what do ppl think of the Mazda 5?
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We actually just test drove one and are probably getting the Grand Touring in a month or so. It's fairly fuel efficient and drives very nicely. Our kids are 3 months old, 2 years old, and 5 years old...there are 4 seats in the back, all of which can easily accomodate child safety seats. It's not a *huge* car (which is actually why I chose it...I'm used to driving all 3 kids in a Neon, and I've driven the neon for almost 6 years, so I'm not used to large vehicles).
Because it's small, there is not a lot of storage at all--we are having the rack and storage compartment put on top for trips. For general day to day life, with 2 adults and 3 children in there, storage will likely be tight (but the seats fold flat, so you can fold down the unused seat. The middle two seats also have storage directly under them as well, so if you don't have a carseat on one, you can store things like spare clothes/etc. in there). I personally think it's a bit too small for taking all 3 kids grocery shopping or something like that. But, it's plenty roomy for our family, especially considering we're used to a neon.
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So, I love it...it is definitely our first choice for a new car.
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Because it's small, there is not a lot of storage at all--we are having the rack and storage compartment put on top for trips. For general day to day life, with 2 adults and 3 children in there, storage will likely be tight (but the seats fold flat, so you can fold down the unused seat. The middle two seats also have storage directly under them as well, so if you don't have a carseat on one, you can store things like spare clothes/etc. in there). I personally think it's a bit too small for taking all 3 kids grocery shopping or something like that. But, it's plenty roomy for our family, especially considering we're used to a neon.
So, I love it...it is definitely our first choice for a new car.
What are you planning on using it for?
If it's just for everyday travel, it should be fine for your family. If you're planning on going on long distance trips with it, though . . . you may want to size up to a larger minivan.
When all the seats are up, there's enough storage space in back for 4 full paper grocery bags or 3 full canvas reusable bags. It's limited. We're a family of 3, though, and keep the two rear seats down most of the time. For us, for both daily and long distance travel, it's perfect.
If it's just for everyday travel, it should be fine for your family. If you're planning on going on long distance trips with it, though . . . you may want to size up to a larger minivan.
When all the seats are up, there's enough storage space in back for 4 full paper grocery bags or 3 full canvas reusable bags. It's limited. We're a family of 3, though, and keep the two rear seats down most of the time. For us, for both daily and long distance travel, it's perfect.
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808 Posts
We've been thinking about this as our next vehicle, but we only have me, dh, and the baby. We'd just like to have the extra seats for when the ILs come to visit or when we want to take one car going places with my mom, etc. Presumably if just the three of us take a road trip, it'd still be fine because we could fold seats down for storage?
I know that the third row has issues installing some carseats and boosters, it apparently can be quite tricky due to the belt stalks. The 2nd row requires that it be all the way back when any seat is installed there so legroom in the 3rd is minimal.
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4,842 Posts
I hated mine...so much that even though I bought it new in October, I traded it, losing thousands the next April. I had 3 children at the time as well.
What I liked:
Handled well, good gas mileage, 6 seats, small enough to park anywhere, sliding doors made it really nice to get the kids out in tight spaces.
What I didn't like:
Road noise was very loud, back 2 rows couldn't hold adults without their knees poking into the seat in front. There's no "trunk" space and I could tote groceries or play equipment in the back. The back was big enough for 3 paper bags and that's it. I could fit 2 folded scooters in the back so that we could go to the park. The back window was so close to my daughter's head that I feared a rear collision and got nervous anytime a truck was behind us.
What I liked:
Handled well, good gas mileage, 6 seats, small enough to park anywhere, sliding doors made it really nice to get the kids out in tight spaces.
What I didn't like:
Road noise was very loud, back 2 rows couldn't hold adults without their knees poking into the seat in front. There's no "trunk" space and I could tote groceries or play equipment in the back. The back was big enough for 3 paper bags and that's it. I could fit 2 folded scooters in the back so that we could go to the park. The back window was so close to my daughter's head that I feared a rear collision and got nervous anytime a truck was behind us.
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657 Posts
We drove a rental one for about a week. In the long run I think it would be super annoying because you can't get to the back row without moving the 2nd row seats, with the 3rd row up you have NO storage, except for under the 2nd row seats, which is where (presumably) your carseats would be. It just seemed like you had to move everything everytime you wanted to use the car. We have 2 kids and frequent visitors so we thought it would be a good idea but I really hated it. Also it drives like a tin can.
I ended up with a Jetta sportwagen, less seating, tons of storage, drives beautifully and looks very (IMO) stylish. About the same price too.
I ended up with a Jetta sportwagen, less seating, tons of storage, drives beautifully and looks very (IMO) stylish. About the same price too.
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2,219 Posts
I have one and love it for my family composition -- one child one parent. I live in the city and I love the fact that I can parrallel park in the same space as a Honda Civic. I can put the seats down in the back and load it up with ski gear, bikes etc . . ., or I can put all the seats up and take a carload of kids on a field trip.
For a family of 5 though I think it would be tight. Even with one seat down in the back, there isn't a lot of room -- much less than the trunk of a sedan. If you're going on vacation, or if your kids end up playing sports with lots of gear or something, or even if you go to Costco you'll wish you had more room.
Also, my son is 10 and the very back seats are already a little tight. If you're like me and you drive your cars until they're "done", then you could have 3 kids over 10 when it kicks the bucket. For a long road trip that back seat isn't the most comfortable. Also, at least on the 2008 (which is what I have) the heat doesn't reach all the way back -- which is more of an issue in some areas than others.
So, while I love mine I'd probably choose something bigger (Kia Sedona?) if I had a family of 5 rather than 2.
For a family of 5 though I think it would be tight. Even with one seat down in the back, there isn't a lot of room -- much less than the trunk of a sedan. If you're going on vacation, or if your kids end up playing sports with lots of gear or something, or even if you go to Costco you'll wish you had more room.
Also, my son is 10 and the very back seats are already a little tight. If you're like me and you drive your cars until they're "done", then you could have 3 kids over 10 when it kicks the bucket. For a long road trip that back seat isn't the most comfortable. Also, at least on the 2008 (which is what I have) the heat doesn't reach all the way back -- which is more of an issue in some areas than others.
So, while I love mine I'd probably choose something bigger (Kia Sedona?) if I had a family of 5 rather than 2.
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Just out of curiosity, does he buckle himself in? I can't imagine having to squeeze round those seats to help a child with a seatbelt or carseat.
Originally Posted by AllyRae  You can get to the 3rd row through the hatchback....that's what I plan on doing with my 5 year old so that he doesn't have to worry about navigating around the toddler and infant seat. |
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6,610 Posts
I have a Kia Rondo which is somewhat similar but fits 7 instead of 6. They are similar in everything except the warranty, which is why we decided to go with the Rondo. The Rondo also seems more spacious than the mazda and has better visibility and head room. Fairly soon we'll have 2 kids in there and shouldn't have any problem at all with fitting them in. We don't currently use the third row so that's folded down and can easily hold all of our groceries and extras in the back. I don't recommend the third row for adults, but you will find that with any cross-over vehicle you'll have a hard time fitting adults in the third row. If your intention is to fit adults I'd say go with a mini-van.
we LOVE LOVE LOVE ours
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We like the 3rd row (though it's usually folded down) the extra space (our old car is a Toyota Tercel. It's TINY!) (we don't have any trouble climbing into it if we need to. Just go past the forward facing carseat instead of the rear facing seat) I LOVE the sliding doors. The back row for sure it tight on leg room but it's not impossible by any means. I've had my carseats in the 3rd row and the 2nd rows. No problems at all. (I have a Frontier and a Marathon) Currently they're installed in the 2nd row with the 3rd folded down.
We looked at the Rondo as well but you can't get to the 3rd row at all because the 2nd row is a bench. If you have carseats installed you can't get back to the back unless you go through the hatch. That's not cool for me. With carseats, we figured we'd only ever have room for 6 anyway so why not get a bit of space between the 2nd row seats.
For a family of 4 it's perfect. For 5... I'm not sure. You would want to really play with it and make sure you have enough space with only one of those back seats folded down. If you have enough space... go for it!
We looked at the Rondo as well but you can't get to the 3rd row at all because the 2nd row is a bench. If you have carseats installed you can't get back to the back unless you go through the hatch. That's not cool for me. With carseats, we figured we'd only ever have room for 6 anyway so why not get a bit of space between the 2nd row seats.
For a family of 4 it's perfect. For 5... I'm not sure. You would want to really play with it and make sure you have enough space with only one of those back seats folded down. If you have enough space... go for it!
thank you ladies for all of your honest replies.
it seems like the consensus is, is that for a family of 5 we would need a larger vehicle...
we have a '91 Camry wagon that we love, but don't think that it will handle the third car-seat.
thanks again for all of your input,
cheers,
charlene
it seems like the consensus is, is that for a family of 5 we would need a larger vehicle...
we have a '91 Camry wagon that we love, but don't think that it will handle the third car-seat.
thanks again for all of your input,
cheers,
charlene
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2,827 Posts
http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/saf...4/article.html
There's good info on 3rd row seats in this article, toward the middle/end of the piece.
Personally, I wouldn't be comfortable with the Mazda5.
There's good info on 3rd row seats in this article, toward the middle/end of the piece.
Personally, I wouldn't be comfortable with the Mazda5.
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3,333 Posts
just wanted to bump this.
We were about to buy the Mazda5, but I have let my fears of how close the third row seating is to the road, come to the surface.
Any other comments about this?
I just started considering a used MPV. I just don't want a very large minivan.
Currently we have 2 kids. I will be using the third row seating twice a week for childcare, and might someday use it for a third child.
We were about to buy the Mazda5, but I have let my fears of how close the third row seating is to the road, come to the surface.
Any other comments about this?
I just started considering a used MPV. I just don't want a very large minivan.
Currently we have 2 kids. I will be using the third row seating twice a week for childcare, and might someday use it for a third child.
We have two kids, and my husband is 6'2"+ so our Jetta wagon was too small with two carseats in the back.
We test drove a Mazda 5 (I loved the gas mileage and maneuverability) but it was just too small. And I had some concerns with other issues too.
If our kids were older it would've been okay maybe, but if we had three kids no way -- using the last row of seats removes all storage, and the trunk portion isn't lowered enough, so anything in the trunk (seats up or down) becomes a potential hazard in a crash. The notion of using the third row for actual seating beyond a 10 or 15 minute trip seems unrealistic to me. And as others have pointed out, using it for a child's carseat seems unsafe to me. :/
Also, I need to be able to nurse the baby in the car. I hate sitting in the front seat to do this (what if someone rear ends us in a parking lot? And the airbags went off?) and wanted the third row so I could nurse her easily. The problem with the Mazda 5 from what I could see is once the carseats were installed I wouldn't have been able to get to the backseat easily. Certainly not while carrying a baby.
I had told my husband ahead of time the one thing would could not compromise on was space. That was the reason we were getting a new car. We had a set pricepoint and were fine with buying used in order to get the space we needed.
After we left the Mazda dealership we were on our way to look at a Kia Sedona (comparable price -- but much bigger) when we found a barely used VW Routan, which we ended up getting a great deal on. (Got it for the same price as the Sedona.)
While the Kia has very good safety ratings and warranties, know that the resell value on it is lower than Any Other Car. Not just minivans, but any other car out there. So if you look at Kias, keep in mind you'll want to drive the car for a very long time in order to get your money's worth.
I have a friend who bought a used Mazda MPV. She loves it. We couldn't find one in our area or we'd have tried it. I love love love our Routan (it's essentially a Town & Country with VW styling). I've always driven really small cars (the Jetta was the biggest one I've ever owned until now) and have had no problems getting used to driving a minivan. If that's your main concern, I wouldn't worry about it at all. I'm petite (5'2") and have had no problems with driving something bigger. It's definitely been worth it because I can nurse the baby in the car and have some privacy and not feel squished.
And we can go to the store and my husband's legs won't fall asleep.
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Yes, we sacrificed gas mileage but I don't drive it daily and my husband now drives our super economical Jetta (it's a diesel). So it all evens out in the end....
Good luck, mama! Hope you end up with a car that suits your needs perfectly.
We test drove a Mazda 5 (I loved the gas mileage and maneuverability) but it was just too small. And I had some concerns with other issues too.
If our kids were older it would've been okay maybe, but if we had three kids no way -- using the last row of seats removes all storage, and the trunk portion isn't lowered enough, so anything in the trunk (seats up or down) becomes a potential hazard in a crash. The notion of using the third row for actual seating beyond a 10 or 15 minute trip seems unrealistic to me. And as others have pointed out, using it for a child's carseat seems unsafe to me. :/
Also, I need to be able to nurse the baby in the car. I hate sitting in the front seat to do this (what if someone rear ends us in a parking lot? And the airbags went off?) and wanted the third row so I could nurse her easily. The problem with the Mazda 5 from what I could see is once the carseats were installed I wouldn't have been able to get to the backseat easily. Certainly not while carrying a baby.
I had told my husband ahead of time the one thing would could not compromise on was space. That was the reason we were getting a new car. We had a set pricepoint and were fine with buying used in order to get the space we needed.
After we left the Mazda dealership we were on our way to look at a Kia Sedona (comparable price -- but much bigger) when we found a barely used VW Routan, which we ended up getting a great deal on. (Got it for the same price as the Sedona.)
While the Kia has very good safety ratings and warranties, know that the resell value on it is lower than Any Other Car. Not just minivans, but any other car out there. So if you look at Kias, keep in mind you'll want to drive the car for a very long time in order to get your money's worth.
I have a friend who bought a used Mazda MPV. She loves it. We couldn't find one in our area or we'd have tried it. I love love love our Routan (it's essentially a Town & Country with VW styling). I've always driven really small cars (the Jetta was the biggest one I've ever owned until now) and have had no problems getting used to driving a minivan. If that's your main concern, I wouldn't worry about it at all. I'm petite (5'2") and have had no problems with driving something bigger. It's definitely been worth it because I can nurse the baby in the car and have some privacy and not feel squished.
And we can go to the store and my husband's legs won't fall asleep.
Yes, we sacrificed gas mileage but I don't drive it daily and my husband now drives our super economical Jetta (it's a diesel). So it all evens out in the end....
Good luck, mama! Hope you end up with a car that suits your needs perfectly.
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