Mazda5 for tall people?

beetlemama

New member
I thought we were fully settled on the Pilot for our next vehicle, but now I'm having second thoughts. It's just so *big* and I don't know if I'll be able to drive it (my 2006 beetle is the largest car I've ever driven!) and worried about gas consumption (we try our hardest to lead a green lifestyle). So I'm back at looking at the mazda5.

So, DH is 6'1" and my girls are both 95th percentile for height, so I'm assuming that by the time we've had the car 10 years (I drive them until they're dead!) the girls will be pretty tall. We're planning one more baby in the not far future and assuming he/she will get Daddy's height genes as well (I'm 5'1" if you're generous, so I never planned for tall kids!).

Will the 5 work well for a tall family of 5 people (well, 4 tall and a short driver)? We're not used to a lot of storage space and can work around that, but will tall teenagers in the 2nd and 3rd rows be totally cramped? Will my husband be comfortable in both passenger and driver in front of RF radians (with angle adjuster)?

Or are there any other cars on the market that would be better on gas, smaller to drive, seat a family of 5 plus at least one extra seat (my sister is often with us) and accommodate tall people? Or am I just dreaming?

Thanks!
 
ADS

SafeDad

CPSDarren - Admin
Staff member
Or are there any other cars on the market that would be better on gas, smaller to drive, seat a family of 5 plus at least one extra seat (my sister is often with us) and accommodate tall people? Or am I just dreaming?

Thanks!

I think these are the only two that are better on gas than the Mazda5 and can seat 6:

http://carseatblog.com/15393/2012-kia-sorento-review-kids-carseats-and-safety/

http://carseatblog.com/9785/minivan...zle-gas-2011-toyota-highlander-hybrid-review/

They are also more expensive.... The Mazda5 is a relative bargain.
 

beetlemama

New member
Thanks CPSDarren. I may look at the highlander since it has space. DH will be in love with the idea of a hybrid, he's still trying to convince me that a prius will do. He's also sad that when we bought the beetle I didn't let him get the aluminum-frame 2 seater honda hybrid.. because that'd be great with two kids lol!
 

legaleagle

New member
Will my husband be comfortable in both passenger and driver in front of RF radians (with angle adjuster)?

Yes, that will be fine - with the angle adjuster there is room to spare with the seats all the way back. That said, my 6'3" DH (34" inseam) would really like another inch of legroom. He also has bad knees which doesn't help. The 5 is my car though, and plenty of room for 5'7" me :) I think tall teenagers would be fine in the 2nd row, probably somewhat cramped in the 3rd.
 

beetlemama

New member
Yes, that will be fine - with the angle adjuster there is room to spare with the seats all the way back. That said, my 6'3" DH (34" inseam) would really like another inch of legroom. He also has bad knees which doesn't help. The 5 is my car though, and plenty of room for 5'7" me :) I think tall teenagers would be fine in the 2nd row, probably somewhat cramped in the 3rd.

Wonderful! Thank you for the info. The kids can fight over who's stuck in the back row (less leg room, but further from parents!) as long as my husband will be comfortable. If your husband is okay, mine should be fine. I think he has a 32" inseam, so he's got the one inch your husband wants!
 

legaleagle

New member
Glad to help! I will have 3 in my 5 come May - 2 rf'ing in the second row and 1 ff'ing in the 3rd, so I can report more on how practical it really is with 3 kids, though mine will all be under 4 so they'll be in seats for years and years. My boys are very tall too since they take after DH. I convinced one of my best friends to get a 5 and she loves it at 5'2" - she's definitely commented that it's just the right size for her.
 

beetlemama

New member
Awesome, let me know! We currently have a boostered 4.5 year old (she outgrew her radian for height!!!!) and a RF 2.5 year old. Not pregnant yet, so by the time a new baby came along the 2.5 year old may be RF or FF depending on how much she grows. By the time the baby would be out of the snugride I'd pass the radian down to the newbie and put #2 in a combination seat, so we wouldn't have two RF radians at once.

Another question (if you don't mind). Would a frontier fit in the 5? It does not in any way fit in the beetle, which is why my oldest is boostered so young. Luckily she's well-behaved and has been perfect in it. The younger one pushes back against all rules, so I'll need her harnessed past 4 without a doubt!
 

teekadog

Active member
Our Frontier85 fits great. My tall husband's knees rub on the dashboard/center console in the front seat. He'd love a bigger car, but he is happy with our 5.
 

beetlemama

New member
Excellent! This is sounding more and more like the car for us! Just have to make sure a frontier will fit with a tall non-compliant child! Those of you with petite children are so lucky lol!
 

amyd

New member
Yes, a Frontier will fit. Honestly, I can't imagine a seat that wouldn't. I currently have a RFing Radian in my 3rd row. I :love: my 5.
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
My DH is also 6'1 and very long torsoed with an inseam of about 30 inches, and he didn't have enough head room in the front seat of the Mazda5 I coaxed him into "trying on" at the auto show last month. (He's used to trying on cars for size and finding his head is crammed against the car's ceiling in many instances). I don't think the 5 at the auto show had a sunroof, going from memory. Sunroofs tend to eat up more head room compared to the same vehicle model without a sunroof. I think your DH will likely be okay in terms of head room in the front seat since he has 2 more inches of inseam height compared to mine with the same overall heights, FWIW, but it's always good to check for that, too, especially if there's a sunroof. :)
 

legaleagle

New member
Yeah, the headroom is definitely a proportion thing. That is the one thing my DH does not complain about in the 5, size wise and we have a sunroof.

The frontier 85 fits great in the 5 with the LBP. The rear seats are actually incredibly wide - I think I've seen pics of 2 regents back there. There is some tethering weirdness with the 3rd row headrests in the pre-2010 models, but it's fixed with the more recent models. I'm planning on having the frontier 3rd row passenger, with rf'ing radian in front of it (and will move it up a few clicks for more legroom for DS1) and coccoro rf'ing 2nd row driver.
 

beetlemama

New member
Awesome! Definitely top of our list. We plan to leave the kids with one of our parents one day and have the two of us go off and try a handful of cars, so we'll see if DH fits. My rule is that we won't buy a car we can't both comfortably drive since whoever has 0-1 kids with them will take the beetle and whoever has 2-3 will take the family car! Can't fit all three in the beetle so this is critical! The beetle won in our last car search because it was one of the few compacts he had enough headroom in, but he's fine in MILs civic, so I'm hopeful!

Thanks ladies for all the valuable information!
 

legaleagle

New member
Just make sure the seat is "pumped" all the way down, as well as pushed back on the sliding tracks The pumping up/down also moves it forward/back. I'm 5'7" and it's pushed back all the way, and pumped up about 1/2 way. If it's up, you'll definitely run into head & legroom issues with a tall guy!
 

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