Mazda 5 (05-10) - Review

Review by Simon Harris on
Last Updated: 24 March 2009
The Mazda5 may not be the first car that springs to mind when thinking of a people carrier, but it is one of the best. We'd recommend it over alternatives including the Vauxhall Zafira or Toyota Verso - due mainly to family-friendly features such as rear sliding doors along with simple folding rear seats and easy access. It's also good value and all models come very well equipped. It should be thought of as a '6+1' seater though - it does have seven seats but the central seat in the second row is narrow and uncomfortable. However solid build quality and typical Mazda reliability complete a strong package and make this an unsung hero among people carriers.
4 out of 5

Other Mazda reviews

4 out of 5

Running costs

The price premium for diesel (£1,600) is pretty hefty and fuel consumption is quite a bit lower than the best diesels in its class. A similarly powered Renault Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi 120 offers 49mpg on the combined cycle against 45mpg for the Mazda, although the petrol models are in line with the class average. This was put right in January 2008, when fuel consumption across the range was brought closer in line with rivals.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£1,659 - £1,805 *

Diesel

£1,393 - £1,457 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

12,500 miles. Digital service record is logged by dealer on a special website. Dealers will also input data from services carried out by independent garages on production of the invoice. Print-outs can be requested from Mazda dealers.

Warranty

Three years/60,000 miles.

Road tax (12 months)

£170.00 - £250.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

3 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
    159
  • H
  • I
  • J
    198
  • K
  • L
  • M

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

The 5 is relatively green and easy on the environment. With an average of 185g/km CO2 across the model line-up, its emissions are fairly standard for a people carrier. The 2.0-litre diesel (both versions) is the cleanest engine - it emits 159g/km of CO2 and averages 46mpg.

Find the exact engine and CO2