2012 Mazda MAZDA5

Pros

Cheap, good for hauling kids and stuff

Cons

Poor design overall

Purchased As New

Mazda5 is a cheap poorly designed car. It has been nothing but trouble.

I do not even know where to start - interior trim does not fit, changing headlight bulbs leave hands cut and bruised, knees hit steering column when seat raised (5'10" driver), front bumper keeps coming loose on sides, tools required to replace rear windshield wiper, battery occasionally drains to nothing after parking for short period, rear visibility poor, rear bearings replaced after 40,000 miles, medium profile tires ride poorly and lose air frequently, worst front wheel drive vehicle on snow (even with snow tires), underpowered even with manual transmission...

On the positive side, the radio works well and the manual transmission is pretty smooth.

One suspects that the newer models have not changed much. Stay away from this car....read morehide

Pros

Great fuel economy and features for the price

Cons

Road noise

Purchased As New

Bought a demo 5 2012 Touring with 6000 miles on it after months of looking. Could not find a better 6 pass. fuel economy minded new vehicle for the price. My wife totaled it within 3 weeks of buying it. She came away without a scratch in a serious front end collision. No cabin intrusion at all! Loved it from the begining! I was so impressed I bought a new 5 touring (12') after, now with sunroof, 6 disc, rubber mats and bumper protector for $19995+TT&L brand new. If you keep this car under 65mph on highway you will get 30mpg all day, even with 10% ethanol gas! Owned a Mazda before and it was one of the most trouble-free cars I have owned....read morehide

Pros

good fuel economy, sliding doors,pice, blue tooth integration

Cons

not enough leg room in front,

Purchased As New

I have waited a year to write my review. I really love this little van and it has been a perfect fit for my family. The only issue that has come up is my husband is 6'2 and is not comfortable driving for long distances. the front driver seat just doesn't go back enough for him but for me at 5'3 it is perfect....read morehide

Pros

Good handling, rather zippy, comfortable, well designed interior and controls.

Cons

Rather cheap upholstery on models other than the leather equipped Grand Touring

Purchased As New

Wanted sliding doors but not an expensive Honda or Toyota. This was the perfect find. Impressed with the design, easy to get in and out of, very good visibility, fun to drive, adequate power for a 4 cylinder, and comfortable and quiet. Love it so far!

Pros

styling

Cons

wait until i drive

Purchased As Not Purchased

size-wise,this is ideal for a a small family of 5. four- cylinder with 155+ hp is not bad for the price.this is better than buying a mid-size sedan worth 25K.

Pros

Great fuel economy for a family car cheap to buy fun to drive

Cons

not much room in the back behind the seat

Purchased As New

We purchased this in march of 11 when it was first released as a 12 model. We also purchased an 11 Mazda 2 at the same time. This van gets great fuel economy ride is firm but i like that the seats are very comfortable the sound system is very good for factory sound. We have taken this car on several trips all have gone well. I recommend purchasing a roof rack I did and I have used it on all the trips. The only real downside is the space between the last row of seats and the back is so little you won't be able to use it for much on a family trip again roof rack. I have had only one issue so far in 16k miles the latch that holds the drives side door in place when open is not always working I will have it fixed at my next service. I hear people complaining about the tires the 5 has bridgstone tires that still look new with 16k and my dealer notes sow the tires are still like new from my last service. The mazda 2 came with Perili tires are good too with about the same miles. my tires get rotated every 5k miles when I take the cars in for maintenance. perhaps the complaint on tires are people who don't rotate? While this van does not have auto sliding doors or hatch or a huge 6 it is less expensive and as far as power we have taken trips to the mountains several times if you use the manumatic mode and downshift in a climb it is great....read morehide

Pros

Good mph for 6 passenger

Cons

TIRES. TIRES. TIRES

Purchased As New

We have bought our Mazda 5 New and have owed it for 100k. We have replaced tires every 18 months. The money we saved on gas went toward new tires. Other than that the car is great!

Pros

Sporty, Comfy, Fun to drive

Cons

Could use a few more HP

Purchased As New

Bought our Mazda5 new in August. Just hit 3,000 miles. We didn't need another massive minivan and did not want overpriced, gas guzzling SUV/Crossover. Test drove this little beauty and drove it home the same day!

Perfect size for our family, very comfortable, peppy, and good on gas. It could have used about 10-20 more HP due to its added size and weight.

Definitely hooked on Mazda...Zoom Zoom!...read morehide

Pros

looks, space, size, price

Cons

small tires, figuring out the bluetooth

Purchased As New

We just purchased a 2012 Mazda5 Touring. Traded a CX7 due to family growing and needing a thrid row of seats. We did not want a typical mini van and many of the SUV's with third rows were gas guzzlers or no legroom at the back. SO we liked our CX7 decided to check out the 5's and it was right for us. mini van but not. Third row has room for our 5 year old and our teenager if need be in a bind. Middle row plenty of space and from seats are nice. BT is a nice touch. Drives much more like our CX7 than a minivan plus it looks more sporty and you avoid he dreaded soccer parent syndrome. Gas mileage has been good around 30mpg overall with enough power to get going and to pass. For extra long trips we will put luggage rack and basket on top and good to go. Been happy with both Mada's we have owned and this beats the traditional minivan by miles both in style, driving and all. Sliding side door windows also roll down which is a great plus. Over all very happy great family vehicle at a good price....read morehide

Pros

good fuel economy, plenty of room, small minivan

Cons

haven't found one yet

Purchased As New

I need a larger vehicle then the space my malibu gave me. I did not need a huge minivan and my daughter literally was crawling in and out of small suv's the clearance still to high, also was to high for my dog to pull her self up into the back. The Mazda 5's size is perfect I am surprised no one else has come up with a smaller version of the minivan. It has all the space we need and being smaller is better on fuel. Not to mention a ton of standard features. I opt'd for the touring edition bigger tires and blue tooth integrated radio, which now i could not live without!...read morehide