Impressive on the 31.6 mpg and that is with the bigger 2.5L in the '12.
My wife has a '10 with the 2.3L. I am not sure what we are getting in mpg. I have asked her to check but that whole idea is not top-of-mind for her so it has not happened. I do not drive it enough or I would do it myself. Actually, she is mostly city driving so I bet her's is not that impressive. It took her a whole year to put 9k miles on it.
Yeah, that mileage is no joke. If that's normal/repeatable than my biggest complaint with the older 5 will be nulled out.. and replaced with my hatred for newer 5 styling.. 
That is the best it has done, I turned over 16000 and have now averaged closing in on 28.5. I'm not complaining for dang sure, I drive mixed miles with 100 mile stretches then twenty or so around town.
I want the new one's sixth gear and more torque 
So I think this thread can become the official "Mazda5 thread" rather than starting a new one.
I bought an 06 Mazda5 Sport with a manual transmission a couple weeks ago, and have been greatly enjoying it. We have a 4-week old right now and getting her in and out at appointments is so easy in tight spots now. It has a pretty good amount of options, like power moonroof, cruise, etc, which eases the commute a bit. As a bonus, I got 28 mpg mixed on the first tank, hooning it up a bit.
It's a very good freeway and city car, much better on the freeway than my Honda Fit or Element were. The shift action is not nearly as slick as a Honda's, but it's not bad either.
Plans:
1: Mazdaspeed3 parts, starting with the second-generation wheels perhaps, unless I find a better set of 17s. I'd really like to get a driver and passenger seat setup from the speed3. Anyone have any idea what's involved in a swap like that? I know it will fit, but I wonder about all the new electronics in seats now - weight sensor, position sensor, SRS modules.
2: Autocross. It looks totally uncompetitive, which is just fine with me. It's not specifically classed, so I'll probably run it in HS.
3: Maybe some suspension upgrades. Konis?
4: Ignition timing advance mod: anyone tried this yet?
Photos to come...
Thanks to SyntheticBlinkerFluid in the Chicago area, who pre-inspected the car for me and ensured a 6 hour trip via train would not be wasted. The car was in great shape.
In reply to bastomatic:
No problem, it was my pleasure.
I have to say, after my 15 minute test drive, I was sold. If I had kids and needed a family-mobile, its definitely a contender.
In reply to bastomatic:
Excellent! It sounds like you got a sister car to mine (also an 06 5-speed with Moonroof). What color did you get?
As for your questions, the Speed3 seats should fit, and the sensors should be the same, but the 5's seats have taller bases. You might be able to swap out the 5's manual tracks onto the MS3's seats themselves, and maybe swap sensors over as well. (Anybody near Portland have a Speed3 that wants to pull a seat for a day? We can take a look)
In autocross it should be classified the same classes as a 2.3 Mazda3, which is HS IIRC. Honestly, you'd be better off in ST because it needs shorter/stiffer springs.
Koni's is what I'm planning. Waiting for the stockers to go kablooey first, which may take awhile. Haven't done the advance mod yet, and I really need to...
Here are some photos. It's Carbon Grey, which I like quite a bit. I didn't like the tail lights in photos I've seen, but in person on this car they look pretty good actually. They seem like a darker surround than others I've seen, but that might just be me.
The only mod I have done so far is mounting the old 5-speed shift knob I have used in each car since my 1987 CRX Si about a decade ago. I like it because it's a little taller and lighter than the stock units are nowadays. I think it improves the shifting action for daily driving, though the longer throws would be worse for the autocross course. I have a line on some inexpensive 2010 Mazdaspeed3 wheels, but I'll probably pass on them - they're pretty heavy, and would require replacing the good tires already mounted here. What I'd like to do, is get some winter tires mounted on the stock rims, and get a dedicated summer setup. But the Continental ExtremeContact tires it came with aren't too bad.
And finally, a big haul from Detroit's Eastern Market:
It's not nearly as cavernous as the Honda Element it replaces, but it's getting better gas mileage already, is loads more fun to drive, and of course getting the little one in and out is a much simpler process than with those silly clamshell doors.
Nice buy, I rolled over 18000 on Tuesday. Probably another 1000 this coming week. After that im working from home i hope for awhile. I love the action on the shifter and I am really liking the fuel economy. Numerous times I have had four 11r24.5 semi tires in with me; it hasn't really affected the mileage. Cavernous inside and the sliding doors make it the best of all worlds....oh yeah, cops don't even look.
In reply to bastomatic:
Man, that is a gorgeous color! And yes, your taillights are darker. Mazda had darker ones on the dark colored 5's (Grey, Black, and Blue) and the lighter ones on the lighter colors (Silver, Titanium, Mint Green, etc). You got the Sport pack like mine (spoiler, different front bumper, rocker skirts). Looks fantastic!
My wife's '10 Mazda 5 needs tires.
What have y'all been happy with?
I have not been happy with the factory treads that have gotten really loud and low on tread in only 20k miles.
The '12 doesn't have as bad tire wear but I've been happy with the Bridgestone turanzas el422. I'm at 39000 now and they still look good. I have the same tires on my wife's grand caravan and we changed them at 55000 for the originals.
I put General Altimax on our '09 5 last summer. Went up to 215/50/17's from stock 205's. Very happy with them so far. Wearing much better than the stock CRAP Toyos did.
twolittlebroncos wrote: On the oil filter cartridges. I converted my 2.3 Mazda 3 to the 2.0 style oil filters (conventional spin on). It's perfectly placed and oil changes are a breeze.. a tidy breeze. If I remember correctly, the part was a standard Mazda part and was about $20 - 30.
Aside from placement of the filter and hole in the under tray not being concentric, I've never felt it was too dirty. A spin on filter would be easier though.
Do you happen to have a link to the part or part number itself?
Some updates. I've had the 5 for over two years now and am over 88K miles. The valve cover gasket sprung a small leak on me into the #1 cylinder spark plug reservoir. I swapped out the gasket today for the "Improved" design. Didn't take too long and the inside of the motor looked great (I'll get pics up eventually).
While I was doing that I swapped the cabin air filters. Note: If you have the manual HVAC like my Sport, you do NOT need to disconnect the battery to change those! The automatic climate control module versions have the module in the way that needs to be unplugged/unscrewed.
And finally, the "belt installation tool" NAPA sells for the stretch-fit A/C belt is total, 100% BS. It does not work on a 2006 Mazda5 at all. There will be a very angry me inside the NAPA come Monday...
I notice my shifting is really tight in the cold weather until the drivetrain warms up. Probably due for new MTF. I'm also getting about 25 mpg, about 3-4 mpg lower than I was in the summer.
The belt tool doesn't work at all. I ended up unbolting the a/c compressor to get the belt on.
Our '08 with auto climate didn't need a battery disconnect to get the HVAC filter done, it wasn't a picnic but I was able to do both filters.
Just turned 120k on ours and I changed the oil two days ago. I also installed new sway bar links thinking it would get rid of my suspension clunk. The new links tightened things up a bit and reduced noise but the clunk is still there on the right side. I've replaced both struts and strut bearings already. Maybe a bad ball joint? How bad is the "thunk" noise on abrupt impacts like speed bumps and potholes in your 5s?
I put Kumho Ecsta 4Xs on our 5 and I'll go with the Continental DWS next time. The Kumhos have a weird NVH harmonic about 50mph that sounds like you're in a WWII bomber with the props out of sync. They also don't seem to be wearing very well. I am thinking about replacing the rear trailing arm bushings to get rid of the shaking I see in the middle row and get an alignment at that time.
Paint booth!
What is one of the best reasons for a Mazda5 (or any other type of hatch/wagon/spacevan)? Because it’s a portable paint booth! I spray painted a bunch of model parts in the back during lunch breaks at work. As a bonus, the windows allow sunlight in, which heats up the inside so the paint cures faster, and the interior is sealed pretty well, which keeps down contaminants, and I can crack the sunroof to let the fumes escape. Brilliant!
Snow rally!
The hills and mountains around here get snow every winter, and there’s no need to interrupt going through my favorite roads because of it. The Hankook i-Pike’s perform superbly and the 5’s suspension provides for great handling. The only thing I pine for is an LSD.
Color is growing on me
The Titanium paint is starting to grow on me. It reflects really well, which makes for some cool shades at dawn/dusk and at night. It also hides dirt pretty well.
But then I saw an inky blue 5 and nearly cried. :( If I ever repaint this thing, it’s going to have an actual pigment.
Engine surgery!
Then it happened, something broke! I changed the plugs because I was getting an ever-so-slight hesitation at start and I knew they were the originals (with 85K on them). When I did that, the #1 plug was coated in oil. Turns out the valve cover gasket also has 3 center areas for the plug tunnels and I had a leak at #1. A new VC gasket set (the updated one, there are two) solved that issue. Timing chain looked great, and so did all of the rest of the motor internals. Easy job, too.
Cabin air filters
I finally changed out the cabin air filters. The directions are not in the owner’s manual (for shame Mazda!!) and the internet had me cowering in fear over this (disconnect battery, remove large and fragile electronic assembly…). Turns out that 5’s with the manual climate control like my base Sport don’t have to do any of that! Pop out the plastic kick panel, undo a few bolts, and voila. Now it’ll smell a little fresher!
Ridiculous!
The serpentine belt wouldn’t stop squeaking and no amount of belt dressing was helping anymore, so I had to finally change it. What an absolute nightmare of a job! The A/C belt is a stretch to fit and the “special tool” that the parts stores sell DO NOT work at all (don’t waste your money!). The fact that I have to undo a bunch of underbody panels, take a wheel off, and jack the thing up is bad enough, but it took hours to finagle that belt off and on with screwdrivers, prybars, and a thin metal shim. The serpentine belt uses a normal tensioner and swapped over just fine. I thought $28 for an A/C belt was ridiculous, so I reused it. Guess what squeaks now? And guess what’s getting a homemade tensioner soon…
bluesideup wrote: How bad is the "thunk" noise on abrupt impacts like speed bumps and potholes in your 5s?
66k miles on my 2006, no thunk at all. A little squeak from the rear when I go over humps however.
Also, just found something I want for xmas...
Sliding doors, sunroof opens and closes. Pretty impressive little model.
In reply to bastomatic:
Dude, where did you find that?!?!???!?
one on ebay right now, there are other sites with them ~$80-100 on google.
I found the source of my front end clunking. The front sway bar bushings were trashed. In the pic you can see the rubber is compressed between the lettering and the opening for the sway bar. The rubber was also cracked and the nylon insert worn down.
I didn't drop the subframe but it might have been easier to do so. The passenger'a side was easy to do from the engine compartment with a long extension and a U-joint. The driver's side needs to be done from below and above along with removing the battery for access. A universal joint 14mm socket would have come in handy.
You don't have to completely remove the brackets to get the bushings out but I did in case anyone needs the bolt spacing to order Energy Suspension bushings.
123k on these bushings.
I don't know why I haven't been in this thread before. Michelle and I joined the '06 Mazda5 manual party back in July, in carbon grey no less. It's been comical at times trying to explain to people why it's such a cool somewhat unique vehicle. I've pretty much branded myself a minivan nerd among my friends and workmates.
A couple of notes
Anybody have problems with the sliding doors unlocking? I think the little plastic gears have lost some teeth.
I'm getting some clunking from the rear over bumps. I've heard that these had some problems with the rear oem shocks or shock mounts causing this. Anyone else?
I'm hoping to join the Mazda5 club one of these days too! Mine will be an auto for the wife, but I'm hoping I can sell both my Maxima & CR-V and put that money towards one of these--looking for a 1st gen with lower miles. I guess I still need to go check some out and make sure the wife likes it, but I sure am hooked! If I have to drive a "van", or at least something with sliding doors, I want it to be one of these!
I enjoy hearing everyone's feedback on them...it's got me sold on one!
Matt B wrote: - I'm getting some clunking from the rear over bumps. I've heard that these had some problems with the rear oem shocks or shock mounts causing this. Anyone else?
I started getting clunking a few months ago. I'm guessing the sway bar bushings, but I won't jack it up until it's warmer. I also read about people having problems with the shock top nut loosening, but that seems unlikely in my case.
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