11mo./ 24K miles...here's my report.

[monsta]

I have nothing to report.

Fantastic car! Not ONE problem! No trips to the dealer.

6 oil changes with Royal Purple 5W-20 & NAPA Gold filter.

Sorry, I don't really track my mileage... Last check was 26 average.

If you're reading this and are on the fence about getting one...get off and buy one! (headbang)

One note however. Stay up to date with your tire rotation. I rotated mine at 23K (yes...I know...). The inside edge was worn/cupped and now it makes the tire loud. I imagine tire rotation should help eleviate this...that or changing the caster so it is not so dramatic. (I believe that has been discussed here.)

That is all.

 

[da1nonly]

I have nothing to report.

Fantastic car! Not ONE problem! No trips to the dealer.

6 oil changes with Royal Purple 5W-20 & NAPA Gold filter.

Sorry, I don't really track my mileage... Last check was 26 average.

If you're reading this and are on the fence about getting one...get off and buy one! (headbang)

One note however. Stay up to date with your tire rotation. I rotated mine at 23K (yes...I know...). The inside edge was worn/cupped and now it makes the tire loud. I imagine tire rotation should help eleviate this...that or changing the caster so it is not so dramatic. (I believe that has been discussed here.)

That is all.

hmmmmm ... worn out tires you say?

has there been any issues with tires wearing out for NA models...

I've read on a couple of forums about tire wear and heavy balding on the inside edge ... also about the suspension design leading to early tire wear

it seems to be a problem with the european models but maybe something to keep an eye out on...

http://www.mazdaforum.com/m_34231/tm.htm
http://www.whatcar.co.uk/car-review-readers.aspx?RT=731

on the second link... if you read a couple of the reviews (starting on the 3rd or 4th one) there seems to be a lot of complaints about the tires wearing out but I haven't found any real problems about it on this forum

hopefully it's not a major issue

 

[doctorz]

I'm just curious. How does one roll up 24K in 11 months living on an island that's less than 100 miles across in any direction?

 

[jandree22]

I'm just curious. How does one roll up 24K in 11 months living on an island that's less than 100 miles across in any direction?

Forget where he lives exactly, but Hilo to Kona is about 200 miles roundtrip. And looking at his other cars, the gas mileage of the 5 makes most sense for long hauls. Just speculating, though.

But, you do raise an interesting observation (lol2)

 

[MD5]

I, too, am just shy of 11 months, but over 24k miles already. I replaced my old tires with new 215/50/17s, and the car is a dream.

Sure, I'd like about 50 more HP, but I bought it for a dependable mode of family transportation.

For long hauls, we take the Excursion 6.0L PSD, but for 500 mile trips and under, it's the 5.

Matt

 

[afticarab]

20 months owned - 35000km - Not Impressed!

We have owned our Mazda 5 since Aug 2005, about 20 months - 35000 km.

Overall I would rate the vehicle a 4/10.

Positive attributes:

1) Looks - very sharp vehicle certainly embodies the Zoom Zoom mantra.
2) Versatility - like the layout with the 6 passenger capacity in a smaller vehicle.
3) Performance is adequate, tight suspension and great handling, I am suspect however on the longevity of shocks / struts & tires which contribute to this.
3) Service has been good, unfortunately the dealers hands have been tied by Mazda Canada in dealing with the shortcomings listed below.

Negative attributes in no particular order:

1) Fuel economy is nowhere near what I would have expected for the size of the vehicle and the engine.
2) Overall durability, poor quality interior plastics and fabric show signifigant wear in a very short time. We are quite particular with the upkeep of the vehicle. So far the trim plate around the shifter and radio show ++ scratches for very limited use, we are careful with rings etc but plastic is not durable. Fabric on drivers seat has started to show signifigant signs of deterioration with pilling of fabric in lumbar area (its only got 35000km!). Seat was already replaced because of an incessant squeek that the dealer could not solve along with an opening of the fabric seam on the lower cushion. We have two children 10 & 9 who are quite careful but I notice that the area where the seatbelt retracts has multiple chips from the belt hitting this area when unlatched. Carpeting throughout the vehicle is very low quality, ++ piling of carpet even in areas with minimal exposure to wear.
Throughout the vehicle all plastic panels show signifigant scratches due to the inferior quality and finish of these parts.
3) Recalls - Lost vehicle for over 1 month when new for exhaust recall.
4) Suspension - squeek in front suspension is scheduled to have control arms replaced next week. In order to get them to do this I had to endure the temporary fix even though it was recognized that it would probably not work. Even when presented with the TSB from Mazda NA, Mazda Canada insists they have had no complaints and have adopted an osterich with head in sand attitude. Dealer has been excellent but they have to abide by Mazda Canada. Had it not been my insistance on this issue they would probably still be lubricating the bushings. The best part is that some say that the new arms may not even solve the problem.
5) Sliding door on GT - Had problems last winter with door lock freezing and either would not close or would not open. Dealer did temp Mazda Canada fix even though a Mazda NA TSB recommended the replacement of the mechanism with an upgraded version. Sure enough 1000km from home last winter my wife has to hold the door shut as it won't close. After warming up it closed but did not open. Again upon my insistance dealer pushed Mazda for a new door mechanism which works fine now.
6) Wheels - They are nice but the tires do not protect the rim at all. The lip protudes out too much and has endured curb rash which would not have occured with a wider profile tire or better tire construction to protect rim.
7) Availability of aftermarket options - Due to the very limited presence of this vehicle very few manufacturers have created vehicle specific accessories for the 5. It took almost 2 years to have Yakima create a rack option which is questionable in its fit as it wraps over the rubber gasket for the sliding door, Thule still has nothing!. The Mazda rack is too narrow and barely holds 3 bikes - it's a 6 passenger van!. We added a hitch to accommodate 2 kids bikes and found only 1 manufacturer for the hitch. Never mind that Mazda does not even sanction the use of a hitch. Imagine my surprise when I put the kids two bikes on the hitch and with the weight and overhang of the rack the suspension almost bottoms out. I even removed the folding rear seat to cut down on weight.
8) Wind Noise - The vehicle is noisy no matter how you slice it. Very little noise dampening material under carpet or in doors is contributory. Still have a wind noise behind the drivers door which dealer even went to body shop to check integrity of the door alignment to attempt to solve. They played with the outer moulding and solved the problem initially but its back.
9) Keyless remote - You can't be any more than 2 parking spots away to have this work. Had one fail completely even after new battery was installed. Imagine my surprise when Mazda Canada knew nothing of this issue. A quick trip to the website for the NA TSB and now Mazda has some keys on order!

Bottom line, yes it was reasonably priced, when we purchased in the summer of 2005 there really was no competition. If I had to do it again I would be looking at the Rav 4 (different vehicle but Toyota has better build quality and reliability). Perhaps the new CRV - more expensive but you can get 4WD, or even the Rondo - Kia crap but at least its cheaper and you don't have a misguided expection of quality which Mazda fell very short on.

Perhaps my experience with the 5 has been worse than many owners but after following the forums I do see a lot of the same complaints.

Perhaps the best solution if you really want to own a 5 is to do as many on the forums have done - upgrade your stereo. The money saved by not buying a CRV or Rav would easily pay for this. Crank it up and drown out the road noise and squeeks which in themselves speak volumes to the lack of build quality in this vehicle.

If I wouldn't take such a bath on the trade-in I would be looking at another vehicle now - lets hope it holds up for 5 years so I can dump it.!

 

[ChadSpeed]

That sucks for you. I too noticed the lack of quality materials used inside, and coming from a 2003 Nissan Maxima(excellent in every area) I took quite a drop on my expectations, but it is what I wanted and does what I need it to do. It is also my first brand new car and I am pleased so far. The interior could really be much better, but it fine for the 5 or 6 years I will own I think. That really sucks about Mazda Canada not using a bit of common sense for your situation, really crappy as a matter of fact. I hope I stay pleased with out purchase, but it only has a few thousand miles so not certain it won't turn out like yours. Good luck.

 

[coolmazda5]

As per a similar thread, we love the MZ5 yet, since we got the first gen model (2006 model, purchased in Jul 2005), I'm sure we have paid somehow by going through the first gen defects and recalls (no big deal if you ask. That rental MPV we got and the free shiny exhaust tip can attest it). I do believe however, that those defects are well ironed by now.

As part of the car shopping experience we also test drove a 2006 Honda CR-V EX (5MT). Nice car but that "truck" design, the height and the SUV feeling kind of let us down. Now, if the new 2007 CR-V model had been around, it would have deserved a 2nd look (nailbyt)

 

[Rocket]

I have 33,000 miles in 14 months and I have no complaints. My interior is still nice. Paint is still nice. Tires are not worn out. Mileage is good. Yes, the remote is weak and the suspension creaks. The dealer would be happy to fix it if the car ever sat still long enough to go in for repair.

I am not sure about the other complaints from other members. Sounds like expectations were different. What car can you buy that has the same or nearly the same features as the 5 that would not have a couple of minor problems????

 

[monsta]

Forget where he lives exactly, but Hilo to Kona is about 200 miles roundtrip. And looking at his other cars, the gas mileage of the 5 makes most sense for long hauls. Just speculating, though.

But, you do raise an interesting observation (lol2)

Good speculation!

I live almost in the middle of Kona & Hilo in a town called Honoka'a. Well...right outside Honoka'a.

I use the 5 for business mainly. I own a direct sales company which does in-home demonstrations. Hence, the high(ish) mileage. It breaks down to about 72 miles a day. It is over 100 roundtrip to Kona and 77 to Hilo. Half the week is in Hilo, the other half in Kona.

I didn't have real high expectation for the 5's interior plastic quality. I saw the cheapness right off. But the price and the content pushed me past that. What I needed was a car that had seating for 6 in case one of my trucks was in the shop and I needed to use it as the family mover (I got 4 kids). I needed a nice, modern appearance. I needed a sunroof & foglights. And I needed something fun to drive in the twisty mountain roads...all of that had to come in under 20K. The 5 was and still IS the only thing on the market that filled that order...brand new.

I will agree about the tires not protecting the wheels. I've got rash on one wheel when I let my inlaws use it when the visited. (wrc) Maybe someone knows of a tire that offers a lip to protect the wheels?

 

[monsta]

I'm just curious. ...on an island that's less than 100 miles across in any direction?

That's as the crow flies not as the crow DRIVES!