Thanks for this post I think Mazda read it and put most of this right for 2008 version

 

Hi...first post here,

I can see that you have a 2008...is your comment meant sarcastically or literally?

I can see that this thread is a little older (except for the recent two post) but my wife and I are very close to purchasing a Mazda 5 after looking at a LOT of different makes and models.

I can agree with some of the comments even though we don't own the car yet (like no passenger arm rest in the front seat), but we still think that the 5 will best suit our needs and are happy with the styling and features for the price (price is a big factor since we live in Denmark and have to pay 180% tax on our car [:@]...we could buy a Porsche Cayenne GTS for the price of a Mazda 5 Sport w/auto trans.)

Anyway..., there are two things that really irritate me (pre purchase).

The first is delivery time. We were told that there is 5-6 months delivery time from the factory (and when we want a 2.0 sport automatic with leather in either Copper Red or Ice Blue, it's going to come from the factory).

The second (and this is a biggie for me...being a music buff and musician) is that every new "sport" model (3, 6, MX-5, RX-8, and CX-7) except for Mazda 5 comes with a Bose stereo system. Why should I be deprived of a quality music experience just because I choose a "family van"? I'd be more than willing to pay extra for a Bose system but I have a feeling that when it's not listed under "audio options" that it would be out of the question.

There is a speaker upgrade available (appears to bea Pioneer 3 way and tweeteroption). Is there anyone that has upgraded the speakers and do you feel that it was worth it? Anyone know what make the stereo is that comes i the 5 sport?

Thanks!

PS. These things (and some of the others mentioned) won't keep us from buying a Mazda 5. We still feel that the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages, especially for the price.

 

Just a brief reply as I dash out:

I wanted a specific colour so mine also had to come from the factory, and took an incredible 7 months to be delivered. No one at the dealership had any idea why (although I began to suspect that they had ordered the wrong colour or even the wrong car!). Anyway, as compensation for my wait I had the Pioneer speaker upgrade fitted before I took delivery of the car. I didn't get a chance to compare with the standard speakers, but it's a very nice sound.

Dave.

 

To be honest a little sarcastic, but I love the car. Still think it was a good choice.

Was over in Denmark Aalborg earlier this year and was amazed at the tax paid on cars[&:]

 

Thanks for the info...I'm sure I'll go for the speaker upgrade. I still think 6 months is a long time to wait but it was the same with most of the other (non Mazda) cars we were interested in.

As far as the tax...it makes me cringe every time I think about it! I'm from the US (my wife is a Dane) and have no problem with most of the taxes here, but the car tax isabsolutely ridiculous (weather you are environmentally conscious or not). You're actually penalized for filling a car up with four (or more) people (most families). You can buy a car with "yellow plates" (no back seat-can only drive with one or two people) for a little over half the price of one with white plates ("normal" car) so you are in effect rewarded for being less environmentally friendly [sm=headbang.gif].
Sorry. Didn'tmean to drag this off topic, but I had to let off some steam.
Rob

 

Now been driving the car for a couple of months, and I don't think anything really irritates me about this car, I actually try to find excuses now to go out and drive.

Front quarter post obscures the view a bit but other than that....... no nothing...... ah well may be a little more noise than my last car from the tyres.... maybe, not sure.....

Just a great car, so well sorted for an MPV, good size, comfortable even with the stiffer suspension ( I'm prone to back problems, VW leave me in agony, this has been great so far)

I've even towed a caravan with mine, so much fun overtaking with it on the back, the diesel sport has loads of torque....

 

The wipers are extremely noisy in all conditions except pouring rain. They were fine until the dealer replaced them. He replaced them free of charge once and once we paid but still noisy. I don't know the make. This is a Mazda 5 2008. Anyone else seen this?

 

Do you mean the wiper blades are noisy or the wiper motor is noisy?

Our wipers are quiet, always have been. We are currently running Michelin wiper blades from Costco, they are awesome.

Only wiper issue we have had was with the rear wiper not getting good coverage - car was still on warranty at the time and the dealer replaced the wiper arm - problem solved.

As for other things that annoy me (2008 GT)
- Sensing wipers are always off a bit, they dont come on fast right when they need to etc.
- Stock stereo is terrible (we replaced ours with aftermarket)
- Rear shocks are garbage - if you ever have to replace them, go with Monroe, much better
- Bad blind spot when looking to the right with passenger (head / pillar / headrest all line up perfectly to block your view if looking right and slightly back)
- Rear vent only blows outside air. (wth?)
- Leg room (I am 6'5, so it's a tight fit)
- Power windows are kinda loud, screech a bit, and slight thud when starting to roll down.
- slightly underpowered. The power increase in the 2012 model may have fixed this, but haven't driven it to really know if the increase was enough.

Those are really the the only things that bug me. It may seem like a lot, but every car has issues, and that list isn't bad at all if you think about it. There are far more pro's than there are cons, and I would buy this car again if I could go back (I would just get it from a different dealership, but that's a different story).

All that said though, our next vehicle in 2-3 years will be a Toyota Sienna. Reason: Size, Power, Comfort. Our Mazda 5 is feeling too small for us now, especially on trips. We also test drove a Sienna and LOVED it. Just don't love the price, otherwise we would have one now.