Reviews keep bashing the 5's acceleration... what do you guys think?

[7red7]

I find that the acceleration and top end are both more than adequate on my 5...I can take off from a stop light at an average pace ans hit 40+ MPH without any real effort in no time...When it comes to merging onto highways, I can easily pass other cars and set a pace for traffic...It's no sports car and I know there are tons of other cars out there that can beat it, but hey it's not a sports car so I'm perfectly fine with that...Afterall, I didn't buy it for it's speed, I bought it for its appearance, functionality, solid craftsmanship, and reliability in Mazda cars

The only flaw I can find with my 5 (I have the S Touring Automatic) is the torque steer on takeoffs and when it's goosed to pass other traffic...Oh yeah, and the 4 speed auto tranmission is begging for a 5th gear...Cruising at 4,000 rpm's when doing anything over 70mph over extended periods of time has me concerned...

DAN

 

[MP5Alive]

Cruising at 4,000 rpm's when doing anything over 70mph over extended periods of time has me concerned...

DAN

I was just wondering about that.
My '02 Protege5 (5MT) cruises 110 km/h (70mph) at around 3100rpm. It gets pretty noisy especially with my EBay intake. It really needs a taller 5th gear.

We're considering getting a Mazda5 but the power-to-weight ratio is really worrying me. Also, 5MT is out cuz dear wife wants to drive too. Can the 4AT stay in a decent power band with one less gear ratio?

 

[Wuster]

I was just wondering about that.
My '02 Protege5 (5MT) cruises 110 km/h (70mph) at around 3100rpm. It gets pretty noisy especially with my EBay intake. It really needs a taller 5th gear.

We're considering getting a Mazda5 but the power-to-weight ratio is really worrying me. Also, 5MT is out cuz dear wife wants to drive too. Can the 4AT stay in a decent power band with one less gear ratio?

Sure, the automatic is an automanual. You can shift it yourself if you want.

The Mazda 5 is actually pretty quiet at 70 to 80 mph. You will hear more wind noise than engine noise. There is an insulated engine cover that helps to reduce engine noise.

 

[MD5]

I have found the power to be just fine. I regularly load it up with the wife and two kids for long trips and I don't find it to be slow.

I'll put it into perspective this way - you have to judge it for what it is. My other car is a Porsche 911. Of course the Mazda is not as fast nor handles as well. But it is great at what it does, which is hold the family and get good gas mileage. You are not going to set any speed records, but you are not buying it for that anyway.

You hit the nail on the head. I went from a 2003 Mustang GT with a 9# Kenne Bell supercharger (engine made 401 RWHP/424 RWTQ) to the Mazda5. I'm not getting anywhere as quick, but I can get my kids to hockey/baseball games and get almost 30mpg. My insurance went down, and now I can buy regular unleaded gasoline.

Matt

 

[Kid Red]

You're kidding, right? There isn't much modern machinery slower in a straight line... lol.... My car ran an 18 second quarter mile... And it wasn't driver error... kinda hard to screw up 100hp in an automatic...

Yea, I'm kidding about a VAN being DOG slow in a straight line quarter mile(poke) Maybe, my kid seats, 3rd row and roof rack add speed to mine?

 

[Captain KRM P5]

for what it is, i think the 5 accelerates fine. why does everything have to be as fast as a top fuel drag car nowadays. in the 60s they considered 8 second 60mph times fast.

 

[dommo_g]

It's slow, but it's still fun. It gets up to speed, it just takes a little longer than I would like it to.

 

[TheMAN]

V6s are so overrated....
good luck finding a V6 minivan ANYWHERE ELSE but north america

 

[Fran82]

What kind of acceleration are you looking for? If you're going to the drag strip then, obviously, this isn't the car for you. In real world driving, though, it is great. It has a real small turning radius, so you can turn around anywhere, and get into parking spaces with ease. You can carry a lot of stuff in there, for such a small package, and you get reasonable gas mileage.
We just took a trip from Mass. to SC in the 5, and I had no issues getting through traffic, or accelerating onto the highway, with a full load. It actually seemed pretty quick getting up to speed. That's real world. But the write ups only give you 1/4 mile and 0-60 info. Believe me, I'm very interested in that stuff, but I'm not at all disappointed by the performance of the 5, no matter what the numbers say. I have a 4AT Touring, by the way.

 

[7red7]

We're considering getting a Mazda5 but the power-to-weight ratio is really worrying me. Also, 5MT is out cuz dear wife wants to drive too. Can the 4AT stay in a decent power band with one less gear ratio?

The power is really good from 2nd-4th gear...The 4 speed auto runs quietly at high speeds, but the rpm's rest in between 4-5,000 when you reach speeds of 70mph and above...The flow of freeway traffice here in Northern California is around 75-80mph on an average day, and when I have it at 80mph the rpm's run a bit to high for me...I honestly think that the 5 would benefit greatly from a fifth gear...I mean, it is the same engine as the Mazda 3 auto and the 3's have 5 speeds...With the 5, we gain more torque than the 3, but lose a gear in return...I'd rather have a higher top end speed than more climbing power...Then again, I don't haul very much other than my wife and myself and some groceries right now...

 

[ntron1]

4000 Rpm?

I'm sorry but I do not know where the 4 -5K RPM comes from. We zipped from Philly to lower Delaware yesterday @ 80 MPH and I do not recall touching even 4K.

 

[MP5Alive]

I'm sorry but I do not know where the 4 -5K RPM comes from. We zipped from Philly to lower Delaware yesterday @ 80 MPH and I do not recall touching even 4K.

so what was your RPM then?

 

[fam]

Ok, ive owned 2 mazda3s, a mazda 5, and 2 mustangs, so... I think I can talk on this one...
I love the 5. It is a fun microvan, does the job for a small family with unmatchable city mileage for my wife (she gets 26-27 in city) and we got 29.6 on hwy. The first 2 gears are perfect for the weight ratio, after that the engine just cant do it, hwy revs are too high to get the 32 mpg or more it SHOULD be capable of. They made it more of a city MPG than hwy, its just what mazda did, works for my wife (she is scared of hwys). My 2000 mustang v6, auto, loaded down, could still manage 30 on the hwy with me driving it like its stolen (it weighs only 200 lbs less), the 5 speed i had got 32-33 hwy. Mazda, imo, should put another 50 hp in the 5, it would help tremendously with hwy mileage because they wouldnt have to use their current gear ratios and city mileage might take a small hit... but thats how the american market is unfortunately. just my .02

 

[was98strat]

Well, right now I do drive a 2000 Sunfire SE 3AT... nothing is much worse than that! The Mazda5 actually has a better power-to-weight ratio(somehow) and an extra gear in the automatic.

Did I mention I <3 my Sunfire?!(ughdance)

I can think of worse . Try Toyota Matrix 200 kilos heavier than a 5 and with nearlt 30hp and 30ft/lbs less, it's a really slow car!!!! Don't know why Toyota didn't put a decent engine in it (Matrix was on my to buy list until I test drove it)

 

[theweev]

Ok, ive owned 2 mazda3s, a mazda 5, and 2 mustangs, so... I think I can talk on this one...
I love the 5. It is a fun microvan, does the job for a small family with unmatchable city mileage for my wife (she gets 26-27 in city) and we got 29.6 on hwy. The first 2 gears are perfect for the weight ratio, after that the engine just cant do it, hwy revs are too high to get the 32 mpg or more it SHOULD be capable of. They made it more of a city MPG than hwy, its just what mazda did, works for my wife (she is scared of hwys). My 2000 mustang v6, auto, loaded down, could still manage 30 on the hwy with me driving it like its stolen (it weighs only 200 lbs less), the 5 speed i had got 32-33 hwy. Mazda, imo, should put another 50 hp in the 5, it would help tremendously with hwy mileage because they wouldnt have to use their current gear ratios and city mileage might take a small hit... but thats how the american market is unfortunately. just my .02

I think all it needs is a another 25hp. The thing has the same problems all my VW's had less the mark 1 GTI, over built chassis. All of them , including the 5 scream for a bit more juice cuz the platforms are so solid. I love my 5 and it's a reasonable trade off between get-up and milage. but oh if only......

 

[fam]

yeah, another 25 (or 50) HP up top , you know, in 3rd and 4th where she runs out of steam.

 

[Zoom5Zoom]

Enough already. Have'n fun with my 5MT and you know what I am quite happy going 120 Km/h on our highways with a full load. I could ask for more but I am sure that I have and could at anytime cruise at 145-150 km/h ok.

There if you want more balls get a V6 eh....lol (ok I might be jealous but still happy)

 

[theweev]

screw the V6. supercharge the puppy

 

[fam]

i agree, i dont want the weight of a bigger motor up front.

 

[Hambone]

At 80mph on the highway this morning my rpm's were at 3400.