2006 Mazda 5 Touring review from North America

Had a recall on sliding door latches, but dealer fixed at no charge the same day I brought the car in and while I was without a car the dealer gave me a rental.

Other than this recall, nothing has gone wrong with the car.

Let me begin with the fact that my 5 got totalled this past weekend. Some guy was making a u-turn and hit my 5 from the right rear side. The damage is pretty heavy, but the airbags deployed and the car did what it was supposed to do in saving my life and the life of my fiancee who was riding up front with me. The car is extremely smooth and the engine, though admittedly small, is almost never underpowered. There were times when loaded with six people and gear I had wished for more power under the hood, but the performance was still adequate. I also drove around with seven people in the car and the 5 handled exceptionally well. Yes, you could fit six people into the car easily. The rear seats (third row) are not just for show--they are actually usable. And the trunk space behind the third row is usable too even with the seat up. With the third row down, there is plenty of trunk space. The trunk also has a nifty covered floor compartment as do the seats. The car is compact for a minivan, but there is excellent use of space and thus plenty of storage cubbies and cup-holders. The auto-manual tranny is not so great if you work the gears yourself, but in full auto mode it is just fine. The gas mileage was exceptional as well. Around 23MPG in heavy NYC driving and around 27-28MPG in highway mode. All of the seats were comfortable and supportive and because of the tilt and slide steering wheel it was easy to find a good driving position. Still, I wish that at least the driver's seat was auto adjustable. Overall, a great compact van that looks darn sporty and swallows six and their gear with ease. Though mine is totalled, I am still here and highly recommend it to anyone. I will be getting another one soon.