Hi guys, just stumbled across this forum while searching for Mazda5 forums. Just recently purchase a new 2010 Mazda5 GT. Owned Hondas all my life, so I hope Mazdas won't disappoint me. With a family of 3 and 2 dogs, we needed to up size our vehicle without having to buy a full size minivan. Looked and test drove the Element, Pilot, and CR-V. Was set on the CR-V until we took the 5 out for a spin. We love it!
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not to single you out, but it's almost like you're setting yourself up for disappointment. hondas are not the be-all and end-all of vehicles, it's just that what you are used to. you have to be careful if something goes wrong, or if something is not designed the way you would have expected, that you don't say "honda would have done it better".
all vehicles and car companies have their faults and attributes. judge the 5 on its own merits, not in comparison w/ the others.
all that being said, enjoy your 5! there is no other vehicle made w/ the same combination of performance and versatility.
chief_wiggum
Member
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- 2008.5 Mazdaspeed3-2010 Mazda5 GT
Welcome; we just replaced our 03 CR-V EX with a Mazda5 GT.
chief_wiggum
Member
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- 2008.5 Mazdaspeed3-2010 Mazda5 GT
I'll always miss my CRX's; I had the first and last model year -- an 1984 with the 'big' engine (1.5L) and a jackson racing supercharged 91 SI.
Thanks for the warm welcome, guys!
It's just bone stock. The only thing we added on from the dealer is a roof rack. I'll post some pics this August when we fully load it with cargo carrier and bikes on it.
Don't get me wrong, but I never driven anything else but Hondas, so I don't really have anything else to compare it with. We are happy with our purchase otherwise we'd just stick with Honda if we weren't.
The car I normally drive is a '99 Honda Accord, 5-speed, the car that the Mazda5 replaced was a '95 Toyota Camry.
The Mazda5 isn't as good as those cars were - the interior is cheaper and not as well thought out, the interior color options stink, and there are rear tire issues that may or may not affect you. Actually, in general, the tires stink also, I don't like the OEM low profile tires. And if you had a 5-speed manual it would be geared low so that you are running over 3,000 rpms at 65 mph. They should have either offered a 6-speed manual, or made the 5th speed more of a cruising speed.
Anyway, that being said I would still buy it if I had to do it all over again - it was cheap. Really cheap. $16,500 (plus $1,500 for tax, title, license, doc fee) with no money down and no interest for three years. It gets really good gas mileage and most importantly I can carry six (and sometimes seven) people in it, plus it has excellent handling. And remember that if Honda or Toyota offered a similar vehicle it would be at least $4,000 or $5,000 more.
The Mazda5 isn't as good as those cars were - the interior is cheaper and not as well thought out, the interior color options stink, and there are rear tire issues that may or may not affect you. Actually, in general, the tires stink also, I don't like the OEM low profile tires. And if you had a 5-speed manual it would be geared low so that you are running over 3,000 rpms at 65 mph. They should have either offered a 6-speed manual, or made the 5th speed more of a cruising speed.
Anyway, that being said I would still buy it if I had to do it all over again - it was cheap. Really cheap. $16,500 (plus $1,500 for tax, title, license, doc fee) with no money down and no interest for three years. It gets really good gas mileage and most importantly I can carry six (and sometimes seven) people in it, plus it has excellent handling. And remember that if Honda or Toyota offered a similar vehicle it would be at least $4,000 or $5,000 more.
'cheaper' and 'not as well thought out' are opinions.
what does the amount of interior color options have to do w/ quality of a vehicle?
the 5 speed spins 3500rpms @ 75mph, not at all uncommon for a twin cam 4 cyl. they are designed to rev.
I put a duffle bag in front of the passenger seat, the zipper rubbed the glovebox and left a very noticeable groove. That’s what cheap trim does – I never had an issue with scratching plastic on my Honda or Toyota and both were in my family since they were new (bought in '98 and '95 respectively). As far as the two interior colors go, both show dirt really easily. I have the tan interior, I know two people who have the black interior. There should be a middle-color, like a dark gray. As far as “not well thought out”, yes, that’s my opinion, but I firmly believe that Mazda cut a lot of corners. Why not have a sunglass holder on the ceiling where the bulge is located (next to the windshield)? Why the lack of a functional center console?
With regard to the rpms, Mazda changed the gearing between the automatic and the manual transmission. When I say that it’s at 3,000 RPMs at 65 mph, it would be around 2,300 or 2,400 in the automatic version. Same twin-cam engine.
I'm not saying "don't buy the Mazda5", I'm just saying that the Mazda5 does not have the same quality as Honda or Toyota. But again, it's a lot cheaper. The Mazda5 is one big trade-off. For the price, it is a very good vehicle. Besides, where else are you going to find a 6-seater that gets good mileage? That is the reason why the Mazda5 is surviving, because it has no competition. Of course, if Mazda actually advertised the Mazda5, it would be doing better.
With regard to the rpms, Mazda changed the gearing between the automatic and the manual transmission. When I say that it’s at 3,000 RPMs at 65 mph, it would be around 2,300 or 2,400 in the automatic version. Same twin-cam engine.
I'm not saying "don't buy the Mazda5", I'm just saying that the Mazda5 does not have the same quality as Honda or Toyota. But again, it's a lot cheaper. The Mazda5 is one big trade-off. For the price, it is a very good vehicle. Besides, where else are you going to find a 6-seater that gets good mileage? That is the reason why the Mazda5 is surviving, because it has no competition. Of course, if Mazda actually advertised the Mazda5, it would be doing better.
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I have to agree with Heat on the value of the Mazda5 compare to the CR-V. The price quote we got from Honda for a fully loaded CR-V EX-L was close to $10,000 more than the Mazda5. We went with the Mazda5 mostly because it has more room and it's not a full size minivan. We also looked at wagons as well such as the Subaru Outback XT and you wouldn't believe how much they go for. Best bang for your buck for us is the Mazda5.
