mazda5

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elzi121

Guest

• Jul 14, 2005

• #1

Has anyone heard anything about this car? It looks like what we are looking for- basically a car sized minivan.

We will probably be in the market for a new car soon. I have 2 kids- one 18 months rf in the marathon, the other 4 ff in the graco platinum cargo. I would like to be able to carpool or take one of my son's friends with us at times (would get some sort of combo booster- maybe another graco cargo). I prefer not get a minivan or an suv- i drive a civic now and i would like a regular sized car. Any other suggestions for a car or wagon that can fit 3 seats across in the back? I have heard the camry can, but we're not so crazy about it.

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Jul 14, 2005

• #2

I went to look at the Mazda 5 the other day, and they didn't have one on the lot yet. The brochure sure is nice, though... It's definitely only a 6-seater..two seats in every row, but it looks ok to get to the back seats (no LATCH in the back seats, but maybe there's tether anchors? The brochure didn't say). Anyway, I love the sliding doors...I'm addicted to sliding doors since I've had my minivan for 2 years,and I think the "regular car size" is very tempting, too.

I think the Accord also fits three across the back.....

 

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elzi121

Guest

• Jul 14, 2005

• #3

hmmm...on the website, the specs say this:

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LATCH system with second row child safety seat lower anchors & upper tethers and third row lower anchor.
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Doesn't that mean latch in the 3rd row, but not tethers??

A sort of aside question- if a child is in a convertible ff/booster, normally the seat belt just holds the seat in, right? Do you use latch or tether if you have it?

6 seats would be enough for us- our 2 kids, and enough room to carry a couple of other adults or an extra kid.

The accord might be an option, I really like Hondas. My first car was my mom's old accord (though I think it was smaller than my current civic).

 

MelllieMa

New member

• Jul 14, 2005

• #4

I'm totally drooling over this one. I have 3 kids, but my oldest is nearly driving (eek! ) and won't be riding with us as often as she does now. Anyway, I don't have enough kids for a minivan, and I love my Civic except I can't take anyone else along anywhere with us what with the Husky and the rfing RA back there, not to mention the lap only belt.
One of these days I'll afford a new car, sigh... meanwhile I am glad to know there is another good option out there that's not an SUV or, as much as I love the features, a minivan.

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Jul 14, 2005

• #5

Hmmmm.... third row, lower anchor... I wonder what that DOES mean??? I'd guess it means top tether on the floor or something, and they just worded it wrong?

Boosters don't need lower or upper anchors, convertibles FF *should* be top tethered, they don't have to be, but it decreases injury risk considerably if they are.

 

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elzi121

Guest

• Jul 16, 2005

• #6

Yeah, I don't know what it means. I guess I'm not too concerned about not having latch in the third row. We don't have it now in our car- it's a 98. The third row will most likely be used for carpooling and most of my sons' friends are over 40 pounds (or will be by the time we would get the car), so we won't be using the latch anyway, just the seatbelt.

Ok, another stupid convertible/booster question- what do you do with the 5 point harness belts when you're using it as a booster? Does the kid just sit on them?

 

U

Unregistered

Guest

• Jul 18, 2005

• #7

I have seen people use seats as boosters with the child obviously sitting on the harness but I believe you are to remove them altogether!
I wonder whether leaving the harness in gives some families the option to use the seat for either of two children or whether it is a simple mis-use of the seat as a booster.
C.

 

MelllieMa

New member

• Jul 19, 2005

• #8

OOOOOooooo! I went and played with one today

joolsplus2 said:

Hmmmm.... third row, lower anchor... I wonder what that DOES mean??? I'd guess it means top tether on the floor or something, and they just worded it wrong?

Boosters don't need lower or upper anchors, convertibles FF *should* be top tethered, they don't have to be, but it decreases injury risk considerably if they are.

Click to expand...

And it seems totally awesome. It's a little bigger than I expected, but very versatile. The 2nd row has the LATCH seats, the 3rd row has two top tether anchors, both located on the lower edge of the seat backs. I'm sure their writers just got confused and mislabeled them as 'lower anchors' as they are low down or something.
I didn't have time for a test drive today- I'll have to make time for it later on.
I love the idea of this vehicle. Hopefully other manufacturers will follow suit.

 

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elzi121

Guest

• Sep 3, 2005

• #9

OP here. Well, we did it today and bought the mazda5. So far, I love it (though I have only driven home from the dealer and to the grocery store). It handles really well- doesn't feel so big and clunky like a minivan.

My husband put in the carsets tonight, in the 2nd row using latch, I don't think it caused him much difficulty. The third row is not super accessible with the 2 car seats in the second row. The seats move up a little, but they really are meant to fold forward (like a 2-door car) and that is just impossible with the car seats in. I think there is probably enough room for a kid to squeeze through, but might be a little tight for an adult.

We are going on a big trip tomorrow- I will check back, if anyone has any questions I will be happy to answer them.

 

shellebelle

Senior Community Member

• Sep 4, 2005

• #10

We'd love to see pictures A lot of us haven't seen the 5 in the flesh yet.

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Sep 7, 2005

• #11

Ooo neat! I saw one in the parking lot the other night and DH thought I was a nutcase for trying to peer in the windows. I wanted to see if the third seat was going to be big enough for my 8 yo to be comfortable, but they had the seats folded down and a huge amount of boxes crammed in the back (good sign, lots of boxes fit!)

 

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elzi121

Guest

• Sep 19, 2005

• #12

After 3 weeks of driving the 5, I love it. Unfortunately, there is a recall on it and it is back at the dealer- possibly for a month. I think they are taking them off the market for the time being. I have an MPV loaner, which I don't like at all. I never wanted a minivan and I am more convinced now. The 5 has the best of both worlds- 3 rows, lots of storage space (when the third row is folded) but it drives like a car.

I think the third row in the 5 is fairly roomy, especially compared to some other SUVs with third rows. We know someone with a Pilot and it seems really cramped in the third row. The second row seats in the 5 move back and forth, so if you have little ones in the second row, you can move the seats up and give the 3rd row more leg room. Even in the MPV loaner we have, I needed to recline the second row seat a little bit to fit my daughter's carseat and it leaves very little room in the third row since the second row seat doesn't move forward at all.

The only complaint I have heard from others about the third row- the a/c doesn't reach so well back there. We haven't had anyone back there to test it out yet, but the a/c in our car seems pretty strong. Some folks are tinting their windows and others have offered tips for a/c settings to maximize the back getting air.

I don't have pictures to post, but if you go to edmunds.com and click on forums, there are a lot of discussions about the car and some people have posted photos.

 

U

Unregistered

Guest

• Sep 19, 2005

• #13

Thinking about it

I test drove the 5 a few weeks ago and really liked how it handled. I used to have an MPV but got tired of the minivan thing. Now I am in a gas sucking Chevy Trailblazer. I am a sports car girl at heart but I have 2 kids. (Ages 4 and 2) I like the 5 because it's completely different from anything out there. Not to mention great gas mileage and sports car-like drive! My biggest concern with the 5 is how it will handle in the winter months. I have been through one Indianapolis winter but had a big SUV. I grew up in AZ/CA so I haven't had much experience with a smaller vehicle on snow/ice. Has anyone heard anything about how the 5 handles in ice/snow? I really like the 5 and I don't want a few months of winter to hold me back from getting it.

 

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mazdahatch

Guest

• Nov 4, 2005

• #14

mazda5 owner

We (me, my wife, our 6-month-old, a dog and a cat) had our Mazda5 for two full months before the recall. We loved it more each day. My wife drives a 2004 Mazda6 and after many weeks of driving the 5 I like it better than our 6. Yes, our 5 was recalled with the rest of them. We were given a brand new MPV as a loaner and, though the MPV was a very adequate minivan (I've previously owned a Windstar and an Aerostar), it did not compare to the overall experience of the 5. Driving, parking, utility -- the 5 makes a great package for $20,000.

We got our 5 back from the recall today (November 4th). The dealership even detailed it and filled up the tank. Though we have 2800 miles on it, Mazda is going to restart our warranty on December 1st as if it were brand new. Plus, Mazda is sending us a check for $500 for our inconvienience! How nice is that?

We have the Touring model with navigation and automatic transmission. My brief pros and cons:

PROS:
- Inexpensive.
- Good standard options.
- Utility of minivan with driving experience of a small car.
- Is perfect for our family (replaces a nice-but-too-large Ford Windstar).

CONS:
- Underpowered for moving six adults (but plenty of power for two or three).
- A lot of nicer European options not offered on US model (rear camera, backup sensors, 7th seat, standard roof rails, etc).
- No rear air conditioning for 2nd and 3rd rows (it gets HOT here in Texas!)
- No fold-down armrest for front passenger (2nd row has it - why not the front?!?)

Overall the "PROS" far outweight the "CONS" for us.

-mazdahatch

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Nov 7, 2005

• #15

Thanks for the review! This car is still topping my 'next new car' list...I'm trying to decide if it's big enough for my family, which will soon be three kids. I like my 2003 Honda Odyssey, but want something a little smaller, and just can't go back to any vehicle without sliding doors!

 

U

Unregistered

Guest

• Nov 15, 2005

• #16

Mazda5 & Crash Test

Hello All,
We have a 18 month old son. We read about the car in newspaper, read a lot about it in the web, saw it with the dealer and test drove folloing week.

I'm almost ready to buy this micro-van; suits us in all ways. My only concern is that NHTSA or IIHS crash tests have not been conducted yet; though I'm aware that Euro NCAP has given 5 star rating for Mazda5.

Should I be concerned and wait for the crash test results (NHTSA has told me that they do no plan to test this vehicle in this fiscal year) or should I just go ahead and purchase one?

Those of you that bought this car: what convinced you to buy it despite crash tests not having been done?

Thank you very much,
Ganesh