so i can get this as a company car but i’ll have to pay a bit for it…my other option is a ford fusion (small but free). anyone drive one or have an opinion? it looks like i could toss my bike it the back without taking the front wheel off (cuz i roll with 650’s)…which is nice.
I’ve not driven it (yet) but I have a weird attraction to that car. I have a Mazda6 and my wife has the 3. WE both love our cars. The 5 is based on teh 3 platform with the same engine and it is a great city car. I prefer the 6 for road trips but the 5 has always seemed like the perfect car.
GREAT vehicle. Just the right size. When my wife was ready to “downsize” from her Odyssey touring, this was high on our list. Amazing price, even fully loaded. Handled great (and I drive a BMW mostly) and the sliding doors in a car this size was pretty cool. Felt comfy and easy to drive after about 5 mins. Kids liked it as well. Was a little underwhelmed by the anemic engine though. We ended up with an Audi wagon (s-line A3 2.0 turbo) that she really loves though.
i was a mazda-sponsored athlete (until that darn recession came up…) and have driven just about every model throughout the past 2,5 years. i really liked the Mazda5. Great car, huge inside and reasonably big outside. you can remove the 2nd and 3rd row seats which gives you pleeeeenty of room. don’t worry about removing the front wheel of your bike to stuff it inside, ou be transporting bikes like a pro tour truck. handling and cornering is great, very car-like, not like some other mini-vans or those from american brands. i had a 115 HP gasoline model and another 140 HP 6-speed diesel, the latter feeling verrry powerful 
i recommend the diesel engine, it suits the characteristics of the car better and fuel consumption is lower. the gas model was consuming around 1,5-2L/100 km if i remember correctly.
the mazda5 underwent a facelift about 1 year ago, at least here in europe. it was given a more sportive look and chassis.
The only downside is the gear shifter, which was already a bit sloppy after 60.000 km. But that wouldn’t keep me off buying the 5
I’ve been eyeing that exact vehicle to possibly replace my 2000 Xterra. From the looks of it, carrying a bike upright inside (on a homemade fork-mount) without removing or lowering the seatpost will only be possible for smaller rider (<50cm frame) - comparable to my X.
Gas mileage appears significantly better though. I like the minivan-like utility without the bloated size and appearance of most minivans… Love to hear from folks who might be driving one of these.
we test-drove one a while ago. With the back seats down there’s plenty of room for bikes, but it’s not tall enough to fit them upright I think. I’d definitely pick it over the Fusion, much more useful space.
It’s fun to drive, handles and rides well. The only reason we didn’t get it is that it’s not quite enough room for 2 kids, camping gear, and a dog… still need a full-size minivan to haul all our junk.
its a car
they are all the same
test drive it yourself =0
i do applaud your for looking at a hatch/wagon thing instead of an SUV
.
Nope, I drive a Ford 350, quad cab, 4x4 Diesel w/ an 8’ bed. My bike fits in it fine. LOL
Hi Mike
Devere
Looks like a nice car though
My wife and I just test-drove one of these and liked it a lot. We’re considering replacing our '98 Subaru Legacy. The sliding doors are nice and the 3d row seats are good in a pinch. I thought it drove well, but it’s not going to tear it up on the on ramps or in the fast lane. The back looked a bit small to keep bikes upright. You can probably get a fully loaded version, top of the line, for 24K or less. We liked it for the versatility but don’t want a minivan or anything else that size.
We’re new to the 5, but shopped it 3 years ago and came away so impressed that it was on the top of our list when the lease ran out on one of our Yaris’s. We got our 2009 GT with Leather in January, so far so good. Don’t expect great fuel mileage, it’s certainly not bad, we’ve just been spoiled by our 2 Yaris’s on that front. It’s on par with what we experienced with our 2003 CR-V and 2001 Jetta 1.8T. Plenty of space, all seats fold flat, but I’ve yet to test the bike inside upright, you’ll certainly not be lacking space. Personally, I find it too big and we miss the storage compartments upfront that the Yaris has. We cross shopped it with the Matrix, Element, Impreza and V50. I have no issues calling it a minivan either, even though Mazda wants it called a “space wagon”. If you have kids (we have a 4 year old) the mid row captains chairs with the storage under the seats and the centre console, are awesome. It’s great for the dog too. I don’t see much use for the 3rd row – there’s no latch points for a car seat back there, just 3-point belts. The sliding doors are amazing, especially the self closing feature – not fully automatic, but once the latch is within range, it takes care of the rest. Overall, there’s no need for anything more, the price is right (just slightly more that the 3) – this is one of those vehicle sweet-spots.
wow great timing on this one… I am shopping for a new car myself, and this was high on my list because it looked SO functional. I travel for work every week and was excited to see the Mazda 5 in the lot, which I just got done driving for a week. From a functionality standpoint, the low load height and fold down 3rd row combined with the sliding rears make it a wet dream for active people. Unfortunately (and disagreeing with rroof for once in my life), I don’t think the handling was good enough. It needs an upsized engine, and stiffer suspension, and thats not even to be trackworthy, just roadworthy. The fit and finish are ok, with some nice features such as steering wheel audio controls, comfortable seating, but lacked in stereo quality and IP console. With that said, I may have different expectations from a car then most, as im a car-nerd. It is good enough to warrant a drive if it is on your short list, but I think I will go check out the VW GTI and maybe bring my bike to the hyundai dealership and see if i can squeeze it into a genesis coupe
I was impressed with the Mazda 5
We had one for a week as a rental and it was great…nice ride, lots of space, good acceleration, good on gas.
I was thinking it would be a good choice for the triathlon lifestyle if you didn’t want a van.
Andrew
Good friend of mine has one of these and according to him a bike will not fit in the back upright with both wheels on.
I’d love to hear of recommendations of vehicles that can do that - I’m in the market for a new vehicle since our van died… we were spoiled by it - we could roll two bikes in the back, upright, no wheels off and also have a ‘changing room’ after races. Might just have to get another cargo van.
I have a 2008 Honda Odyssey…it solves all the problems…it does pretty well on gas since it is a 5 speed automatic even though it is a 6 cyl.
Vans are the best for everything
Andrew
Not the 5 but love the 3. The 6 had more issues and a lower consumer reports satisfaction rating.
They love the Focus in Europe. It has become popular as a rally car.
Can you talk them into a mazdaspeed?
We have a Mazda 5 (with about 30,000 miles) and a Toyota Matrix (with about 50,000 miles).
The Mazda 5 is a very small car to have 3 rows of seats, so large people need not apply. (the seat tracks are very short)
But the 5 is great for the grand kids car seats. The Matrix, with it’s flat fold down seats is much better at moving stuff.
The Matrix’s two part rear hatch is great for locking the car and leaving a window open.
The 5’s radio sounds good, but it’s shape makes it non-replaceable.
The 5 has about 30 horsepower less than the Matrix but the 5 is quicker on the street. (the Matrix horsepower curve starts at 6000 RPM)
What’s your take on the Mazda6. I am looking to replace my 17 year old Camry as soon as it dies (but I have been saying that for 2 years and it just won’t die). Options include:
Camry, Mazda6, Matrix, Jetta, Golf, City Jetta, City Golf, Civic
Did not really think of the Mazda5 as an option
Dev
My Brother in Law is a product planner for Mazda so he gets to drive all of the cool new Mazdas. We drove the 5 from his home in the OC to the IM race in AZ last April. Both bikes fit in the back with just the front wheels off. Lots of room for our bags, and great gas mileage! Pretty comfortable for that type of trip. My comparison is that I drove from my home in Norther Ca in my not green, huge carbon footprint, fossil fuel guzzling Tahoe.
Honestly I love my 6. I have the 6cyl manual and the car is a blast to drive. the split folding rear seats mean I can haul a serious amount of gear. The car is a serious long haul highway driver and gets respectable mileage as long as I’m not doing my Mario impression. The seats are super comfortable for me and the Bose system is really nice. The only thing that I wish is that my sedan was the wagon (I really like wagons but they did not offer it at the time I bought mine)
I have about 90K on it now and have only had the clutch replaced and the brakeshoes replaced.
I’ve had a mazda 5 for about 1 1/2 years and it has been great. Upon our son arriving last year, and my old car dying, this looked like a great option. When I was car shopping I couldn’t believe how much mini-vans were going for, and I didn’t even want one. I just kind of stumbled upon this vehicle looking for a trade-in for my old mazda. They call it a “mini, mini-van”, which is exactly what it is. Basically everything is scaled down from a regular mini-van - including engine, rims, space, etc…
You cannot fit a bike inside standing up without taking the wheels off. I purchased a roof rack, but only use it for long trips as to not waste gas for everyday use (really easy to install becuase of the screw-in roof system).
The two seats in the back are pretty much useless as adult seats or if you need to use the truck (with them up). They are “down” 99% of the time. Don’t buy this car if you need to use more than 4 seats on a regular basis.
The sliding doors and hatch-back are great if you have kids and/or tri gear. You can throw a large chariot stroller in the back with no problems. This car won’t impress you with power or handling, so if you’re into that sort of thing, you’ll be disappointed. Personally a car for me is an A to B item. Cars that perform well are usually gas guzzlers, expensive to repair and worse for the environment (personal belief). This is the only car we own and it does a great job.