Assimilation to family fleet is complete

[vi edit]

Mazda5 is alive!

http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/viedit/5one.JPG
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/viedit/5two.JPG
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/viedit/5three.JPG
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/viedit/5four.JPG

In the grand dichotomy of minivans this is probably the most enjoyable one you can buy. As a bonus it's pulled in 25MPG in about 80% in town driving and can turn on a dime.

That was a giant table saw box shoved in there...plus a stroller...plus the kiddo was in there along with the wifey and I. It has a deceptive amount of cargo space.

Very cool little car/van/wagon thingy.

 

[redgtxdi]

Nice!!


Now we just need more pics w/ the doors closed and the saw outta' the back!


:thumbsup:

 

[SirPorl]

Nice van. I really like what Mazda is churning out these days

 

[996GT2]

How's the I4 at handling the extra weight of the van?

 

[caspur]

edited

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: 996GT2
How's the I4 at handling the extra weight of the van?

Around town it's plenty spunky. The only real shortcoming is very aggressive highway merges or passing on two lane highways. Since about 95% of my daily driving doesn't invovle either of those I have no complaints. Plus I'm not fully broke in yet so I haven't taken it above 4k RPM's where I can get a little more juice out it. When I can rev a little more I can use the autostick and lock into 3r/4th gear and really dig into the engine a bit more than right now.

I had close to 1000 pounds of people mass (6 passengers) loaded in it last week and it would had no troubles tooling around town.

We considered a full size van but with just 1 kid and the dog didn't need that extra space and didn't want to pay for the extra fuel that a 6 cylinder would consume around town. There's no way that a full size would pull 25MPG in an 80/20 city/highway mix. Plus this thing is actually enjoyable to drive and fits in parking spaces that would make a full size van blush.

Re: The Radio
It's clean sounding, but lacking any sort of bass response. If I could figure out a way to custom fit a small 8" sub or something in the back without sacraficing space I would do it. But with a baby in there most of the time that I'm driving I really don't need to be able to hit 30hz @ 112db either

 

[dud]

"Bought a minivan ...but at least it's a cool one!"


That's an oxymoron. There is no such thing as a "cool" minivan.

You're right tough ... you have been assimilated. When you think a minivan filled with boxes and baby crap is "cool" you have been fully assimilated into the "domesticated".

 

[shekondar]

This is the only cool minivan.

 

[theeedude]

I knew it was a Mazda5 from the title. Good choice.

 

[Xyclone]

Originally posted by: shekondar
This is the only cool minivan.

LOL, the soccer ball sticker makes it priceless.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I'm in the market for a minivan. I'm curious of what other cars you test drove. I drove the Toyota Sienna so far and was not all that impressed. Not noisy, but not quiet either.

I think we are leaning towards the Honda Oddesybut if we go with a smaller van, we might do the Mazda 5.

 

[ElFenix]

that's not a minivan, it's an MPV.

 

[vi edit]

Honestly, we didn't even drive any of the others. We looked at them quite a bit on the lots and sat in a number but just really didn't want anything that big. The Sienna and Oddy were the only ones we were looking at besides the Mazda. I gave the Quest some consideration but ruled it out because of a lack of third row split fold seat and really poor fuel economy. I also didn't really look at the Korean clones because I don't feel like they are that good of a value new compared to other brands and there aren't many used ones out there to capitalize on the low resale.

Used wise, there weren't a ton of choices out there in the 20k range for the Toyotas and Hondas. I would have been looking at 3-5 year old vans with 40k+ miles on them.

For 20k I got the the 5 brand new w/ a DVD player and sunroof. I would have been looking at $5k+ for that in the others. You definitely give up some space over the full size vans. But for a family of 3 or 4 this is a really good fit. If I was hauling 5 or more people regularly I wouldn't recommend it. It worked fine in a pinch with 6 people, but there isn't much cargo room left and I wouldn't want to do that for very long in the 3rd row.

For 18k-20k (depending on trim) it's a great choice if you want sliding doors, room for 6, economy, and a little fun behind the wheel.

My wife was almost in tears at one point with the idea of a minivan. But after a week she's already conceded that the doors are very handy for loading/unloading the infant carrier.

 

[996GT2]

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004
I'm in the market for a minivan. I'm curious of what other cars you test drove. I drove the Toyota Sienna so far and was not all that impressed. Not noisy, but not quiet either.

I think we are leaning towards the Honda Oddesybut if we go with a smaller van, we might do the Mazda 5.

Hmm one of my friends just got an 2008 Sienna LE with the 17" wheel package and rear seat DVD and he says it's one of the quietest vehicles he's been in. Was the one you drove equipped with the bigger wheels? 16" wheels may help in the road noise and ride softness department.

The Odyssey is also very good, and depending on what you are looking for either the Odyssey or Sienna may be a better fit. Traditionally Honda has had a reputation for better handling and response while Toyota has had a reputation for quietness and comfortable ride at the expense of some handling finesse, so if you're looking for quietness, the Sienna may fit you better.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
that's not a minivan, it's an MPV.

Now THIS is an MPV.

 

[Skunkwourk]

Should have gotten the A-team van

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMJ6xs8I2HM

 

[ponyo]

Originally posted by: vi edit

Originally posted by: ElFenix
that's not a minivan, it's an MPV.

Now THIS is an MPV.

I had the misfortune of driving my mom's MPV on occasion while in high school. That van was the most underpowered vehicle I've driven. Seriously, it was dangerous to merge onto the highway as it seriously lacked any kind of acceleration. I would have it floored completely to the ground while on the ramp to merge and cars would still honk at me because they thought I was going slow on purpose.

Congrats on the vehicle, vi edit. You choose the right vehicle for your needs, budget, and lifestyle. Sliding doors on a van rule as does the low loading position.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Originally posted by: 996GT2

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004
I'm in the market for a minivan. I'm curious of what other cars you test drove. I drove the Toyota Sienna so far and was not all that impressed. Not noisy, but not quiet either.

I think we are leaning towards the Honda Oddesybut if we go with a smaller van, we might do the Mazda 5.

Hmm one of my friends just got an 2008 Sienna LE with the 17" wheel package and rear seat DVD and he says it's one of the quietest vehicles he's been in. Was the one you drove equipped with the bigger wheels? 16" wheels may help in the road noise and ride softness department.

The Odyssey is also very good, and depending on what you are looking for either the Odyssey or Sienna may be a better fit. Traditionally Honda has had a reputation for better handling and response while Toyota has had a reputation for quietness and comfortable ride at the expense of some handling finesse, so if you're looking for quietness, the Sienna may fit you better.

Thanks 996. And thanks to the OP for responding also.

I can not say the Sienna was bad in terms of road noise. Just not great. Better than my wifes POS Pontiac Vibe but my truck is so damned quiet that I am striving for that kind of quiet.

I might just do some generic Dynamat on whatever I buy.

I care less for handling. I am not racing the thing on a track. It goes from point A to B and back. I just want it to be quiet. cars direct says that The Sienna is one of the quietest, so I can not disagree.

Having bought "super quiet" tires for the Vibe at a premiu7m, I have to say that making a ride quiet via the tires is total BS. All you can do is deaden the floor of the car with sound absorbing material.

Car and Driver says that Dodge has the quietest van by far, but the '08s will be the last for Dodge vans?