Im in the same boat as you. I bought my 5 earlier this month and loving it. I got the 6 speed manual (dont like driving auto) and its a fun to drive. I have two kids and i dont care about going fast anymore. i have another toy to fulfill my sporty needs. Everyone made fun of me getting the car and lost my manly hood lol but i think its well put together and underrated.
Am I crazy or am I actually enjoying driving a mini-wagon-van?
- Thread starter KiddyCarrier
- Start date
rodslinger
Member
You ain't crazy....
You ain't crazy. They are a little bit addicting.
I've owned three of these things. A red one, white one and now a blue one. Very patriotic of me. (usa) (read thick sarcasm)
You ain't crazy. They are a little bit addicting.
I've owned three of these things. A red one, white one and now a blue one. Very patriotic of me. (usa) (read thick sarcasm)
- :
- 2008 Mazda5 GT
hell yeah!
. I hope you realize you live in Amerika, the land of excess cars where you CAN easily have more than one. If you can't/won't get the toy your are lusting over, that's another discussion we shouldn't be having. If the wify drives it and doesn't complain, what the problem is?Ah yes. He's always a blast to hang out with during NWAPA events.
Wait: Who's toady?
Of the cars in my sig, only the T-Bird SC and the V70 T5M were as entertaining to drive as my Mazda5. But both of them are larger in dimensions, and felt "boat-y" like a Police cruiser or old Ford Torino. They respond well when the throttle is pressed, but if you get on it with the wheel off-center at all, you feel the weight of the car moving in a tangent to where you want to go. Funny thing is, neither are heavier than the Mazda5, and the Volvo now has some suspension upgrades to pull the "old-man" out of it (it enters corners like a madman now and seemingly the tires are the weakest link on public roads)
The Mazda5 feels entirely different - much more like the CRX. It feels much smaller than its curb weight, can do donuts on residential streets and although its really only going to best a Vanagon on the 1/4 mi, it feels peppy enough to not be boring. I have no complaints about its driving manners. It seats all 6 of us and with the 5MT, is efficient enough to be the urban runabout, dropping kids off at activities, and swallowing groceries and supplies in the meantime.
I've had it next to a Journey, 1st gen Odyssey/Oasis, 1st gen SWB Caravan and a microbus. The only one of those 4 that looked disproportionally large was surprisingly the 6-seater Odyssey, most likely b/c it was based on the wider Accord platform. And we know that if Steve McQueen was to remake Bullitt and he had a Mazda5 and the baddies had that Odyssey, they would have lost him in the 1st 90 seconds.
The Mazda5 feels entirely different - much more like the CRX. It feels much smaller than its curb weight, can do donuts on residential streets and although its really only going to best a Vanagon on the 1/4 mi, it feels peppy enough to not be boring. I have no complaints about its driving manners. It seats all 6 of us and with the 5MT, is efficient enough to be the urban runabout, dropping kids off at activities, and swallowing groceries and supplies in the meantime.
I've had it next to a Journey, 1st gen Odyssey/Oasis, 1st gen SWB Caravan and a microbus. The only one of those 4 that looked disproportionally large was surprisingly the 6-seater Odyssey, most likely b/c it was based on the wider Accord platform. And we know that if Steve McQueen was to remake Bullitt and he had a Mazda5 and the baddies had that Odyssey, they would have lost him in the 1st 90 seconds.
If you feel like splitting hairs, so be it. I was making a class comparison. Like stating that Five Finger Death Punch sounds more like Judas Priest than Jay Z.
My Mazda5 MT has driving dynamics much closer to my CRX 5MT after it got a set of 205/50R15s - except that the Mazda5 CAN exceed 75 mph in a headwind and doesn't feel like you are driving from the basement. Similar turning radius, power-to-weight and steering feel was closer than my other cars. I don't really care that there is another 4' behind the driver, I can still move through intersections with the same prowess. Something the Accord could NEVER achieve. The Accord was at least 300 lbs lighter than the Mazda5, but sure didn't feel like it. It was lethargic, and understeered like a Buick by comparison.
