Since buying a 2012 Mazda 5 a year ago, I have not been as active on this forum as I wanted. With a new baby last February, and the car being my wifes, I havent done much more than think about it as we roll up close to just 5,000 miles.
Ours is a Grand Touring edition in red with sand leather interior. It also has the Homelink mirror and the DVD rear entertainment option, so it is extremely well-equipped. Missing, of course, from all 5s is a navigation system a mixed bag since they are always overpriced and second-rate, but still there is no joy to be had from a suctioned Garmin with a dangling wire.
The car has observed no defects and our recent annual service (oil change, really) was given to us free(!) by the dealer. Interior and exterior have held up well, particularly the leather seats that recovered well from some baby seat abuse. Im doing basic upkeep twice I have waxed the car, treated the interior panels, and conditioned the leather.
My other cars are a BMW 3-series sedan and a Boxster S, so I expect my cars to handle well, brake competently, and accelerate seamlessly in that order. The Mazda has a great driving position, crisp handling, and good braking. Steering feel is bordering on superb. The acceleration is quite strong in first gear, but just adequate otherwise. I struggle a bit with finding the most acceleration without a gap-inducing downshift. There is a missed opportunity here for Mazda. 157 horsepower isnt embarrassing (if this was a Honda they would give it maybe 135hp), but this brilliant chassis deserves around 200 hp and a better transmission. If you havent taken the opportunity, I can tell you it feels quite nice at over 100 mph and ripping past some sleeping SUVs.
I think I would prefer a bench seat over the captains chairs in the second row, but they work well and the storage is clever. I miss electric seats, but they add lots of weight (guess around 60 lbs) and cost more to manufacture. The third row has worked well for children, but honestly we have not tried 5 or 6 adults yet. Id be interested in Mazda adding about 2 inches to third row but of course this is what leads to the slippery slope of big, poor-handling vehicles. Usually we keep the third row down for more cargo, but I love to raise it in the hopes of surprising a random motorist at the cleverness of this little car with three rows.
This last point brings me to the whole madness of owning of Mazda 5. It should be seizing massive amounts of market share from small SUV models, but instead it is such a rare vehicle that it must often be teetering on the brink at Mazda boardroom discussions. Zero advertising budget, too. This is so disappointing. Ive driven these SUVs and there is no justification for their popularity. We have now raised a whole generation of wheel-holders who are basically incapable of making informed vehicle choices. They are buying vehicles with such lousy handling and suspension characteristics that you probably couldnt tell if you had a flat tire. The reduced sales of cars like the 5 limit the development of these good platforms and instead waste countless resources on taming the evils of high ground clearanceall in the name of a fashion statement.
But sorry for the rant. I am very happy with the Mazda 5 and I hope it stays in production and gets more attention from the company. It is a truly unique and practical car that we intend to keep for a number of years. Unless BMW or Audi decide to bring a minivan to the US, this is as good as it gets here!
Ours is a Grand Touring edition in red with sand leather interior. It also has the Homelink mirror and the DVD rear entertainment option, so it is extremely well-equipped. Missing, of course, from all 5s is a navigation system a mixed bag since they are always overpriced and second-rate, but still there is no joy to be had from a suctioned Garmin with a dangling wire.
The car has observed no defects and our recent annual service (oil change, really) was given to us free(!) by the dealer. Interior and exterior have held up well, particularly the leather seats that recovered well from some baby seat abuse. Im doing basic upkeep twice I have waxed the car, treated the interior panels, and conditioned the leather.
My other cars are a BMW 3-series sedan and a Boxster S, so I expect my cars to handle well, brake competently, and accelerate seamlessly in that order. The Mazda has a great driving position, crisp handling, and good braking. Steering feel is bordering on superb. The acceleration is quite strong in first gear, but just adequate otherwise. I struggle a bit with finding the most acceleration without a gap-inducing downshift. There is a missed opportunity here for Mazda. 157 horsepower isnt embarrassing (if this was a Honda they would give it maybe 135hp), but this brilliant chassis deserves around 200 hp and a better transmission. If you havent taken the opportunity, I can tell you it feels quite nice at over 100 mph and ripping past some sleeping SUVs.
I think I would prefer a bench seat over the captains chairs in the second row, but they work well and the storage is clever. I miss electric seats, but they add lots of weight (guess around 60 lbs) and cost more to manufacture. The third row has worked well for children, but honestly we have not tried 5 or 6 adults yet. Id be interested in Mazda adding about 2 inches to third row but of course this is what leads to the slippery slope of big, poor-handling vehicles. Usually we keep the third row down for more cargo, but I love to raise it in the hopes of surprising a random motorist at the cleverness of this little car with three rows.
This last point brings me to the whole madness of owning of Mazda 5. It should be seizing massive amounts of market share from small SUV models, but instead it is such a rare vehicle that it must often be teetering on the brink at Mazda boardroom discussions. Zero advertising budget, too. This is so disappointing. Ive driven these SUVs and there is no justification for their popularity. We have now raised a whole generation of wheel-holders who are basically incapable of making informed vehicle choices. They are buying vehicles with such lousy handling and suspension characteristics that you probably couldnt tell if you had a flat tire. The reduced sales of cars like the 5 limit the development of these good platforms and instead waste countless resources on taming the evils of high ground clearanceall in the name of a fashion statement.
But sorry for the rant. I am very happy with the Mazda 5 and I hope it stays in production and gets more attention from the company. It is a truly unique and practical car that we intend to keep for a number of years. Unless BMW or Audi decide to bring a minivan to the US, this is as good as it gets here!