grimm01

I don't own one, but I try to rent one whenever I got to NY to see my family. It's small enough that it doesn't feel unwieldy and big enough to haul people and things. Me, my wife and son have enough room to drive up there with our stuff and then I can drive around my mom and other family members while we are there.

Looks are subject, but i prefer this over a minivan. It has a sporty edge to it. The mileage is good and it has a little pep when you need it. The dash plastics are hard, but I am driving the rental version.

If you want to check one out, go to Hertz. They usually have them in the mid-size car price range. Get it for the weekend and try it out.

Johnny Sack

its not a bad car.

dparm

Jeremy Clarkson actually picked it as his favorite "MPV" (aka minivan). He said it's still reasonably utilitarian while offering a bit of sportiness.

s2kpdx01

I wish it had sliding doors. Those are a life saver for the wife with kids, groceries, dogs, etc. I don't think she would want to make do without them at this point.

Cubs2k

Perhaps Forward facing Seats, but rear facing seats are tight and when the kid out grows the infant seat but still need to face backward....you'll need to jack the front seat all the way forward.


As far as the 5....my mom has one. It seems like it is not holding up too well, however....my mom is hard on her vehicles.

The sliding side doors are awesome.....trying to get a baby in and out of a car seat in a crowded parking lot, tight garage is made much easier.

JonBoy

It does have sliding doors.

s2kpdx01

you are right. for some reason it didn't look like it had them at first glance. very cool.

Vik2000

If I were married and my wife's about to deliver a baby, this is the car I'd get.

Here's a funny commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWHExiLhqWA

crazydude

I wanna see this topgear clip... I cant find it

sevenrd

My wife drives an '06 Mazda5. Just about 32k on the odometer. Bought new. I drive it on the weekends and on getaways.

Reliability has been very good. The only real issues we've had were some odd suspension noise coming from the rear of the car at around 26k miles. I forget the exact cause of the problem, but it was fairly minor and repaired under warranty. Also replaced one of the sliding door locks. It started making a bit of a clunking noise. It was also covered under warranty. Other than that it's just been routine maintenance.

Given what the car is, it is fantastic. It drives more like a car than a minivan. It gets decent mpg. Holds six in relative comfort. Has plenty of cargo space. It's great to be able to fit into smaller parking spaces and still be able to hold so much cargo. The sliding doors are wonderful. Available in 5-speed manual.

My gripes are few. It's not underpowered for day-to-day use, but if you're hauling around 6 adults you will definitely feel the car working. I would not enjoy it if I regularly hauled 6 adults around. I do not like front wheel drive in general, but can forgive it in a car whose purpose is more focused on useful transportation, rather than performance.

Really, it's been a great car that I actually enjoy driving. Unless something better in the segment comes along, we'll likely replace our '06 with another 5 when the time for a new one comes around.

If you have any questions feel free to ask here or shoot me a PM.

Hope some of that helps!