Took A Look At The 5 Today

Hi All:

I went to the Mazda dealership and I took at look at a 5 today (and the MS3SPeed).

Nice car overall. It looks really good in the front...a bit "alienish" from the rear. But otherwise nice.

The interior felt a but budget but not bad for the cost. The dealer claimed he could get it for me for $500 over invoice (Touring Version)....is that good/bad?

A few things that I would want that they didn't have on the lot were:

1) NAV....I have a PDA GPS and it's been very handy for me but a in-dash version would be very nice...although they charge a ludicrous amount for it.

2) Xenons...would I need to get the GT for that or can I get the T to come with it?

3) Why is Mazda STILL using a 4 speed auto in these cars? I find it quite archaic in this day and age to be using something like that...in all things a minivan crossover. Last year that alone stopped me from getting the 3.

4) Is there any particular reason that the 5 gets alot worse fuel mileage than the 3? And also why is the 5's smog index so much worse than the 3's? I'd have though the pollution index wouldn't be so high for a small car/engine?

Thoughts? Inputs?

Cheers!

i'd guess that it gets worse mileage because it's probably heavier. as for cost, our touring was $500 over invoice by going through costco. i admit that i'm not even close to being a good price haggler, so we did it that way instead of bargaining for hours on end.

I went to the Mazda dealership and I took at look at a 5 today (and the MS3SPeed).
Do you *NEED* the space of a 5? If not, then I don't understand why you'd get it over the MS3. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my 5, but if I didn't need the space and had the dough for it... the MS3 hands down.

Nice car overall. It looks really good in the front...a bit "alienish" from the rear. But otherwise nice.
In other words, cool

The interior felt a but budget but not bad for the cost. The dealer claimed he could get it for me for $500 over invoice (Touring Version)....is that good/bad?
Not sure what kind of car you're coming from, but I think the interior is nice. Yes some plastics are hard, but the fabic is durable. Yes, $500 over invoice is generally seen as pretty good.

A few things that I would want that they didn't have on the lot were:

1) NAV....I have a PDA GPS and it's been very handy for me but a in-dash version would be very nice...although they charge a ludicrous amount for it.
Yes, you're right here, IMO their charge for the Nav system is beyond rediculous. Get a Garmin for 1/4 of the price and call it a day. JMO though, some people like the integrated look... I do too, but not for $2,000

2) Xenons...would I need to get the GT for that or can I get the T to come with it?
Yes, the GT trim is the only one to come with Xenon's standard. Some people here have successfully retrofitted aftermarkets, though.

3) Why is Mazda STILL using a 4 speed auto in these cars? I find it quite archaic in this day and age to be using something like that...in all things a minivan crossover. Last year that alone stopped me from getting the 3.
A 4AT isn't cutting edge, but I wouldn't say it's "archaic". There are many other models that still use a 4AT. Why not consider a 5MT? If you were looking at the MS3's, I hope you know you can't even get those in an automatic...

4) Is there any particular reason that the 5 gets alot worse fuel mileage than the 3? And also why is the 5's smog index so much worse than the 3's? I'd have though the pollution index wouldn't be so high for a small car/engine?
Two words... Aerodynamics and Weight. Because of it's taller profile and flat rear, I'm sure the 5 creates some mean drag. And it weighs 500lbs or so more than the 3. FWIW, many on this site consistently get the higher end, if not over the EPA gas mileage estimates. And the smog rating is pretty much directly related to gas mileage, the more gas you burn the more smog you emit.

Thoughts? Inputs?
Bottom line, you don't sound like a guy that's all too interested in getting the 5. If you have the means for the MS3, get that. I personally love my 5 now that I own it SO MUCH more than when I was researching it on paper. It's a very well built car, extremely practical, and tons of Zoom-Zoom. Good luck with whatever you decide!

Cheers!
Right back at ya

Personally, I like the 4 speed auto in my 5. If I had any
complaint about the 5 it would be the need for a turbo.
I don't know why you would not have bought the 3 last
year, when you come to realize it does comes with a
5 speed auto(my wife's 3 sport did).

As for fuel economy, I just got back from a trip to Orlando
from Toronto. A total of just over 5000 km or 3100 miles,
when you include trips to the beach etc... Our gas bill
was just over $300 for the entire trip. I did not drive
very conservatively going down or coming back and
more often than not we were doing 85 - 95 MPH with
the 5 loaded to the gills with people and gear.
I find the fuel economy in the 5 to be excellent although
I have not yet worked out the actual MPG or L/100KM yet.

Cheers,
Robin

We got ours for $200 over invoice last May. I think $500 is in the ballpark, but not sure how they're dealing the '07s.

Regarding the gas mileage, the 5 is significantly taller and heavier than the 3, which explains your gas mileage right there. Compared to the usual minivans, it's significantly better.

I suspect the 4-speed auto (as well as the "budget" interior) has to do with cost, although I know the 5-speed auto is available in the 3. Before we bought our 5, though, we had an MPV with a 5-speed automatic, and I can't say I noticed a difference between it and 4-speed automatics that I've driven. Having said that, we have the 5-speed manual, and I suppose one could ask why not a 6-speed manual. I don't feel the need for an extra gear, though.

$500 over invoice is a great to buy a car. The fact that the guy is giving away all that gross up front makes me wonder if you could get him to sell it under invoice. Take a look on mazdas website to see how many are in your area...and if there are a ton you know that you could get them to mark it down even more. If they don't then just go to the next place...

The nav system on that car is awesome. Its very user friendly and for overall price of the car you can't beat it.

If you dont care for Nav that much but you want to get Xenons I would suggest checking with Xeonon Shop here at the boards. He can hook you up with a kit for about $250 shipped.

jandree22 said:

I went to the Mazda dealership and I took at look at a 5 today (and the MS3SPeed).
Do you *NEED* the space of a 5? If not, then I don't understand why you'd get it over the MS3. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my 5, but if I didn't need the space and had the dough for it... the MS3 hands down.

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I looked at the MS3Speed out of novelty...not really interested because with the markup it's around $27K...ludicrous. I'd honestly rather get a GTI even though it's obviously slower.

Bottom line, you don't sound like a guy that's all too interested in getting the 5. If you have the means for the MS3, get that. I personally love my 5 now that I own it SO MUCH more than when I was researching it on paper. It's a very well built car, extremely practical, and tons of Zoom-Zoom. Good luck with whatever you decide!

Click to expand...

You'd be surprised...I like the 5 but we don't have kids and I'm not sure if it's the right car for me in that sense. But I like the utilitarian ability of the car while being slick looking and small.

With 5 door hatchbacks out though it makes the choice a bit tougher...particularly when their packaging options are abit restricted.

DurhamProPhoto said:

Personally, I like the 4 speed auto in my 5. If I had any
complaint about the 5 it would be the need for a turbo.
I don't know why you would not have bought the 3 last
year, when you come to realize it does comes with a
5 speed auto(my wife's 3 sport did).

Click to expand...

At the time I was looking at the 5's, I don't believe they came with a 5 speed auto...it was due to come out hadn't...now things are a bit different for sure and I'm glad they did make that move.

By the way, on the motorway what do your auto trannies rev at say at 70 with the 4 speeds?

Have you considered a Kia Rondo?

Don't get me wrong....I love the Mazda5 and it would almost be the perfect vehicle for our family. I have a few minor quibbles: Needs a 5 speed automatic, needs a delete option on the ugly plastic 2x4's they screw on to the sides in the name of ground effects, should have a front passenger armrest, euro roof rails and a 5+2 seating option would be nice. I do have one major quibble though....Mazda calls it a mutli-activity vehicle and I guess it is, as long as those activities don't involve towing. Not that the '5' is incapable of towing.....outisde of North America, all versions of the '5' are rated for towing. WHY NOT HERE? I don't want to tow a friggin horse trailer, just a light utility trailer or a 14' aluminum fishing boat. Anyway, it seems Kia has come to my rescue with their new Rondo. The styling is more mini-suv-like or tall wagon rather than the 5's mini-minivan, but they've covered off most if not all of my minor quibbles (although the 4 cyl has a 4 speed auto, the v6 has a 5 speed, it has integrated roof rails, no useless ground effects,
an armrest that can be used by both driver & front passenger, 5+2 seating and the kicker....the 4 & the V6 can TOW!!!...1000 kg unbraked and 1500/2000 kg respectively with the 4/V6 if the trailer has brakes. Mazda needs to address some of these issues now, as it finally has some competition.
(Did I mention the Rondo has stability & traction control as well as a full compliment of airbags/safety items?)
Check out some preliminary reviews:

http://www.bcautocentral.com/article.pl?id=3369&paper=28

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_T- ype1&c=Article&cid=1163717411617&call_pageid=968867497088&col=969048871196

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/autos/story/3778559p-4370241c.html

All pretty favourable, I might add. Watch out, Mazda5!

Not too bad, it’s actually a viable competitor for the Mazda5. I suspect it won’t be as good in the twisties, though. Too bad it’s a Kia…

And “Urban Utility Vehicle”?! d’oh!

Interesting about the Kia--it's been on sale outside of North America as the Carens. It's also based on a larger car platform, the Magentis. My brother has a subscription to CAR magazine; I know they like the 5 and weren't so hot on the Carens.

Two additional things caught my eye when looking at reviews: (1) no manual transmission, which tells you a lot right there, and (2) one review said you can't really fit an adult in the third seat--not enough headroom. Kudos to Mazda for actually finding room to fit adults in the third row of the 5. The Rondo actually reminds me more of the RAV4 than the Mazda5.

I hope the Rondo does well, but I'll bet the Mazda5 will hold its own. There's plenty of room for this market segment to grow. Regarding the shortcomings, yes, I think there are a few things the 5 could do better. But it's also, at heart, an economy car that was designed to come under $20K. For the price it's impressive.

Mazda made some substantial improvements to the MPV in the middle of its life cycle (bigger engine, suspension changes, 5-speed auto for starters). One wonders if Mazda will do the same thing with the 5 in a couple of years.

I think both vehicles have their strong points, and both should do well in the market. If I didn't need to tow a small utility trailer or 14' aluminum fishing boat, the '5' would do nicely. The towing situation is pushing me over to the Kia at this point.

doctorz said:

Regarding the shortcomings, yes, I think there are a few things the 5 could do better. But it's also, at heart, an economy car that was designed to come under $20K. For the price it's impressive.

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That is the point I was going to make, but doctorz beat me to it.

The 5 will get some more competition, which is always good. But few will match the driving dynamics or "feel" that the Mazda 5 has.

I went to the ZOOM-ZOOM live event last month, and got to drive a Mazda5 around the Autocross course. The car I drove at the event was exactly like my own car in every way, right down to the color. Now I am a sporty driver, however this was a chance to drive like I never would on the streets. The capabilties and feel of this car is very impressive at speeds. I left the drive with a huge grin on my face because I knew that I had made the right decision in buying the 5. I knew that there was no competitor to Mazda that could match the 5's total package, as far as price, performance, utilty, feel and comfort.

I wonder how hard it would be to roll a 5 over. The limiting factor for me around curves is the increasing feel of body roll with speed... which may or may not be a good indicator of the threashold for tipping it.

jandree22 said:

I wonder how hard it would be to roll a 5 over. The limiting factor for me around curves is the increasing feel of body roll with speed... which may or may not be a good indicator of the threashold for tipping it.

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I tried pretty hard at the ZOOM-ZOOM Live event, no roll over, just easily managed understeer. (ughdance)