Why a Mazda 5 ?
 

Hello,

I'm new to your forum.
My girlfriend and I have to buy a new car in a very near future. Up until now we were heading to the subaru dealer for a impreza 2.5i sport wagon, but I found out the Mazda 5 !!!!
So for you out there who already own this car, here is few question :
- what do you consider the best asset of this car (ex.: look, handling,fuel economy etc)
- have you heard of any issues about your car (ex.: electronic/electric failures )
- what about the fuel consumption ? Rate on web site said 8 l/100 km on highway (which gives about 35 mpg !!!) does anyone got this fuel consumption ?

So as you can see i'm in a middle of a buying process which mean I do have a lot of interrogation !!!

Thank you for your reply

Ghislain


P.s. All french answer will be welcome too !

RE: Why a Mazda 5 ?
 

It's a very nice car....A great, affordable overall package if you need a family vehicle.

I had a 99 Subaru Outback with the 2.5L and would only get ~22 mpg, My Mazda3 with the 2.0L/5-speed stick shift routinely gets 30-34 mpg.

I think the 35 mpg in the Mazda5 is a bit overstated...I'd expect it to be in the high 20's, low 30's.

RE: Why a Mazda 5 ?
 

Go to http://www.drivingtelevision.com/clips/311/01HH311.wmv and watch the review they have of it, I think it explains it all.

It works like a minivan, runs like a sporty car, has a great price and is just a great vehicle if you want space.

If you were thinking of a Toyota Matrix but wanted something a little bigger then this is it.


=Alan=

RE: Why a Mazda 5 ?
 

Not to mention it looks a TON better than the Matrix

RE: Why a Mazda 5 ?
 

Salut Ghislain,

I just picked up a 5 for my wife. It's the automatic/tiptronic Touring model. I got 31 mpg. Maybe the 35 mpg figure is based on the Imperial gallon, not a US gallon. The car... minivan... the vehicle handled just fine and has plenty of room. Plus, it looks great. I had to get the windows tinted yesterday. Occasionally, I will be driving it. The official color is Cardinal Red but I swear it's a dark pink.:D

I would recommend buying one. I'm happy with the features and my wife and daughter love the color. So far so good. Elle est chouette la petite bagnole.;)

Jim.

RE: Why a Mazda 5 ?
 

Something that we really looked for in replacing my not-so-reliable VW was something to accomodate the family we plan on having (at least before buying another new vehicle). So more than 5 seats was a MUST. However, most SUVs were either too $$$ or gas guzzling. And we definitely aren't ready for a traditional minivan. The 5 appealed to us (well, me) right off at a car show months ago. We both really liked it and kept it on the back shelf for several months. Then, somehow, someway, we just decided and ended up buying one all in one day. I did research with Consumer reports comparing the overall Mazda reliability (since the 5 is new, there was no rating for it, so it may have all been guessing anyhow). Reliability is something that was important to us because of the VW repeatedly needing a part replaced.

As far as the fuel economy, I have been getting 22-23 steadily with A/C on in stop&go traffic as well as a lot of idle. On a hwy trip with 6 adults and A/C on we got 24mpg. On the return of the same trip we tilted the sunroof, air off, and same 6 adults (assuming a tail wind) got 35mpg!! I had to do the math 2-3 times to make sure it was right. It was amazing. Hopefully I'll be able to see that number a lot more when the weather is nice enough to not use the air. My window sticker said 22/26, I believe. So, I got even better than the estimate.

So far I haven't had the slightest problem with the vehicle itself. Paint quality is a bit low. There were major chips when we bought it (dealer dealt with them) and many more chips have appeared since then, even with the car bra on for hwy trips. There are a couple hazy spots in the paint as well which I will have to check with the dealer to determine if they are paint defects (In my opinion, yes, but the dealer may try to tell me otherwise).