Some cursing ensued about the Mazda's fuel cap. Someone didn't screw it on straight after a fill-up and the next person that stopped for gas couldn't screw it off. After a lot of elbow grease, the cap surrendered and came out, but broke into pieces. Curiously, it's the second time that it happens to us with a recent Mazda vehicle; could their gas caps be too easy to screw on crooked?
Changes for 2009
Not much will change on the 2009 Mazda5; the GT's optional Leather Package is renamed Luxury Package and adds a 6-CD changer. Our test car gets a $1,320 price drop, although freight and PDI charges go up by $145. Scheduled maintenance calls for dealer visits every 8,000 kilometres.
Conclusion
From what we highlighted in the wad of evaluation sheets, our long-term Mazda5 pleased, if not surprised, many people in our entourage that were curious to try it out. Parents or not, minivan owners or not, quite a few discovered the 5's virtues.
However, they also figured out that when you're carrying a full load of passengers, you can't carry much cargo, so it's one or the other. In general, though, after 9,000 km of driving, we realized that the Mazda5 is perfectly suited for the Canadian market, and we wouldn't change a thing.
photo:Luc Gagné
Changes for 2009
Not much will change on the 2009 Mazda5; the GT's optional Leather Package is renamed Luxury Package and adds a 6-CD changer. Our test car gets a $1,320 price drop, although freight and PDI charges go up by $145. Scheduled maintenance calls for dealer visits every 8,000 kilometres.
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Our test car gets a $1,320 price drop. |
Conclusion
From what we highlighted in the wad of evaluation sheets, our long-term Mazda5 pleased, if not surprised, many people in our entourage that were curious to try it out. Parents or not, minivan owners or not, quite a few discovered the 5's virtues.
However, they also figured out that when you're carrying a full load of passengers, you can't carry much cargo, so it's one or the other. In general, though, after 9,000 km of driving, we realized that the Mazda5 is perfectly suited for the Canadian market, and we wouldn't change a thing.
photo:Luc Gagné




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