2015 Mazda 5, reliable?

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There's a '12 Mazda5 6MT in my extended family. They absolutely love it. No issues as far as I know. The '15 is the last model year of that generation, so it should be equal or better.
 
The mazda 5 bundled along with all other (compromised utility vehicles) CUVs are a waste of consumer money. Get a real minivan.
 
Mazda seems to make reliable cars. True Delta, Carcomplaints.com, and Edmunds are great places to look at real customer reviews if you want factual data. If its clean and has been maintained I wouldn't hesitate to buy a newer/new Mazda. I personally wouldn't purchase to model you are looking at strictly from a styling standpoint.
 
They look nice inside but I got behind a black one the other day and the rear end looks like a frumpy owl.....
 
Originally Posted By: AirgunSavant
They look nice inside but I got behind a black one the other day and the rear end looks like a frumpy owl.....


Yeah the back of that vehicle is really ugly. I think they're pretty good vehicles though. I'm surprised they never caught on, I thought it was a good concept and the price was pretty good.
 
Originally Posted By: AirgunSavant
They look nice inside but I got behind a black one the other day and the rear end looks like a frumpy owl.....
Yeah I can't stand the looks of almost any Mazda car.
 
We have a 2012 Mazda5, which we bought in 2014 with 55,000 miles. It now has 90,000 miles on it. The only problem we've had is an exhaust heat shield which is loose and rattles at idle. We get 27 mpg average over the 35,000 miles we've had it.

It's certainly smaller than "real" minivans (though cptbarkey is not correct to classify it as a CUV - it's a 3-row Mazda3 with no additional ground clearance so how is it a CUV?). Kids only for the third row, and you can't fit too much behind the 3rd row with the seats up. Nevertheless it has served us quite well on family vacations as there are plenty of other nooks and crannies in which to put things.

We like chose it over traditional minivans for the improved fuel economy and the fact that it drives like a car, not a van. And the smaller overall size helps us make the most of our limited garage space.

Hope this helps!
 
And the fact that it's smaller than minivans is easily solved by adding a roof box. You end up with comparable seating accommodations, better cargo space, and a smaller footprint. It really is an excellent vehicle.
 
Thanks everyone for your inputs! We will definitely be driving one of these before making our decision.

KrisZ - rust is not an issue for us in south Texas!
smile.gif
 
Oops, didn't see you were in Texas. lol

I would check the cartridge oil filter housing, as they are prone to cracking when overtorqued. The passenger engine mount tends to go around 100k, as well as wheel bearings. Mine went at about 120k. I don't know if they are beefed up on Mazda 5, but if they are not, they will probably go sooner as it is a heavier vehicle. My front struts also went bad about the same time the wheel bearing did. I also had to replace one lower control arm due to a failed ball joint (I hot a huge pot hole few years prior) and a bunch of accessory belt tensioner pulleys as the bearings tend to go out on them, fortunately it's a 15 minute job, for they pulley.
That's pretty much it as far as my MZ3 goes in over 140k miles. Oh, the parking brake tends to stick on these as well. It's probably less of an issue in Texas, but it may still happen as it's the plastic shield that coats the cable that is the culprit, not rust. I have a cheap and easy fix for it dough.

On the plus side the engine is strong and the oil level never drops on the dipstick in 5k mile OCIs using dino. The same goes for the transmission. All the accessories, AC, heated mirrors etc. all work just fine. It's a fun little car and it's holding up very well for me.
 
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
I would check the cartridge oil filter housing...

Ours has a normal spin-on filter. I assume a 2015 would be the same, as they haven't redesigned it.
 
2013 mazda touring here, 49k miles.(new to us at 24kmiles).
you will have some road noise so get to an auto-audio shop and do some soundproofing.
it is a 2+2 tall car or 2+2+2kids car.
if you are wide shoulders/long legs... well you're in trouble (this is a world car)
right now we have cooper rs3-a on it. (the factory originals at 24k where leaving the back leaving traction in a regular curvy ramp)
it did 3 trips: chicago-SC, Chicago-FL, Chicago-GA (gas-up and drive) and did OK

check AC is charged. you will need it in TX
i change my oil with a pump. filter is spin-on.
i do have a ticking noise on drivers side when is cold and i accelerate between 40-60 mph. replicable with cruise on also.
 
Originally Posted By: NateDN10
We have a 2012 Mazda5, which we bought in 2014 with 55,000 miles. It now has 90,000 miles on it. The only problem we've had is an exhaust heat shield which is loose and rattles at idle.

What noise you had from the heat shield? driver side or passenger side?
thank you
 
Originally Posted By: pandus13
Originally Posted By: NateDN10
We have a 2012 Mazda5, which we bought in 2014 with 55,000 miles. It now has 90,000 miles on it. The only problem we've had is an exhaust heat shield which is loose and rattles at idle.

What noise you had from the heat shield? driver side or passenger side?
thank you

Well, it's kind of in the middle, but closer to the passenger side I guess. There are several shields along the length of the exhaust, and the one that's loose is the last one before the rear wheels. The bolts are still in the body, but the aluminum shield pulled away from them. I just need to buy a new shield and install it but since it's such a low-priority issue I haven't done it.
 
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