[Windswept]

This is a small minivan, 181 inches in length.

Doesn't have much horsepower though. The owners' reviews at edmunds.com are all highly favorable.

Anyone know anything about the Mazda5?

Have any friends or relatives that have one? And if so, how much of a problem is the low horsepower? Especially in hill climbing, for example. And maybe in passing on the highway?

Think I may test drive one this weekend. It's only four cylinders. I'm sort of comparing this with the Honda Fit Sport, which I haven't test driven yet.

I like the sliding doors, and the fact that the Mazda5 would not be a sub-compact, like the Fit.





The Mazda5 gets decent gas mileage, 22-28mpg for the manual. Not as good as the Fit though.

Oh, and hey, Dorian, you don't need to tell me that it's boring again.

[kretara]

I know somebody at work that has one.
She loves it.

Here is what she has told me about the car. I'm interested in one too.
The third row seats are for kids ONLY and not for really long distances, at least not if you want to carry much cargo.
The a/c system can't always keep the third row cool. But, this was in 100+ days and the car is dark in color.
It rides very nice. Just as nice as the Mazda3, but holds more cargo.

Her two issues were that she could not get a manual on anything other than the base model and the Mazda5 gets worse gas mileage than the Mazda3. The Mazda5 is a Mazda3 that has been stretched a bit.

I've looked over the car and it looks very nice and it looks like it can hold quite a bit of stuff. Not as much as my wife's Grand Caravan, but the Mazda5 is more reliable and gets MUCH better gas mileage than the 15 MPG gas guzzler we have.

When my POS Buick finally gives up the ghost I would seriously look at the Mazda5 since I have to cart around kids all the time and will need the space.

[Dorian Gray]

Originally Posted by Windswept Doesn't have much horsepower though.

The manual-transmission version has 153 horsepower pulling a curb weight of 3417 lbs (1550 kg). The auto is about 60 lbs heavier.

Those power-to-weight ratios sound pretty decent to me. How much power are you used to, and in a vehicle of roughly what weight?

Originally Posted by Windswept Oh, and hey, Dorian, you don't need to tell me that it's boring again.

I think it looks pretty good for a big ship. Definitely in a different league from that homely Kia you were considering, which already looked dated in the showroom.

[Luca]

153 horsepower is plenty, especially if you have a manual so you can easily downshift when you're going uphill. I wouldn't worry about that at all. By comparison, my Fit has 109 hp, and I fling that thing around all the time. Even the new '09 Fit is only 117 hp. Standard engines only make their maximum horsepower at high revs anyway, so unless you put the pedal down, you won't really see much difference.

To me it looks like basically a Honda Fit except larger and with a tiny third row seat. Personally though? I'd at least consider a Mazda3 hatchback instead. No third row seat, but it's a lot more compact while still giving you plenty of cargo space. Also, if your budget allows for it, you can get the Mazda3 hatchback in Mazdaspeed form, which gives you a very fast, powerful little car.

[thegeriatric]

My daughter has a Mazda 3 and absolutely loves it.

It's certainly worth a look/test drive?