2009 Mazda MAZDA5 User Reviews

Pros

I love the funky design. The size is perfect!

Cons

The leg room in all three seats could be better.

Purchased As New

I absolutely love this car! It handles and corners extremely well. Mine has plenty of zoom-zoom. I can fit my kayak in the back with all of the seats down or fit three or four teenagers in the back with relative comfort. I absolutely HATE big cars, suv's and minivans so I was thrilled to discover the Mazda 5. I think it is in a class all of its own. There is nothing else out there that is a 6 passenger, with good fuel economy, sporty handling and good looks. I am thrilled driving it whether alone or with a car filled with teenagers. And Kayakers...you don't need an expensive rack!!

Do yourself a favor - GO GET ONE! I bought it new - which I never do and I have not had one moment of buyer's remorse. The stereo is excellent...seats are comfortable...I have no complaints....read morehide

Pros

good quality value for money. sporty looking yet family friendly.

Cons

no third seat on second row. motor engine lacks power kick. no automatic sliding doors.

Purchased As New

generally speaking we love our mazda 5. it's our first new bought car. it's easy and fun to drive. it has great interior quality and enough space on the second row. third row it's ok. i wouldn't recommend sitting there of longer periods like long haul driving. i had only one major issue with the power steering. the pump had to be replaced, due to stiffning of the steering wheel after 10000 miles. but in general a good mini van. zoom zoom...read morehide

Pros

Well put together

Cons

none

Purchased As Used

This vehicle is AWESOME! I can't even explain how happy I am with this Mazda 5. We have three kids and wanted something that was going to be easy to load/unload them, something that had room for everyone but was still compact, and something that didn't leave me feeling like I was driving a house around on wheels. This vehicle has it all! GREAT gas mileage, sliding doors with huge windows that roll DOWN, fantastic stock features that you normally wouldn't find in just about any other make, AND I actually feel kinda cool in this vehicle because it doesn't look like a car...but it isn't a van either. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVEEEEEEE IT!...read morehide

Pros

MPG, Comfort, Value, Handling, Visibility, Engine/Transmission, Line-in,

Cons

Road noice, Gear shifter, Controls

Purchased As New

I've got a car for $15.7k before taxes and registration. Not bad, but could be better.
WHAT I LIKED:
No options - all standard equipment but still very well equipped for the price. It's very comfortable to enter and exit 1-st and 2-nd row of seats. Seats themselves are just great (had some bad experience with 2005 Accord EX for $27k). No back pain or stiff muscles at all - nice and firm with plenty of support. Returns great 34 MPG in mixed cycle 60/40 highway/city driving (i'm calm & no-speeding driver though, so that probably helped a lot in getting these numbers). After one month of ownership I'm averaging 460-470 miles per tank by the time low-fuel light goes ON. You get a lot of car for your buck. Seats fold flat offering plenty of room inside - I just drove brand new entry door for my house in it - yes it did fit but just. Visibility from the cabin is very good. Because it so open it feels like you are driving faster than you actually are. Transmission/engine are well selected for each other. 2-nd pulls out almost from a dead stop and turns are no problem for the 4-th gear. Have to mention handling - it does not feel like a minivan at all. I guess guys in Mazda new what they were doing using mazda3 platform for mazda5 all the zoom-zoom without nasty side-tipping during cornering. CD-Changer, decent speakers is standard but line-in jack is a big plus if you have your portable music on you. Two 'secret' bay compartments behind the glove box for all you CarPC enthusiasts.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE AS MUCH:
Following Cons are not by any means big deterrents if at all. These things are to be expected for the cars of this class, so I'm not raving - just letting you know.
Road Noise - while not too bad, but you can hear every crack and bump on the road - it will definitely jump at you if you are used to driving higher-class vehicles.
Wind Noise - fairly considerable but also not outrageous.
Gear shifter has some distance to travel between positions. I'm used to my 'short-throw' Impreza shifter and while Mazda5 shifter not going to make you feel like illegal street racer, it also won't make you hate it either. It's good and precise just not as 'sporty' as MAZDASPEED3. It also has a 'firm feel' so if you like 'soft shift' this car won't have it.
Steering column controls are the firmest controls I'e ever had in the car. I thought Honda makes them firm but not until this car. You almost need to hands to operate a blinker or wipers. Nothing really to sneeze at - just a personal preference.

AFTERTHOUGHTS:
Some people complained of luck of power with this car but I failed to detect that perhaps due to manual transmission.

BOTTOM LINE:
If I had to do it all over again I would not even think a second. Despite few minor cons car leaves you with pleasant driving experience and price that is hard to beat for the passenger capacity and interior space versatility and according to Consumer Reports it has great predicted reliability based on past years models....read morehide

Pros

Good fuel economy and room for six.

Cons

Limited storage space in rear when seats are up.

Purchased As Used

I absolutely love the Mazda5. We previously owned a standard minivan with mediocre fuel economy. Unpleased with our minivan we sought other options when we discovered the Mazda 5. Seating six combined with features such as in-seat storage, fold down seats, and sliding doors with windows that actually roll down was the catch for us. It feels more like a car than a minivan....read morehide

Pros

Great allrounder, can be anything you want it to be...

Cons

little sluggish at high speed

Purchased As New

I moved from a sports car to a family car and was not sure if it was for me.. but after driving a week. I am certainly very happy. It is a car, wait a mini-van, wait cross-over....call it anything you want but I call it a PRACTICAL people, luggage move. It does it in style. Love the third seat and stadium style seats. View from every window. what is not to like??...read morehide

Pros

Cheap price

Cons

None

Purchased As Not Purchased

Test drove it 2 times. Rough ride. Claustrophobic. No passing power. Hesitant transmission. Mismatched interior. Looking close I saw that it is not a goodlooking vehicle. No Zoom Zoom Zoom. I'm still looking for another vehicle.

Pros

Price, seating for 6 but easily converts to 4 if third seat not in use, fun to drive.

Cons

None.

Purchased As New

I want to give a different point of view. I read a lot of reviews that said this was a great car for young family with small children. I actually have 3 teenagers and this car is great because most of the time I will only need 4 seats, but the can have the six if we are all together. The "trunk" space when the 3rd seat is down makes this feel like an SUV. The sliding doors make this feel like a van. The drive/handling makes it feel sporty. I don't really know what the best category for this car is. It is my EVERYTHING I need all rolled up into one perfect car....read morehide

Pros

Good gas economy, good size, good price

Cons

Confusing wiper controls, no stability assist

Purchased As New

The perfect mini-van for a family of 4 plus guests. Decent seat and compartment storage. Peppy off the line. Decent high speed acceleration considering a van isn't a sports car. Great maneuverability. Absolute top end price in its popular crossover van segment of the market is a couple of grand cheaper than the least equipped cheapest of its competitors for equal quality and reliability. Grand Touring is just exactly that....read morehide

Pros

Perfect mini van, great for a small family, extra seats/extra space

Cons

I do not like roof racks for bikes, and it costs alot to have anything mounted to it.

Purchased As New

We have had our car for seven months, we like everything about it, appearance, comfort, and performance. The only thing that I would like to have additionally that is not possible is to have a tow attachment on the rear end to mount our bikes.