Hi. I'm seriously considering a 5speed Touring, I think it's the most intelligent vehicle design made available in North America in years. Space efficient, fuel efficient, looks nice. Underpowered maybe, but it's built to a price point.
We currently have a 540i, with a babyseat in the middle of the backseat. I feel very safe in that car, and my daughter is protected from side impacts because she's in the middle of the car. With a Mz5, she'll be on one side or the other (probably passenger side); does anyone feel that there is an inherent safety risk with not having the child seat in the middle? Will a Mz5 crumple like the proverbial tin can upon impact when compared to a much-much more expensive BMW? For the record I've never been in an accident, so my reference points for this type of event are based in conjecture instead of personal historical events.
Is there any opinion on whether or not a 2006 Mz5 will be near as safe as a '97 540i? Rereading the question makes it sound silly as the cars are built to very different price points, but the question is real. With airbags plus 10 years of improved construction techniques, will my family in a Mz5 be even close to as protected as they are currently in the BMW?
As a side note, I'm talking in terms of vehicle construction preventing bodily injury in case of a collision. The BMW is build like a tank and has excellent acceleration/handling/braking/tires to avoid accidents. I don't expect the Mazda to compete dynamically, I'm looking for opinions of Mz5 owners regarding how they feel in 75mph interstate intercity travel and in urban surface street travel.
The reason we're considering the 5 is because the 540i is not space efficient, it's 9 years old with 85K on the clock (we bought it used in '04 with 62K on it for roughly the cost of a new Mz5), and the interior is cramped for how large the car is so we can't take wagons or other large kid items to parks or to the zoo in comfort. It's a little big for urban runabout duties, and truthfully feels a bit wasteful when just driving it to work and back. Driven carefully I can get 21 mpg in city driving, but driven normally mileage goes down to about 17. Highway mileage is great, over 26 at very high speeds. It's a beautiful car and I love it, but I can't help but keep investigating the Mz5....
Thanks for any input!
Scott Y
We currently have a 540i, with a babyseat in the middle of the backseat. I feel very safe in that car, and my daughter is protected from side impacts because she's in the middle of the car. With a Mz5, she'll be on one side or the other (probably passenger side); does anyone feel that there is an inherent safety risk with not having the child seat in the middle? Will a Mz5 crumple like the proverbial tin can upon impact when compared to a much-much more expensive BMW? For the record I've never been in an accident, so my reference points for this type of event are based in conjecture instead of personal historical events.
Is there any opinion on whether or not a 2006 Mz5 will be near as safe as a '97 540i? Rereading the question makes it sound silly as the cars are built to very different price points, but the question is real. With airbags plus 10 years of improved construction techniques, will my family in a Mz5 be even close to as protected as they are currently in the BMW?
As a side note, I'm talking in terms of vehicle construction preventing bodily injury in case of a collision. The BMW is build like a tank and has excellent acceleration/handling/braking/tires to avoid accidents. I don't expect the Mazda to compete dynamically, I'm looking for opinions of Mz5 owners regarding how they feel in 75mph interstate intercity travel and in urban surface street travel.
The reason we're considering the 5 is because the 540i is not space efficient, it's 9 years old with 85K on the clock (we bought it used in '04 with 62K on it for roughly the cost of a new Mz5), and the interior is cramped for how large the car is so we can't take wagons or other large kid items to parks or to the zoo in comfort. It's a little big for urban runabout duties, and truthfully feels a bit wasteful when just driving it to work and back. Driven carefully I can get 21 mpg in city driving, but driven normally mileage goes down to about 17. Highway mileage is great, over 26 at very high speeds. It's a beautiful car and I love it, but I can't help but keep investigating the Mz5....
Thanks for any input!
Scott Y