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Mazda5 Changes You'd Like To See

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Comments

  • vg33e powervg33e power Member Posts: 314
    I have a family of five (wife, 14, 9, 1mo, and of course myself). We find the M5 adequate for us. 14 year old sit up front with me (for now), wife and baby in the second row and 9 year old in one of the third row seats. That leaves one third row seat open, so I folded down to have carrying room for baby stuff, groceries, "little" luggage, etc. In the rare ocassion that I am using all six seats, there really isn't very much room left for anything more then a couple small to medium duffle bags behind the third row. I am getting the (needless to say) expensive factory roof rack this week to have a bit more carrying capacity. I have never had anything bigger then a normal 5 passenger vehicle, so I can't say I miss the 7th seat since I've never had one, but I can surely say that I love this little wagon...besides I can't afford to buy anything bigger right now. Hope this helps.
  • vicenacvicenac Member Posts: 229
    I laughed out loud when I read the question....
    We are two going to get one of these. We have a 4 year old and another one on the way. But that's it!
    With the 3rd raw of seats up, there barely room for 2 grocery bags in the "trunk".
    You should go see one at a dealer. They usually have on inside the showroom.
    You need a real minivan. Get the Odyssey.

    To carry anything of significance with the 5 roof racks and cargo boxes are in order.
    How about a CX-9? It's only 10k more....
  • dona83dona83 Member Posts: 67
    I've fit over $150 in groceries behind the third row seat. What is this person talking about?
  • billm6billm6 Member Posts: 5
    I have a 2007 Mazda 5 and a family of 5 (and an occasional grandma along for the ride). We have recently been looking at bigger vans as the 5 is just too small for us. We wanted to be practical and we really like the way it drives, parks, and the MPG. However, we do not like the loud road noise and lack of room. If you are driving somewhere with 6 people and a lasagna...the lasagna is on your lap. or under your feet...or you put it in the back and it pops out all over the driveway when you open the door. We have a cargo box for the roof which is a must for any family vacation with 5 or 6 people.
  • vicenacvicenac Member Posts: 229
    Ehmhm....
    150 dollars does not speak volume.... It depends where you shop....
    I drive a CX-7 which has a very large cargo area compared to the 5 with all the seats up. 118 dollars in grocery at Safeway/VONS fills it to the gils (the CX-7 back). More has to go on the seats.
    Maybe I just hit the sale days and I get more for the buck.... but still suitcases to the airport... I don't thinnk so. And that was the point. I see that more responses point the same thing out.
  • dona83dona83 Member Posts: 67
    That's about 6 cloth grocery bags full. Two carry on size luggage (19" high) can fit there as well. I've carried three of my teammates and 4 hockey bags and 8 hockey sticks in my 5 once with absolutely no problems. .

    If I ever go on a road trip with 6 passenger and loads of cargo, I have a basket roof rack I can throw up on top but to be honest I have yet to use it.

    The CX-7 is not particularily big either, but I think the general population needs to get out of the mode of thinking that we need a vehicle for the absolute worst case scenario. Why does anyone need to use a truck that can haul a boat @ 80mph to do groceries?
  • ldislerldisler Member Posts: 83
    I believe I read that we don't get it in the US due to
    Federal safety regulations.
  • dona83dona83 Member Posts: 67
    We can get a 7th seat if Mazda changes the second row from two captain chairs and a non-fixed Karakuri seat to a fixed 3 seater bench seat. The seats can still be 60/40 split with fore/aft and recline motions (the Honda Fit has this does it not?). As much as I like the captain seats, I think a 3 seater bench seat would be a whole lot more practical.
  • vg33e powervg33e power Member Posts: 314
    I second that!

    A three passenger bench seat in second row, another 6" or so behind the third row and the turbo 2.3L or the 3.0L V6 and we have a perfect little sporty wagon.
  • gambit293gambit293 Member Posts: 406
    More storage space and more compartments for the driver and passenger-- those are about the only complaints I have so far.

    A lot of features mentioned by others would negate other unique traits of the 5. A more powerful engine would almost certainly hurt gas mileage. Stability control or an LSD would bump up the price, which is currently pretty attractive. A softer suspension would probably reduce handling (or raise the price). More space in the trunk would make it an ordinary minivan.

    All in all, I'm pretty pleased with the overall balance of features in the 5.
  • dona83dona83 Member Posts: 67
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    I think size wise the Mazda 5 is perfect, just add the 7th seat and we have a winner. There are too many other choices to go with if you want a "full size minivan" and Mazda has the Mazda 8 if they ever want to get back into that market.
  • zbxzbx Member Posts: 30
    I wholeheartedly agree, a 3 seater 2nd row bench seat would be a lot more practical. But as Jay Leno says, I'm sure you couldn't to squeeze 3 fat American a**es into a bench seat :)
  • dona83dona83 Member Posts: 67
    True but squeezing three fat (North) American arses on a bench seat may be better than fitting two fat American arses on the 2nd row and squeezing the third unfortunate fat American [non-permissible content removed] in the 3rd row. :D

    Just being able to fit 5 passengers in the two rows and having the third row for those once in a blue moon times when we do need it to say transport kids' friends would be such a bonus.
  • zzzinggzzzingg Member Posts: 2
    I'm a brand new Mazda5 owner as of two weeks ago. I purchased it specifically to have a modestly sized vehicle that would carry either people or my harp and would actually fit into my carport. One of the things I find disconcerting is the utter lack of dash lighting (specifically the gear shift area) unless the headlights are on. I try to take pity on my poor neighbors and not turn my headlights on as I back out of my carport in the wee hours of the morning and it's as dark as the inside of a cow in there until I can turn the headlights on. I have to turn the overhead light on to see the gear shift. I still don't have an owners' manual so maybe there's a setting for this I don't know about yet? If not, this would be a change I'd definitely like to see.
  • vicenacvicenac Member Posts: 229
    Congrats!
    You can turn the lights switch to "position lights" only, so only the markers will turn on, the headlights will stay off. The dash will also illuminate.
  • zzzinggzzzingg Member Posts: 2
    Cool! I'll try it first thing in the morning! No more gear-shift groping in the dark!
  • coolmazda5coolmazda5 Member Posts: 525
    Yup and silly question to zzzingg, Why would you need to see the gear shifter to put it on reverse?
  • ts_m5ts_m5 Member Posts: 4
    Just picked up my 2010 5 Sport. While overall I'm pleased with it, there are a few things that I wish it had, I can't imagine would cost much to change:

    1) For an automatic trans, all doors should lock when shifting out of Park and unlock when you take the key out. This is a great safety feature.

    2) Daytime running lights! Another safety feature. This is required on the Canadian models so why not keep it for the US models? I know the GT model has autosensing lights as part of the rain sensor but I don't want all the bells for a safety feature. If anything, I wish the lights would just shut off when I turn the key off, everything else shuts off!

    3) Parking brake chime. Okay we all have left the parking brake engaged, don't lie! In addition to the light on the dash, it would be nice to have a chime in case you don't look down at the dash. Like the seatbelt chime.

    4) I wish the console between the front seats had a lid. Nice to throw spare change or a few buck in there, ezpass/other transponders/gps and just flip the lid closed. Sure you can put the gizmos in the glove box, but cars have been broken into for a roll of parking quarters in the center console.

    5) Flip-out keys were cool when they came out 10+ years ago. Now we've progressed to a fob and some makes don't even require the key to be inserted (ok, that's a Jag, but I have to pay $300 for the key anyway so might as well make it a cool key fob). Maybe that's not a cheap enhancement, but to me the key assembly is too long when in the open position and feels like it my knee could snap it off.

    6) "Shark fin" style antenna. Standard antenna was too long and hits my garage door so I replaced it with a 3-section one from the local parts store that I leave collapsed. Still picks up stations well.

    7) Another charge point for the middle row.

    Well those are just some observations after a couple weeks of ownership. Bigger ticket items/trim levels would be motorized sliding doors, power seats (maybe even ones that adjust to the driver based on the key, or rather the fob, that unlocks it), etc.
  • athenasiusathenasius Member Posts: 118
    I would like to see the area under the sets on the middle row raised about 2 inches or the floor dropped by the same back to the foot area of the 3rd row. This would make a massive improvement in the foot space and allow easer sliding of the feet under the seat in front. The back row because the seat sits so low that if the floor for the 2 back seats would allow feet to go under the seat in front. This bending in the floor metal also increases the structural strength of the floor.

    I would also like to see slots put in the sides of the back area so that one could put a shelf to put light things on them. I would also like to see a hook higher in the back corners to allow the net that you can put to hold things down in the back could be put across the very back of the opening to put things in that will not slide forward.(yes the back bit slides in to the slot to make that in theory hold things but in actuality it will not hold to long before it slides out and releases.

    i would like to see the day time running lights to also turn on the back lights(this also has proven to decrease accidents)

    The front individual arm rests should be replaced with a larger one that incorporates a storage bin to charge a phone (with 110 volt option) and also be used as a large shared arm rest.

    also to have the tray option on the backside of the front seats for the second row people this is available in other countries.

    also a solar vent to remove excess heat when car is sitting in the sun.

    more powerful battery on cold winter days there are times when it seems like the car barely starts

    available glass tinted windows not the after-market tint. again this is available in other countries.

    proper sunroof there is enough head room to have one that goes inside the roof space. the opening one now actually is tiny compared to the actual size of the sun roof glass and if you add the wind deflector the opening becomes only a few inches.

    heated cloth seats not just heated leather seats

    bright colours like fire engine red and yellow ie younger colours.

    back up camera and or parking sonic distance system

    standard blue tooth and mp3

    DIESEL ENGINE lol
  • vicenacvicenac Member Posts: 229
    I hope they don't start bringing auto locking cars here. I hated that "feature" on American make cars.
  • vicenacvicenac Member Posts: 229
    There are otches that accept the Mazda made cargo cover, which in a sense is a shelf.

    Anyway, lots of changes will come to the 2011 model, including larger seats and consoles.
  • larry8061larry8061 Member Posts: 37
    Of all the nice features on the 5 the one that annoys me the most is the lack of auto dimming dash lights! My commercial Freightliner Sprinter can handle it why can't a Mazda 5? Of course one can do it manually but then the next day its raining and now they are too dark..............

    I can't believe they missed that one how hard can it be?

    Larry
  • prosendprosend Member Posts: 7
    I disagree with all the requests for more electronic stuff like automatic doors and seats. This just adds more expensive to a fantasically priced car and really drives up repair costs. (Mu husbands Jeep Grand Cherokee has had every electronic gadget break at very high cost to repair)

    I do think a Diesel would be great and also a manual option.

    I would like to have a low gas chime though. I have many times looked down to see my yellow light on and I am never sure if it just turned on or if it has been on a while and I am toast. Haven't run out yet.....
This discussion has been closed.