Mazda5

[sassysue]

hey guys thanks for all your opnions tonight we see gonna test drive one and ask my wife what she thinks this vehicle is bascally for the city and maybe to toronto once in awhile i can also get an awsome deal on the vehicle! well hopefully it's mazda or kia or huydai

Thanks
Richard!

[and or]

well hopefully it's mazda or kia or huydai

Beware the Kia.

[cwb27]

mine was a 04, one of the first and in the 2 and a half years that i owned it, they didnt fix/do anything regarding the ac.

Did you tell them? It's a Service Bulletin and not a recall so they won't do anything unless you tell them your AC sucks. If you did tell them and they did nothing then that dealership has a bunch of idiots working in the garage...

[The_Professor]

I owned a Mazda3 for just under two years and never once found the A/C to be inadequate. It was a 2006 with a new diffuser installed over previous years, but I can safely say that unless you're the type who sweats sitting down the A/C should be fine under normal conditions.

And to the poster who asked why the Mazda5 keeps getting glowing reviews it is because it's a lot of bang for your buck, and have you ever driven one? It's a practical family car that isn't boring to drive like minivans and cute utes.

[cwb27]

I owned a Mazda3 for just under two years and never once found the A/C to be inadequate. It was a 2006 with a new diffuser installed over previous years, but I can safely say that unless you're the type who sweats sitting down the A/C should be fine under normal conditions.

The diffuser is the key part. Really, it's just a piece of plastic with holes that slows the air flow, but it corrects the issue.

A better way to correct the problem is to install the Cabin Air Filter. Even on vehicles where it wasn't an option (i.e 2004 models) all the climate control system are identical and it slips right on in.

[herbie08]

Test drove a Mazda5 before and found it to be a great ride (brought a 3 GT instead). The gas mileage is not the great on this car but I love both the interior and exterior styling. There were three things missing in the 07 GT that was not available that would have changed my purchasing decision.

1. second row rear vent/ac - without it, it take forever to cool the car and I do not want to put my kid in the last row when it is 35 degrees outside and they have to wait 15 minutes for their area to cool (in the 08 spec - love it)

2. power sliding doors - would have been the cherry on top, not in the 08 spec but would love it if it was an available option

3. Full three seats in the second row, like the Rondo to make it a 7 seater. Not that I would ever had 7 people in the car but I would have to use the third row all the time if I am drive a 5th person around.

I also don't like the sunroof retracts above the roof and not into it like the 3, it looks weird by that might just be me.

[Zaku_4]

Did you tell them? It's a Service Bulletin and not a recall so they won't do anything unless you tell them your AC sucks. If you did tell them and they did nothing then that dealership has a bunch of idiots working in the garage...

of course

though the ac was a problem i loved the car, it handled very well for fwd and the interior quality was very good.

just dont expect everything to be top notch in a mazda, theres gota be something "wrong". afterall, they had to cut back somewhere

[lint]

hey there's 2 versions either GT OR GS i belive 1 of them has the feature! can't seem to find no GT AROUND!

Neither of them have power seats.

[Darkharbour]

mine was a 04, one of the first and in the 2 and a half years that i owned it, they didnt fix/do anything regarding the ac.

I have an '04 Mazda3 2.3L with 74k on the odo. The A/C works just fine, and it hasn't had any "fixes" to the A/C. The last 2 weeks here (Calgary) the temperature has been over 30 most days with humidex (gasp! in Calgary) in the mid to high 30's and the A/C has worked great, despite the all black interior.

My previous car was a 2000 Mazda Protege 1.8L and that car had weak A/C, often icing up during long road trips. This happened atleast once in AB, ON, PQ, and NS. Turning the unit off for 20 minutes always seemed to fix it, but the dealer was never able to offer a real solution.

[Atheral]

honestly speaking

mazda's ac's just suck plain ass. anything from a 3 (owned), mx5 prht (own), to an rx8 (sat in). they just suck. they just dont blow cold air; rather cold enough air (to be fair)

I know you didn't mention the Mazda6, but I do want to say that I find the Mazda6 AC (and heating) to be excellent. Takes a short time to get going and is the air is adequately cold/hot.

[forreal]

Beware the Kia.

If you're referring to Kia's quality and reliability, that kind of thinking is old school. Kia doesn't suck as much as they used to, but it'll take a while for public perception to catch up.

I'm saying this because I bought a Kia Rondo a few months ago. I'm definitely not a gearhead and wasn't even aware of Kia's past reputation, so when I did my research, I approached it with open eyes and without any preconceived ideas. Obviously, I came to the conclusion that Kia has mostly overcome its past problems--unless I'm a complete idiot and my research was all wrong (actually, I am a bit of an idiot, so who knows?). Anyways, I know I risk being ridiculed for holding an opinion contrary to the knee-jerk popular belief, but that's the price for thinking different.

If you're referring to Kia's sexiness or looks or resale value, I'll have to agree with you there. Anyways, back to the Mazda5. I personally like everything about it and it almost suits all of my needs. I preferred the Rondo mostly due to its 2-3-2 seating for up to seven (not that I'll always need that capacity, but there will be the odd occasion that I'll need it). If not for that, I would have bought the Mazda5.

My cousin has a Mazda3 and I haven't noticed any shortcomings to the AC.