Any Mazda 5 owners? Similar vehicles?

[NaLisa]

My minivan is 12 years old and one thing after another keeps breaking down, so it's time to car shop.

I definitely want a new (not used) vehicle and I'd like to get better gas mileage than what I'm getting from my minivan (2001 Toyota Sienna). I also can't wrap my mind around paying $40,000 for a minivan or SUV. However, I'd really like to be able to seat six, as we frequently transport 2 DDs and their friends. My oldest DD is 9, so it'll be a couple more years before she can ride in the front seat.

I've researched so that I can go test drive a few cars tomorrow, but I just keep coming back to the Mazda 5. Right price ($20K-$25K), good gas mileage, seats 6 (though third row seat is small and you basically have to choose between a third row or cargo space), and excellent reviews in terms of performance, reliability and owner satisfaction. Drawbacks are lack of leg-room and cargo space if you use the third row seating, plus it's not going to accelerate like a V-6 minivan. I think the tradeoff in cargo space, third-row seating leg-room and engine punch are offest by the price and gas mileage.

DDs are old enough so we don't need to haul strollers and other gear for younger kids, and they're also on the smallish side so they don't need a ton of leg and body space.

We do go tent camping fairly often and need room to haul our gear. i think we'd need a roof rack for a smaller vehicle.

I'm really having difficulty finding anything else in the class of the Mazda5, though I planned to test dirve 3-5 different models. Any similar vehicles you can recommend?

If you have a Mazda5 or know someone who does, how do you like it? What are the drawbacks that I haven't considered? Would you purchase again?

Thanks for any input as we search for the vehicle that will be taking us to our next magical WDW experience in a couple of months!

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I have one, and like it, but it's a small car. That's great for driving in the city, but keep in mind that if you have the back seats up you have no trunk space. You can't even fit a few bags of groceries back there.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

We have a Mazda 3, agree the power is not the kicking. But, it is great reliable car, not a complaint. We looked at a Rouge, some sales right now, but it has the electronic type of transmission, and climbing did not have enough giddy up and go. The second row seat did not adjust so not really comfortable.

For us if we want to use he third row, we would need storage too.i don't think you can step down to it from a mini van or larger SUV.

Can you consider a used? The car looses 30% retail driving it off the lot. Buying a lease turn in may be n option to getting a better car for the money.

 

[islandmum]

If you do go for the Mazda 5 - dont get the diesel option. They have a catastrophic fault with the DPF in the Mazda 5 and 6 models, we had one with that fault and had to ditch the car after only 3 months of having it as the cure was a new DPF or new engine ..... well over $4k. There are other options like removing the DPF completely but its a bit of a bodge job. We were still under the dealers warranty (it was a used model) so traded it back for something else and I later saw the car being traded as a spares/repair, despite being only 3 years old.

Really nice car if you get the top spec model in petrol.

 

[ChitownFamily]

I have one, and like it, but it's a small car. That's great for driving in the city, but keep in mind that if you have the back seats up you have no trunk space. You can't even fit a few bags of groceries back there.

i have a 2007. We really like it. We only have 2 children- 90% of the time the 3rd row is folded & we use it as storage or to cart the dogs around. When the 3rd row is up- the trunk space can fit 1 gallon of milk. That's how incredibly small it is. So great for families with only 2-3 kids. as the 2 seats in the back can be folded up individually (so you can have a kid in a seat & fold down the other one) 4 kids & you have no space.

 

[elizke]

I've been looking at the Mazda5 too. I've been looking at it or something like it for the past 2 years, knowing my van will have to be replaced soon. I have been considering the Mazda5 (love the sliding rear doors it has and the price with good options), the Mitsubishi Outlander (has a third row seat as a option in later models), and the RAV4 had a third row seat option for a while, which they've now dropped unfortunately.

I agree it's nice to have the ability to add a couple of friends to the ride when you need to, although in more recent looking I'm starting to think I might have to give that option up. Mileage and size ( I prefer smaller) are also at the top of my priority list.

So I'll be curious to see any other cars in this category people might be driving....

 

[snoopy5386]

We have a Toyota highlander, base model and the price is in line with the Mazda 5. Very similar inside, it has a third row that has two seats that fold up individually, when the third row is up I can still fit our Maclaren stroller or a few bags of groceries back there. 2nd row has a removable middle seat, so you can have it set up as a bench, as two captains chairs or with a console in the middle. We've had it about 18 months and really like it.

 

[NaLisa]

Thanks for all the replies. Think I'm going to test drive the Mazda 5 but also a few small SUVs and wagons.

We bought our current minivan used (3 years old and had 20K miles on it), and I feel like we've always had problems with it (transmission problems right off the bat, replacing O2 sensors when it was 7 years old, new transmission last year, plus lots of small things, including four broken door handles). It was the third Toyota in a row for me, and I was a loyal fan, but I've just really not been happy with the reliability of this vehicle.

So I think I want to get a new vehicle this time, so I'll have peace of mind that we won't have anything but regular maintenance for a few years.