We got 5 of em in today at Fusz, so I'm compelled to give my opinion of it.
We recieved 4 autos and 1 stick. I drove the stick and 1 auto. I put a white auto with like no options in the showroom...it always makes me feel good when I put a brand new model in the showroom and everyone talks about it, especially when I know more about it than anyone else.
I got into work and about a minute later the other new car prep drives up in the 5, I exclaimed "Wow, it's the Mazda 5!" to which he explained that he almost sent the hauler elsewhere until he looked at the Mazda emblem on the back of the cars. So he says "hop in" as we had 4 more(and 1 RX-8 and 2 3s) that were dropped off on the lower lot. So I get in. He says that he thinks it's ugly(No) and other comments. The 2 used car porters get in and comment on it and I had to explain what the car was which I expected to do anyway because I'm the only car prep who really knows the products I deal with. Then a Mazda/Subaru salesman gets in and he asked "what engine's in it?" which I had to say "jees Jeff and you're selling these things? It's the 2.3, same as the 6i and 3S.". The other new car prep says that there's 4 more of them and that 1 is a stick, so I claimed the stick.
Even though the shifter is located Matrix/Quest/whatever style right off of the dash, it shifts amazingly similar to the Mazda 3 and 6, very precise and clunky. Handling on the Mazda 5 is exactly like the Mazda 3 it's based off of. I didn't notice any additional body roll even though it's taller, and it didn't handle like it was heavier even though it's 500lbs heavier than the 3. The gauge cluster is awsome and IMO better than the 3. The dash is very well thought out(as are all Mazda dashes...) and easy to use. The seats are downright awsome, comfortable, firm, and the material is even better than the 3.
Now then, first thought is "well this thing is 500lbs heavier than the 3 though powered by the same 160(well, officially 157) hp, it'll be slow". It honestly doesn't feel any slower than a 3. It's peppy and accelerates good, where as the MPV's/Tribute's 3.0 feels labored and at times harsh.
Which brings up the fact that the 5 looks a lot like the MPV, just in a smaller scale. The hood lines are very alike, the 5 has 2 sliding doors, they both have 17" wheels(on the MPV ES), and they both have a higher viewpoint/seating. This is actually quite good for the customer but I gotta think about product competition. It's a tough decision for someone to choose the MPV over the 5 unless they have more than 6 people in thier family. While the MPV clearly has more space and power, is it really necessary to pay thousands more for the MPV when the 5 starts at around $18K? It's not like the 5 doesn't have space...IMO it's got more seating space than the Subaru Tribeca(and it's a better drive too, I got the Tribeca stuck on the curb trying to get it in the showroom, even with 18" wheels it didn't have enough power to back over the curb while against it, I tried, I was flat out and it wasn't budging, I had to make a running start and hop over the curb). The rear-most seats in the 5 are relatively thin but effective...I sat back there and was just as comfortable as in the front. They fold down 50/50. The middle seats are good as well, they kinda fold to allow passengers to get in the back, or you can pull a little loop and fip the bottom forward and they fold flat and level with the back seats and trunk space. You can haul some pretty big stuff in there that way. However, the middle seats aren't removeable(without tools, lol) which seems foolish because that would create considerably more space.
The rear doors are sliding as I mentioned before though they are powerless, but effortless to use. They are light and easy to slide(where as the MPV's without power are heavy). They do however make the 5 that much more of a minivan. I think they should have brought back the 90 degree rear doors that the 1st gen MPV had(1989-94 had only 1 rear door on the right side, '95-97 had 2) to put on the 5. The hatch is likewise light, possibly due to the use of plastic inside and out. Though you can't tell it's plastic until you touch it. And it closes as solid and the other doors. You can really tell the 5 is a Mazda Japan product and not a Mazda JapSA like the Tribute.
All in all I like the 5. Sure, putting the 3.0 from the 6S into the 5 would have been nice(and relatively easy to do), but the main problem is that Mazda has an engine power gap from the 160hp 2.3 to the 200hp 3.0V6. The 5 could use another 25hp and more torque, though it does good for just having 148 ft lbs.
Also related to this, as I was drying off the 5 in the showroom(it's raining here, remnants from Hurricane Dennis), the general manager was looking over the car and asked himself "I wonder what platform it's on" to which I just said "the Mazda 3 platform", and he asked another question, I answered, over and over, and even threw in "And it's electronically limited to 120mph" just for a reaction which I didn't get, but the next question was "Did you ever think about becoming a salesman?" To which I said "well, eventually..." he said "oh you have school starting soon" and I said "well that's not it really" and he said "well, what is it?" I said "I'd have to be 21 to be a salesman". You know what he said? "I think we could change the rules for someone that really knows the cars".
So I really could start selling Mazdas. The thing is, it's $2/hr plus commission...avarage commission on a car is $200. Coincidently I make about $200 a week right now, and granted I could easily sell 1 car a week, I should be able to multiply my profit pretty easily. I don't know much about financing, though we have finance guys for that, but I don't know all of the options and special offers, etc. Not like anyone else did when they started though, and most of them retreat to the brochure for answering a customer's questions, really professional of them when asked "How much torque does the Mazda 6S have?" they say "let me check" and freggin open the brochure, the same brochure the customer has and says "It has 192". I know the cars, not the selling part, where as others learned the selling part and barely know the cars. The cars are the important part! Ah, what should I do? I'd almost feel obligated to clean the cars that I sell, after all I'm a car prep and quite frankly I don't like how the others do the job. I don't skimp or cut corners while detailing. I make each car as clean as possible and as correct as possible, even though it takes longer.
I don't really know where I'm going with this, but I'm on the fence whether to become a salesman or stay a new car prep. Gah, what a decision!
Anyway I hope you enjoyed my Mazda 5 first impressions. I'll do the same for the MazdaSpeed 6 and new Miata when they arrive in September.
We recieved 4 autos and 1 stick. I drove the stick and 1 auto. I put a white auto with like no options in the showroom...it always makes me feel good when I put a brand new model in the showroom and everyone talks about it, especially when I know more about it than anyone else.
I got into work and about a minute later the other new car prep drives up in the 5, I exclaimed "Wow, it's the Mazda 5!" to which he explained that he almost sent the hauler elsewhere until he looked at the Mazda emblem on the back of the cars. So he says "hop in" as we had 4 more(and 1 RX-8 and 2 3s) that were dropped off on the lower lot. So I get in. He says that he thinks it's ugly(No) and other comments. The 2 used car porters get in and comment on it and I had to explain what the car was which I expected to do anyway because I'm the only car prep who really knows the products I deal with. Then a Mazda/Subaru salesman gets in and he asked "what engine's in it?" which I had to say "jees Jeff and you're selling these things? It's the 2.3, same as the 6i and 3S.". The other new car prep says that there's 4 more of them and that 1 is a stick, so I claimed the stick.
Even though the shifter is located Matrix/Quest/whatever style right off of the dash, it shifts amazingly similar to the Mazda 3 and 6, very precise and clunky. Handling on the Mazda 5 is exactly like the Mazda 3 it's based off of. I didn't notice any additional body roll even though it's taller, and it didn't handle like it was heavier even though it's 500lbs heavier than the 3. The gauge cluster is awsome and IMO better than the 3. The dash is very well thought out(as are all Mazda dashes...) and easy to use. The seats are downright awsome, comfortable, firm, and the material is even better than the 3.
Now then, first thought is "well this thing is 500lbs heavier than the 3 though powered by the same 160(well, officially 157) hp, it'll be slow". It honestly doesn't feel any slower than a 3. It's peppy and accelerates good, where as the MPV's/Tribute's 3.0 feels labored and at times harsh.
Which brings up the fact that the 5 looks a lot like the MPV, just in a smaller scale. The hood lines are very alike, the 5 has 2 sliding doors, they both have 17" wheels(on the MPV ES), and they both have a higher viewpoint/seating. This is actually quite good for the customer but I gotta think about product competition. It's a tough decision for someone to choose the MPV over the 5 unless they have more than 6 people in thier family. While the MPV clearly has more space and power, is it really necessary to pay thousands more for the MPV when the 5 starts at around $18K? It's not like the 5 doesn't have space...IMO it's got more seating space than the Subaru Tribeca(and it's a better drive too, I got the Tribeca stuck on the curb trying to get it in the showroom, even with 18" wheels it didn't have enough power to back over the curb while against it, I tried, I was flat out and it wasn't budging, I had to make a running start and hop over the curb). The rear-most seats in the 5 are relatively thin but effective...I sat back there and was just as comfortable as in the front. They fold down 50/50. The middle seats are good as well, they kinda fold to allow passengers to get in the back, or you can pull a little loop and fip the bottom forward and they fold flat and level with the back seats and trunk space. You can haul some pretty big stuff in there that way. However, the middle seats aren't removeable(without tools, lol) which seems foolish because that would create considerably more space.
The rear doors are sliding as I mentioned before though they are powerless, but effortless to use. They are light and easy to slide(where as the MPV's without power are heavy). They do however make the 5 that much more of a minivan. I think they should have brought back the 90 degree rear doors that the 1st gen MPV had(1989-94 had only 1 rear door on the right side, '95-97 had 2) to put on the 5. The hatch is likewise light, possibly due to the use of plastic inside and out. Though you can't tell it's plastic until you touch it. And it closes as solid and the other doors. You can really tell the 5 is a Mazda Japan product and not a Mazda JapSA like the Tribute.
All in all I like the 5. Sure, putting the 3.0 from the 6S into the 5 would have been nice(and relatively easy to do), but the main problem is that Mazda has an engine power gap from the 160hp 2.3 to the 200hp 3.0V6. The 5 could use another 25hp and more torque, though it does good for just having 148 ft lbs.
Also related to this, as I was drying off the 5 in the showroom(it's raining here, remnants from Hurricane Dennis), the general manager was looking over the car and asked himself "I wonder what platform it's on" to which I just said "the Mazda 3 platform", and he asked another question, I answered, over and over, and even threw in "And it's electronically limited to 120mph" just for a reaction which I didn't get, but the next question was "Did you ever think about becoming a salesman?" To which I said "well, eventually..." he said "oh you have school starting soon" and I said "well that's not it really" and he said "well, what is it?" I said "I'd have to be 21 to be a salesman". You know what he said? "I think we could change the rules for someone that really knows the cars".
So I really could start selling Mazdas. The thing is, it's $2/hr plus commission...avarage commission on a car is $200. Coincidently I make about $200 a week right now, and granted I could easily sell 1 car a week, I should be able to multiply my profit pretty easily. I don't know much about financing, though we have finance guys for that, but I don't know all of the options and special offers, etc. Not like anyone else did when they started though, and most of them retreat to the brochure for answering a customer's questions, really professional of them when asked "How much torque does the Mazda 6S have?" they say "let me check" and freggin open the brochure, the same brochure the customer has and says "It has 192". I know the cars, not the selling part, where as others learned the selling part and barely know the cars. The cars are the important part! Ah, what should I do? I'd almost feel obligated to clean the cars that I sell, after all I'm a car prep and quite frankly I don't like how the others do the job. I don't skimp or cut corners while detailing. I make each car as clean as possible and as correct as possible, even though it takes longer.
I don't really know where I'm going with this, but I'm on the fence whether to become a salesman or stay a new car prep. Gah, what a decision!
Anyway I hope you enjoyed my Mazda 5 first impressions. I'll do the same for the MazdaSpeed 6 and new Miata when they arrive in September.
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