What Does Oppo Think About the Mazda5?

"Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy" (camshaft-chris)
08/30/2016 at 09:49 • Filed to: Kidhauler, Mazda, Mazda5, Zoom-Zoom

It’s looking to be about time for the wife to get a new(er) car as the Fusion she has is giving us some problems. We have two kids under 5, so she’s all about getting something safe and practical. Originally she wanted a Subaru Forester (older model) but decided that wasn’t enough space. Then she talked about a minivan, but doesn’t want anything quite that big as we only have two kids currently. Plus minivans are expensive these days and a little bit out of price range.

She recently discovered the Mazda5 though and is all about it. She loves the fact that it’s got all the convenience of a minivan with the sliding doors, large trunk, and third row for whenever her parents come to town. And that it’s all wrapped up in a package only a little bigger than a Ford Focus. I never really paid much attention to the 5 when it was still in production and don’t know anyone that has one or has even driven one. So, Oppo, has anyone on here ever driven or owned one of these? Is it a decent car? Or is there a reason why they ceased production on these that I’m overlooking? Thanks in advance!

DISCUSSION (38)

nerd_racing > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/30/2016 at 09:52

If I had to get a mini van vehicle today, it would be the mazda 5. I’ve heard many good things from people who own them, nothing but oil changes and routine maintenance. I think you can get them manual, and like every other Mazda, they are fun to drive.

mcseanerson > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/30/2016 at 09:53

Never driven one, absolutely love them, a friend owns one and he and his wife love his. It can be had with a stick and is built on the same platform as the Mazda 3 so most of the parts can be swapped enabling people to build Speed 5s. Production stopped because nobody bought any. You find a good one with no rust for the right price get it.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/30/2016 at 09:54

If you had troubles with the Fusion I’m sure Ford may have left a bad taste in your mouth (I don’t know what year it was but if it was the First or Second Gen it was basically a Mazda 6 under neath anyhow though) I’d recommend you take a peak at the Transit Connect as well. If I were looking at that category I’d be checking out both.

(update: it’s a shared platform between the 5 and the TC)

dogisbadob > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/30/2016 at 09:57

The Mazda5 is an awesome fun cute sporty lil minivan. It was available with a manual transmission up until a couple years ago (still offered in Canada), but they stopped the manual + sunroof combo in like 2009 or something.

I’d totally rock a 5 if I could find a manual with a sunroof at a good price.

Same suspension as the 3, so plenty of aftermarket support including Koni and Bilstein shocks.

Scimitar7 > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/30/2016 at 10:02

No firsthand experience, but some folks at my church have one. It’s like a clown car in the respect that it looks tiny, but fits an obscene amount of stuff inside.

AkursedX > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/30/2016 at 10:04

My wife drives an ‘09 Mazda-5. We have 2-kids, 6 and 3. I highly recommend it. It is a great combination of utility in a vehicle small enough that it’s still like owning a car. The 3rd row seat is great to have if you have to haul a friend or a parent along with you but it becomes tight quickly. Fuel economy is better than most other minivans, but not great (My wife gets 23-25mpg in probably 75% city driving)

For a minivan, it’s still kind of fun to drive. I’ve swapped out the dampers on it to Bilstein B6's to stiffen it up a bit (Plus the stock rear dampers don’t last long along with swaybar endlinks). Many of the Mazda 3 and Mazdaspeed3 things fit on it.

Besides the rear dampers, the engine and tranmission mounts wear pretty quick too, but are a breeze to change. 1st gen 5's like to rust in the rear dogleg of the wheelwell like pretty much all Mazdas of this generation.

Tekamul > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/30/2016 at 10:05

I owned a 2008 Mazda5 for a couple years. I liked it a lot. It’s small, light, nimble for the classification it’s in. I had a stick, and it was good.

Eventually, the third kid necessitated going full minivan. But the 5 was good while I had it, 0 issues.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > mcseanerson
08/30/2016 at 10:12

This would be my wife’s daily, and dealing with two kids while driving is enough to focus on that she doesn’t want anything stick. Good to know that they made it available with one though. And I don’t think I’d be swapping over much stuff from the Speed3, but I’m sure I could swing that idea if something needed to be replaced anyways, hahaha. That’s pretty cool. Thanks for the info!

PontiacAttack > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/30/2016 at 10:13

One thing to note is the safety rating on the 5 is abysmal. http://jalopnik.com/iihs-says-the-…

We looked at one and loved what everyone else has been saying; fun to drive, small footprint, definitely has the Mazda DNA throughout it. Just want you to be aware of the safety rating.

Our neighbor has one and has had no troubles with it. She loves it.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > AkursedX
08/30/2016 at 10:14

It really does seem to have that near perfect balance of size and utility. We don’t have an everyday need for a third row, only when her mom comes to visit, which is why she doesn’t want to have to go full minivan. And maintenance sounds to be pretty easy DIY stuff, so I definitely like that, hahaha.

DipodomysDeserti > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/30/2016 at 10:14

If you’re going to buy a minivan, you might as well spend the least amount of money possible on one. I’ve road tripped with two kids under five in a:

Forester XT

Abarth 500

Jeep Wrangler (2 door)

BMW X1 (6k+ mile 3 week trip camping out of the car)

The Forester had plenty of space for two kids. Get a roof rack and a basket if you need to carry more stuff.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > dogisbadob
08/30/2016 at 10:16

My wife has had some bad experiences with sunroofs, so she very much wants a car without one, lol. And with having kids, she doesn’t want a manual either. So I don’t think we’ll have any problems not being able to find that combo,lol. But I’m glad everything from the 3 swaps over. That makes me feel better about being able to get parts for it.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
08/30/2016 at 10:19

Ford hasn’t left a bad taste in my mouth. It’s mainly just the Fusion as a model that has. My family has had plenty of Fords and this one has been the only one to give us any real issues. From my research, the transmission it has is not the smoothest in the world and is prone to bucking a shift here and there and Ford just says “yeah, that’s just how it is” when you take it.

So I wouldn’t be opposed to the Transit; I quite like it myself. My wife on the other hand is not a big fan of it. Don’t know why, but she’s not. So sine this would be her car, we’d probably stick with the Mazda out of those two.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > Tekamul
08/30/2016 at 10:21

We don’t plan on upping it to three kids just yet. If that were to happen, I think my wife would be ready to go full minivan at that point. But until then, she wants to keep it as manageable as she can. Glad to hear this thing is pretty reliable. Everything that the Fusion has not been, lol.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > DipodomysDeserti
08/30/2016 at 10:31

Well, we like the Forester, but the wife wants something with a third row for when her mom comes to town. Space for roadtrips isn’t an issue. We are able to do that just fine with two kids in the Fusion. It’s just the whole third row thing where the older Forester doesn’t work (can’t afford the new one that has the third row). So, going by your first point of spending the least amount, we find the Mazda5.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/30/2016 at 10:32

Obviously your(her) choice and I know a lot of people on here love the 5, just saying it’s not a huge segment (3 row compact slider door mini-mini-vans haha, micro-vans?) so I’d test drive both. The leather and Sync 3 in the TC are nice.

AkursedX > Tekamul
08/30/2016 at 10:33

Totally agree. My brother had to up-size when his 3rd came along, but I’m glad I followed his choice with our own 5.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
08/30/2016 at 10:44

Well we’re looking slightly used here, so I don’t think we’d be able to swing Sync3. And my wife is hesitant on leather since it’s so damn hot where we live. Even if it is easier to clean off with kids spilling stuff everywhere. I’ll see if I can get her to at least take a look at the Transit though. Thanks for the info!

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/30/2016 at 10:57

No problem. If you can’t get Sync 3 - walk from the Ford haha

jariten1781 > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/30/2016 at 10:59

I've had them for rentals a few times and they were alright, no complaints. If you're looking for a manual they really play in their own field. If you're looking at automatics I'd also look at Transit Connects (or other city-vans). If the third row is more a nice to have I'd throw the C-MAX and Prius V in the mix as well.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
08/30/2016 at 10:59

Yeah. I’ve heard Sync1 and Sync2 are garbage. I think I’d just go aftermarket if that were the case, lol.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/30/2016 at 11:00

Well you’d be on My Ford Touch which is actually a good system...once you learn how to use it. But it sure as hell as a learning curve. Pre-MYFT sync was drastically better as it was just listening to instructions with no screen.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
08/30/2016 at 11:12

That’s what we have in the Fusion. It’s stupid. You have to manually pair the bluetooth every time you get in the car, even if the bluetooth on the device is already on prior to starting the vehicle. Plus yeah, the voice prompts suck. And it doesn’t want to work for the phone half the time. So we just stopped using it. All music goes through an aux cable and my wife just doesn’t answer calls while driving, lol.

Textured Soy Protein > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/30/2016 at 11:25

Many years ago I had one as a service loaner—I either had my NB Miata or MS6 at the time, can’t remember. I thought it was cool, but slow.

The 1st gen 3 & 6 have terrible rust problems, I think maybe the 1st gen 5 may be similar. So I’d stick with a 2nd gen.

Some good friends of ours with a couple kids (and now a couple more because she just had twins) have a 1st gen that they’re trying to replace with a second gen, they insist on a manual transmission and it’s the only 3 row manual transmission

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/30/2016 at 11:29

My wife and I were strongly considering one for a while, and then gave up on family car shopping for a bit but I think it’s still one of our top choices when we start again. I took one out for a pretty long test drive.

It handled pretty well and the power to weight isn’t terrible. The size and practicality is great. Reliability seems fairly good from owner reviews. And right now, prices are really low. If we were just going by price, practicality and reliability, it’d be a good bet.

All of that said, we have only one kid and one of those roof storage boxes so even a mazda5 is on the big size for our needs. And I think we'd want something that's a little quicker.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > Textured Soy Protein
08/30/2016 at 11:39

I live in SC, so rust isn’t really an issue down here. And we’re looking at the second gen. too, so hopefully that won’t be an issue at all. And as much as I love the fact that it does come in a manual, my wife doesn’t want to have to worry about that while dealing with two kids in the back seat, lol. So we’ll probably end up getting an auto. Maybe I can convince her otherwise though...

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/30/2016 at 11:40

Wow my aftermarket pioneer unit does better than that. If I have bluetooth turned on on the phone when I start the car it syncs right up.

Only benefit I see to the TC if you aren’t getting Sync3 is the badass sun roofs.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle
08/30/2016 at 11:41

Yeah, I can see that being a little bit much for just one kid. Heck, we’re making a second gen. Ford Fusion work with two kids and no roof box, lol. But the 5 really does seem like a good fit.

Textured Soy Protein > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/30/2016 at 11:43

The rust proofing on the 1st gen 3 and 6 is so bad I wouldn’t be surprised if you still got issues with them down where you live. Every single one of them here in Wisconsin has rusty rear wheel wells. That’s why I got rid of my MS6. It was an ’06 and by 2010 it had started rusting.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
08/30/2016 at 11:43

Believe it or not, the sun roofs would actually be a con. My wife had some bad experiences with leaky sunroofs as a child and the old 2nd gen. Eclipse I had when we first started dating. So she is currently very much opposed to them, hahaha.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > Textured Soy Protein
08/30/2016 at 11:44

Hmm, I’ll definitely be on the the lookout for that then. Thanks for the heads up!

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/30/2016 at 11:45

my god every benefit i present is a negative!

Fuck it go buy the 5 LOL

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/30/2016 at 12:12

We have a behemoth of a car right now but neither of us likes driving it much, so it just sits except for trips.

Here is how my wife likes to go camping - “let’s go to this campground that is somewhat near mountain biking, a swim hole, a climbing area, and a city with breweries/touristy stuff.” Which essentially means bringing half the stuff in our garage on any given 3-4 day weekend camping trip and using 1/3 of it.

When I showed my wife an Audi A3 hatchback, I gently explained to her that we could bring camping gear and biking or climbing gear on trips and forego the river raft on some trips, and really be just fine and still have fun.

vicali > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/30/2016 at 12:30

We know three different families that all love their 5s, none are using the third row though.. I sometimes wish for a sliding door when loading and unloading kids in tight parking spots.

Our 08 ‘SG’ Forester is awesome for our family with 2 kids and a dog, we had a rocketbox while playpens and highchairs travelled along, now we’re back to just the hatch. We also know a lot of families who love the newer SH/SJ models.

I like the Forester because I don’t need to worry about my wife and kids in the winter, with winter tires it is hard to beat. Stops, starts, and gets out of the way of all the other cars without a problem.

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
08/30/2016 at 14:43

My wife is a very strange woman. I love her to death, but she has weird opinions when it comes to cars.

BayAreaMiataBoi > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
08/30/2016 at 23:00

I have a Mazda5 that I bought to transport my parents and their two wheelchairs.
o Because it has the Mazda3 suspension, and because it is relatively light, it corners pretty hard for a minivan.
o It is a minivan, and will not stand up to hard use. Remember that most minivans are bigger, heavier bodies slapped onto a compact car chassis.
o The soccer Mom or Dad will drive around town as is customary, and that usage is considered “heavy usage” by some manufacturers, such as Dodge. They may decide to not honor your warranty when the transaxle dies because of your heavy usage. (My family had an early Dodge Grand Caravan, whose transaxle died three times before 104000 miles.)
o Did I say that it cornered well? Only when compared with another, larger minivan. Its hi-gas-mileage tires do not have a lot of traction, and the whole rig is pretty top-heavy, so the vehicle does not respond well to mid-course brake, acceleration, or steering inputs. +Drive the corners cautiously.+
o When we were deciding on whether to get a Ford Expedition (which we did), the chief mechanic said that almost nobody kept minivans after the leases were up. (We now have ~230000 miles on the Expedition, and it is running strong.)
o And why did I get another minivan anyway? Because I will mostly be using it on the freeway, so it will last a long time, probably longer than my parents. . .
(Just some random thoughts.)

nlpnt > Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy
09/02/2016 at 09:28

The trick’ll be finding a manual someone’s willing to part with...

Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy > nlpnt
09/02/2016 at 10:32

She really doesn’t want a manual though, so that won’t be a problem.