Topic: Test Drive: 2015 Mazda5

[Autos_Editor]

Manual makes everything better.

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[SKYMTL]

This thing needs a facelift.  Otherwise, it's a competent family hauler. 

[Rupert]

   One might point out that you can get a larger van for less but that is not the point here. This is a very nicely contrived vehicle. The styling still looks amazingly fresh and modern…if one can discern modern from a few years ago as being old. I can relate to the overall theme of manual control that you write about…having healed and toed with the best of em. in times gone by. However one has to consider other users latterly…hmm, 41 years now…Ah well. Also the pain in stop-go traffic.
   The sliding doors are still a major feature of practicality here. Equally as much so as a manual gear stick. Considering the latter; how does one combine the senses, to effect a gear change these days. The Mazda engines being very smooth and quiet, I find; does one have to watch the tach… to know when to shift? Or does engine sound still define the requirement. Engine sound and ‘vibrations’ used to indicate such, in the old days.
   The gear shifter sounds nicely to hand but I suppose that the large support box that comes with it is included with automatic models also. I like the handbrake.

[Noto]

I agree - a very nice niche vehicle.  One poster somewhere on this site wrote about how a Veloster Turbo fit for his family (incl 2 young children).  People make due with smaller vehicles and they make due very well.  My mother shuttled around my 2 nephews in the Corolla for a while, and it was doable.

...but my brother (owner/part-producer of the 2 nephews) now wants a minivan, saying that the 7-seater SUVs are too big and compromised.

I like minivans.  I think they give you great use of space.  I also think they're huge and a pain to park.  If you want a mini-minivan (aka miracle) , then the Mazda5 is a nice balance of utility without the compromise of gigantism.

[quadzilla]

Mini-mini-vans are a secret crush I have. Perfect for road trips, can sleep in the back and the two of us can pack a tonne of crap if we so choose. But the other side of my brain can't get past the bad fuel economy and low power. If Mazda was to drop in their mystical diesel into the next version I would be taking a seriously look at one.

Has there ever been any talk of what the next gen will be?

[dkaz]

I loved my Mazda 5 with a manual transmission. When we were a one vehicle family, it was the perfect one vehicle. Nimble like a Mazda, navigated through cities and parking lots like a car, versatile like a minivan (albeit with half the cargo capacity). The old 2.3L engine was slow for the car of this weight though, the additional torque in the 2.5L engine found in the 2012+ models is a welcome addition, something I noticed right away in my test drive. The interior was definitely a step up compared to the first gen.

[JG20]

Yes, they need a redesign and a Skyactiv engine.  While the interior is much nicer, I still prefer the exterior looks of our 1st gen.  I would have prefered to get the manual but my wife insisted on having at least one automatic due to her chronic back issues.  She can drive stick but has great difficulty when her back acts up.

I've seen a couple people on another forum install a Mazda 3 turbo kit on their 5s.  One is even an automatic.  They claim (and I believe them) that it really wakes up the car.  It already has great handling so a little extra kick from a low boost turbo really livens things up.  I don't think Mazda would ever make it but a Mazdaspeed 5 would be awesome.

[SaskSpecV]

I still have pangs of regret about not pulling the trigger on the Mazda5, especially when seeing the pics in this article.  Well, not regret, call it it "sighs of what-might-have-been".  (I freely admit that owning an honest-to-God M/T-equipped minivan is part of the appeal!)

The M/T and ride/handling are fantastic (especially for the price).  But unfortunately, as Jacob mentions,  the rest of the car - particularly engine and interior - is getting seriously out of date.  And while a super-versatile vehicle in some way, it's not great as a 5-passenger + cargo vehicle.  It just didn't offer that much more (practicality, driving enjoyment, reliability, whatever your metric) than our Elantra Touring to justify its purchase.  Nonetheless, I still love the Mazda5!

[lebowski]

If Mazda would just drop an updated Skyactiv motor up front, the '5 could be the ultimate do-everything car; an urban hauling/roadtrip/surf/ski-mobile - Economical, heaps of room and versatility, and great handling. Here's hopping they do so for 2015.

[heroofmaxia]

I own a 2008 Mazda 5. Great vehicle for utility and gas mileage. Horrible car for quality of finish, structural integrity and ride. This car has a poor suspension. Creaks from both front and rear. Tires wear out quickly. This is a common problem with these cars (just google it). This car has some of the thinnest glass and sheet metal I have ever seen. Door fly open on a moderate windy day. Road noise is terrible. Now I know why Mazda's have such good gas mileage...the entire car has been stripped down as much as possible. I will not buy another Mazda again. That being said...it's a good hauler for my kids and their stuff. Curious to see what other people's experiences are with this car.

[naydek]

I agree - a very nice niche vehicle.  One poster somewhere on this site wrote about how a Veloster Turbo fit for his family (incl 2 young children).  People make due with smaller vehicles and they make due very well.  My mother shuttled around my 2 nephews in the Corolla for a while, and it was doable.

...but my brother (owner/part-producer of the 2 nephews) now wants a minivan, saying that the 7-seater SUVs are too big and compromised.

I like minivans.  I think they give you great use of space.  I also think they're huge and a pain to park.  If you want a mini-minivan (aka miracle) , then the Mazda5 is a nice balance of utility without the compromise of gigantism.

Yup, that poster was me... and even though I'm all for small cars (like Veloster Turbo) we also have a 2013 Grand Caravan 
I honestly don't think I would have bought VT if that was our only car (although we made due with Suzuki Aerio for a while as the only vehicle), probably would have been Mazda3 GT manual (if that ever happens) or we actually did test drive Mazda5 manual before we ended up getting a Grand Caravan (wife runs a day care, so the ability to haul around as many kids as possible was imperative).

[JG20]

I own a 2008 Mazda 5. Great vehicle for utility and gas mileage. Horrible car for quality of finish, structural integrity and ride. This car has a poor suspension. Creaks from both front and rear. Tires wear out quickly. This is a common problem with these cars (just google it). This car has some of the thinnest glass and sheet metal I have ever seen. Door fly open on a moderate windy day. Road noise is terrible. Now I know why Mazda's have such good gas mileage...the entire car has been stripped down as much as possible. I will not buy another Mazda again. That being said...it's a good hauler for my kids and their stuff. Curious to see what other people's experiences are with this car.

We have a 2009 GT bought in late 2008. Love the looks and the drive but you're right about its shortcomings.  From what I've read, Mazda put some aggressive alignment settings on this car to give it that "Zoom Zoom" handling.  This, along with a poor choice in OEM tires (just like most other manufacturers) is what causes the premature and uneven tire wear. I'll be replacing the tires soon with better ones and at the same time will get a more neutral alignment for better tire wear.

Also, rear shocks are prone to blowing since they were spec'd with Mazda 3 ones even though there's an extra few hundred pounds in the back of the 5.  This has supposedly been rectified in the second gen.  I recently replaced my rears with Monroe OESpectrum from CT with lifetime warranty.  At around $50 each, they're much cheaper than ones from the dealer which also only come with 1 yr warranty.

[Zibhebhu]

Manual makes everything better! No kidding! That is the best account of the joyous sensation of shifting gears oneself that I have read in a long time. Good on Mazda for making that option available.

[dkaz]

Yup, the OE rear shocks were terrible. They're not that great to begin with in the 3, then put them in the 5 and it's worse.

-KYB has one part number for both Mazda 3 and 5 in their Excel-G line of shocks, but they have heavier duty valving and last quite a bit longer than OE.
-Koni yellows have one part number for Mazda 3, then Mazdaspeed 3 and Mazda 5 share another part number.

All three have different spring rates to account for different weight and weight distribution. Someone tried to put Speed 3 springs in a 5 and found that the front end didn't look lowered at all while the rear end sagged.

[Solstice2006]

I own a 2008 Mazda 5. Great vehicle for utility and gas mileage. Horrible car for quality of finish, structural integrity and ride. This car has a poor suspension. Creaks from both front and rear. Tires wear out quickly. This is a common problem with these cars (just google it). This car has some of the thinnest glass and sheet metal I have ever seen. Door fly open on a moderate windy day. Road noise is terrible. Now I know why Mazda's have such good gas mileage...the entire car has been stripped down as much as possible. I will not buy another Mazda again. That being said...it's a good hauler for my kids and their stuff. Curious to see what other people's experiences are with this car.

The only thing I would agree with is poor OEM tires.  And poor rear suspension, as the rear suspension has been replaced at 80k.  Was getting creaks on the front end, was outside the warranty, and Mazda Canada took care out it, replaced the front and rear bushings.  I haven't had any quality of finish problems, and road noise.  Maybe the road noise your hearing is the tires?  I replaced mine with Continentals, doing great, after 50k.  And these are used Continentals from my Mazda6.  Maybe it's the those Montreal roads?

[Solstice2006]

If Mazda would just drop an updated Skyactiv motor up front, the '5 could be the ultimate do-everything car; an urban hauling/roadtrip/surf/ski-mobile - Economical, heaps of room and versatility, and great handling. Here's hopping they do so for 2015.

It is very frustrating, as they have the engine, easy to update the front end to match the Mazda3 and Mazda6 design.  Wouldn't cost them a lot, a lot is available from the parts bin.  And they have given no indication as to when. 

2nd generation has a better interior, but not as nice looking on the exterior compared to the 1st gen, especially in GT format. 

I wanted manual, but finding a GT with leather, and with less than 50k (mind had 36k) was hard enough.  And it's easier for the grandparents to loan them the vehicle with the 2 car seats, to watch the kids, I would worry with a manual...

[dkaz]

The rear suspension in the 5 (and 3 and 6) is so easy to work on though. Common source of squeaks are the rear sway bar bushings which could require something as simple as new grease although the bushings themselves are quite inexpensive, or end links.

A couple of years ago my 5 was rattling bad in Banff and when I was finally able to look at it back home in Vancouver, I found that the top driver side rear shock mount had completely broken and the rear shock was dangling there. 

[conwelpic]

the 2015 Rondo LX is also available in a manual with a MSRP of $21,295, however all their other models are only available in auto.

Surprised the Fiat 500L is on the list of competitors, if so you should throw in the Kia Soul as its virtually the same size as the 500L and a bit more room inside.

[Rupert]

Rapid and uneven tire wear...shock wear...suspension breakages!! What do you guys do to achieve all of this. I have not had this kind of happening on any vehicle that I have owned except one, in over 50 years of driving. Some vehicles were kept for 10 years.

[Solstice2006]

well mine had leaking struts, so it wasn't broken, but still needed replacing.  And I suspect the bushings are just poorly designed, or bad design for the weight.  I don't know about uneven tire wear, mine wasn't, but the OEM tires had poor traction at 40k, still legally had enough tread, but not good enough for me.  All relatively minor stuff, once you change the tires, and replace with aftermarket struts, it's great.