Ignorant journalist: we should respond

[drzombie]

Hey folks,

This supposed "car guy" puts the Mazda5 on a list of cars we probably don't need, but doesn't include crap such as the Kia Rondo and Jeep Compass. Further, in his review, he doesn't really explain why we don't need it besides the fact that not many people buy them.

I've already written him an email response. Maybe a few others should as well? It's sensationalist headlines like this that can hurt good cars, and he's obviously just going for attention.

Here's the article. Scroll to the bottom to see other cars "we don't need"

http://www6.autonet.ca/Spotlight/Te.../Spotlight/TestDrives/2007/06/07/4242697.html

 

[skyhawk]

he talked about the throttle lag.. of the M5. I disliked it too once. Forces me to drive smoothly. Then I did the 'throttle ground' MOD discussed in mazda3 forums. It 'removed' the throttle lag (car switches to lower gear earlier when stepping on gas). BUT I did not like it. I removed the 'mod' and drived the 'zoom-zoom' way. With Mazda5, you can feel the car trying to interpret what you want it to do. It will hesitate if you push on the gas too quickly. Maybe the M5 thought you were just cruising along nicely, because you did not have pressure on the gas pedal. But with slight pressure on gas pedal, as when you are in a hurry, the car do respond quickly when called in to accelerate.

 

[bstad1]

Actually, I think the article is quite complimentary. He only "questions" whether the MZ5 should be made, he never answers that question. After sort of ragging on the fact that it has sliding doors, the rest of the article is quite good. The big omission is that he didn't talk much about the driving experience other than the power of the engine.

 

[nate0123]

he talked about the throttle lag.. of the M5. I disliked it too once. Forces me to drive smoothly. Then I did the 'throttle ground' MOD discussed in mazda3 forums. It 'removed' the throttle lag (car switches to lower gear earlier when stepping on gas). BUT I did not like it. I removed the 'mod' and drived the 'zoom-zoom' way. With Mazda5, you can feel the car trying to interpret what you want it to do. It will hesitate if you push on the gas too quickly. Maybe the M5 thought you were just cruising along nicely, because you did not have pressure on the gas pedal. But with slight pressure on gas pedal, as when you are in a hurry, the car do respond quickly when called in to accelerate.

a manual transmission would solve this entire problem

 

[Foolish]

a manual transmission would solve this entire problem

...and you can get it that way! Mazda FTW!

 

[Captain KRM P5]

...and you can get it that way! Mazda FTW!

go to a dealer and ask to order a manual tranny 5 and you will be shown a nice long waiting list

 

[nate0123]

go to a dealer and ask to order a manual tranny 5 and you will be shown a nice long waiting list

if that's true, they should get the hint... and make more MTs!

 

[coolmazda5]

thanks drzombie,

I also agree with some of the folks here, the article seemed OK. The issue I've seen for all the MZ5 reviews is that in NA (US, Canada, Mexico) the Mazda5 car category does not really exist (yet). IMO it is not a Minivan, it is more of a space wagon (or the official MAV term, Multi-Activity-Vehicle). The only similar car I've seen is the fugly Rondo, but if gas prices go up, I can tell it will become more popular, like in Europe. Please see this thread, it may give you an idea of where my (screwy) comments come from

http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123675463

...and yes, IMO a 3AT/4AT in a 4cyl engine will always feel sluggish (at least in all the ones I have owned and driven). 5MT FWIW ...

 

[coolmazda5]

go to a dealer and ask to order a manual tranny 5 and you will be shown a nice long waiting list

Good to know. When I got my MZ5 back in 2005 my wife and I were astonished to see one with MT available in the lot. We made the deal that day so to not let it go.

Given that the sales guy seemed new to Mazda (so did the Mazda5 during that time) I actually, as part of the price negotiation, told the guy that he would find very difficult to sell this family car with a Manual Tranny (drive), so he needed to get us a good deal. It actually worked well

 

[drzombie]

Hey, hard time finding a MT? I must have been lucky then, I bought my 5 with leather and a 5 speed on the day I went to the dealer's. Waiting time = 0 days. (headbang)

I agree with everything that's been said above: the author includes the Mazda5 on the list of cars that we don't need, but doesn't really give one concrete reason as to why it's on the list: that's what is so frustrating about it, and was also the gist of my email to him. I think it simply speaks to ignorance. My concern though is that people won't actually read the review, just the attention grabbing headline on canoe.ca.

 

[Mazda5wannabe]

I can't imagine driving the 5 with an AT, yuck!

I've just came back on a quick trip from Kelowna to Red Deer and back again. The majority of the driving was through the Rockies. There were only two of us and we had packed fairly light. The only thing that passed me was a group of guys slicing up the road on Ducatis. We stepped out of the car at the end of an eight hour drive feeling pretty good, with no butt numbness like you would expect. Had the car been loaded it would have struggled on the hills, but so has every other "people movers" I've driven through the mountains. I averaged 28 mpg and my typical speed was 60-70 mph through the mountains and I opened it up to 80 mph on the flats of Alberta.

I tend to ignore reports like this, unless the writer is doing a long term test. They just don't spend enough time with the vehicle to get to know how well they do in all situations. And ATs in the 5 would suck! Why anyone would pay extra to hobble their car is beyond my comprehension.

 

[HotRodSaint]

if that's true, they should get the hint... and make more MTs!

Or the dealers should get the hint and order more!

 

[AIMWO4]

Yep

Which I have.(yippy)

a manual transmission would solve this entire problem

 

[AIMWO4]

It took me 4 months.

go to a dealer and ask to order a manual tranny 5 and you will be shown a nice long waiting list

 

[AIMWO4]

You could go test drive one. (naughty)

If you are in stop-n-go traffic a lot, and auto will do you good. Most people over 35 in that situation, don't like to sit with the foot on the clutch.(headshake

I can't imagine driving the 5 with an AT, yuck!

I've just came back on a quick trip from Kelowna to Red Deer and back again. The majority of the driving was through the Rockies. There were only two of us and we had packed fairly light. The only thing that passed me was a group of guys slicing up the road on Ducatis. We stepped out of the car at the end of an eight hour drive feeling pretty good, with no butt numbness like you would expect. Had the car been loaded it would have struggled on the hills, but so has every other "people movers" I've driven through the mountains. I averaged 28 mpg and my typical speed was 60-70 mph through the mountains and I opened it up to 80 mph on the flats of Alberta.

I tend to ignore reports like this, unless the writer is doing a long term test. They just don't spend enough time with the vehicle to get to know how well they do in all situations. And ATs in the 5 would suck! Why anyone would pay extra to hobble their car is beyond my comprehension.

 

[HotRodSaint]

There is 6 5-Speed Sports at Lancaster Mazda in Lancaster, CA. And it looks like those are your only choices if you live in CA.

I'm really glad that my Touring 5-speed was on the dealer lot when I went to buy it! (yippy)

 

[coolmazda5]

Hey, hard time finding a MT? I must have been lucky then, I bought my 5 with leather and a 5 speed on the day I went to the dealer's. Waiting time = 0 days. (headbang)

Leather+5MT... lucky Canadians up north . Leather was not available in 06 anywhere in NA and now that it is, in the US it only comes for the Grand Touring trim (not the same as the GT in Canada), which comes as an AT only down here.

The Grand Touring OEM HIDs down here look cute though.

Apart from laws, safety regulations and so, sometimes I don't know how the per-country specs are defined really (lurk). yet at the same time, my belief is that the folks here in these forums are much more savvy and picky about our cars than the mainstream MZ5 consumers.

 

[Mazda5wannabe]

Don't have to test drive one. A friend has the Mazda 3 4dr with AT and I drove that. BOOORING! No ZOOM ZOOM!

I'm 47, work as a sales rep for a printing company and spend at least half my day driving about. My leg seems to handle it just fine. (enguard)

You could go test drive one. (naughty)

If you are in stop-n-go traffic a lot, and auto will do you good. Most people over 35 in that situation, don't like to sit with the foot on the clutch.(headshake

 

[nate0123]

Don't have to test drive one. A friend has the Mazda 3 4dr with AT and I drove that. BOOORING! No ZOOM ZOOM!

I'm 47, work as a sales rep for a printing company and spend at least half my day driving about. My leg seems to handle it just fine. (enguard)

yea, my dad is 53 and drives a truck around town all day long...that's MT and the clutch isn't what you'd call "light"

 

[opus]

Of the 10 vehicles that my wife and I have had since we started driving, only one was an automatic and it was a "gift" vehicle to get me through my early college years. I get too bored in automatics and start doing really stupid stuff to stay entertained. I don't think we would have bought the 5 if it wasn't available with the 5MT. All of these supposed "enthusiast" car scribes don't bother to get the 5MT, they get the auto and then slam if for being sluggish. You would think these guys would be doing everything in their power to promote vehicles that are driver oriented, but then they pull stuff like this.