Would you trade your Sienna minivan for a Mazda5?

[daisy1234]

A friend on another board has an 06 Sienna CE and she would like to trade for the Mazda5 to save on gas...also to get a DVD player and possibly a moon roof which she misses. What are your thoughts...is this a good move? The family is a family of 4..

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Not me! I'm on my third Sienna in a row, and I have loved every one. I will only trade my Sienna for a new Sienna, at least until my kids go to college and I can drive a two-seater convertible!

I have no idea about the reliability of the Mazda or the difference in gas mileage, but has she thought of trading for another Sienna? If she is happy with her van, she can get a DVD player added as an aftermarket accessory. Not so sure about the moonroof, though!

I know I get better gas mileage in my Sienna than DH does when he drives it since he starts so quickly and tends to go faster than I do. There are lots of ways to improve gas mileage - anticipating stops instead of braking hard, not trying to be the first car out from the traffic light, driving the speed limit, making sure tires are inflated properly. That said, if the Mazda is smaller, lighter and has fewer cylinders, it probably gets better gas mileage.

 

[disneysteve]

I'm not familiar with the Mazda, but I'd say no. I think it is ridiculous to replace a 2 year old perfectly good van for pretty much any reason, and certainly not because you want a DVD player. Jeez. How spoiled have people become? You can survive without a DVD player in your car. People have done it for decades. We have a 2000 Sienna and drive from NJ to Disney every year without one. Our kid reads, plays games, listens to music, talks to us - imagine that.

 

[stines]

I'd love to get a Sienna as our next vehicle, but I didn't think they got very good gas mileage... no better than what I have now. 17/23 (we have a Ford Freestyle) What is the gas mileage on your Sienna? We leased the Freestyle and have another year yet, but we're thinking ahead with the horrible gas situation.

Amy

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

I was curious, so I looked up the Mazda on Edmunds.com.

It gets good reviews. Not to oversimplify, but the Mazda is 181 inches long, weighs 4665 pounds, and has a 4 cylinder engine with 153 horsepower. The Sienna is 201 inches long, weighs 5690 pounds, and has a 6-cylinder engine with 266 horsepower. The Mazda is cheaper than the Sienna. If your friend is happy with a smaller car, whether it is a van or a sedan, she will almost certainly get better gas mileage. For comparison, a Honda Accord with a 4-cylinder engine weighs 3289 pounds with 177 horsepower. There is much more that goes into the driveability of a car than the engine size, but she might want to drive the Mazda in different circumstances to make sure it will have enough power for her if she is used to the Sienna engine.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

I'd love to get a Sienna as our next vehicle, but I didn't think they got very good gas mileage... no better than what I have now. 17/23 (we have a Ford Freestyle) What is the gas mileage on your Sienna? We leased the Freestyle and have another year yet, but we're thinking ahead with the horrible gas situation.

Amy

My Sienna gets slightly better mileage than your Freestyle, depending who is driving it. I get about 19-20 around town and 24-25 on the highway. My last Sienna was AWD and got terrible gas mileage, plus the tires were very expensive to replace and didn't last very long (they were run-flats). I probably would still be driving my old car if not for the AWD, which we definitely don't need in coastal NC. We plan to keep this one for a very long time!

 

[disneysteve]

the Mazda is 181 inches long... The Sienna is 201 inches long

This would be a deal-breaker for me. We already have trouble sometimes cramming all our stuff into the Sienna. Take away 20 inches of length and we'd be in trouble.

 

[LanaJae]

I gave up my mini van and traded for a car to save on gas last Sept. (not the specific models you mentioned though). I'm happy I did it, there have been only 2 times where we needed the extra 2 seats and had to take 2 vehicles somewhere (I have 4 kids, but seldom are we all in a vehicle together). The gas savings was noticeable last fall, and even more so now.

 

[JackJack08]

I love the Mazda 5, we actually looked at getting it recently while looking for a new car/van. Way too small for me. I guess it depends on how active a family they are. Hockey and soccer gear would never fit......

 

[bigbabyblues]

Not me!!! I just got my Sienna in October, when I gave up my Accord. I loved the Accord, but with two kids (one in a regular booster w/harness, one in a high-back booster w/seatbelt), two dogs, and the occasional tag-along friend of DS, it just wasn't working. DH is coaching soccer and he's a cub scout leader, and there always seems to be a kid (usually the same one) that needs a ride from school to the game, and parents pick him up there; they can't help it with their work schedules and 3 other kids, and we don't mind.

No way am I going back to a smaller car, unless I absolutely have to. My Sienna will go almost 3 weeks on a tank of gas, just about the same as my Accord.

 

[maciec]

I have been looking at various vehicles to replace my Sienna and I cannot find another vehicle that could justify the trade. I love the space in my Sienna. No other vehicle can compare and I don't want to get a Suburban. I look at everything I would be giving up and I just can't do it.

 

[CruisinEars]

NO Way! I have a 2004 Sienna XLE and I absolutely love it. We are always using the cargo space and I only have 2 kids. It is also helpful when my parents visit so we can all fit into one car. I can go for a week on half a tank of gas so I think it gets pretty good gas mileage. I don't want to go smaller until my kids are out of high school.

Also, the reliability of Toyota is fantastic. I am very loyal to Toyota. I have owned 4 now since college and our second car is a 1997 Camry that is still a great car.

 

[stines]

Thanks for your response StitchandPooh'smom!! Our Freestyle is AWD as well, but we live in Northern Indiana, so it's pretty handy. I'd really like to go back to the Camry, but my DH doesn't think we'd be happy downsizing. I think we could make it work because of the gas mileage... Plus the new Camry's are NICE.

Amy

 

[karenos]

we bought a Mazda5 in October and love it! We have two children and it is perfect for our needs. Each can have a friend (it seats six, w/minimal storage) or 4 w/room for luggage or groceries. I have yet to calculate the mileage, but it is close to our other car a 1997 Toyota Camry. The Mazda5 is highly rated by Consumer Reports and very economical - we bought a new 07 Touring edition for a lot less than a used Sienna (and we looked at both).

Just my 2 cents
Karen

 

[GOOFY4DONALD]

Another vote for the Sienna. I just love mine. It is a 2000 and other than normal repairs it runs great. If you really need the DVD you can buy one and stick it in the van...way cheaper than buying a whole new vehicle. I can never understand why people feel like they MUST trade in a good or even great car for a newer one...just because it's newer. I am not talking about the OP just people in general. No wonder people say they HAVE to work 2 jobs to survive. Most people have to work just to keep up with their extended credit.

 

[HeatherC]

We have a 2006 Sienna which we love. That being said, I personally think the gas mileage is not good at all.

My old van (Ford Windstar) did WAY better on gas...even being 10 years old. Seriously....I am now filling up my tank at least once a week. With my old van I used to do much more driving (kids were in preschool and required a lot more drop offs and pick ups) and would fill up every week and a half. (Same size gas tank too.)

I have been very conscious on how and where I drive and am just not finding it to get more than 20mpg at the most. Not looking forward to the summer when we do A LOT of driving.

I have to think that we are getting closer to the point when car companies will get serious about their cars getting better mileage. With the price of gas, I would think it would be a sure way for them to snag that coveted number one market share space. And I'm not talking about hybrids where they charge a huge premium for them and you have to buy a lot of gas to make up for the difference in price.

By the way....also agree that buying a car for a DVD is RIDICULOUS!! Color, read a book, or heaven forbid interact as a family.

 

[dreaming3]

we bought a Mazda5 in October and love it! We have two children and it is perfect for our needs. Each can have a friend (it seats six, w/minimal storage) or 4 w/room for luggage or groceries. I have yet to calculate the mileage, but it is close to our other car a 1997 Toyota Camry. The Mazda5 is highly rated by Consumer Reports and very economical - we bought a new 07 Touring edition for a lot less than a used Sienna (and we looked at both).

Just my 2 cents
Karen

You are note alone! I've had two Mazda's and LOVED them. Best cars I've ever had hands down. Great on gas, fun to drive and I found them very roomy for their size. Much more roomy than a Honda Accord. DH is 6'4" and fit in it perfectly. He didn't fit in my sister's Honda. We had the older version of the Mazda5 which at that time was the 626 5 door touring sedan and we were always amazed at what we could fit in it. We once purchased a big stuffed club chair at a furniture store and fit it in the back and closed the hatch. The guy at the delivery dock couldn't believe his eyes.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I just bought a Mazda5 and LOVE it. It's the perfect car for me and my family.

HOWEVER, I have one child. I wanted to be able to seat 4 kids for carpooling, field trips etc . . . , I also wanted a fair amount of luggage space for trips, and hockey games. I also wanted to be able to fit the bikes or the skis in the car. The Mazda5 has all of these things -- but not at the same time. If the back seats are up then there's barely enough room for a small load of groceries. If the back seats are down it only seats 4. For us this was fine, and given that I paid what I'd pay for a Civic it was a good deal.

With 2 kids it might be fine as well. I would not buy this car if I had more than 2 kids.

 

[jennilouwho]

We recently purchased a 2003 Sienna. We get about 19/20 mpg in the city and 24 on the freeway.

One of my friends is selling her Mazda 5. They have 3 kids and they feel really cramped in it. She is going to get a minivan as soon as her car sells. If they go on a long road trip, there isn't much room for luggage.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

I don't think the Mazda 5's gas mileage is much better than the sienna. I own a 2003 Mazda MPV and when the 5's came out last year I researched them.

They get about 28 mpg highway, which is the same as my MPV gets but the 5 is MUCH smaller. I mean TEENY. It's awesomely cute looking and very fun to drive, but you're going to feel the smallness.

And I felt the difference from my MPV, which is already a substantially smaller minivan than the Sienna.

Also, conventional wisdom says to never buy a new model car the first year it comes out because they haven't worked the bugs out yet. THis was especially true for the Nissan Quest minivan-it was notoriously buggy the first year. I'd give the 5 a year or two.

As for reliability, my Mazda's been terrific, knock on wood. My friend with the same age Sienna just spent 700$ having the gaskets on the transmission replaced, and her rear liftgate stopped working. My husband who drove up to kentucky in a rented 2007 Sienna yesterday had to stop and trade it in for another one at an airport because after an hour on the highway the check engine light came on and it started smoking. He swapped it for another Sienna, this one a 2008, and guess what, three hours later, light came on! No smoke this time so they kept going, but he says he was really surprised that a Toyota would do that.

We are big toyota fans and have owned several, but probably won't ever buy a Sienna because of what we've experienced and what our friends have experienced.