Used 2014 Mazda 5 Sport 4dr Minivan (2.5L 4cyl 6M) Consumer Reviews
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Choose your niche
dougiesc, Alexandria, VA, 01/21/2015
updated 01/27/2020
Mazda 5 Sport 4dr Minivan (2.5L 4cyl 6M)
47 of 50 people found this review helpful
Definitely a niche car, best suited for a family of 4 plus groceries or luggage. It works for us, but if you really need the passenger or luggage space, go with a full-sized minivan. This isn't it. It is basically a 4-seat wagon with a couple of child-sized extra seats in the back--which you can't use if you carry much luggage. However, the usual three-passenger sedan bench seat is replaced with two full captain's chairs and a table/platform for drinks, books, whatever. The car is solid and quiet. Good adult leg- and head-room (except for those pesky far-back seats). It is cheaper than any full-sized minivan, gets somewhat better fuel economy, and is more maneuverable. [UPDATE 1: To update my review -- the Mazda5 remains a niche car, possibly so tight a niche that Mazda discontinued it. I like how it drives, how the seat fits me, how maneuverable it is. I don't have to step up (i.e., SUVs) or step down (i.e., most sedans) into it. It's a great car for long trips. But it does not replace a full-size minivan, either for the amount of things it can carry or store, or for the number of seats (the rear seats remain useful mainly for the munchkins, and ours are usually folded down, making the car effectively a large hatchback). I have, in fact, gotten a roof rack for carrying home all those 4x8' sheets of plywood. My daughter's Odyssey surprisingly beats it for actual highway fuel economy (not city economy). Will I keep it? Yes. Would I get one again? Well, there I'm not so sure.] [UPDATE 2: So I traded it in at five years. For me that's a quick turnaround--I've kept cars as long as 19 years. The main reason was that it was too much a "niche" car. The rear seats weren't very useful, except in rare instances, and the lack of a center seat in the second row meant that a fifth passenger had to sit in the back, taking up valuable storage space. There were other things. I wanted a back-up camera and a better sound system. And since we're getting on in years I thought an automatic transmission would be a good change. So I've gotten a Honda HR-V, which I'll review anon.]
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It's not a minivan it's a SUPER WAGON
wnull, Lancaster, PA, 05/28/2014
updated 06/02/2020
Mazda 5 Sport 4dr Minivan (2.5L 4cyl 6M)
42 of 50 people found this review helpful
when our 2007 mazda3 was totaled we knew we wanted another mazda. we had that car since new with 130k on it and no issues. We also wanted something for our growing family but yet something kind of fun to drive. My wife refuses to drive anything but a manual transmission. So the mazda5 has fit the bill for everything. we don't usually have more than 4 people in the car at a time but it's nice to know we can fit 6 if needed. If you plan on taking this for long vacations using all six seats..BUY the roof rack! MPG so far has averaged 28/ best 32..mostly hwy and long stretches of 40mph roads during my commute. For a young couple that like smaller maneuverable cars this is the way to go! Update: just turned 36k miles and still love our super wagon especially after our second child. Zero issues other than the stock tires where crap. By 20k miles they where super loud on the highway. Other than that only maintenance has been oil changes and other normal maintenance. *42k update - zero issues other than the plastic in the back is knicked up and scratches easy. Other than that it's just been usually oil changes, on our second set of tires. Went with contental DWS tires and it helped reduce the cabin noise a lot! This is considered the best car purchase we've made. *50k update - still no issues other then a recall on the hatch lifts. taken care of free of charge. I will say as the kids are getting older, I really wish it was a quieter ride on the highways. we bought portable dvd players to go over the head rest and we have to crank them to max volume for the kids to hear them. Still can't complain considering the price and it's the only super wagon with a manual transmission and sliding passenger doors! *56k update - oh Mazda and your cheap paint, the front of the car from trips is getting pretty chipped up and my lack of keeping the bug guts clean off the front of it during the first few years has really shown it's mark. So technically if I had kept up with cleaning the front of the car off during and after trips i'm sure the car would be much better off. No plans to get rid of the super wagon and it's still doing great with long trips, still getting around 29-31 mpg on long trips. still loving the manual transmission and zero problems with the car. **85K final update - The mazda5 was traded in. Almost a year ago for a 2019 Buick tourx. We loved the 5 but started to get surface rust...issues from me not taking care of the paint. it never got a single coat of wax. We had ZERO mechanical issues with it, loved the space in the back but it just got to be uncomfortable for long family trips. Being 6' tall and with my kids getting bigger we wanted something with more room. we do miss the extra room we had in the back, and the use of third row seats for the rare occasion we needed them. Overall would we buy it again if we knew what we knew now. In a heartbeat!! To this day it's the only purchase we've made with zero buyers remorse.
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Great cheap hauler
chris_columbia, Laurel, MD, 12/18/2020
updated 06/22/2021
Mazda 5 Sport 4dr Minivan (2.5L 4cyl 6M)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I bought this new in late 2014. Had it now 6 years and 70k miles. Price was great and it's really a lot of car for the money. Plus, I was able to get a manual. I didn't like the way the shifter felt when new. Too much effort to move and it's plastic, so I added a new aftermarket leather shift knob which was taller, and that made it go from poor to perfect. Also got a factory leather steering wheel from the grand touring and installed myself(Sport model is the only option for the manual trans). After a few years, I also got some after market touch screen head unit from China for about $300. Looks completely factory. With it, was able to have a backup camera and dvd player in center consul. Rear visibility wasn't great before the camera, but this is an issue on all modern cars. Two negatives: 1. Wish I could get my hands on the center row middle seat that is available in Europe and Japan. 2. Tire noise and wear are higher than any other car I know of. The wear isn't a big deal, as 16" tires are only about $100 each for good ones, but the noise gets old. I have had no repair issues, ever. So far, just tires and oil changes. I'm not having paint or rust issues that I see in other reviews, but I live in MD, so only see snow a few times per year. Update: Jun21, 2021 77K miles: No new issues. I did buy adjustable rear control arms to adjust factory chamber from -2.0 degrees to -0.1 degrees and install new rear tires. I can't notice a handling difference but everybody reports that this resolves the rear tire wear issue. So far so good. The after-market cast steel arms were only $28 each.
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Watch out for bad paint on Mazda5 and no warranty coverage!
stowevter, Boulder, CO, 10/14/2014
Mazda 5 Sport 4dr Minivan (2.5L 4cyl 6M)
13 of 19 people found this review helpful
We have a Mazda5 Sport with only 22,000 miles. The paint around both front wheel wells has flaked off to bare metal. And, the paint along the rocker panels on both sides and up the doors 12-18 inches has also flaked off, ruining the finish. Mazda refuses to cover the repair of this and says that something on the roads "back east" used for snow removal caused the paint to fail. Unbelievable but they won't cover a fix. I have filed an arbitration claim with the Better Business Bureau. Beware of Mazda cars "back east" -- they have a paint adhesion problem! see site: my mazda sucks dot com