Zoom, Zooming in the 2012 Mazda 5
Over the course of the last 6 months we have had the privilege of reviewing some great family vehicles. Lest you think you have ventured to the wrong website, note that we review them from the point of the grocery shopping, kid hauling, multiple activities around town mom. After all, that is a BIG purchase, wouldn’t it be nice to know how well it fits a family as much as you know the safety ratings? I do.
This round it was time to review the Mazda 5. Honestly, after reviewing the Odyssey and the Sienna I was highly skeptical about my enjoyment level of this vehicle. It is smaller, doesn’t have all the nooks and crannies for all the junk equipment that I need for the kids and doesn’t ride as high. (I’m short so I have a short vehicle complex too). So I reluctantly took it for a spin on Black Friday to give it its first full test.
My thinking in taking it for Black Friday was that it had lots of trunk room, similar to the van; but was zippier than the van meaning that I could slid in and out of parking spots and the traffic madness that is Black Friday with less effort. I was also hauling a couple other adults and the sliding back doors seemed like a plus in that department too. Turns out, it was the best decision I could have made!
Mazda5 Cargo Room - Black Friday extraordinaire!
The vehicle, despite being the size of a car, not a van, handled beautifully. I loved that I could zip in and out of parking spots and run errands in a way that I couldn’t with the van. I also didn’t feel like I was just a little ole car like I thought I would coming from the mini van that I usually drive. And the cargo space? Well, see for yourself. We fit two bicycles, not yet assembled and a myriad of other purchases in the trunk without making the seating uncomfortable.
I absolutely LOVED the third row seat! It wouldn’t be the most comfortable for a long trip but the main reason we purchased a van with only 2 children was that we could never transport others’. That problem is solved in the Mazda 5. And it has the cool sliding back doors just like a mini van!
After my positive experience on Black Friday I drove it absolutely everywhere for the week. It even snowed that week and I had no apprehensions about taking it out and about. Again, it handled very well.
And if you don’t believe me, how about this for a true story? While we had the vehicle we had some friends inquire about it as an option they were considering for their next vehicle purchase. So we did the decent thing and invited them over for dinner and to go for a ride in it so that they could see what it was like without the influence of a sales person. After all, I’m not making commission if Mazda sells a vehicle! Turns out that they loved it as much as we did and went and purchased one around the holidays. Nice. And you are welcome Mazda! :)
So if you can’t tell, I highly recommend this vehicle if you are in the market for one of this size for your family. (The price tag is reasonable too). I have it at the top of our list of vehicles to replace our current sedan and that says A LOT as I am usually very loyal to my friends at Honda and Toyota.
Disclosure: I received a vehicle with gas included to test drive for the week to conduct this review. All the opinions in this post are mine, want to know more about how I facilitate reviews, view my full disclosure policy!
On the other side of the coin, if you have more than two kids, this is NOT the car for you! I can’t stand how this thing is laid out in the back and the lack of cargo space when the third row seat is up. The doors are really big and they hit the cars next to them in parking lots. It’s really hard to get into the back seat to strap kids in, too.
Yes, I could see that having more than 2 kids might be cumbersome. I was mostly thinking that it was great for those not quite ready for a minivan. Thanks for weighing in with your experience.
We really like the Mazda5. We have 3 kids; so, it was not as practical for us since we’d always be using the 3rd row, we didn’t feel like it had enough room to do the shopping and kid hauling at the same time. We liked it so much we were at the place to buy it and put our teenage niece “just to make sure” and at that point decided that it just wouldn’t work long (way long) term for us. It would have been great in a 2 kid family or in a family with young kids looking for something great for about 5 years.
I still kinda wish we’d bought it, but I don’t want to have to car shop again in 5 years.
Yes, I agree with you. More kids would be tough. At least young kids, maybe school age kids could get in the back more easily but then you do lose cargo room? Always good to think about.
We bought a Mazda 5 in 2006 when they first entered the US market. I can’t say enough wonderful things about this car! Great gas mileage. WAY more room then it looks! Easy to drive and park. Has 3rd row if needed to haul friends around. This car rocks!
We are in the market for a 3rd row vehicle but not a minivan and don’t know what’s out there. Thanks for the review. Do you have any other 3rd row vehicle reviews coming up?
Not definitively but there are always possibilities. Any readers have third row vehicle selections?
You would have to look at SUVs with 3rd row seats. All of the vehicle manufactures do have them in their lineup, it all depends on how much space you are looking for/amount of money you want to spend. A few would be the Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Mazda CX-9, Kia Sorento/Hyundai Veracruz, Chevy Traverse/GMC Acadia/Buick Enclave, Chevy Tahoe, Chevy Suburban, Dodge Durango, Ford Explorer, and Nissan Armada.
Even though I would love to have a large vehicle, our next vehicle will be a Chevy Suburban for my husband in order to tow our camper and have something that would be able to fit more than just the four of us!
You might want to consider a crossover vehicle (think of a cross between a station wagon and an SUV). There are a ton out there that offer the third row seat but aren’t as big as a minivan or SUV. A few of them are the Chevy Traverse, GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave, Mazda CX-9, Ford Edge, and Nissan Murano. Good luck with your search!
May have to add this to our consider list when we decide to replace our older Honda minivan.
If I ever need anything bigger than my SOUL, this will be at the top of my list!
I absolutely love my GMC Acadia! I think it is slightly bigger than my ford windstar van was, but it feels soooo much smaller. Its a dream to drive. Love it!
Here, we have 4 kids and drive a Kia Rondo for 2 years. I just LOVED this car. For the price, everything was in it. And yes, when we were all in the car, of course, the space was a bit short,(but we were rarely 6 in the car, so I could put the kids in the middle, the oldest one in front (she was 12) and let the 3rd row down for a regular family car trunk. We needed a roof rack, but it did the job. The oldest kids could strap thereselves alone in the 3 rd row and I was taking care of the others. During vacations, we were putting 3 kids in the middle and 1 in the back with 1 seat down, so I could put luggages beside her. I think wathever size of car you buy, you will always be short on space during vacations aren’t we all ;))) And to end the story, the security is just awsome. I crashed the car with 3 kids in it, and except me (because I saw the accident coming I contracted myself) nobody got hurt. Kia handle the case with a lot of professionnalism. After that, we took the insurance and bough tmy father in law GMC Sierra (6 places) cash and now we have no car loan and are really glad. But if I had to buy another car, I would go for the rondo (but a 2 years used EX the lixe V6 version less expensive) again without any fear. Excellent reviews from our Quebec version of consumer report (Protégez-vous). Hope that will help ;)))
This is our top pick for our next vehicle (or the Rondo or a wagon). I can’t bear the thought of driving a regular mini-van, the space is overkill for our family (2 adults, 1 toddler, 1 baby coming up, and a dog), they guzzle gas, they are unpleasant looking, and they feel like you are a motorized garden shed. I find that many people drive vehicles much bigger than they need. I know several families of 2 adults + one small child who drive full-sized mini-vans. It just seems excessive and environmentally irresponsible, but then everyone has different criteria.