2008 vs. 2007: has the driving experience changed?

[Katner]

Looking to buy a recent-year pre-owned Mazda5 within the next 14 days. My wife and I have test-driven the 2008 5 GT (Touring) here in Canada but are considering dropping down to an '07 as prices seem to be quite a bit better.

I'm a little concerned about what I'd be missing by making this move though. For her they both seem like the same car. For me, although I love the looks of the front-end on the '08, the '07 is tidy and handsome too. My main concerns are with how the '07 may drive compared to the '08. I'm aware of the new 5-speed transmission on the '08 which will give better gear-hunting on the automatic (which we'll want) and marginally better mileage. Are there any other mechanical differences that will effect the fun-to-drive factor of the '07 vs. the '08? This is the most critical consideration for me when picking a car. The Mazda5 is the only "minivan" that I will ever consider driving due to it's likeable road manners.

ALSO: are there suspension differences between the GS/GT (Sport/Touring) trims?

 

[dreamym5]

I can't comment on "how 08 5 speed is better than 07* since i drove 4 speed auto "once" before i got 08...

However, i can say that 08 5 speed is one of the smoothest tranny that i've driven.. and geared very well for every day use..

For suspenstion-wise.. i believe they are all identical..

 

[Katner]

I can't comment on "how 08 5 speed is better than 07* since i drove 4 speed auto "once" before i got 08...

However, i can say that 08 5 speed is one of the smoothest tranny that i've driven.. and geared very well for every day use..

For suspenstion-wise.. i believe they are all identical..

For around-town driving I'm sure the 4-speed will be fine. I'm driving my sister's '05 Mazda3 2.3 right now and I find the 4-speed auto acceptable. But I've driven it on the highway and it has a tough time gearing down when at 75+ mph. It also rev's high at cruising speeds. I'm going to assume the 5 is virtually identical.

 

[maple_leaf]

For around-town driving I'm sure the 4-speed will be fine. I'm driving my sister's '05 Mazda3 2.3 right now and I find the 4-speed auto acceptable. But I've driven it on the highway and it has a tough time gearing down when at 75+ mph. It also rev's high at cruising speeds. I'm going to assume the 5 is virtually identical.

Yep! It's the exact same engine (2.3 that is). As for the suspension and driving experience, it's the same from 07 to 08 and GS to GT (or Sport and Touring).

 

[mrbwa1]

We have an '07 Sport 4AT and I though I'd let you know it is the best automatic I've ever driven with. I am sure that the 5AT might do a little better mileage-wise, but the 4AT just isn't a problem. They managed to program it to hold a lower gear.

For example, we have a nasty hill in town here that is just steep enough to really hit that flat spot in most vehicle's gearing at 30MPH (posted speed limit). Even other auto I have driven downshifts and pick up speed rapidly, then drops again once you back off. The 5 shifts down to 3rd and will hold it until the top of the hill unless I let off completely.

The big advantage I can see with the 5AT would be to have another gear in that 25-40 mph range when you need modest, but not full on power. Otherwise, the spacing of the 4AT acts to let the engine wind up and breathe. I know most people don't like to rev, esp if they are used to large american pushrod engines, but the 2.3L in the 5 is happy all the way up to 6500 RPM (though I rarely see over 5000 in daily driving)

 

[Katner]

For example, we have a nasty hill in town here that is just steep enough to really hit that flat spot in most vehicle's gearing at 30MPH (posted speed limit). Even other auto I have driven downshifts and pick up speed rapidly, then drops again once you back off. The 5 shifts down to 3rd and will hold it until the top of the hill unless I let off completely.

Good to know the 4AT works well for everyone. When I drove the 5AT I noticed that it found higher RPM's on downshifts easier. That's obviously the trans' going from 5th to 3rd instead of 4th to 3rd. It's going to be slightly better all around performance and mileage. MOST important to me, however, is road-feel, and tossability of the car. And from what you guys are telling me that experience is the same accross the board regardless of year or trim level.

That makes me happy! I'll be sure to let you all know when the deal goes through. Right now I'm eyeballing an '07 Touring in Grey Mica with 5400 miles.

 

[coolmazda5]

Are there any other mechanical differences that will effect the fun-to-drive factor of the '07 vs. the '08?

Nope

 

[deepfry]

Most of the minor issues should have been addressed in the 2007 model. In case you are looking at pre-owned 06 models, perhaps it is not a bad idea to see if the known issues in previous TSBs have been done on the car. Other than the issue related to the suspension and sliding door latch, most of the cons/nice-to-haves mentioned by owners on edmunds.com are related to interior features such as the missing arm-rest and air vent (for the 2nd row passengers), which have been addressed in the 08 model.

I have tested a 07 Mazda 5 quite thoroughly and I just bought a 08 model back in April. From what I can tell these 2 cars should really have identical driving characteristics since Mazda hasn't changed anything to the suspension or chasis design.