Mazda5 2011 info to share

littleangelfire · Oct 15, 2010

Thanks! Yeah, if it's expensive that counts me out. I wonder - anyone up there with a moonroof have a manual shift? You care to go peek in people's windows? lol It's hard enough to find one here with a manual shift. I've yet to see any at a dealer. Saw one on eBay once.

Guest · Oct 15, 2010

littleangelfire said:
I've talked to a couple dealers so far and they say I'll have to special order just to get a manual shift. hmph. I'm just not used to having such issues finding a car with the options I want. You can buy a Honda pretty much any which way you want it, IME, though sometimes it can take a little time to find what you want.

That's a numbers game. Tons of Hondas everywhere. Mazda sells far less cars, and especially of the Mazda5. Americans rarely buy sticks. If they do, they're usually on "sporty" cars or super cheap ones. The Mazda5 doesn't fit either of those descriptions.

littleangelfire · Oct 15, 2010

codex57 said:
That's a numbers game. Tons of Hondas everywhere. Mazda sells far less cars, and especially of the Mazda5. Americans rarely buy sticks. If they do, they're usually on "sporty" cars or super cheap ones. The Mazda5 doesn't fit either of those descriptions.

Very true as far as the numbers go, but I've also seen base model Hondas (DX) with moonroofs, not added aftermarket. So they'll let you get it any way you want it and perhaps I'm just scared of Mazda since it's a new brand to me, but the feeling I get is you order off the shelf.

I had to memorize my license plate number as soon as I got my current civic - '99 Civic EX coupe, black - b/c they're EVERYWHERE!! 2-3 at least in each parking lot. lol Common year b/c just before the major body style changes so very customizable. My son frequently walks up to the wrong one, ready to hop in. Sticks are so rare here it's sad - when I bought my current vehicle it took 6 months to find a manual. I found every other option imaginable available. But I want a manual. And it is even sadder that every time I see someone hotrodding around in a brand new Mustang it's an automatic! Really? You want a car with lots of power and you want it to auto? ugh. Anyway. And I thought all of Mazdas cars were supposed to be sporty - you know - "zoom zoom zoom" and all that. lol I know one day I will have to suck it up and drive an auto b/c it's likely the manual will be completely obsolete and I'd like more kids which means a minivan which doesn't come that way. That's okay. Perhaps I won't care so much then. Maybe.

chay · Oct 15, 2010

LOL apparently we have almost the exact same taste in cars.... I had a manual silver '99 Acura 1.6EL (these were never sold in the States but they were basically the 4 door Civic EX but with the VTec engine from the 2 door Si version and a few suspension differences etc). I sold that and bought my manual '08 Mazda 5 with moon roof.

This might make you laugh -
http://thestar.blogs.com/crank/2010/07/are-manual-transmissions-worth-saving.html

Good luck in your quest!

littleangelfire · Oct 15, 2010

chay said:
LOL apparently we have almost the exact same taste in cars.... I had a manual silver '99 Acura 1.6EL (these were never sold in the States but they were basically the 4 door Civic EX but with the VTec engine from the 2 door Si version and a few suspension differences etc). I sold that and bought my manual '08 Mazda 5 with moon roof.

This might make you laugh -
http://thestar.blogs.com/crank/2010/07/are-manual-transmissions-worth-saving.html

Good luck in your quest!

Ha1 I wanted silver. and I wanted 4 doors. But I also wanted to leave with a new car that night, so I got what they had. And I looked at an Acura Integra, a rare model with 4 doors, but the price was just too steep for me. I love my civic and worry about missing it a lot if I go Mazda. I saw an even rarer Civic SI 4 door model for sale here last week and was very tempted.

And this: I sold that and bought my manual '08 Mazda 5 with moon roof.

So you're telling me it DOES exist? How infuriating that I can't easily get it here!!

and that video cracked me up!!!! Especially since he listed 2 of the reasons I always tout manuals: *I* control the car, not it deciding when to rev up without my permission, and you can't as easily be distracted in city driving b/c there's a lot of shifting going on.

chay · Oct 15, 2010

Too funny. The bottom Acura and top Civic were basically the same price here and I figured with the sea of Civics at least it was slightly different.

I guess my other post wasn't clear - they are available here and there are at least 2 on my street (mine and a friend's - both '08s). I haven't snooped in the other windows but I've followed more than a few that were clearly manuals.

I think my manual transmission love was cemented by the one and only automatic car my parents had when I was growing up. It was a piece of junk (perfect thing to let your 16 year old loose with on a Friday night) and would randomly shift itself (often into neutral and then rev like crazy going nowhere) at the worst possible moments. You had to shut the car off and restart it (usually while cruising at highway speed all with no power steering once you cut the engine) and hope that you could get it back into gear before you lost momentum and were rammed from behind. Oh and it just didn't do reverse. So many memories. They went back to manuals after that.

Not sure if this will work from a U.S. IP address but the GT version has the moon roof, manual is optional
http://www.mazda.ca/root.asp?path=eng-veh-mazda5--options-gt_np-

I loved my Acura (sold it to my sister so I still have visitation

) but I really love my 5. It still feels and parks like a small car but I can now fit 4 car seats (or a tonne of other junk) which is fantastic.

Guest · Oct 15, 2010

What's really sad is the % of Corvettes that are automatic. I'm not totally positive but the % might be greater than 50%. At least with the Mustang, they had the weak v6 model. Shoot, up until the 2011 model, you could argue even the v8 as a wussy car.

jewlsvern · Oct 15, 2010

Another option on most Mazdas is an automatic with manual shift mode. It shifts like a manual, but with no clutch. It is a great option when you want to control the shifting.

littleangelfire · Oct 16, 2010

codex57 said:
What's really sad is the % of Corvettes that are automatic. I'm not totally positive but the % might be greater than 50%. At least with the Mustang, they had the weak v6 model. Shoot, up until the 2011 model, you could argue even the v8 as a wussy car.

Yeah, Mustangs only get really great if you work on it and add to it. But with any muscle car I just can't help but think what a waste when I see someone driving one that's an automatic. I mean, I guess you never know the story behind the car, perhaps it was bought b/c that's what was there. I doubt it though. Those cars have higher insurance rates and higher incidences of ticketing (though so does mine thanks to the prolific street racing life in the area). I can think of several people with vettes and porsches and all are autos. I don't know much about either vehicle, but man, you're going to buy something with a lot of power and then not care to feel the adrenaline of controlling it? No dang fun, IMO.

jewlsvern said:
Another option on most Mazdas is an automatic with manual shift mode. It shifts like a manual, but with no clutch. It is a great option when you want to control the shifting.

I've heard about this. I'll admit to being suspicious of it. Seems like the sport shift thing would just give the driver the illusion of controlling the gears while the car is still head honcho. Because without a clutch to open and close them, I don't see how the drive is really doing the decision making. And sometimes, that clutch is a really important part. I've had my battery die. Several times. All I need is a bit of a curve and a clutch to get my car started. I LOVE that. Maybe I ought to email Mazda. Maybe they'd think my idea so novel they'd give me one. lol I can dream! I should tell them I'm a loyal Honda owner but the 5 turned my head. That is, until I realized I couldn't buy it the way I want it.

Defrost · Oct 16, 2010

littleangelfire said:
Maybe I ought to email Mazda. Maybe they'd think my idea so novel they'd give me one. lol I can dream! I should tell them I'm a loyal Honda owner but the 5 turned my head. That is, until I realized I couldn't buy it the way I want it.

That actually might be helpful. They seem to be a bit confused about who exactly they're marketing to. Is it a minivan for people who hate minivans? The new version of the family station wagon? Grandparents car? It seems stupid that they'd make such a big deal out of features like a moonroof but not offer that with a stick-shift. Where's the zoom-zoom in that? :shrug-shoulders:

littleangelfire · Oct 16, 2010

Defrost said:
That actually might be helpful. They seem to be a bit confused about who exactly they're marketing to. Is it a minivan for people who hate minivans? The new version of the family station wagon? Grandparents car? It seems stupid that they'd make such a big deal out of features like a moonroof but not offer that with a stick-shift. Where's the zoom-zoom in that? :shrug-shoulders:

That's too funny that you would say that - I stopped by a Mazda dealership today b/c I happened to drive past one. He said I should reconsider wanting a stick-shift, that it's no big deal. And I said really? Where's the zoom-zoom-zoom in driving an automatic? lol They actually had a 2007 with a stick shift, $11k. I was very tempted (though not at all sure I'd get approved with my meager income). Was a very pretty color, too, and didn't have the beige interior I don't like. Of course, no moonroof. He said I could add one on. For $1200. Not too horrible a price considering it's something that really affects my enjoyment of my vehicle. But I thought adding an aftermarket sunroof was a bad idea?

This salesman seemed to think that the newest ones can be ordered with both. Said he could get one that way. But I haven't priced brand new anyways, and seriously doubt it would be in my price range. But I will see if I can figure out a way to contact Mazda. Just to hear what they say.

Defrost · Oct 16, 2010

littleangelfire said:
They actually had a 2007 with a stick shift, $11k.

Dude, mine's an '07 and I swear it's not worth ANYWHERE that much. *goes to research* ('Cause if it is, I'm going to be very happy LOL!)

ETA: Whoa, I actually owe less than what it's worth! That's a first. LOL

littleangelfire · Oct 16, 2010

Defrost said:
Dude, mine's an '07 and I swear it's not worth ANYWHERE that much. *goes to research* ('Cause if it is, I'm going to be very happy LOL!)

ETA: Whoa, I actually owe less than what it's worth! That's a first. LOL

haha. I hear ya - it's been so nice to not have a car payment the past few years. But I'd trade it in a heartbeat b/c what's not so nice is wondering what the next thing to go out will be. It's a Honda, it's mechanically great, but it's an old Honda, and with that comes oil leaks (got a few) and just random things needing replacing. I'd much prefer have a car payment that I know exactly the cost each month and a newer car that lowers the chance I'll have an outrageous repair bill.

jewlsvern · Oct 18, 2010

I just checked Mazdas website. The 2010 Sport is the only trim level that comes in a manual. A moonroof is not an option on the Sport. It is a standard feature on the touring and grand touring models. I don't know about previous years, but the new ones can't come the way you want. The only option would be to add the moonroof aftermarket.

littleangelfire · Oct 18, 2010

jewlsvern said:
I just checked Mazdas website. The 2010 Sport is the only trim level that comes in a manual. A moonroof is not an option on the Sport. It is a standard feature on the touring and grand touring models. I don't know about previous years, but the new ones can't come the way you want. The only option would be to add the moonroof aftermarket.

Yeah, that's what I get when I've done it, too. Perhaps he was an unknowledgeable salesman. He said that he had had a 2010 model on the floor with moonroof and 5 speed. Of course, he couldn't find it to show me.

Defrost · Oct 18, 2010

littleangelfire said:
Yeah, that's what I get when I've done it, too. Perhaps he was an unknowledgeable salesman. He said that he had had a 2010 model on the floor with moonroof and 5 speed. Of course, he couldn't find it to show me.

When I looked up mine at edmunds, it listed the Touring models as also having a 5-speed option, so I think they USED to offer one with both, but don't anymore. Might explain the salesman's confusion.

littleangelfire · Oct 18, 2010

Defrost said:
When I looked up mine at edmunds, it listed the Touring models as also having a 5-speed option, so I think they USED to offer one with both, but don't anymore. Might explain the salesman's confusion.

ooooh, used to would make me much happier, b/c I won't be getting a new one unless a windfall of cash happens.

Guest · Oct 19, 2010

littleangelfire said:
I've heard about this. I'll admit to being suspicious of it. Seems like the sport shift thing would just give the driver the illusion of controlling the gears while the car is still head honcho.

Those things are almost worthless. They're only good if you're in a hill and need to hold a very specific gear. Still, lots of older automatics that go D 4 3 do basically the same thing.

In terms of replicating the fun or feel of a stick, they're not even close. My old BMW coupe had one. Useless. My mom's Merc E350 Sport has it. Useless. My current Lexus ES350 (hah! old person's car if there ever was one) has it. Useless. Ridden in a Porsche Boxster with it. Useless. Driven my buddy's Merc C32 AMG (about as sporty an auto as you can get). Still useless. They all just change too slowly. They don't finesse the situation well enough. Even the automatic manuals (SMG for BMW, PDK for Porsche, etc) still could use improvement despite being physically faster at changing gears (it's not all about speed unless you're at a track).

littleangelfire · Oct 19, 2010

codex57 said:
Those things are almost worthless. They're only good if you're in a hill and need to hold a very specific gear. Still, lots of older automatics that go D 4 3 do basically the same thing.

I'll admit to not really understanding the whole overdrive 1&2 thing on an automatic. I hardly ever drive one, so never learned what they're for. But even when I drive one, seems they aren't exactly needed? lol And yeah, though I don't get the mechanics of how it works with a auto that is marketed as manual option, I just couldn't see how it could possible give the driver the control of a manual...when it's designed to do it automatically. And yet every Mazda salesman I've spoken to insists that I would be just as happy driving one.

amyd · Oct 30, 2010

I know this thread's a bit older, but wanted to add that we test drove a 2010 Mazda 5 last night (and again this afternoon...and now it's sitting in my driveway

). The sales manager we spoke with said they are now expecting the 2012's quite early in the new year, perhaps as early as February.

We drove the manual GT model. It has a manual transmission & a power moonroof...both standard on the GT. Must just be available like that in Canada.

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