am I on the first 10 owner list?
- Thread starter vizeta
- Start date
vizeta said:i think i better take silver then....
Here's my take on all the colors. This is all very quick and unscientific:
- Brilliant Black It's basic black and looks pretty sharp. I think this color is a bit too strong with the dark interior and makes the whole car a heat magnet. But if you really like black, this looks good. I'd have picked this during my 'goth' phase back in high school.
- Carbon Gray Closer to an off-black than a silver in my eyes, and anyone thinking about black should look at this for comparison. I think it works a bit better than black as it's a little more unique, and this might have been my second choice in colors if I hadn't been seduced by Phantom Blue.
- Cardinal Red As perfecto pointed out with pictures, the red has hints of pink at times, and I like the Velocity Red on the Mazda3 a little better than this. This isn't a bad color though -- just not what I was expecting. On a side note, if they had picked the Lava Orange Mica color from the Mazda3 in this spot I think it would have looked killed and I'd have been torn to make a decision.
- Phantom Blue This is the 'signature color' that Mazda uses on their web pages. And it's my pick. It's a cross between blue and green and seems to change colors like a chameleon. You really need to see this in person, it looks really nice.
I suspect it'll be pretty popular. It seems to me it's the only color that really stand out from the normal colors people expect. Not too popular though I hope, or else I'll be forced to go to modding to stand out.
- Platinum Silver What I like about the silver is how the exterior works with the interior, which has a bit of silver in it. I think the silver looks pretty nice and I can see why this will be a popular color -- possibly the most popular color.
But next time you go out for a drive, play a little mental drinking game and count the number of silver cars on the road. Around here it seems like 40%-60% of all cars at any given time are some kind of silver. Don't get me wrong -- it is nice, and for those who pick it I'm sure they'll be happy with it. I would have been stunned if there wasn't a silver color, to be honest.
- Stellar Silver This is an interesting silverish/bluish color that I find hard to describe. At first I thought it was more a primer than a color until I looked at it closely. Hee! On one hand I like this better than the Platinum Silver because it's a little more interesting and unique than traditional silvers, but it's really a bit too subtle for my personal tastes. I think this is a color people should look at if they are thinking about silver or white.
- Strato Blue I never saw this in person, but I was pointed to another Mazda (a 6, maybe?) that supposedly was the same color. A blue/purple mix that doesn't really speak to me. I'd have rather seen the Winning Blue if another blue-like color had to be added, but I might be judging this too quickly. Eventually I'll see one in person and have a better feel for the color.
- Whitewater Pearl Eh, it's white. If you like white it's nice. Saw it from a distance and I'm sadly not interested enough in white so I didn't check it out too closely. Also, it seems that after silver there's another 30% of white cars out there.
Overall I can look at each color and see some good qualities to them, but I wish Mazda would have mixed it up a bit more. A nice warm yellow or orange type color is what I really feel is missing. That said, I'm really happy with my Phantom Blue and it's chameleon like ability to look like three or four slightly different colors each time I look at it.
Pricing for colors is different for MazdaUSA and Mazda Canada.
In Canada, base colors are +$0 (e.g. Mazda5 Brilliant Black), metallics & mica's are +$105 (e.g. Carbon Grey Mica), and the special Snowflake White is +$200.
In the USA, all colors are +$0 (so base, metallics, mica's all in one group), with the Whitewater Pearl +$200.
US Whitewater Pearl = Canadian Snowflake White, it's just marketing. The difference between this Whitewater Pearl and the current whites on other vehicles is that the Whitewater Pearl has flakes in it (it uses a special formula, hence the price increase).
In Canada, base colors are +$0 (e.g. Mazda5 Brilliant Black), metallics & mica's are +$105 (e.g. Carbon Grey Mica), and the special Snowflake White is +$200.
In the USA, all colors are +$0 (so base, metallics, mica's all in one group), with the Whitewater Pearl +$200.
US Whitewater Pearl = Canadian Snowflake White, it's just marketing. The difference between this Whitewater Pearl and the current whites on other vehicles is that the Whitewater Pearl has flakes in it (it uses a special formula, hence the price increase).
Kaian said:Brilliant Black It's basic black and looks pretty sharp. I think this color is a bit too strong with the dark interior and makes the whole car a heat magnet. But if you really like black, this looks good. I'd have picked this during my 'goth' phase back in high school.
I would agree - it does look really sharp in black, and with the windows tinted it would look awesome. I didn't pick black because I have already owned a black car and it looked great for about a year... and then it started to get scratched up and stuff.
Kaian said:
Yeah it is very very very close to black, my wife had a hard time telling the difference between the black and the carbon grey. It did look really sharp though, and like you Kaian I would choose they grey over black.
Kaian said:
I was disappointed with the red, I wanted something bright and vibrant that would stand out in the crowd in a red and this isn't it. I likened it to a Kia or a Saturn colour. Yes, that is harsh criticism... but I wanted red!
Kaian said:Phantom Blue This is the 'signature color' that Mazda uses on their web pages. And it's my pick. It's a cross between blue and green and seems to change colors like a chameleon. You really need to see this in person, it looks really nice.
I suspect it'll be pretty popular. It seems to me it's the only color that really stand out from the normal colors people expect. Not too popular though I hope, or else I'll be forced to go to modding to stand out.
I agree that it looks a LOT better in person than on the web - I saw it under the lights at an Auto Show and was thinking "Great looking car, but I don't like the colour much". Then I saw it in the sunshine at the dealership when I was shooting pictures and my mind was changed... it's a nice colour and it will be very popular. Sorry Kaian.
Kaian said:
It will be one of the most popular colours, because it is very stunning to look at. In the shade, it's straight silver. Nothing you've not seen before. In the sun? It's goldy-silver, and very stunningl Of course, I would say that right?
Kaian said:
Go see it, that's the best advice I can give, because despite what you said here I found it incredibly ugly. It's a very light mint green. You'd take it over silver!?
Kaian said:
Another chameleon colour, but one you can easily see in person. Why? It's exactly the same as the Strato/Indigo Blue on the Mazda 3. If you like Purple, then go for it, because in the sun this car is purple.
I would have bought a "Winning Blue". I wouldn't buy a Barney... err... Strato Blue.
By the way, this colour is called "Indigo Blue" instead of Strato Blue in Canada.
Kaian said:
I've seen this one in person and it's very nice, if you like white. It's like the RX-8 white in that it has multi-coloured "flecks" in it, which is why it is more expensive.
I went into this wanting a car that was going to look new for a long time, which is why I (and thousands of car buyers everywhere) went for the silver.
I'm really really happy with it so far as well.Go see it, that's the best advice I can give, because despite what you said here I found it incredibly ugly. It's a very light mint green. You'd take it over silver!?
No, as I said overall it's not for me. I thought it was a little more interesting in that it surprised me more by not being what I expected. If someone was thinking about silver and at the same time having second thoughts about silver due to its overall popularity, then maybe they'd like it (even though I'm not even sure 'silver' is a good descriptor of it). I recall more blue tones than green but I could be wrong.
I just get the feeling it's a more polarizing color people will really like or be very 'eh' towards. I like it for being different than expectations, but I don't like it as a color I'd choose, if that clarification makes sense.
perfecto said:
I was trying to give both some general thoughts about each color, and then a personal observation about it, and I think that wasn't always clear.
And in some cases I meant 'interesting' in a sort of "hmm, interesting" thoughtful way rather than as a positive recommendation. One might eat a little too much wasabi and think it was interesting but not necessarily good. Hee! I think my personal rating of the colors would be:
1. Phantom Blue
2. Carbon Gray
3. Brilliant Black / Platinum Silver roughly tied
5. Cardinal Red
6. Starto Blue / Stellar Silver tied due to a need to compare a bit more
8. Whitewater Pearl
Hi all - just found the forum here - I've been obsessively searching the web for owner feedback on the mazda5 and I'm glad to have found you!!
We (like some of you) test drove the first 5 on the lot (phantom blue touring auto w/ nav) and seriously were drooling for a manual trans to try out. We took the 3 out for a test drive then decided right then and there to get one - even if it meant a special order for a 5spd.
We sat with my brother (newbie mazda salesguy) as he looked over the specs for the next shipment coming in - he was sad to tell us that no 5spds were expected. Then we went over some paperwork and told him exactly what we wanted - phantom blue touring 5spd w/nav.
Just before we were leaving he took a last look in the system and as he was paging down through the screens.....there it was.....in that monochrome green glow.....a phantom blue touring 5 spd w/nav - expected to arrive 3rd week of July!!! Our car!! (mj)
Needless to say we plunked down the deposit on that baby pretty quickly. Now we have to wait a whole WEEK - while I was thinking that we may not get our car until Sept.
So - add me to the list of "Ordered" almost owners!
- Ceril
We (like some of you) test drove the first 5 on the lot (phantom blue touring auto w/ nav) and seriously were drooling for a manual trans to try out. We took the 3 out for a test drive then decided right then and there to get one - even if it meant a special order for a 5spd.
We sat with my brother (newbie mazda salesguy) as he looked over the specs for the next shipment coming in - he was sad to tell us that no 5spds were expected. Then we went over some paperwork and told him exactly what we wanted - phantom blue touring 5spd w/nav.
Just before we were leaving he took a last look in the system and as he was paging down through the screens.....there it was.....in that monochrome green glow.....a phantom blue touring 5 spd w/nav - expected to arrive 3rd week of July!!! Our car!! (mj)
Needless to say we plunked down the deposit on that baby pretty quickly. Now we have to wait a whole WEEK - while I was thinking that we may not get our car until Sept.
So - add me to the list of "Ordered" almost owners!
- Ceril
vizeta said:
I agree - I hated the color as I saw it on the computer - but in person - it was so nice! Originally I had wanted a strato blue - but they showed me a strato blue 3(?i think?) and it was so much brighter than I had thought from the computer pics.
I really wish that "winning blue" was an option - my favorite blue in the current mazda colors.
miatafied said:
welcome aboard! my car is still in nowhere, dealer didn't even give me the exact day/week to me.
I drove around and went to 3 diff mazda dealers last weekend. still no luck to see the Phantom Blue. According to u guys comment, i believe it must be a very nice color.
argh, turns out im waiting until august 1st till i get mine! Darn availability issues! There is a decent sport model 30 miles away but they only want to give me 13k for my 04 mazda3 5dr with 17k miles\auto\6cd\moonroof, so i told em to shove it, my local mazda dealer that i love said if i was patient and waited a couple of weeks that he would give me the nav for free.
vizeta said:welcome aboard! my car is still in nowhere, dealer didn't even give me the exact day/week to me.
I drove around and went to 3 diff mazda dealers last weekend. still no luck to see the Phantom Blue. According to u guys comment, i believe it must be a very nice color.
I called around to different dealers who would just say - "I don't have a mazda5s in stock!" and leave it at that. I don't know if it's just because my salesman is also my brother or if he's just good that way - he looked the vehicles up on the "incoming" list on the computer. Even though my vehicle was listed as being at the port - they had all the info that they needed to start the process - ie. VIN# and stock# and also the ETA was listed as the 4th week of July. Keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't come later. I'm hoping that the newly redesigned miata will be there when my car comes in - just for drooling purposes.
vizeta said:welcome aboard! my car is still in nowhere, dealer didn't even give me the exact day/week to me.
I drove around and went to 3 diff mazda dealers last weekend. still no luck to see the Phantom Blue. According to u guys comment, i believe it must be a very nice color.
I just ended up settling on the color to get mine home last week. Wanted the stellar but ended up with platinum. Got a touring w/ no nav (hard to find, since almost all tourings came w/ Nav in WA). Still real happy with this great ride and I haven't seen another on the road around here. I used the unavailability of the color as a bargaining point. Once I had the MZ5, the stellar/platinum difference didn't even matter anymore.
Glad to hear it Kokomo Did you get the auto or a 5-speed?
I still haven't seen another on the road up here in Vancouver, BC, Canada yet either... and it definitely draws a lot of looks. I had one guy walk all the way around it when I stopped at a store, just checking it out.
Did you get the auto or a 5-speed? I still haven't seen another on the road up here in Vancouver, BC, Canada yet either... and it definitely draws a lot of looks. I had one guy walk all the way around it when I stopped at a store, just checking it out.
perfecto said:Glad to hear it Kokomo
I still haven't seen another on the road up here in Vancouver, BC, Canada yet either... and it definitely draws a lot of looks. I had one guy walk all the way around it when I stopped at a store, just checking it out.
Yup, from the looks and questions I get, people out here seem quite interested in this minivan alternative. Lots of "what kind of car/wagon/minivan is that?" I got the standard touring auto with the "auto stick" option, which was what I wanted even though it just goes up to 4th.
