I recently bought a second Mazda5, a 2012 GT, after owning a 2010 Sport/MT for four years. Lotsa good info here! I've already done tint / rims / Koni FSDs / LED bulbs / V1 Mount. Next: trailer hitch / MazdaSpeed 3 rear sway bar / LED DRL's / loud horns. Enjoy!
Nice - I have mixed thoughts on the LED bulbs in the stock projectors, if you're unhappy at all with distance punch or excessive foreground light, I would seriously consider modded H9 bulbs instead. They're absolutely beautiful with the stock halogen optics. HIR1 9011 bulbs will fit in the highs and there's nothing else that can drop in with comparable hot spot brightness.
For DRLs, if you're into safety and not just looks, I'd really recommend swapping out the 1157NA front turn signal bulbs, replacing them with 3157NA's, and running the Web Electric turn-signal DRL unit. The 3157NA will get you the output required for a conforming DRL, they kick out an extra 25% lumens on the signal filament (might also be a good upgrade for anyone running bright headlights, this will make the turn signal stand out more at night). Aftermarket DRLs are almost never properly tested and certified to NA requirements, and may be illegal or actually decrease safety due to disability glare if they're not wired properly to totally extinguish when headlights are on.
The Speed3 RSB is a great mod. How do you like the Koni FSDs? I've been contemplating shocks, lately.
Tow bars are a subject near and dear to my heart and I've been doing a lot of research to find the best solution. The American towbars are all "class 1" and only good for 2000lb - they also mount in a fairly atrocious way. The European towbars go up to 1700kg/75kg, but I'm currently trying to see if a Euro/Aus/ROW style (the ones that replace the rear metal bumper, and go in to the frame "rails" on the back of the unibody) CX-7 towbar can be easily fitted. The rear suspension is quite similar and I suspect the spacing is the same, it would just need to clear the openings on the rear of the unibody. The 2012+ Mazda5 had stiffer springs and a rear overhang to wheelbase ratio of <1/3, so it should be a reasonably capable tow vehicle by ROW standards, on par with the CX-7 (1800-2000kg braked towing weight, 100kg noseweight or so should only lighten the front by 33kg and put 133kg on the rear). Funnily enough, the "cavity of mystery" on the lower left side of the dash by the OBD2 connector seems the perfect width for a Tekonsha P2. Here's a European OEM hitch for the CX-7:
https://www.pfjones.co.uk/mazda-cx7-apv-2007-bosal-detachable-towbar.html
Which is just a bit more heavily built than the Mazda5 version:
https://www.pfjones.co.uk/mazda-5-06-2005-2010-bosal-detachable-towbar.html
For something light like a 1500kg or so braked utility trailer, either should be fine (I co-own a 5x8 foot landscape trailer that sort of gets used as a virtual truck). It'd be nice to have more safety margin with noseweight, though.
My daughter wants me to change out the horn for something that gives the same minor chord as the intro to phantom of the opera. I'm thinking one of the old Cadillac 4-horn setups, minus the C horn. We'll see!
Oh - heated aspheric side mirrors are lovely! They're readily available in the ROW market, I have a simple convex on the drivers' side and an aspheric on the passenger side. Zero blind spots, great visibility, and no worries about headlight glare in them. Highly recommended!
Ruby