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Mazda MX-Flexa / Mazda5
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Comments
Meade
The fact is, only gutsy brave people like us buy the "unique" colors like Lava Orange, and Yellow. Red is actually not that popular a color either among the masses...sticks out too much. Personally, I love it though.
Incidentally, that "Cardinal Red" looks a little closer to maroon...which would probably be a better "minivan" color than Velocity Red.
That last one was sort of a copper color, pretty unique.
-juice
My son said to get the wheel locks. Do we really need the wheel locks? In the 10 years we have lived in the neighborhood I have never seen a car up on cinder blocks (other than for legitimate purposes). Do these wheel locks actually deter theft? Will our rims dissapear when we are at the beach if we don't get the wheel locks? Why aren't they standard anyway? For some reason I think of wheel locks are meant for people who buy the club for their steering wheel. I'd rather have someone steal my car than have to put a club on the steering wheel every time I park it. Now, we don't leave the keys in the car but when I was a child on the farm everyone left their keys in the ignition in case you blocked someone in and needed to move the car or had to borrow uncle Sonny's car to run by the Sinclair for a pack of Lucky Strikes...
Keep in mind that there really aren't THAT many different shapes used by the wheel lock manufacturer's. Some thieves keep an assortment of 'key' sockets which fit a large portion of the wheel locks out there. They may only have to try 1/2 dozen or so sockets to find one that fits your particular wheel lock.
All and all, they are fairly cheap insurance.
Then again it's the only one with 3 rows.
-juice
I'd really like to know how adults feel in the car. Whenever I see photos/videos, it's always little kids climbing around in the 2nd and 3rd row and even though it seems roomy for an 8 year old, I'd like to know about adults doing the same thing...any experience here?
http://www.honda.co.jp/STEPWGN/webcatalogue/3d/exterior/index.html
Play around with the 3d-viewer...select a decent colour + wheels...from certain angles it looks quite good, though the front is a bit scary...bring it over, Honda..
show some guts!
http://vauxhall.co.uk/showroom/search/brand.jhtml?brand=New+Zafira&vehicleType=Car
The 5 looks better, sportier, but it's also smaller.
Zafira looks decent too, it's a little bit too long and narrow, though.
-juice
http://ca.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mgh8572000/album?.dir=/b694
Sounds like it has an upgraded version of the CR-V's engine (at least 170 hp, maybe more). Rearmost seats flip up to the side, a la Element. Don't know about the wood-look floor.......like I said, give it a rubberized floor like the Element.
To me, it's the modern version of the old VW Microbus (not exactly a looker either) but I'd definitely be interested if Honda would bring it over.
The 5 I really want to see inpeson. But, I know that I won't accept a high revving family car. If this thing buzzes along like my tC, or even worse the Miata, it's a non starter, even though the 5 speed brings a tear to my eye.
Just make 5th a real cruising gear and it should be OK. Or add a 6 speed, or some HP.
Now, if they come out with a turbo speed version, they will have a winner!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
The 5 may find some takers but I don't think I will be one of them. The ride was nice and the exterior is outstanding but the functionality of the engine and the cramped quarters of the seating probably takes the 5 off my list. My situation is the same as most of yours in that I have 2 adults and and 2 kids (9 and 1) with the occassional 5th or 6th passenger. The car is just no bigger than a nice mid size sedan. Also you can not leave the second row folded and use the third row with lots of leg room. The seating sings for a home run and bloops a single over the shortstops head.
I have some interesting pictures for you that will put all this in perspective. I will try to get them up tonight or tomorrow.
In short, the car has the body and soul of a Mazda but the heart of a Yugo.
Well done..
-Jaz
(1) I'm surprised (and disappointed) that you say the 3rd row is for the 5'5" and under crowd. Comparing the specs of the Mazda 5's 3rd row to the 3rd row of the Toyota Highlander, the Mazda 5 supposedly has 5" more headroom than the Toyota, so I thought that sounded promising...oh well.
(2) Why can't the 2nd row be left folded? It doesn't lock down into position?
The third row is small without question. The headroom is absolutely fine but the legroom is super tight. I am six feet tall and could not really fit in the back seat with a 5'10 person sitting in the second row in front of me. There was hardly any room for my size 11 feet. I had to turn sidways to make it work.
The second row can be folded but it is not floor level so the passenger in the third row has the second row seats about half way up his shins. You gain no room for your feet and would really muck about the back of the second row seats with your shoes.
After the 5 I went to see the MPV for comparison. With all the incentives you can get the MPV with options for the same price (within $1500) as the five. The difference in space and seating comfort is remarkable. The seats in the MPV were much softer than the 5. Sure, it isn't fair to compare the 5 and the MPV. They are two different vehicle segments. Point being you get a heck of a lot more vehicle for essentially the same money.
I like the 5 and didn't mean for the review to sound too sour. I really wanted this to be the right car for me but the weak engine and tight seating take it off the list. It would work for two people with the occasional third or fourth passenger. It honestly feels like I have more room for four in my '03 Altima than in the 5.
It is great to hear that it's got good seats, and is a quiet cruiser. No surprise that it's got great reflexes. Man, I can hardly wait!
I'm still going to drive it, but I am far more skeptical than I was previously.
You can see this for yourself by looking at the price info here at Edmunds.com. Invoice on the MPV LX Plus with side bags and traction control is $23,407. These are not in great demand in my area, so I have seen discounts below invoice. Add to that the $4000 current cash back from Mazda, and you are under $20k. On the Caravan SXT with ABS and side bags, invoice is $22,131 but I see every day dealer discounts below invoice, and the rebate is $2500. Again, under $20k for nicely-equipped seven-passenger vans. (But I'd take the MPV over the Caravan.)
There is also the driving dynamics. Based on how the 3 drives, I espect that the 5's hadnling and driving dynamics puts the Caravan to shame. The stripper Caravan also won't have a moonroof, something else that many people like.
The rear seat on something this small (and the smaller utes like a Highlander) should be considered to be emergency/kid use only.
Not everyone is looking for the most square footage of road coverage for their $. Something the size of the 5 should appeal to young couples with 0-2 little kids, a second car for dad, even empty nesters that might get the grand kids occasionally.
Heck, I drive a Scion tC and have 2 kids. If I can get away with that, a 5 should feel cavernous!
What it does offer is flexibility, room for stuff (bikes/antiques/whatever), a tidy size, room for 6 in a pinch, good driving dynamics, and a price in the upper teens (=/-).
It is unfortuneate that all the goodness added weight. The 2.3 is a screamer in the 3, even with an AT. In the 5, probably fine with the manual, but a little taxed with the AT. But, that's just in light of the HP war going on now. I bet that for all practical purposes, it will be adequate.
I can't wait to drive one of these to see for myself.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
For us, the usually time for using all 3 rows might be taking the parents to dinner and shunting the kids to the rear, or having 2 extra kids to cart home from soccer practice.
We could probably get away with a 5 for our travelling also, but the Ody give more flexibility (and comfort on the road), plus my wife way over packs!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
">I have some photos that will help show the size of the vehicle. One problem, I do not know how to get the images on this forum. Can someone let me know how to do that? I am not familiar with html tags. Thanks and as soon as I get some directions you will have the pictures.
As far as the MPV goes, I received official pricing and can get one for $19,100. No leather or power remote sliding doors. Not that I would buy an MPV but the price certainly buys a lot more space than the 5.
You may post a link to a photo or insert the photo using the standard html tag for an image: (put less-than sign here)IMG SRC="http://url-location/photo.jpg"(put greater-than sign here)
So if you have the photos on a web site someplace, just use the URL to the web page. If they are files, use the IMG SRC command and replace http://url-location/photo.jpg with the location of the photo on your hard drive, e.g. C:\My Pictures\mazda5photo.jpg.
Those who want to carry a football team can get a Suburban.
I doubt the 5 is underpowered. It's just that the US is accustomed to overpowered. But I do think there should be an optional engine. A turbo, a V6, a diesel or a hybrid. A car should offer an economy model and a performance model. As it is, the 5 is neither.
As for a performance variant... there's always Mazdaspeed and their bag of tricks.
young active couples with a small family or plans for a family.....They feel this customer isnt prepared for a full size minivan for image or financial reasons.