Mazda5 Interior / Cargo Flexibility Photos

[phatlipboardz]

three kids dilemma

Here is what I posted on Edmunds.com:

By the way you folks on here just rock. Great to see so many enthusiasts.

My original post:

"Well I have test driven the Mazda 5 with all three of my kids with car seats (3, 22mos, 3 mos.) I have searched these boards and have read a few stories about others with three kids and their decision to buy this car.

First, I love the way the car drives and so does my wife (important). We are both average height and our kids are still small and we don't plan on them being tall either. Although our needs will change in a few years anyway. The car just fits our lifestyle of minimizing the excess. In Colorado it is pretty much the norm to have a cargo/rocket box on your car anyway.

We would be using the car for mostly around town and we really don't do a lot of driving anyway. No long road trips except for a few up to the mountains to hit the slopes, but this isn't a significant distance.

There are several double umbrella types of strollers on the market and with the money saved on purchase price and fuel, some of these additions can be justified (cargo box, different stroller, etc) This thing certainly doesn't hold too much with all of the seats up, but everyone fits and we do have one extra seat to play with.

Thanks to the folks on the Mazda 24/7 forum I have seen the capabilities of this car. These folks have taken pictures of just about every scenario.

Anyway, I like the all around concept of saving money from the purchase and the savings that are passed on in the fuel economy. This car will definitely be a great second car, but don't know if it would be better to purchase now while the kids are small, and then move it over to the "second" spot if for some reason we need a bigger car once we are lugging around our kids, their friends, and other the other accessories.

I am contemplating pulling the trigger on an odyssey lease (would purchase the 5), but I'm having a hard time justifying this much car at this stage in my life.

Any thoughts or real world experience in this department?

What refueled it is that I have a bunch of emails in today that say the dealers here are getting more 09s in next week."

I forgot to also mention that my second car now is a Passat wagon that everyone is crammed into. We will keep this car and it is unlikely that we will all be in the Mazda 5 at the same time. (except for trips to the park, visiting someone locally, MAYBE the grocery store and whatever else comes up in daily use)

I just need to pull the trigger on something here before my wife pulls her own trigger on me. Anything additional is appreciated.

 

[remarquian]

I'm in a similar position as you, I have three kids, 4, 3, and 8 days old and live in Denver. We've had a new 2007 5 since April, have put about 4500 miles on it, and love it. Our second car is a Subaru Outback.

The 5 works well for us.

My thoughts for buying the 5 were that we needed something that was sized right for us 99% of the time. If grandparents come to town, I can rent a minivan/van of appropriate size and cargo capacity. If I need a truck, I can rent a truck. Renting is much less expensive. I don't need to spend needless money on gas, or have the daily hassles of driving around a behemoth.

Plus, it is fun to drive.

And the 5 is sized appropriately for us, it's easy to get the baby and kids in and out: the sliding doors are amazing. Yes, with every seat occupied, there isn't a lot of cargo room, but with one of the rear seats folded down, we can store a fairly large CostCo run AND seat the family. When we went up to the mountains for a couple of days, it held all of our stuff. As you've read, with all the seats folded down, and no family, one can haul some surprisingly large items.

Our plan is to try and get this car to last 10 years and then reevaluate, cuz the kids will be much bigger.

The downside seems to be the stock tires. People on these forums complain that they aren't good in the snow, and that they wear out quickly. For winter, I'm planning on buy some winter tires on 16" steel wheels. Oh, I also wish I had a '08 five speed manual, but such is life.

My advice to you would be to hold off buying the roof top carrier initially. Just see if you can make it without it. I bought the roof rack, and haven't used it yet.

Hope this helps.

 

[phatlipboardz]

This is definitely helpful. It is good to hear from folks that have three kids or more.

As far as the snow tires, I planned on buying some tires from tirerack.com already mounted on rims. As you know, a good set of snow tires really helps out here. Plus the low clearance is helpful. I've had several large SUVs/trucks in the past that couldn't keep up with the Subaru in the snow (we will retire it once we get the next car/almost 130,000 miles and we haven't dropped a dime into it in years)

Anyway, many of the trips up to the mountains will probably be my oldest and myself and I can just throw boards and skis in the back. I don't plan on my wife heading up there with us anytime soon and my other two boys will be with her at home for at least a couple more years while we are on the slopes.

Thanks...I'm almost there (buying a 5 that is)

 

[flamtap]

Hi,

I have 3 kids too, 6, 4, and 1. (Lived in Fort Collins for 3 years before moving to NC 4 years ago.)

For us the 5 is the 2nd car, it's my daily commute-to-work car. The "family" car is an 04 Sienna, a "real" minivan. I got the 5 a week ago to replace a '96 Nissan SUV.

Whether the 5 will work for you as the primary family-hauler depends on your family, really. For us it would never work. I hate flying (due to the hassle, not flying in general) so when we take trips we drive. We bring a lot of stuff, and I don't like dealing with roof racks, so the Sienna is great. I've been amazed many times that everything we had fit into it well.

The nice thing about a "big" minivan is that it can carry everything, but keep things convenient. For example, when we need to stop and change a diaper there is a huge amount of room on the floor of the van. There are a gazillion compartments around the front seats to hold DVDs, maps, gum, trash bag, car-sick pills, etc. There are at least 2 cupholders and 1 compartment of some sort next to each kid for their "seat stuff."

For my car I wanted a vehicle that could carry all 3 kids (with boosters/seats) if needed (other car in shop, etc.) Sitting them 3 across in almost any vehicle would barely work if at all. I also wanted decent mpg, and the ability to haul a decent amount of non-kid stuff when necessary. The 5 fit right in that niche.

For our family, though, going on a long driving trip with all the luggage, etc. would just not be ideal.

 

[SparkyBhoy]

Camping Trip - 4 Adults & 1 Toddler

I meant to post this last month.

We took the 5 camping back in July, complete with the roof box on (11cuft Thule).

We managed to pack me (driving - yeah, I get a go!), my Sister in the passenger seat, her other half in the middle, my toddler in the middle and the wife in the back! (it's her 5 as well). Jnr #2 stayed at home with Gran.

In the roof box we had the obligatory Rubbermaid boxes with 'stuff', a portable BBQ, coupla rucksacks, soccer ball, beach toys, mini propane tanks, etc.

In the '6th' position and trunk we had the usual cooler, tents, air mattress, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, camp stove, camp light (in it's big plastic box), pillows, 4 adult camp chairs and another bag. We also had an inflatable dolphin, because you can't go camping without an inflatable dolphin.

The wife said that she had loads of room in the back and she had nothing around her feet. The only things in the other footwells were a rucksack in the passenger footwell and middle row footwell, and the boy wonders (canada) campchair in his footwell. The 5 still had plenty of oompf to get us to and from the campground.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos and only got some minor video footage.

Unpacking at the campground reminded me of Mary Poppins and her bag...

 

[coolmazda5]

7 Bicycles, 7 Brains

In Italian, but I think the movie speaks for itself, LOL

5phreak may like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKylrnm_q9c

(freak)

 

[DoubleT]

Nice!

Here are some shots of my new bike-transport setup. Whole thing cost about $10! Universal bike mount from Performance ($7.99 on sale), 1X4 from Home Depot cut to fit ($1.29), velcro strips to hold it in place ($0.99) -- my baby traveling INSIDE the car, nice and dry....priceless.

Of course, I'm small and ride a 49 cm bike, so it fits inside the 5 standing up, no problem. I just LOVE the versatility of this car! It takes just a few minutes to fold the seat down, pop my rack in, and tighten the fork down. I was previously driving a VW Passat wagon w/ Yakima racks on top -- still have the Yakima racks and might eventually get the roof rack for the 5 (for family trips and stuff), but for now, this setup works perfectly...

Awesome setup! Just purchased my Mazda GS 2008 four weeks ago and learning great things about it esp. from this forum. My bike frame is 55 cm, would that work? I guess I can try it tomorrow in my car. By the way my bike is a Look 555 /2006 model with Centaur components and Dura Ace pedals. I will get the Mazda roof rack or similar in the spring of 2009 for my sea-kayak but prefer to keep the Look bike inside my car yet have room for one person in the second row seat.
What are the black bags for? Groceries or whatnots?

 

[JFRCross]

I have a similar set-up to Obiedobe, but put my fork mount in the center, so the rear tire rests on the fold-out 2nd row tray between my kids. I bolted the fork mount to a 1x3 and that is velcroed (not really a word, I know) to my plastic tray/cargo liner. I ride a 50 road, so no height issues either. Thanks for the inspiration.

 

[DoubleT]

Any pics?

I have a similar set-up to Obiedobe, but put my fork mount in the center, so the rear tire rests on the fold-out 2nd row tray between my kids. I bolted the fork mount to a 1x3 and that is velcroed (not really a word, I know) to my plastic tray/cargo liner. I ride a 50 road, so no height issues either. Thanks for the inspiration.

Your set-up for the bike sounds great. Any pictures?

 

[JFRCross]

I will try to take a pic this week, but I may have to email the pic as I am not the most electronically savvy person. I will see what I can do.

 

[obiedobe]

Awesome setup! Just purchased my Mazda GS 2008 four weeks ago and learning great things about it esp. from this forum. My bike frame is 55 cm, would that work? I guess I can try it tomorrow in my car. By the way my bike is a Look 555 /2006 model with Centaur components and Dura Ace pedals. I will get the Mazda roof rack or similar in the spring of 2009 for my sea-kayak but prefer to keep the Look bike inside my car yet have room for one person in the second row seat.
What are the black bags for? Groceries or whatnots?

Well, I really don't think a 55 cm bike would fit standing up in the 5, without removing the seatpost. Although, after reading what the other poster said about fitting the bike in the space between the seats -- it occurs to me that the bigger bike might fit by folding away the cupholder tray and tucking the rear wheel down into that space? Not sure if the drivetrain would get in the way, but it might be worth a try.

As for the black bags -- yes, that is a folding organizer bag that I had in my old station wagon to keep groceries and other stuff from rattling around in the back. I think you can find similar ones at Target or Autozone or places like that.

Keep us posted on whether you figure out a way to fit the larger bike inside the 5! Good luck!

 

[5phreak]

In Italian, but I think the movie speaks for itself, LOL

5phreak may like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKylrnm_q9c

(freak)

AWESOME! thanks for thinking of me

 

[DoubleT]

Thanks!

Well, I really don't think a 55 cm bike would fit standing up in the 5, without removing the seatpost. Although, after reading what the other poster said about fitting the bike in the space between the seats -- it occurs to me that the bigger bike might fit by folding away the cupholder tray and tucking the rear wheel down into that space? Not sure if the drivetrain would get in the way, but it might be worth a try.

As for the black bags -- yes, that is a folding organizer bag that I had in my old station wagon to keep groceries and other stuff from rattling around in the back. I think you can find similar ones at Target or Autozone or places like that.

Keep us posted on whether you figure out a way to fit the larger bike inside the 5! Good luck!

Haven't had a chance to try out the bike set-up yet but will do it after Thanksgiving weekend. Seat off should work for sure and would be quicker than removing or inserting rear wheel. Just have to mark stem of seat post with tape. BUT I'm determine to find the what I think is a pro's way of setting up the bike in the Mazda 5.
Update! Of course my bike won't fit as was predicted by obiedobe due to the larger frame size. But it will work if I lower the seat and it's post. Of course I'll mark the original height with a tape. This set up will be only necessary for long trips. I'll just "throw" the whole bike in with all seats down for short trips to say the repair shop. I am hoping for more ideas later on.

 

[5phreak]

I found I have a bicycle that fits standing up in my 5. My 1938 Road Master rat rod. Took it out for a pub cruise in Hartford, CT this past Saturday:

tight squeeze. It was wedged in against the head liner.

 

[coolmazda5]

Mazda5 with Kayaks

A little bump to this thread. Found these pics and looked worth posting

 

[coolmazda5]

Duouble whammy car seating...

Allright, we now needed 2 car seats so here we go. Still works like a charm, but feels tiiiight

 

[5phreak]

A little bump to this thread. Found these pics and looked worth posting

I wish my 5 were that color.

 

[GWDavis281]

Yah that is a good solid color, but may I could imagine that thing getting pulled over left and right man, something about red cars.

Glenn |B)

 

[skylar2ups]

Yah that is a good solid color, but may I could imagine that thing getting pulled over left and right man, something about red cars.

Glenn |B)

Not if you don't speed. : )


Kind of off topic but just a little.
***Okay so I live in Destin, Florida and we get a ton of tourists down here and well today I was driving and saw a Mazda5 it was silver and had a hard black carrier on top of it and it was from Canada it looked loaded to the max the back was far lower to the ground then I have ever seen my sisters. I was just seeing if it was anyone on here.

 

[skyhawk]

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