What IS the Mazda5, Anyhow?

[FYF]

I've taken to telling people it's a "Not Exactly".

It's not exactly a station wagon, it's not exactly a minivan, it's not exactly a sporty-ish midsize sedan, it's a Not Exactly.

What do you call it? (scratch)

Heheheh...

[skyhawk]

Its a mazda5.

[neit_jnf]

mini-mini-van or an oversized mazda3

[coolmazda5]

5-door-2-sliders-w-hatch-multi-purpose-sports-people-mover

[dima_rus]

it is MAV = Multi Active Vehicle
or
APV = All Purpose Vehicle

[RocketJock]

Its a VanWagon.

Dutch I believe...

[zoomzoom mazda5]

It's a Space Wagon..............(cool)

[Zoom5Zoom]

ROOM WITH ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOmmmmmm

[x10dude]

It's a Space Wagon..............(cool)

still the favorite description!

... is this a deja-vu thread or what?

[Sweetie3.14]

One heck of a car for the money.

[joeym509]

It's like Warm Apple pie............(wiggle)

[SDenn]

I call mine a vagon. My family calls it a van :(

[morethan5]

If your folks had a station wagon when you grew-up, you'd rather not call it a station wagon.
If your folks had a minivan when you grew-up, you'd rather not call it a minivan.
It could be a microvan, but it is a station wagon. Only the sliders would argue for calling it something else, and that would have to end in van.
It definitely is a way for many to postpone a real minivan for just a little longer.

[mrbwa1]

Well.. how about a new acronym: SMV: Sport Mini Van.

I have though off and on and the 5 is truly a minivan as it was conceived in the early Chrysler days. What we call Minivans now, should really be considered car-based full sized vans.

Also, looking at the current trend "hatchbacks" are getting more upright (suspiciously wagon-like in fact), so it could be a Sport Hatch in the vein of the original Rabbit/Golf GTi.

If nothing else it's a d@$! nice car for the $$! Finally I can have a driving machine and family car without the guilt (or price tag of a BMW)

[coolmazda5]

It's like Warm Apple pie............(wiggle)

American Pie, 1999! (lol2)

Well, I think the most "serious" one is compact MPV (multi-purpose vehicle)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_Premacy

[joeym509]

American Pie, 1999! (lol2)

Well, I think the most "serious" one is compact MPV (multi-purpose vehicle)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_Premacy

(drinks)(first) wasn't sure if anyone would catch that, but I can't think of a better way to describe it

[sea_munky]

I'm callin' mine a Party Wagon! (when I finally get one..hahaha!)

P.S. Where are you guys getting all the smiley icons?

[morethan5]

The original Dodge Caravan was nothing more than a K-car with a raised roof.

Today's minivans are equivalent -- a Camry with a raised roof.

A full-sized van can pull 6000 lbs with the little engine and 10000 lbs with the big engine. Even the short full size vans have 90 cubic feet more cargo volume than a Sienna. The long ones have the cargo volume of two Siennas.

So the progression: [Mazda5, Sienna, E150]
corresponds to: [microvan, minivan, van]
if the term van is in your description of the Mazda5.

It is noted that the Mazda5 is remarkably close in dimensions to the original Dodge Caravan.

[coolmazda5]

I'm callin' mine a Party Wagon! (when I finally get one..hahaha!)

P.S. Where are you guys getting all the smiley icons?

That sounds like the 70's Show LOL

Smilies should appear to your right when you reply, but a full list is here:
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/misc.php?do=getsmilies&editorid=vB_Editor_001


It is noted that the Mazda5 is remarkably close in dimensions to the original Dodge Caravan.

You don't say :)


Interestingly, the first-ever mainstream minivan in North America, the Dodge Caravan, was roughly the same size. More than two decades later, the Mazda5 keeps the spirit alive in a market that's continuously evolving. It's almost as if the pendulum had gone a full swing and come back to its initial spot...

http://www.auto123.com/ArtImages/97366/inline-comparo.jpg http://www.auto123.com/ArtImages/97366/Mazda5-Comparison-chart-i001.jpg

Source: http://www.auto123.com/en/mazda/5/2008/review?carid=1083900302&artid=97366&pg=1

[x10dude]

There is a certain stigma associated with minivan and probably Mazda is doing its best to avoid that classification, but in reality that is probably the best description.

1. It's truly a minivan since all of the current MVs are massive in size and no longer should be considers "mini"

2. It has rear sliding doors which definitely puts it in the van category (rather than a station wagon).

[skyhawk]

I ride like a mazda3 (almost).. and the teenagers think I'm cool.. just because I have sliding doors and can seat one more passenger than a mazda3.. does not make me a minivan.

[x10dude]

I ride like a mazda3 (almost).. and the teenagers think I'm cool.. just because I have sliding doors and can seat one more passenger than a mazda3.. does not make me a minivan.

I didn't mean to offend anyone with the minivan but IMO, it's really the closest description that fits...

(it's interesting how one word "minivan" can really bring out emotion in people.."

[coolmazda5]

I didn't mean to offend anyone with the minivan but IMO, it's really the closest description that fits...

(it's interesting how one word "minivan" can really bring out emotion in people.."

No offense either, but it is also common to call it minivan if you are an American, Canadian or Mexican (or have lived in North America long enough experiencing the car market for that matter). Ask people in Austral-Asia, South America or Europe, and the term minivan does not cross their minds just because of the sliders (dunno)

[joeym509]

It's like Warm Apple pie............(wiggle)

see above, still the best description, wagon, minivan, or any other "title" ...... (cabpatch)(dance)(lol2)

[Wagonbacker9]

microvan...

[TX Speed 6]

Should have put a Poll here, but I vote Mini Van

[DKaz]

Wagovan, like my old Honda Civic Wagovan. :)

[x10dude]

No offense either, but it is also common to call it minivan if you are an American, Canadian or Mexican (or have lived in North America long enough experiencing the car market for that matter). Ask people in Austral-Asia, South America or Europe, and the term minivan does not cross their minds just because of the sliders (dunno)

Very true and good points. But my comments were written in the context of this forum. Just a quick look at threads in this forum, I'd say over 90% are from N. America (or Mexico).

So I guess I will rephrase my statement to say that for North America and Mexio IMO, the best description is still a minivan.

[mrbwa1]

No offense either, but it is also common to call it minivan if you are an American, Canadian or Mexican (or have lived in North America long enough experiencing the car market for that matter). Ask people in Austral-Asia, South America or Europe, and the term minivan does not cross their minds just because of the sliders (dunno)


Hmmm... so if sliders don't equal minivan, do that make the 5 a Tall Hatch with same really tricked out suicide doors? (eyeballs)

[DKaz]

It's a microvan.

[Aricjm15]

peperoni and 9mm bullets

[sea_munky]

peperoni and 9mm bullets

huh?

well, whatever the mazda5 is, it's "surprisingly stimulating"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWHExiLhqWA

[Aricjm15]

Off-topic

[x10dude]

Off-topic


What does this have to do with the Mazda5?

[Kojack]

I've taken to telling people it's a "Not Exactly".

It's not exactly a station wagon, it's not exactly a minivan, it's not exactly a sporty-ish midsize sedan, it's a Not Exactly.

What do you call it? (scratch)

Heheheh...


A friggin awsome ride!.....it rules!(2thumbs)

[coolmazda5]

What does this have to do with the Mazda5?

Fixed, thanks x10dude

Carry on guys, this thread seems entertaining...

[remarquian]

Minivan, maybe.

Megafun, definitely.

[DKaz]

Now we're going to have to start having different classes of minivan.

Mazda 5 is a compact minivan.
Chevrolet Uplander is a midsize minivan.
Honda Odyssey, etc. is a full size minivan.

[x10dude]

Now we're going to have to start having different classes of minivan.

Mazda 5 is a compact minivan.
Chevrolet Uplander is a midsize minivan.
Honda Odyssey, etc. is a full size minivan.

Great descriptions, but sorry could not help but laugh at some of of them. I know you weren't trying to be funny but

"compact mini..." sounds a bit redundant
and "full-size mini..." sounds like an oxymoron.

but I definitely know what you are getting at.

[x10dude]

Maybe we should just say that the Mazda5 is "Indescribable"

Dictionary Definition
–adjective
not describable; too extraordinary for description: a scene of indescribable confusion; indescribable euphoria.

[VenomDesign]

It's a "Micro-van" with class ;)

[Wagonbacker9]

It's a "Micro-van" with class ;)
copycat.

[Heat]

The Mazda5 is a compromise. The proverbial Jack of all trades but master of none.

Overall though, it does very well at one thing which is to carry six people at a very reasonable price.

As far as minivan, microvan, space wagon, etc, I just call it a car.

[x10dude]

The Mazda5 is a compromise. The proverbial Jack of all trades but master of none.

Overall though, it does very well at one thing which is to carry six people at a very reasonable price.

As far as minivan, microvan, space wagon, etc, I just call it a car.

Understand you are saying but IMO I probably wouldn't use the word "Compromise" to describe it. I much prefer the word "versatile".

[remarquian]

The Mazda5 is a compromise. The proverbial Jack of all trades but master of none.


You mean master of fun.

Seriously, slow is the new fast (http://www.automobilemag.com/features/great_drives/0903_slow_cars_the_joy_of_slow/index.html).

[x10dude]

You mean master of fun.

Seriously, slow is the new fast (http://www.automobilemag.com/features/great_drives/0903_slow_cars_the_joy_of_slow/index.html).

That is a good article. Thanks for the link.

On paper, the Mazda5 is dog slow.... but driving it, it really doesn't feel that way... (well maybe when you are trying to pass on the freeway... lol)

[Menzo23]

As my signature says, it is just a supersize Matrix. I mean, I owned a white Toyota Matrix and I traded it for a white Mazda5 and many people didn't even notice that I have a new car. Pretty similar cars...

[coolmazda5]

it is just a supersize Matrix

Sacrilege!! Nor the size nor the ZOOM-ZOOM, just the Toh-Yoda badge! ;)

[mrbwa1]

That is a good article. Thanks for the link.

On paper, the Mazda5 is dog slow.... but driving it, it really doesn't feel that way... (well maybe when you are trying to pass on the freeway... lol)

I agree that for everyday duty the 5 seems pretty peppy, but it does take some effort to execute the 2-lane highway passes. Then again, that's how it should be in my book. I've never really had fast cars (heck, the 5 has more HP than any car I've owned), but never once felt that I wasn't going to make a pass; I simply had to drive properly and leave enough room.

The car I still miss the most was a 1977 Volvo 4 dr. No power steering, no overdrive, not even A/C! Do the math here as well, about 100 HP in a roughly 3000 lb car isn't all about excitement! But that car got me through college driving some great country roads.

Driving at 55-60MPH easily drifted into corners and the precision of non-assisted steering gave supreme road feel. Sure the power band was just okay and the shifter was a bit notchy, but it was all about precision and momentum.

Also, the one thin I really miss with modern FWD card is snow driving. Sure they get there in the snow and proper use of the E-brake can be fun in a parking lot, but I miss mediocre tires and RWD in the snow. Driving became a total finesse game and that old Volvo was set up well enough that deserted snowy roads made for stuff that would make those tokyo drift guys smile! (I once managed to drive about 4 blocks opposite lock in the snow...)

And of course, no FWD car can ever pull of the classing parking lot donught.

My newer, faster FWD cars just aren't quite as much fun.

-Toyota ECHO is faring quite well with real rims and tires: It's a bit like a street legal Go-Kart (the Montgomery Wards kind, not the true racing karts). Problem, it lacks that great mechanical feedback and does this weird flex to oversteer on poorly banked corners (much better with good tires) or over rough surfaces.

-The 5 feels torquey, but is so smooth that I get going too fast. There is the odd satisfaction however of being able to carve corners with 4 people aboard all with smiles that no other car has given me.

[DoubleT]

Great descriptions, but sorry could not help but laugh at some of of them. I know you weren't trying to be funny but

"compact mini..." sounds a bit redundant
and "full-size mini..." sounds like an oxymoron.

but I definitely know what you are getting at.

I was going to say Macro Mini Van.
If I'm describing the Mazda5 I tell people it is a bloated Matrix.

[Rockin03mp5]

i posted this somewhere elso too

http://ecomodder.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/honda-fit.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b269/nvonde/IMG_1951-1.jpg

a fat fit?

[coolmazda5]

i posted this somewhere elso too
a fat fit?

Noooo, blasphemy!! (lol2)

J/k, I've been teasing you guys with the Matrix and the Fit. Reality is that their profiles are very close to the Mazda5, as they have the same "space" cockpit concept (bloated so you can fit people and stuff in a "small" car so to speak).

Wife has confused both of them on a distance when driving around (she is not into cars, so bear with me), that until we get closer and we see the real size

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2008-06/40385885.jpg

http://z.about.com/d/cars/1/0/z/M/mazda5_side.jpg

http://assets.clickmotive.com/ail/color_0640_001/5341/5341_cc0640_001_4T6.jpg

[Rockin03mp5]

haha

the roofline is identical!

[DKaz]

The Matrix is a bit deceiving space wise... it's versatile and practical but far from spacious. The Fit and 5 probably beat the Matrix in terms of interior space vs. exterior footprint. I think somehow Toyota wanted to shift the buyer demographics to a lower age group but they kinda wrecked a good thing in doing so...

I had an old Honda Civic Wagon that I was able to fit a love seat into!

http://www.gewanter.com/wp-content/MacMaven/Photos/MGtrip2006/1986HondaCivicWagon2.jpg

[x10dude]

Looks a bit like a longer Honda Fit but definitely doesn't look anything like a Matrix.

I mean the Matrix is a decent car but it doesn't look like the Mazda5 or vice versa.

[DKaz]

The 5 is similar to the previous generation cooler Matrix with the wrap around windows. Not the current one for sure.

[coolmazda5]

http://www.gewanter.com/wp-content/MacMaven/Photos/MGtrip2006/1986HondaCivicWagon2.jpg

http://www.teachengineering.org/collection/cub_/lessons/cub_images/cub_simple_lesson03_activity1_fig1.jpg


(scratch), LOL

;)

[DKaz]

(scratch), LOL

lol thanks for that accurate model... yea the Civic Wagon is not the prettiest car in the world but I liked it so much I had THREE of them! an 86 Wagovan (failing - loss of compression in one cylinder, sold to a mechanically inclined guy), an 85 DX (the clutch went when I was starting school, didn't have funds to fix so got rid of it, had for almost three years), and an 88 4WD (crashed after 12 days). I did not fall in love because I thought it was beautiful, but I thought it was beautiful because I was in love. lol.

I get bored of cars easy but with the Civic wagons... they were not pretty but they never let me down (other than the fact that the 86 and 85 were close to 400,000km when I got rid of each). They took me where I wanted to go and they carried whatever I needed it to carry. 5 passengers and camping gear. A love seat. A queen size mattress.

The Mazda 5's exactly the car I've been looking for to fill that void since I wasn't really looking to get a 4th Civic wagon. I wanted something new, more refined, just as fuel efficient and spacious, and looks good. The 5 is everything I wanted... plus it's fun to drive!

[coolmazda5]

lol thanks for that accurate model... yea the Civic Wagon is not the prettiest car in the world but I liked it so much I had THREE of them! an 86 Wagovan (failing - loss of compression in one cylinder, sold to a mechanically inclined guy), an 85 DX (the clutch went when I was starting school, didn't have funds to fix so got rid of it, had for almost three years), and an 88 4WD (crashed after 12 days). I did not fall in love because I thought it was beautiful, but I thought it was beautiful because I was in love. lol.

Damn, interesting, you may like this old thread then, which BTW also got kind of off-topic :D (my bad I admit):
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123689589

[drdiaboloco]

It's a....

Well, look left for MY opinion.

[Dyx]

http://autos.yahoo.com/5-to-drive-videos-12733113/;_ylc=X3oDMTE1a2xycDU2BF9TAzI3MTYxNDkEc2VjA2ZwLW1h bnRsZQRzbGsDNXRvZHJpdmU-/;_ylc=X3oDMTE5bjBrNGxuBF9TAzI3MTYxNDkEc2VjA2ZwLW1h bnRsZQRzbGsDZ3JlZW4tY2VudGVy#video=/5-to-drive-videos-12733113/family-friendly-fun-13461682/

A brief article that to me best describe the Mazda5.... and guess which car he likes best. (cool)

[coolmazda5]

^^ So, what was it then? ;)

Hey, checked out the next video and his top choice was the RX-8, I think the dude is a little bit pro-Mazda :D

[Kenshin 1029]

The Mazda 5 is a mistery, an enigma. You can't put it completely in any category. The only thing I know for sure is that is great to drive, good space for its size and it looks so d%mn good wherever it goes!!! (rockon)

[wmzda5]

+1