2006 MAZDA MAZDA5 Consumer Reviews
Most Helpful Reviews
Positive Review
Great style and fuel economy for what you get. We rarely have everyone in the car at this point but when everyone is home we can still go in one car or haul a bunch of stuff in the back - not both at the same time but we knew that. Where else can you carry 6 people and get over 30mpg on the highway? I would buy this car again and, in fact have bought a Mazda 3 now, but there are a couple little quirks: 1) The ride is very confident but getting to be quite stiff for the torn up Michigan roads. Luckily we've had tire "insurance" because we blistered 3 tires last winter in pot holes. The 17" wheels are great looking but are not resilient to winters. Maybe 16" and snow tires this year?? 2) Rear shocks and struts have been "blown out". Another victim of the stiff but "zoom-zoom" confident ride is the amount of jarring the struts / shocks have taken. Good thing I can replace this stuff myself so it doesn't break the bank but replacing is a little premature in my opinion. 3) Rust - very common issue with the Mazda 3's but the 5 is starting to show a bit of rust in the rear wheel well lip already. This is annoying and I'm not sure what to do about it. Seems to be a common platform issue with 5s and 3s. 4) Missing options? - Europe got power sliding doors and stability control. Not sure I need the former but having traction control/stability control would have been nice. I like the Bose option in this vintage Grand Touring Mazda 3's. Would have been an easy add to this vehicle, I'm guessing. 5) Of course the Mazdaspeed engine would have been a blast and one of the magazines did that conversion but....
VS
Critical Review
We've owned a 2008 Grand Touring model for 3 years. We love a lot about this vehicle - gas mileage, seat comfort, dash, controls, size, sliding side doors on a vehicle smaller than a minivan, I could probably go on. Obviously, it's smaller than a minivan, so cargo space is limited, and if you are using all the seats, there is basically no cargo space. Mechanically, it's been pretty reliable, mostly routine maintenance stuff. Some of the features/finishes seem to have been short-cutted: the rear fan vents ONLY blow cold air, ever (says so in the manual) - kind of annoying in the middle of winter when you been in the store for a while, and little kids are in the back shivering, waiting for the warm air from the front vents to reach them. We have 2 big issues with the 2008 Mazda5: 1. It goes through it's pretty expensive tires very quickly. In 3 years, we've had to replace the entire set twice (the last time was in August, after less than a year on the previous full set) due to very dangerous wear , even though our alignment tests show fine. We will probably have to replace them again this year. And we've only put 40k miles on the vehicle, so only 4k more than the average estimate of 36k for the length of time we've had it. We don't ride it rough, and have fairly equal split of city and highway driving. 2. This vehicle has absolutely horrendous traction. And we have lived in Northern IL and IN while owning this car. I don't suggest it unless you live where you rarely, if ever, get ice or snow. Or heavy rain. Or moderate rain and wind. Or light rain if you have hills. Swapping wheels for a smaller rim and putting snow tires on for 7 months out of the year would probably help with this, but we only just learned that info, and haven't tested it ourselves. Apparently, the model released in Japan has AWD, while the European model has traction control. Why Mazda decided to forego these options in the US market is beyond me. Would we recommend this car to a friend? If they live in a warmer, drier climate, TOTALLY! If they live in our climate, or farther north, probably not, unless they're willing to try the tire swap trick for half or more of the year.
2006 MAZDA5 Reviews
Showing 8 of 280 reviews.
Good gas, good storage, 3 rows of seats
Ugh, everything else.
Transmission went at 65,000 miles, no one could figure out how to fix it. Needed an external cooling unit, it runs too hot. Been a nightmare with that and vibrations, so many repairs. Car still sucks.
Storage, ease of access, fuel economy, reliability
transmission issues with 3rd gear, suspension
I have had this car since 2016 and when I purchased it, it had 112,000 miles. We purchased it for $7,000. It has driven all over the country, multiple times between Utah and Los Angeles, Utah and Missouri, and even from Utah to Chicago and Chicago to Virginia. It has had zero problems! The sliding doors are amazing especially with kids and car seats. We have used it to move all of our belongings multiple times and we didn't need a Uhaul. It even fit a queen sized mattress inside! I love this car. However, we found out today that the automatic transmission is shot and the 3rd gear needs replacement for $4,000. It has 195,000 miles. Very sad, but we are now looking into getting a newer model or the Mazda3.
Fun to drive , great cargo space
suspension design caused noise never ends.
have had this car since day 1 pro: Fun to drive even after 10 years with 100K, ( same as Mazda 3 engine ) Great cargo space for travel , commute but saving gas ( unlike standard VAN) Good interior finished quality after 10 years. Most time , reliable with replaced several parts ( with average $100 for total $1300 so far) Con: Poor design of suspension caused noise after 50K , Mazda should admit and recall. 2 times engine lights on ( when 4 years 38K and 10 years 98K) Replaced several bulbs and done several alignment ( wheel /tire size design caused out of alignment several times) , Tires need to be replaced about 40K miles. Overall, we still like Mazda 5 , a fund drive mini van but wish reliability could be improved like Toyota , Honda van.
Has been a great car.
None
When I bought this car, it had about 96,000 miles. It now has 270,000 miles and runs great. I put a water pump on it and struts on it about seven or eight years ago and that’s all. We just do routine things, oil change and tires. I don’t think that’s too bad, lol.
Suited my needs for an overall dependable & ultra
The round d hood was hard to see over with my 4'10
I have driven the 2006 Mazda 5 sense fall of 2009 which up-to-date is 11 years I absolutely loved this car it was everything that I needed wanted or ever might of imagined. I highly suggest any style of Mazda they're dependable reliable low maintenance to a fault. I would buy again.
Fun to drive, great handling, lots of room
Not a lot of trunk space if all rows are up
I got this car this month, and I originally wanted an actual minivan. Like a Grand Caravan, Town and Country, or an Odyssey. But I saw this on the lot for a reasonable price, and I fell in love. The engine is small, but the pep and zip of its makes it feel like I'm driving a small car instead of a minivan. With the collapsible 3rd row, it gives the appearance of an oversized hatchback. Being smaller than most minivans, makes it so much easier to maneuver in small spaces which makes in invaluable driving in the city,
I purchased my Mazda 5 on Dec. 31 2010. It has been a great car. Fun to drive. Dependable. Besides regular oil changes, battery and tires this car has needed nothing.
Fun to drive, excellent steering and brakes.
A bit noisy, underpowered when loaded.
Great concept, too small for an average family, but great for one or two people. Very convenient. Fun to drive, but wish it had more power and was quieter. Except for some suspension parts, it has been reliable. Good, not great gas mileage.
