Mazda 5 - The Car BEFORE the MINIVAN

This is our family's MAZDA 5. It's quick! It's sporty! It's great for a growing family! Watch my video to take a peek inside!
Here's a review from AUTOTRADER: • 2015 Mazda5 | 5 Reason...
Here's a video on fully folding the seats down: • 2013 Mazda5 Second and...
Awesome CAR DEPRECIATION video: • How Cars Keep You POOR!
#minivanlife #minivan #mazda5
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I am the author of a book titled THE LEGENDARY DADDY. It is a story about how my dream to become a daddy became nightmare before I turned it into my legend. I wrote the book for young adults who are thinking about becoming parents one day. The book details everything that no one told me, that could have helped me be much more prepared.
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Or, if you would like to take a "look inside" or make a purchase from Amazon, you can do that here: www.amazon.com/dp/1504382137

[@ibmtpx24]

I am a single person but I love mazda5 so much that when my 2010 mazda5 got totalled in a accident, I went and got a 2015 model the next day. I just wish it has a plugin version to save money on gas. Unfortunately they discontinued this versatile car.

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

Totally bummed they discontinued this car. : ( Taking care of mine the best I can. : ) I totally agree with the hybrid idea. My Mazda 5 is so quick and strong, but it does use quite a bit of fuel. Freeway miles conserve a bit of that fuel. I had a young man ask me about my car. He liked it. He didn't even realize it had third row seating.

[@ianclarke698]

I actually owned this car for over 4 years since I bought it. Really fun to drive and easily park in my driveway.

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

yeah, man. I can park in some compact spaces, and because the 5 has sliding side doors, my kids don't ding cars when they open the door to get out. : )

[@hindesite]

Have just bought our second one. There is just nothing else like these for capacity, efficiency and purchase price. First one was 2011 Nissan Lafesta (with older Ford-based motor, 5spd transmission and basic trim). Second one is 2015 Nissan Lafesta, which since 2014 has the Skyactiv motor (2.0l in Japan/NZ) and 6spd transmission. We got the higher spec one with partial leather, more airbags, electric doors, steering gear paddles, keyless remote and cruise control. The difference in fuel economy is significant, Mazda did a great job with Skyactiv. With people moving to SUVs, these imports are sitting around for months in car yards, people don't seem to want them, so they are dirt cheap. Yet we can fit our 3 greyhounds in easily, and I've just done an extended holiday with 2 mountain bikes upright in the back. Big rear door, low flat floor when the seats are down, and heaps of headroom right out to the back. There's little else like it, at any price.

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

Agreed! You sure sound like you got a lot of great use out of yours! Dogs. Mountain bikes. Sound awesome!

[@DanielH3342]

Great video, thank you for all this info. I'm looking for one of these right now.

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

thank you! hope you find a great one!

[@hindesite]

The back row seatbelt clip is intended for storage only, you slip the belt in place the put the tab of the seatbelt end into the second closed slot, which keeps everything in place.

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

Yes! Thanks for sharing that in the comments. I hadn't used them often so I forgot what they were for, until I started to use the full capacity with the rear seats down. Those belts slip perfectly into place and out of the way with those clips.

[@jenniferreynolds6244]

Mazda 5 mini minivan- manual transmission ❤. It’s swift, it’s agile, it’s no slouch on entering highways or overtaking when necessary. Handles like a well tuned bicycle, no need to coax it- just think it, and she’ll do for you. What’s not to love?!Zoom zoom😁- drive responsibility

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

I usually drive my Mazda 5 with 3 adults and 3 kids inside. You're right. She goes up hills, enters freeways, and cruises with ease. Can park in compact parking spaces also! Sliding doors make it easy to get in and out for the kids and adults in the back seats! : )

[@bestclarkesspot]

I own this car as well and it is very reliable if you take care of it.

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

that's what I'm hoping for 👍

[@StuartHaight]

Same boat here. Used a Mazda2 5speed manual and did totally fine for 2 kids. 3rd on the way. Found a 6speed manual Mazda5 in Ohio. Will trade it in. Wife currently uses rav4 but will go sienna route. I have a sienna but its for gear/work no kids allowed.

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

never knew about Mazdas until my Mazda5. LOVE IT. It's so quick! Easy to park too.

[@godwinewaenuhunwangho6641]

Please I have the automatic transmission but faulty can I convert it to Manual transmission?

[@Kamelemele]

Nice review. if you don't have kids then you can stow the third seat down and have its of room in trunk space. I didn't know about how cool the Mazda 5 was till my Prius died and had to look for something else and I found a used 2015. To me it's like a bigger-than-a-wagon but not an SUV. I've never been much of a van fan but I love the M5. I also wish they'd bring it back as an electric or hybrid. I hear that Mazda sold the Mazda 5 to Nissan, I think it was, and they are making it under another name but its same style!!! Gunna look into that.

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

A hybrid Mazda 5 would be AWESOME. I'm a big fan of the size. I can park it in compact spaces. I'm curious about Nissan buying it. I would love to see what they'd do with it.

[@SirBrass]

Ick ick ick. The real beauty of the 5 is that it's the ONLY van in North America sold since 2005 to have a manual transmission option. Take that away in a remake by making it hybrid (unless they do like Honda did with the Insight and CRX by having manual transmission hybrid options) or even worse a crappy EV and it completely ruins the car. Manual 5 is THE van for car enthusiasts. Leave hybrid and electric boringness to the myriad of soulless crossovers Mazda has in its CX lineup.

[@ZelvinRivera]

Vamos a comprar uno y busqué referencias, creo que me has convencido 😅 gracias por la referencia 🙌🏼

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

De nada! Espero que tiene años de alegría y seguridad con tu nueva compra!

[@MNaira]

Thank you for the review. I have to say this helped us make the decision to get a 2015 Mazda5 when our 2014 KIA Rondo started having engine issues and we needed a new car. I do miss the covered storage in the arm rest area, but overall I am satisfied so far. I noticed you have seat covers, do you remember when you got those? I am checking online but I am worried about them fitting the captain chairs

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

thanks for your comment! i hope you enjoy your new ride! I bought my car seat covers at Costco. Type S Wetsuit Heather Seat Covers. They came in a 2 pack for $38.99. They protect the seats really well. Our seats are beige, so I definitely wanted to protect them from stains. The covers fit the bucket seats perfectly. However, they kind of limit access to the back bucket seats, which have cupholders under one seat and extra storage under the other seat. I have spare kids clothes stored in our seats. I don't access them often.

[@flyhighlow3]

Great video

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

thanks!

[@mijaresaldo]

Thank you very much for the video. Really informative. Btw you still have your 5? How is it doing?

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

We still use it! We do local driving in a hybrid, because the price of gas is high and the 5 guzzles. We mostly use her on the weekends. She is THE BEST. I love how she handles and the acceleration. Especially after driving the hybrid, I really appreciate how smooth the 5 feels with steering, acceleration, etc. And I can still park her in small parking spots. She's not as wide, tall, or long as some SUVs. And in tight parking lots, my kids won't hit the car parked next to us because it has sliding doors. As the kids get bigger, they get to move to the middle row bucket seats too. Still love our family mini-minivan : )

[@ClayKirby-sj3zy]

Fast peppy car ..i got a ,2007 for 2500

[@Venom3303]

No, it’s slow. Lol

[@dennislilley5562]

​@Venom3303 I got a 2009 one it preforms well fast for a people mover

[@ClayKirby-sj3zy]

Im 6ft5 and folded seats down and usedit like a work truck with storage also under the seats hidden compartment s😅

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

the guy i bought it from used it like a mini-sprinter for work.

[@ammckh90]

What is this rack called? Also what is your hitch thing you installed called? Thanks!

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

it is a ROLA roof rack. they are super inexpensive and they do a great job. I also bought the cargo carrier that goes with it. Roof racks can be SUPER expensive, and I didn't really see the need to have the best ones out there. I just needed something that would do the job. These have done just fine. I don't put up the cargo carrier unless I need it, because cargo carriers add to wind resistant noise, but the rack blades are pretty quiet. I bought the trailer hitch receiver off Amazon. I got a good deal on it. There are a couple things though. They only seemed to sell trailer receivers at 1-1/4 receiving. Most hitches that attach for towing are 2 inches. I bought mine knowing that I was going to use it for a bike rack that matched the smaller size. And getting it installed cost me about a hundred bucks. It wasn't just a "bolt on" attachment situation. It needed to be welded on for extra safety.

[@bridgebranchservices4093]

Where did you buy the basket? Any link?

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

Sorry. Can’t give a link because I can’t find it anywhere. Maybe they went out of business?? I found it on Amazon. Good thing is though, Amazon seems to have plenty of new options for roof rack baskets. That’s where I found mine. Hope you find a good deal there!

[@bridgebranchservices4093]

I noticed the basket comes with the towers already. Im shopping around but no luck lol

[@letheapittman9808]

Do you think it will be good for long distance driving ? I have to drive 45 minutes -one way to work a few days a week.

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

the gas mileage is so much better for long distance driving. Do you need a van sized vehicle for work? Of course, nothing beats a hybrid, or other compact vehicle. But, the Mazda 5 does so much better with highway miles than with streets. 20 to 22mpg for streets. I'm guessing 28 to 30 for highway. Not too bad for a minivan.

[@letheapittman9808]

@@thelegendarydaddy9670 thanks I'm going to buy it tomorrow. Ill be using it as my primary car...I have 3 lil ones

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

Awesome! I hope you enjoy it! I'm still having a great experience with mine! : ) @@letheapittman9808

[@SirBrass]

Love my mazda 5. It needs engine mods for more power, but it's GREAT since I REQUIRE manual transmissions. My wife gets the Odyssey. We have 3 kids, and the 5 is plenty of room. And I'm keeping this even after my kids get bigger. Unless I'm able to get a turbo, awd manual Mazda 3 hatchback. Like if Mazda really does justice with the Mazda Spirit Racing line.

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

I definitely plan on keeping our Mazda 5. Already, we have one of the back seats down for more room and I love it. I'm getting the hood wrapped black in a few weeks. Looking forward to seeing how it looks.

[@billmade8906]

Would it be impossible for an auto body technician to move the child seats a few inches back? Maybe 2 "small sized" adults would fit this way.

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

I don't think it's possible. I love my van, but I do know that everything in the back row and rear storage area is super tight. Everything back there fits like tight lego pieces. Moving the two seats back would probably lean the headrest against the back window. It can fit adults though. I think it would just be difficult to fit anyone over 6ft back there. For someone on the tall side, there is always the front and mid row bucket seats. : )

[@billmade8906]

@@thelegendarydaddy9670 Anybody up to 6ft would fit? wow that sounds pretty impressive. Like how many inches is the distance between the back of the child seat and second row of seats?

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

it depends on the mid row bucket seats. They can slide forward and back. If you move them quite a bit forward, you'll have better leg room in the back row. But like I said, everything in this little van is kind of snug. Moving one thing will affect another. That's why I think it works really well as the car you get BEFORE you get a huge minivan with TONS of room. @@billmade8906

[@billmade8906]

​@@thelegendarydaddy9670 yeah i see. Thanks a lot

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

no problem! : ) @@billmade8906

[@er1115]

Micro van

[@carlahrens1411]

toyota sienna very expensive car at least over here in the netherlands from 2020 = 80.000 €

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

wow! that's expensive! quite an expense for a family too.

[@carlahrens1411]

@@thelegendarydaddy9670 You sounds amazed are they cheeper in the usa ? Maybe the durango will be a better option , i do wish you good luck finding the right family car.

[@thelegendarydaddy9670]

@@carlahrens1411 they are expensive here too. I LOVE the Durango, but I like the sliding doors and low profile on my Mazda 5 better.

[@carlahrens1411]

@@thelegendarydaddy9670 Yes you,re right about that , but for now it will work out for your family now the kids are still small , but some day the will be to big ,than you have to look for a other car , maybe a VW tiguan or a VW Family van there are still lots of choises also for the right price,