First real road trip - full up in the 5!

[JingChuan]

Although we've had our 2012 5 GT for 2 years now, we've never gone more than maybe 4 hours in it, and that was 2 adults and 2 kids. We're getting all adventurous this week, and decided to forgo a bigger rental, so we are packing the microvan with about 900 lbs of humanity and all their stuff for a Chicago-to-Kansas trip to run the "Back to Oz" Marathon. The bigger items will be lashed to the hitch-mounted carrier in back, but we will probably have some loose goods in the cabin somewhere. Luckily, 2 of the passengers are under 4 feet tall, so the 3rd row should work well for them. I picked up a pair of seat pets to hopefully inspire some quiet time back there. I'm considering bringing a laptop and setting it on something between the mid seats for video entertainment if necessary.

Overall, I've been quite happy with the 5, as it does exactly what we need it to do. I'm not exactly stoked about the mpg I've been getting, but lots of stop and go city driving is bad on any non-hybrid average mileage. Still, my average mpg is no better than the speed3 that I traded for this 5. I'm anxious to see how well it does mileage-wise on a 10 hour highway trip.

Anyone else spend a good amount of time in their 5 - especially with all the seats full? How did you like it?

 

[phunky.buddha]

Interesting. I'll have to save the link to those seat pets.

We take long trips in our 5 all the time- 4-6 hours each way, probably once a month on average, maybe more. The car sees 25-30k miles a year easy. At a steady -reasonable- cruise (around 75-80mph, sweet spot on the 5 speed manual), you can get 28-30mpg. Proper drafting, quite a bit more.

 

[thaxman]

Interesting. I'll have to save the link to those seat pets.

At a steady -reasonable- cruise (around 75-80mph, sweet spot on the 5 speed manual), you can get 28-30mpg.

Must be nice. I gave up road tripping in the 5MT because I couldn't exceed 25 mpg downhill (2500-50' over a leisurely 240 mi) and 21 mpg uphill. In the Volvo, Accord and Subaru, I see no difference except on windy trips. Once I set the cruise on the Accord at an excruciating 70 mph and got another 3mpg (28) but gas prices were lower and it meant I saved $10 over the round trip but spent an extra hour in the car each way b/c it crossed the threshold of needing a potty break midway. I may try the Mazda on our next trip to Mexico, since there are no freeways, so speed limits never exceed 65. Of course the smaller tank means I can't make the round trip, so I will end up paying $ %.*&# per gallon near the border. But a possible 28 mpg and not buying premium may make it favorable, if I can fit 6 people + stuff inside.

 

[Wishmaster]

I'm not exactly stoked about the mpg I've been getting, but lots of stop and go city driving is bad on any non-hybrid average mileage. Still, my average mpg is no better than the speed3 that I traded for this 5. I'm anxious to see how well it does mileage-wise on a 10 hour highway trip.

Anyone else spend a good amount of time in their 5 - especially with all the seats full? How did you like it?

Ya, same sentiments here, wish my mileage was better than this, but I am getting pretty much the stated mileages of 21 city, 26 highway and 23 average, and that's with pretty much always a couple kids in tow. And our highway road trips are always from sea level and over a mountain pass of 4000 feet and back which with a full load does not help with mileage!! I'm actually pretty surprised at the highway mileage I do get on those trips... almost hit 30 once!! Winding mountain roads and speed limits that don't exceed 75 mph with most in the 60mph range helps keep speeds down and mpg up though.

Never done more than 5 hour trips in our 5, kids only just turned 3... but we have done a trip to Rathtrevor for 10 days of camping that fully packed out the car while also pulling a 1500 lb tent trailer (doing it again in July). The trip wasn't very far, about 4 hours, of which 2.5 are waiting for and sitting on a ferry. But I will say, that much gear and weight was handled quite admirably by the 5 but it did keep our mpg down in the city range.

That's a pretty long trip... are you splitting the drive over two days or doing it all at once?

 

[twintrbo]

The 4 of us are venturing NYC to Orlando this spring. I am going to mount up the roof box for the trip, not because our stuff wont fit, I want to keep the interior open so we can use all the rows to maximize seating options. Im like 90% city 10% highway for most of my driving. Average MPG has been just barely over 20. I was expecting 23-24 but its not that far off considering. I really dont do much driving, this car will be a score for the next owner, its an 09 with 24K on it

 

[Brains]

We too ours from Columbus, Ohio out to Goblin valley state park in Utah and up to Yellowstone in the same trip: 3 people and all our crap fit in there pretty snug, but it's our go-to car for long trips. I do believe we get like 26 MPG on the highway... something around there. Sliding doors on both sides is an awesome thing to have...
...only complaint is it's not good for high clearance roads...

We bought some air bags that slip inside the coil springs in the back to help the car handle the extra weight when we pack it for our trips. It actually works pretty well at preventing the car from trying to do a wheelie...

 

[phunky.buddha]

Must be nice. I gave up road tripping in the 5MT because I couldn't exceed 25 mpg downhill (2500-50' over a leisurely 240 mi) and 21 mpg uphill. In the Volvo, Accord and Subaru, I see no difference except on windy trips. Once I set the cruise on the Accord at an excruciating 70 mph and got another 3mpg (28) but gas prices were lower and it meant I saved $10 over the round trip but spent an extra hour in the car each way b/c it crossed the threshold of needing a potty break midway. I may try the Mazda on our next trip to Mexico, since there are no freeways, so speed limits never exceed 65. Of course the smaller tank means I can't make the round trip, so I will end up paying $ %.*&# per gallon near the border. But a possible 28 mpg and not buying premium may make it favorable, if I can fit 6 people + stuff inside.

Ouch, that actually kinda sucks... down here in Texas if I set the cruise at 80 I can still get 25mpg. I only drop to 20-22 on the highway if I really have my foot stuffed in it. Like full-throttle acceleration to 100 and back down to 80 over and over again.

 

[thaxman]

Ouch, that actually kinda sucks... down here in Texas if I set the cruise at 80 I can still get 25mpg. I only drop to 20-22 on the highway if I really have my foot stuffed in it. Like full-throttle acceleration to 100 and back down to 80 over and over again.

I think it has a lot to do with the enviro. Most of the trip is I-8, so cars are few/far between, there are no trees and the wind is pretty constant. I have come to accept that I get better mileage on I-10 because its busy, so even when I'm not riding someone's butt, I still am drafting because there is a constant air current from all the trucks. Again, I did get 25 mpg a couple of trips on I-8, but because I could not see the pattern explaining why I was getting as low as 21, I decided the more comfortable Volvo was the better GT car.

 

[phunky.buddha]

I think it has a lot to do with the enviro. Most of the trip is I-8, so cars are few/far between, there are no trees and the wind is pretty constant. I have come to accept that I get better mileage on I-10 because its busy, so even when I'm not riding someone's butt, I still am drafting because there is a constant air current from all the trucks. Again, I did get 25 mpg a couple of trips on I-8, but because I could not see the pattern explaining why I was getting as low as 21, I decided the more comfortable Volvo was the better GT car.

I guess I can see that... but even on long trips down country highways with zero traffic when we're trying to avoid big events for 4-5 hours at 70mph+ speeds we still manage over 25mpg.

 

[torquelover]

Our MZ5 goes on trips almost every weekend fully loaded, usually 5 people plus gear. It has been on a 3000 mile round trip to the East coast with 3+ luggage and averaged over 30 MPG. Lowest I have seen on a trip is 24 MPG. When the car is loaded like this and on the rear bump stops, the ride can get pretty choppy and sharp over highway expansion joints.

I find the car uncomfortable due to seat comfort, noise levels, intruding center console, and directional instability. My wife (who is much shorter and smaller than me) does not have a problem with any of this. 2nd row room and comfort with 4 on board is great. We will have 4-5 of us in it in a few months for another 3k trip so I will have more info then. Before this, the car will get an alignment, some major sound deadening, and also interior lighting and power points.

I had a '14 Dodge Grand Caravan for a week just recently and found it to be a better highway vehicle. Great tracking, smooth ride, surprisingly quiet, and better highway MPGs. Around town it was very clumsy, the 6-speed trans seemed confused and tended to clunk into the lower gears, and worst of all, it only got 13 MPG.

 

[JingChuan]

Back in Chicago after a fun long weekend to and from NE Kansas. The weight capacity of our 5 got a break when our 2 "plus size" guests had to back out of the trip. In addition to saving 500 lbs of people weight, we also gained back the space for two seats, so we were able to keep our luggage inside and not use the hitch luggage rack. We loaded up the back, filled the tank, set the 215/50r17 Nitto Motivos at 38psi and hit the road. The 5 was well within its weight capacity at this point, so suspension-wise, the ride didn't suffer at all. Smooth enough on the rough stuff and still handled the ramps with that signature Mazda "zoom zoom."

We had 2 drivers in the car, so we decided to try splitting the driving into 2 legs; we'd switch at the first fill up. I got the passenger seat for the first leg which worked out well, as I wanted to run the stereo with the big stash of podcasts I wanted to catch up on. When we first got the 5, it seems that there was always some difficulty getting my Galaxy S2 to sync up properly via Bluetooth. Our ipod Touch always synced up instantly. But the "superior" Apple battery (non-removable...(mad) ) took a dump and I had to use the Samsung. It worked flawlessly, and absolutely without a hitch. So there's a plus. The big "con" to that particular "pro" was all the road noise. I guess I haven't been on a long trip in the 5 in a while, because I forgot how poorly insulated that car is. Trying to listen to podcasts on the grooved concrete sections of I-88/I-80? Near impossible. I really had to crank the volume, but then the stereo was too loud for everyone. So we spent a fair amount of time with just some background music playing while we simply (*gasp*) talked to each other. Or napped. The drone of the Nittos at a cruise-controlled 75mph makes for some decent white noise. The road noise was still high when we hit the smoother blacktop sections, but it was more tolerable. Still, I have got to prioritize that Dynamat project before our next trip.

I've read many complaints, especially in the car mags, about the lack of power in the 5. I don't agree, and I've had plenty of big cube / force-fed H.O. mills in my day. Obviously the microvan is no drag racer, but I never found myself wanting for more horsepower in town or on the road. For what it is, the 5 is adequately powered. I don't know how my opinion would have changed had we been full up for 1300 miles with the extra 500 lbs of people in the car, but as we were, I had no problems accelerating to merge, jumping out of the toll gates, or slotting into fast lane traffic to get around the slow trucks on the interstate. Of course, I wouldn't argue with a Mazdaspeed5 option but again, for a city grocery-getter that does occasional highway trips, I think the output is fine.

The mpg however, is another story, as many of us already know. The 5 is surprisingly low in the mpg department despite the small size of the car and the engine. We averaged just a bit under 30 mpg for the whole trip. This included at least one tank of ethanol-free 87 octane. Ok, 30 mpg isn't bad, but I used to get that when we loaded up the old 'speed3 for road trips - with a roof rack. Our chipped Jetta used to smoke that average on a regular basis with considerably more "spirited" driving. Ok... I'm looking at some of the averages in the comments above. I guess I shouldn't complain about 30. And just for the record, these averages were all calculated based on GPS mileage readings and filling the tank. The Mazda digital display had us around 26 mpg. And FWIW, my last few tankfuls have been under 15, granted that has been all short city trips, in very cold weather, on crap winter blend gas. Still...

The size of the 5 works well to our advantage parking and maneuvering at home in the congested real estate of Chicago's NW side, but it didn't matter much in the "relaxed" parking space sizes in Kansas. Half the cars on the road there are crew cab pickups anyway; we fit in quite easily in their parking lots. We have a nice softside collapsible cooler which fit in very nicely between the 2nd row seats and center console, so with the exception of a couple potty stops and a gas refuel, we were fairly unstoppable. Loading up the cooler with plenty of sandwiches and drinks the night before was a good idea. During the marathon, we met mom every 6 miles or so, with the 5 as our support vehicle.

Someone asked about the Seat Pets above. The kids loved the idea, as did we. They were all excited to have the built-in pillow on the seatbelt. Of course, they tend to get in the way for the kid activities other than sleep, so the Seat Pets got removed pretty quickly. I wish I would have gotten an picture of my daughter sleeping with her head hanging at some impossible advanced-yoga angle, with her neck-saving Seat Pet laying at her side. We'll still keep them in the car for our next trip. Here we are packing up, ready to leave Wamego, with a little extra Kansas dirt on the tires (shortcuts down some farmland gravel roads).

We did have to stop in Winterset IA on the way back, birthplace of the Duke, and saw the only other van out there cooler than ours...

All in all, the 5 is a good road trip car for a small family, and a reasonable amount of soundproofing material would make it so much better. And as much as I did enjoy the drive, I do need a transportation change of scenery for a few days, hence the "blockade" in the garage...

 

[torquelover]

I feel the same way as you. We keep a couple inflatable neck pillows from Ikea under the second row seats. I am looking at this to add to the MZ5:

Seems most of the racket is from the 3rd row area as far as road noise. A lot of open pockets back there uninsulated. I am also thinking of filling the A-pillars with this to help with wind noise:

 

[JingChuan]

Seems most of the racket is from the 3rd row area as far as road noise. A lot of open pockets back there uninsulated. I am also thinking of filling the A-pillars with this to help with wind noise:

Well, I only sat in the front, and I can say that there is a crazy amount of road noise coming in through the door and/or floor. That is absolutely Priority 1 for me. I assumed the A pillar could be a source of wind noise too, but there are curtain airbags mounted there, right? I just figured I shouldn't mess with it. What is your plan?

 

[monotone]

I've been fighting with road noise in my 5 too. Started out not having much idea of what to do, I bought a pack of Stinger Roadkill dampener and applied to the trunk area, 2 front doors, foot wells, and some to the roof. The back did quiet down a bit, but the front seems to get worse - now the low frequencies are more prominent. Then I read up a bit on noise insulation and decided to buy a roll of this vinyl stuff from Home Depot: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-dB-3-4-ft-x-8-ft-Acoustical-Barrier-DB348X96BX/100663624. I'll try covering as much of the floor pan with it. I'll need some kind of foam padding to go underneath, but not sure what to get.
So far from my experience, dampener on the doors is a waste of time. Although it really helps quiet the roof in the rain.

 

[torquelover]

I assumed the A pillar could be a source of wind noise too, but there are curtain airbags mounted there, right? I just figured I shouldn't mess with it. What is your plan?

The side curtains drop down from the roof rails. There might be a drain for the moonroof down the A pillar so I have to be careful with pressure. On our MZ5 the major noise sources appear to be wind noise around the a-pillar area and road noise aft of the sliding doors. After changing out the Toyos for Yoko Envigors tire noise up front isn't too bad (for now). I have sat in all seating positions in the MZ5 on the highway so far.

If you have a lot of front tire road noise coming through, consider pulling the front wheel fender liners and deadening the back of them. It really helps. You would then pull the carpet and trim and mass load the footwell and kickplate area. Next up is deadening the doors, starting with the lower outer door skin.

To fill the A-pillars if I have to I will drill a small access hole every 8" or so to apply.

In the rear, I was planning to fill the hollow voids between all the plastic side panels and the body, especially around the wheel arches. Then some under the floor tray and the area around the spare tire. This will most likely improve the rear speakers sound as well. I have done this on several cars with polyfill in the past with great results. This newer recycled denim material seems more dense and easier to work with. Before I do this the post below got me thinking...

I've been fighting with road noise in my 5 too. Started out not having much idea of what to do, I bought a pack of Stinger Roadkill dampener and applied to the trunk area, 2 front doors, foot wells, and some to the roof. The back did quiet down a bit, but the front seems to get worse - now the low frequencies are more prominent. Then I read up a bit on noise insulation and decided to buy a roll of this vinyl stuff from Home Depot: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-dB-3-4-ft-x-8-ft-Acoustical-Barrier-DB348X96BX/100663624. I'll try covering as much of the floor pan with it. I'll need some kind of foam padding to go underneath, but not sure what to get.
So far from my experience, dampener on the doors is a waste of time. Although it really helps quiet the roof in the rain.

With noise attenuation it is a fine balance. Sometimes a little tire whine "white noise" is better to have as it's more agreeable to the human ear. Using a sheet dampener sounds like a good idea in some key areas before I use fill. I found this at Menards and it may be more manageable than the 4'x8' sheet you posted, it is 4" x 33':

http://www.menards.com/main/doors-windows/weather-stripping/tite-seal-window-flashing-weatherstrip-4-x-33-ft/p-1456263-c-3624.htm

There is also one with foam bonded to it, might be good for key areas on the floor under the carpet:

http://www.menards.com/main/doors-windows/weather-stripping/tite-seal-foam-self-adhesive-threshold-sealer-weatherstrip-5-5-x-42/p-1456262-c-3624.htm

I hear you on the low frequencies though. Once the new, quieter tires were put on, I could hear a low-level exhaust boom once the MZ5 shifts into 5th gear and the torque converter locks up. It's not annoying, but it's definitely noticeable now.

If I do this during the day I plan to make a post with pictures. If at night I might not, even with 1400 watts of light on my garage ceiling night time pics don't come out to good.

 

[JingChuan]

I knew I'd read up on this before...

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123808358-Dynamats

Some good info there.

 

[cburrell]

I've read many complaints, especially in the car mags, about the lack of power in the 5. I don't agree, and I've had plenty of big cube / force-fed H.O. mills in my day. Obviously the microvan is no drag racer, but I never found myself wanting for more horsepower in town or on the road. For what it is, the 5 is adequately powered. I don't know how my opinion would have changed had we been full up for 1300 miles with the extra 500 lbs of people in the car, but as we were, I had no problems accelerating to merge, jumping out of the toll gates, or slotting into fast lane traffic to get around the slow trucks on the interstate. Of course, I wouldn't argue with a Mazdaspeed5 option but again, for a city grocery-getter that does occasional highway trips, I think the output is fine.

I agree, the 5 has decent power, you just got to know how to work the gearbox.

 

[j3nsmz5]

Taken my MZ5 all over western U.S for the past 5 yrs of ownership. This time crossed the border to the true North. Over 3500 miles on this road trip and it's also our DD car, and we had no issues with the 5. Awesome car. Except for the occasional front end clunk, the car was solid during our road trip. Avg'd ~29 mpg. Here's a pic somewhere in Jasper Nat'l Park, Alberta, Canada.

 

[Hank3]

Sweet pic! Glad to see the MZ5 being a part of your lasting memories

Is that the OEM side window deflectors? How do you like them? Thinking about getting a set for our 2010.

 

[j3nsmz5]

Sweet pic! Glad to see the MZ5 being a part of your lasting memories

Is that the OEM side window deflectors? How do you like them? Thinking about getting a set for our 2010.

Thanks. Visors are from WellVisors.com http://www.wellvisors.com/vehicle-2392319-products.html. Highly recommended. I had "JDM Mugen" style before that came off after a year or so as it only was attached by adhesives. This one attaches both with adhesives and clips. A lot more secure plus the quality seems more durable. Also, as you noticed, looks OE on the 5.