It was a great road trip from NY to Orlando.

I have to admit that I had become just a bit disenchanted with my Mazda5 before I took her on the road. All I can say is that things have changed, and the romance has been rekindled. The Mazda5 is made for long road trips and 80+ mph! Yes, there is some annoying wind noise, and it does get buffeted about in high winds, but this car seems to just hum on long trips. It's extremely comfortable, and had plenty of passing power going from 70 to 90 mph in a flash while loaded to the max. (Boy, do I overpack!) The only time I had to really push it was when I was behind a truck that was having trouble on a slight incline. I was forced to drop back to 40 mph, and the Mazda5 doesn't really do well when it's below 60 mph and you need to accelerate.

I did put the Mazda5 on the autotrain when returning from Florida. It just managed to be classified as an automobile by 3/4s of an inch! (An SUV/Van is double the price.) I had a lot of compliments on the Mazda5 while in line to put her on the autotrain. The drive home from Lorton, VA to NY was equally sublime. My husband was just amazed by the power of 5.

Hmm, perhaps another trip to Disney World in the fall...

BTW, I didn't see one other Mazda5 during the entire trip.

I am glad that you have such a wonderful trip to FL. What was your mileage like per gallon during the trip? We'll be taking ours to Orlando in June and very looking forward to experiencing it.

Yewtrees, I think you'll have a blast driving the Mazda5 to Florida. Are you doing Disney World?

I'm sorry to say that I didn't watch my mileage as close as I should have, but I think it was somewhere around 24 mpg on the highway. It definitely wasn't 26 to 27 mpg.

Stargazer: We are going to the Sea World. I will be driving around 2500 miles from Kansas City to Orlando roundtrip with three kids. I had the dealership installed a DVD player and hopefully the kids will enjoy the movies while I enjoy driving my Mazda5. . I guessed it took you two days too to drive to FL from NY.

Yewtrees, what route are you planning to take? I'm sure that you'll have a great ride, but beware of the 5! It can lead one into trouble. I just started to slow down at one point when I came across a Trooper. BTW, we took I-95 all the way and stopped overnight in Fayetteville, NC.

My husband was so thrilled with the way the Mazda5 handled that he suggested that we take it to Sandusky, Ohio (roller coaster park) and on to Niagara Falls, Canada in August.

Mazda5: making having a family fun again

Stargazer: We are going to take I-70 East to St. Louis and then go South from there. We will stop at Nashville, TN for a night and then head south to Orlando the next day. I've read several comments about the comfort of this car on a long trip. I'll know for sure pretty soon!!!