldn't be happier than I am with this vehicle. I'm looking forward to many miles of fun and economical driving.
Coming from a Subaru Outback it seems so quiet and smooth. While missing the AWD in some of the recent Washington DC weather, I DO NOT miss the 2.5 liter OB's famous engine/auto transmission mismatch at around 35 mph as you try to merge on the freeway. The Mazda 5's power is always available, and I really like the "kick" at 3,000 RPM which gives confidence in highway situations. If you've experienced the insanity of the 270-Beltway split you'll appreciate the option of overtaking as well as letting the lunatics go by.
Our kids love their separate 2nd row seats and fold away table, plus the "slidey" doors. Of course my wife hates the sliding doors as it's a feature that says "van." But she loves the sunroof, her first. And she likes curious people who come up and ask "is it a hybrid?" I guess in silver it sort of has that look.
The real dilemma will be in summer when we weigh whether to install a tow bar and risk voiding the warranty. It would be so good for carrying a couple of bikes and towing our small boat all of a mile to the ramp.
I'm very familiar with the 270-Beltway split (and you MD drivers :P )
I did noticed the other day that fully loaded (for us, its Me, wife, 2.5 yr kid and stroller) there wasn't much power left on the top end for high speed passing like my MZ3. In the MZ3, it seems to build speed slowly, but it would keep building all the way to redline. In the MZ5, it dropped off as it got toward 5-6k rpms.
miss the slight luggage space the Astro has over the five.
When looking at the interior space people need to put things in perspective. I very rarely used the added space
in the Astro. It is kind of like a single person buying
a Chevy Suburban to drive to and from work with. Its just not needed. If you move the second row seats ahead about
3 inches in the 5 I have put 5'10" passengers in the third seat without complaints. As far as power is concerned, with
the car loaded with people, I have plenty of power to maintain a 75 mph freeway speed and if I shift into 4th
gear of my 5 speed I have plenty of passing power. Remember
that 5th gear is an overdrive and was not ment to be used for hills and passing. How fast does a person need to go?
I love my 5 and look forward to driving my daughter to and from school on a daily basis and bring three or for of her friends home from school in the evenings.
We swapped out the 6 disc cd changer for the 6 disc mp3 player ($400.00 extra charge).
So far we are very pleased with the vehicle. It has more than enough power for us and handles the hills and mountains of NE Penna. with no problem. A few times the van was loaded with six adults and it handled fine.
The mp3 6 disc changer works well and we are getting about 26 mpg, mostly around town. It hasn't been too hot yet, but the climate control system seems to work fine. It is quiet and runs smoothly.
It is a light green color (I forget what Mazda calls it). So far we are very pleased with our purchase.
If your driving style changes as you get use to the MZ5, keep in mind that modern cars'onboard computers make adjustments to fit your style. If you change from time to time it messes up those settings.
fowler3
Please post the results of your inspection if they find something wrong with the coolant system.
Thanks,
Lee
Came home, cleaned it up again and am just as pleased. I really feel like I got a lot for what I paid. Two questions/comments people always made. One is, "what is it?" No one has seen these or even knows about them yet. The other is that they can't believe what we paid for what we got. My wife drives it to the school where we work and parents and teachers both go nuts over it.
That's it. Raving over. I love the 5.
MM
I continue to be impressed with how flexible the interior space is. We came from owning a Nissan Axxess, which is in many ways similar to the 5. We liked the Axxess too for its practicality and reliability but the 5 is a huge step up in refinement. The ride is much quieter, MUCH more nimble, and quicker. The 5 is by no means powerful, but i find there is lots of zoom to get up to speed and merge into traffic, overtake others, even with a full load. Averaging about 8.1 L/100 on the highway is also a big improvement for us.
The driver's seating position is excellent (i am 6'3" or 190 cm tall) but sitting in the passenger seat next to the driver, i have very limited knee room with the seat all the way back (this just means that i get to drive more!). Lots of head room everywhere. The lack of arm rest on the passenger seat next to the driver is a glaring omission.
The Axxess had tinted windows and we immediately tinted the 5's windows for $CAD280 - that was well worth it. This has probably helped out the A/C which we have found to work very well. I like the fact that you can override the auto climate control when the air con is on. We have also rust proofed and undercoated it as we plan to drive it for 10 years or more. We have also purchased seat covers that are not available in Canada from the US and they will arrive next week.
I could go on and on, but both of us love this car. It is SO FUN to drive, especially with the manual transmission. And it is the first new car either of us have ever owned.
I also want to find out where did you send the car to get rust proofed..? Tks.
I took it to Ziebart for rust proofing and undercoating. The package was $350CAD. Tinting was done at European Auto where one of the dealers sends their cars to be done and saved about $170 taking it there myself rather than having the dealer do it. Seat covers are from Rosenthal Mazda in Arlington, Virginia . My dealer will not sell me an oil filter removal tool but there is one in Edmonton that will. Canadian Tire has tools similar to what is needed but they don't quite fit so i will have to go with genuine (and more costly) Mazda stuff.
I am now looking for winter rims and tires. A dealer quoted me $1025CAD for Michelin X-Ice on 16" steel rims. I was hoping to find something a little cheaper. CDN Tire couldn't beat that price but i will continue looking around. Tires for this car, winter or summer, are not cheap. The X-Ice 205/55R16 is about $190 per tire here. If you are looking, please let me know your findings.
So far no complaints about power. Have had 5 adults on board and it gets up to speed no problem. Handles like a charm for what is supposed to be a 3/4 sized minivan. Quiet ride, very little wind noise and can enjoy the audio without cranking it up loud. Fit and finish is incredible for its price and I know now why the so-called "big American 3" auto makers are in a panic. :shades:
At least that's what my dealer told me when I asked. He said that IF I installed a Hitch without the trailer Wiring I might be able to argue later if there is a warranty issue in that area that I never towed. But If I had the wiring installed That I've voided the warranty!
Having said that he still would install it for us ( didn't) dealers will take any buck they can!
$700 for "electronic rust proofing... what you think I have stupid written all over my face!"
The Big 3 are in a Panic because their sales model still depends heavily on SUV's (truck's don't count against their CAFE numbers!)
The pulling is torque steer. If you don't accelerate hard you can avoid it. Hope you are not doing these things before your MZ5 is broken in fully, at least until you get over 1000 miles on it.
fowler3
We reluctantly traded in our P5 for the new 5 because we needed more room for our 2 year old little boy.
I instantly fell in love with it, I was afraid it would drive like a van but it handles almost as well as my P5.
I think by changing the factory tires to something stickier my new 5 would handle even better.
I hope Mazda follows thru with the plan to make the 5 all wheel drive, I heard a rumour that the 5 in Asia will be gettin awd as an option.
Keeping my fingers crossed.
We not only saved money by not buying a full-size minivan, we also found out we don't need to keep a second-smaller car, for our daily (driver only errands) use. The Mazda5 can do both. Function as a 'minivan' and use gas and 'look' like a car.
The teenager son is now very happy claiming custody of the old buick . lolz.
Here's my input:
Size - perfect. I've got three young kids, 8, 2 and 1, so I get three rows at $10K less than other mini's. That works for me! The two car seats fit fine in the second row and the older kid has room in the back. Want to buy the roof rack, but we were fine going to San Antonio from Fort Worth for a weekend trip. Just folded half the seat down in the third row and all of our stuff fit fine.
Mileage - good. Considering we've been zoom, zooming around town a lot lately my mileage is right on for the city estimates. Once I get some highway numbers I'll post those.
A/C - my one gripe, but after getting it tinted, no problem. Even in the 100+ degree heat wave we're having here in Texas! It's not ice cold right away, but it's bearable for all in the car when we get in and just fine a few minutes later.
Rear sliding doors - they told the truth on this one! My two year old can open and close no problem. Doors are VERY light and the child locks work great.
Handling - WOW!!! I love the turning radius on this baby! My wife drives a Mazda6 and I have to say, considering this is a mini-van, it definitely lives up to the zoom-zoom name.
Power - I don't know what some of these people expect a mini van to do?! I hopped in this sucker and jumped on the freeway - WHOOPS! I was doing 80 in no time and didn't realize it. On long hills, yes, it does get a bit sluggish, but I'm in Texas ... flat land everywhere!
All in all, just consider this - I had a crotch rocket two years ago. And here I am driving a MINIVAN! It's deep blue, tinted, handles like a dream and has good zoom for a mini. Can't complain - at least I know I'm a lot safer with the standard air bags in the front and side!
Michael
Was it hard to install? Actually RPM is $10 more, but free shipping, Visual Garage costs $12 shipping so RPM is cheaper by $2.
However, Visual Garage offers group discounts for 5+ orders. Anyone interested in putting a group buy together? The way I've seen it work on other forums is that you get some code, the more people use the code, the more discount you get - usually time limited.
David
Not knowing about other antenna options i got a piece of picture hanging wire and wrapped it around the tip of the antenna and attached the other end to the base of the antenna, I adjusted the tension a little bit and now have an antenna that clears the door, total cost less than $1.00 and 5 min of my time. I know this may not be a long term solution but it has worked just fine for the last 3 months.
zoom 500.
Tip. read the instructions. They go through a dry fit process with masking tape to make your alignment marks. It helps alot.
Shipping from RPM is not free (for me at least, I'm in Canada) so it maked no sense to order a part that was made in canada from a US supplier!
The Sharkfin is a very nice and distinctive alternative!
After driving the 5 home and parking in my garage, with plenty of room in there around all 4 sides (--and the top: no antenna problems), I cheered at making such a good choice. I think I’m going to enjoy this car for a quite a long time!
The details: the 5 I decided on is a 2006 Cardinal Red Touring Automatic (just about the last new red automatic left in California). I got it with carpets as well as the all-weather floor mats, bumper guard, cargo cover, cargo net, and wheel locks.
Just a couple of days later I bought the windshield shade and ordered the door guards; and I think I will also get the seat covers and am strongly considering the bra.
Hopefully I will be successful here in adding one of the first photos taken just minutes after driving this beauty home from the LA area.
I appreciate all the information I have gotten on the Mazda 5 forums and look forward more information sharing. Thanks!
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We were pretty disappointed in the navigation system though. We got it because of concerns about our small portable unit getting stolen because of it's visibility on the windshield, which was an illegal placement anyways in CA. The larger screen is much easier to see as well. But, unlike our old Garmin, the Mazda system, is really a pain to program. I have to go through multiple different windows to put in the desired destination, look for points of interest or put in memory points. It took forever to figure out how to put in the home location. It is much less intuitive and harder to find what you want than the garmin. And it doesn't have close to the number of points of interest you get with the Garmin. For Shopping, for example, you can only look for grocery stores, or shopping malls, not specific stores. Overall, even with the larger screen and integrated look, I would not recommend the expense and I wish we had stuck with the $280 garmin, instead of the $1800 to $2000 Navigation through Mazda.
Other than that issue, we are very happy with the car itself, which is very responsive and fun to drive. And we both love the way it looks. We can find our car very easily in any parking lot, it really stands out.