Mazda5 torture test.

Excuse the long post, just want to share this MZ5 experience.

We took our mz5 2006GT for a long spin -- i.e. from Regina sk, to Lethbridge to L.A. via 1-15. All 1755 Miles (accdg to the tomtom go 930 gps)With full sitting capacity plus belongings.. 4 adults, a 11yr old, a carseat with 1.5yr-old.

Observation:

1. Setting the autocruise to the speed limit 75mph in level and 65mph in the Montana winding roads., The MZ5 had no problem with 'having not enough' power.

2. As it was my first drive through these uphill winding roads, I played it
safe letting the '8 or 6 banger trucks suvs' rule the passing lane. But I noticed that when its time to use the passing lanel i.e. slow vehicle ahead,
The MZ5 is comfortable staying in the uphill fast lane.
I had no problem staying 'above' the posted speed limit in the mountains.

3. someone reported about the autocuise. Yes the autocruise is NOT shy about switching from 4th to 3rd gear in trying to maintain the uphill set speed.
oftentimes shooting up the limit. So I had to be careful not to end up doing a fender benter at 125kph or so. lolz.

4. I kept watch on the temperature gauge. Friends had warned me about overheating and to turn off the A/C when going up on these mountains. We had a baby on board so I took the risk and kept the A/C on. No problem.
Outside ambient temp was 45 Celcius. So I'm thinking this MZ5 will probably
be at home in hot countries like the middle east.

5. The tires. The tire pressure before we left was 36psi. At one point in Las Vegas gas station, I checked the tire pressure it has gone up to 45psi. So I guess the 'Max tire 44psi pressure' printed on the side wall is for 'when vehicle is in the garage early in the morning'.

6. The mazda bra saved me cleaning time in removing bugs otherwise stuck on the paint. But I agree it had to be removed after the trip. Already mud, dirt were accumulating inside the bra -- which could end up grinding the paint with time.

7. I think I experienced the always mentioned 'precise mz5 steering' during the winding downhills. almost like playing a video game. Vehicle stays in the direction you want it to go. No need for minor correction on the steering wheel.

9. The 2006 oem toyo tire still has the 'wear-marker' half cm from the road surface. I figured, I had to replace tires after our return trip.

10. The GPS unit was a definite help in exploring towns and cities and getting back to the freeways.

nice informative post.

i hate to hijack this thread, but since you were running the vehicle pretty hot, did you happen to notice the radiator fan kicking on and off every 20 seconds or so, over & over again? this happens to mine, and i'm worried it is a problem...seems like the fan should just stay on for extended periods instead of coming on for 10 seconds then off...on ten seconds then off...repeatedly...

thanks,

-J

I'm not aware of the radiator fan's operation. All I see is the the temp gauge needle in the steady in the middle scale. I will check it out next time.

I've driven a car that overheats before. I know the sweet smell before occurence of overheating. So far no such smell. But you can feel the 'the mazda5 working 'hard' in some points of the climb.

Updates on the Mazda5 seemingly lack of power.

-- climbing up ramps into 215 freeways, I noticed I had to entice the MZ5 to go down from 4th to 3rd gear if I'm to be able to 'go with the low'. Freeways that are going up gradually, will find 4th gear of MZ5 not enough. I had to push pedal down and transmission gears down to 3rd, accelerates real fast, and it goes back to 4th, when 'load' is ok again. I notice too many 4-3rd gear switching.

I hope it is normal. Because in the freeway, it now feels that the mz5 cannot accelerate 'quickly' enough (to stay with the flow) when in 4th.

I checked the radiator fan, it runs continously. It does not turn on or off as you described. maybe you can have the vehicle checked at the dealership. Or compare yours with any of their mz5 demo vehicles.

As for the 'torture test'. It is no longer one. even with 6 adults, the mz5 has no problem keeping up or zooming past other vehicles (uphill/downhill). Only issue slowing down the mz5 is my fear of getting a speeding ticket.

BTW, those aftermarket gps (mine is a tomtom go930) is a great help.

Good report, quick question, how many miles/kilometers you have on the tires?

skyhawk said:

9. The 2006 oem toyo tire still has the 'wear-marker' half cm from the road surface. I figured, I had to replace tires after our return trip.

Click to expand...

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas

Where was the luggage?

skyhawk said:

Excuse the long post, just want to share this MZ5 experience.

We took our mz5 2006GT for a long spin -- i.e. from Regina sk, to Lethbridge to L.A. via 1-15. All 1755 Miles (accdg to the tomtom go 930 gps)With full sitting capacity plus belongings.. 4 adults, a 11yr old, a carseat with 1.5yr-old.

Observation:

1. Setting the autocruise to the speed limit 75mph in level and 65mph in the Montana winding roads., The MZ5 had no problem with 'having not enough' power.

2. As it was my first drive through these uphill winding roads, I played it
safe letting the '8 or 6 banger trucks suvs' rule the passing lane. But I noticed that when its time to use the passing lanel i.e. slow vehicle ahead,
The MZ5 is comfortable staying in the uphill fast lane.
I had no problem staying 'above' the posted speed limit in the mountains.

3. someone reported about the autocuise. Yes the autocruise is NOT shy about switching from 4th to 3rd gear in trying to maintain the uphill set speed.
oftentimes shooting up the limit. So I had to be careful not to end up doing a fender benter at 125kph or so. lolz.

4. I kept watch on the temperature gauge. Friends had warned me about overheating and to turn off the A/C when going up on these mountains. We had a baby on board so I took the risk and kept the A/C on. No problem.
Outside ambient temp was 45 Celcius. So I'm thinking this MZ5 will probably
be at home in hot countries like the middle east.

5. The tires. The tire pressure before we left was 36psi. At one point in Las Vegas gas station, I checked the tire pressure it has gone up to 45psi. So I guess the 'Max tire 44psi pressure' printed on the side wall is for 'when vehicle is in the garage early in the morning'.

6. The mazda bra saved me cleaning time in removing bugs otherwise stuck on the paint. But I agree it had to be removed after the trip. Already mud, dirt were accumulating inside the bra -- which could end up grinding the paint with time.

7. I think I experienced the always mentioned 'precise mz5 steering' during the winding downhills. almost like playing a video game. Vehicle stays in the direction you want it to go. No need for minor correction on the steering wheel.

9. The 2006 oem toyo tire still has the 'wear-marker' half cm from the road surface. I figured, I had to replace tires after our return trip.

10. The GPS unit was a definite help in exploring towns and cities and getting back to the freeways.

Click to expand...

Good report...sounds like the transmission shifting was solved with the addition of the 5sp auto in '07. As for over heating...most newer cars will not overheat unless there is a problem w/ the fan, thermostat or radiator...all things you would've found out in city driving prior to your trip. I've never "shut my A/C off" to go up hills and I live in Vegas and do the LA - Vegas trip through the Mohave at least once per month.
Anyway, good info!

Do not bother checking tire pressure when hot. Its only going to give a false reading. Only check and adjust tire pressure when cold or if the tire is under inflated.

Vacation is finally over and the MAZDA5 did its job well.
Things I will consider in the future is a roof rack and carrier, and... maybe
a radar detector.

GPS unit saved us time getting back into the freeway from inside towns/cities.

I thought I would post some pictures.

1. Someone wondered where the 'personal effects went'.
- They went to every possible air space under the seats, between
seat and sliding door.. etc.

- third row passengers refused to 'swap seats' with the others. they said
they are more comfortable with their feet stretched out in front.

2. The MAZDA bra paid for itself already. A small part of torn tire debris came flying towards the car in the Car-pool lane. I heard a loud thud and saw the debris hitting the cars behind too. Upon inspection,
I saw tear on the Bra. No damage on the paint.

3. photo shows the mazda5 as it was fully loaded. Little bit of rear heavy.

4. I decided not to use a bug-screen. Did not want to reduce airflow to the radiator. So bugs ended up stuck in the a/c condenser..

5. 2006 MZ5 is now 32000k (it was 26000 before the trip) or so. Picture of the Toyo OEM tire. The wear marker on the tier is just beginning to touch the pavement. But the wear seems to be even. I guess I'm lucky.

That's impressive regarding the luggage. We picked up my in-laws from the airport recently and did not realize how much luggage they had, so in addition to fitting six passengers we jammed in two large luggage pieces plus several smaller bags and boxes. It's impressive how much this vehicle can fit if you work at it.

Our own recent torture test was moving from Maryland to Arkansas and loading the 5 up with cargo for the drive down (we put the kids in the Protege). Similar experience to yours, although before the trip we replaced the Toyo tires, which had 30K miles and were just getting to the wear bars, with Michelin Pilot Exactos. That was probably one of the better decisions we made.

I can't quite believe you fit 6 people and luggage in there!

We just got back from 2 weeks in the Okanagan. I have to put a ski box on the roof to carry all our gear. And we are just 4 (2 adults, a 6 and a 3 year old in the middle row).

BTW, with the box, through the mountains from Calgary to Revelstoke, AC on and NOT driving slowly, I still got 8.5 L/100km (28 mpg for those who don't metric). I love this car!

Snagjim said:

I can't quite believe you fit 6 people and luggage in there!

We just got back from 2 weeks in the Okanagan. I have to put a ski box on the roof to carry all our gear. And we are just 4 (2 adults, a 6 and a 3 year old in the middle row).

BTW, with the box, through the mountains from Calgary to Revelstoke, AC on and NOT driving slowly, I still got 8.5 L/100km (28 mpg for those who don't metric). I love this car!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the post, Snagjim. We'll be leaving in 2 days time from Chilliwack, BC and will be driving the Coquihalla Hwy and taking the Trans-Canada across to Cochrane and then detour off there to Airdrie, up to Red Deer. From there daytrips out to Drumheller and Calgary. Then up to Edmonton and over to Prince George on the Yellowhead and down back home via the Cariboo. All said, probably 3300 km, not including little jaunts here and there.

I've wondered how the car will do with rack, Thule box, 2 adults and 3 kids for fuel mileage.

hey DocMagoo, Congratulations and enjoy the trip. Can you note your tire wear. How far in the long trip do you notice if any, inside wear of the rear tires.

We are ordering a roof rack and cargo box too. It may mean going a little bit slower zoom-zoom during high winds.

skyhawk said:

Can you note your tire wear. How far in the long trip do you notice if any, inside wear of the rear tires.

Click to expand...

I'm probably not the best person to ask as they are still the OEM Toyos. We're at 31000 miles (have only had the car for a month-and-a-half) and they're coming off at the 35000 mile service. We just got a nail removed from one of the front tires and there's a fair bit of inside wear, but the previous owner didn't rotate them regularly. This trip will be their last (good riddance!).

DocMagoo said:

Thanks for the post, Snagjim. We'll be leaving in 2 days time from Chilliwack, BC and will be driving the Coquihalla Hwy and taking the Trans-Canada across to Cochrane and then detour off there to Airdrie, up to Red Deer. From there daytrips out to Drumheller and Calgary. Then up to Edmonton and over to Prince George on the Yellowhead and down back home via the Cariboo. All said, probably 3300 km, not including little jaunts here and there.

I've wondered how the car will do with rack, Thule box, 2 adults and 3 kids for fuel mileage.

Click to expand...

Hey DocMagoo, let us know how you faired.

Since my last post we've done more around Alberta. All told about 3000km in the last month. Average fuel consumption is 8.6 L/100km - again with a skibox, and running about 105km/h through the mountains, 125 on the prairies, AC on all the way.

Snagjim said:

Hey DocMagoo, let us know how you faired.

Since my last post we've done more around Alberta. All told about 3000km in the last month. Average fuel consumption is 8.6 L/100km - again with a skibox, and running about 105km/h through the mountains, 125 on the prairies, AC on all the way.

Click to expand...

did you notice any uneven tire wear after 3000 km?

Snagjim said:

Hey DocMagoo, let us know how you faired.

Since my last post we've done more around Alberta. All told about 3000km in the last month. Average fuel consumption is 8.6 L/100km - again with a skibox, and running about 105km/h through the mountains, 125 on the prairies, AC on all the way.

Click to expand...

OK....well, here goes. I keep my fuel mileage stats in a program called Kar Kare 2 on the PDA. Note that all the stats are incomplete as I haven't filled the last tank since returning on Friday night.

We really loaded up the Thule Cascade XT carrier, which has 17cu. ft of storage space. To reduce the overall weight, we opted to get the Thule Go Pack bags so that we weren't carrying the excess weight that suitcases give (especially if we multiplied that by 4 or 5 suitcases). I've posted pics below of the loaded MZ5 upon leaving. We had the carrier pretty much full and close to the 110lb max (not including carrier and rack weight)

So far, with the exception of the last tank, our mileage was comparable to yours SnagJim:

Total Distance: 3760 km (so far....will be above 4000 upon last tank)
Avg. Distance/Tank: 537 km
Total Fuel Cost: $431.15
Avg. Fuel Cost: $1.322 per litre
Fuel Cost per km: $ 0.115
Avg L/100km: 8.72 (27 US mpg .... the last tank is looking good, so this too will come down a bit)

Our first fuel up was in Salmon Arm and after the workout on the Coquihalla Hwy, we got 9.25 L/100km. That was with the full load and keeping it at about 90km after the Bear snowshed. There was a fair bit of stop and go as well as I do some geocaching with the GPS.

From Salmon Arm to Red Deer, we got 662 km and thought we were coasting into Red Deer on fumes, but surprisingly we had 10 L in reserve upon fuel up. We got 7.65 L/100km on that tank, averaging approximately 65 mph.

The mileage in Alberta was OK when the cargo carrier was empty, but two days loaded down in Edmonton at 35 deg. C, blew our gas mileage (as well as the crosswinds on the Yellowhead Hwy to Jasper).

Travel through the rolling mountain roads from Prince George to Barkerville and back saw our mileage return to 7.79 L/100km. So due to the top obstruction of the cargo carrier, crosswinds, and probably travelling at higher speeds along the Yellowhead saw our mileage dip.

Some other factors, on the first day went from 25 metres above sea level to 1.7 km above sea level travelling through the Rockies. The weather was not too bad, but AC was pretty much on for all but parts of 2 days as we had 35 deg C days in Edmonton and on the last day, it reached 39 deg C/ 101 deg F through the Fraser Canyon. On those days, it was the family in the back of the MZ5 who complained that they were COLD and wanted the AC turned down, but those up front wanted the AC turned up (we no longer have tinting on the front windows due to BC regulations....we don't have the rear vent as we have a 06 GT).

I'll update the stats once the last tank is figured in.

skyhawk said:

did you notice any uneven tire wear after 3000 km?

Click to expand...

I have not noticed any problems with tire wear. (I have 31 000 km on the car, about 8000 of that on winters, the rest on the OEM Toyos.)

Thanks for the update DocMagoo. Confirms what I've seen. Cool.

I note your comment about tinting and the AC being too cool...what temp did you have it set at? I don't have any tinting, and have wondered how much difference it would make.