Brief but Good Review of the Mazda5 at AutoWeek

[Dyx]

Here's a Brief but Postive Review of the Mazda5 at AutoWeek. But reading the comments, Some People just doesn't seem to like cars that have less than 200hp, saying that it's Slow and Underpowered.

Here's the link http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080307/FREE/339798663/1532/FREE

 

[Kojack]

My wife and I were talking about the exact same thing...every magazine, figures every car must have at least 300 hp and cost 90k. if it dont, its rubbish. Not true, for what the 5 is, a family mover thats fun and versitile, its a hit. it has adequate power, great handleing and room for everyone...

 

[coolmazda5]

Seriously, there are no good reasons why vehicles like the Mazda 5 aren't flooding our highways and grocery-store parking lots. This has to be one of the most right-sized, practical vehicles on the market today.

Agree, unfortunately here in NA still the mainstream consumer associates small+practical+versatile+smaller engine with a cheap car. I still remember when I read an article that said something like this: "if you don't have the budget to afford a larger V6 minivan, this is it" I couldn't laugh more, it is not a budget issue, many of us DO NOT NEED more space or a bigger engine, this is just the ideal car, not a wannabe.

Now tell the guys in Europe and Asia that a 2.3L 4cyl 153HP is a small gutless engine and they will (rofl)

 

[opus]

I think it is beyond funny when people say things like "OH, it is a ,mini, mini van, or "it's a little car". Then when they see how much room there is and how practical it is they are kind of floored. I just wish I could put the VW Bluetec TDI powertrain in the 5's packaging. That would be a car to kill for!!

 

[Kojack]

yeah....the 5 is the best rig I have owned for family use. I have had mercedes, subarus, vw, cadillac's etc...the mazda is on par with them for build quality, just they have a little less interior finish than the germans...not worse just different.

the 5 is everything I thought it was going to be when i test drove it over a year ago.....

 

[Donas64]

I like the 5 as a great vehicle. I like its looks, versatility, fun factor but I think it certainly needs more power. I'm not talking 2.3 liter DISI power or even V6 power but somewhere in the range of 170-180 HP and similar torque numbers. Or opus suggested, diesel power.

The power is has now is JUST adequate. Load it up to max capacity with people and gear and the motor suffers. Doesn't make it a bad car and I'd recommend it to anyone looks for some cool practical wheels but as for me, I love my P5 but my next car with have more then JUST enough power.

 

[dreamym5]

For family of 3 (soon to be 4) .. this is a perfect minivan for our family..
good power, good standard options, good looks..good MPG..

everything is good ...(first)

 

[Dyx]

I see the practicality of the Mazda5 like this, We'll be driving to Calgary this summer. Me, my wife and 3 year old kid with all our things in the back. By the time we get there, we'll use the third row and go around with my cousin, her husband and their little girl. That sums up just how versatile a package the 5 really is. (canada)

 

[gpzjack]

Let the sheep have their cars while we get to have fun and something different. I think the 5 is the best alternative to a Minivan on the market. I have owned dozens of cars and for some reason after almost 2 years of ownership we are still in love with it.

 

[zoomzoom mazda5]

To me it the best wagon around for the money!..........Remember it's a space wagon!

 

[vprtal]

My relatives bought cars around the same time I did. They got the Xterra, Sienna and X5. When we all got together and talked about our cars they really liked their cars but complained about their gas mileage. Getting only about 23 the highest among all of them. And I was like thank God I chose a M5 as 23 was my lowest mpg. (kiss)

 

[jeebusm3]

I have owned plenty of fast cars. All my fast/quick cars had one major flaw....you get used to the speed and crave more. It's like a sickness. You start thinking about the next power mod, increasing boost, bigger exhaust, etc.

With my slower cars, I tend to just enjoy them for what they are. When people pull up at a light in a Corvette I don't feel like racing them. It's just an overall, more relaxed driving experience. (this is assuming the car isn't so slow that it makes you fearful to merge, etc)

The Mazda5 feels like it goes "just right". I can zip around town just as well as everyone else, I can merge onto the highway with ease, and I can cruise at 80-90MPH without any drama. Some hills require a downshift to 4th...whoopdeefreakindoo. I like shifting anyway.

If the engine was buzzy or rough, it might be a bigger issue. But the 2.3 is very smooth and quiet throughout the revband. I had a Honda Element for a while. That 2.4 had pretty comparable power to the Mazda5, and the Element weighed in at just about the same curb weight too. That motor was much less smooth when pushed hard. And it seemed like it needed more push on the highway because of the terrible aerodynamics too.

 

[rweatherford]

I was extemely impressed with the 2.3L 4-cyl smoothness. My last car was a GM V-8 and the MZR is smoother everywhere. The other 2.3L I owned was a HO Quad4 (180 HP) with a turbo and poly motor mounts. It was a little worse on the NVH scale.

 

[diogenes]

The way I like to put it is that the Mazda5 is a "just enough" vehicle while other minivans are "just in case" vehicles.

 

[mrbwa1]

I have owned plenty of fast cars. All my fast/quick cars had one major flaw....you get used to the speed and crave more. It's like a sickness. You start thinking about the next power mod, increasing boost, bigger exhaust, etc.

With my slower cars, I tend to just enjoy them for what they are. When people pull up at a light in a Corvette I don't feel like racing them. It's just an overall, more relaxed driving experience. (this is assuming the car isn't so slow that it makes you fearful to merge, etc)

I completely understand the feeling. The best analogy I can make is in the motorcycle world. I have ridden a ton, but learned on a Honda Trail 90. There is something inherently fun about wringing out that little lawn mower and feeling the wind in your hair. But put me on say a 600cc+ sportbike and the fun subsides, if you wring out 1st and 2nd, you are usually going WAAAAAY fast.

As for cars, I've basically had slow ones, but still found the joy in driving. My old '77 Volvo 244 was a big slow tank, but it had enough feedback (manual steering, 4-speed stick) to be a joy to drive. Also, it would start sliding or pushing in the 50-60MPH range, meaning driving was fun AT legal speeds. (As a side not, if you thing the MZ5 turns high RPM on the highway, the Volvo's 4th gear was 1:1 (NOT Overdrive), so it was doing something like 4500-4700 RPM at 75 MPH)

That said, A well put together car is always going to be fun to drive. My '01 Toyota Echo is a pretty fun drive mainly due to the fact that it is only about 2000lbs. But I'll still take the Mazda 2.3L or it's 1.5L for the added smoothness and torque. Sadly, I think the ECHO might pull a faster 0-60 than the 5 though...

 

[jandree22]

I couldn't care less of 0-60 times in a car with an engine as smooth as this 2.3L. First car I ever owned that seems like the engine was happier at 5-6k RPM than at 2-3k RPM (drive)