Overview & Reviews

The Mazda 5 mini minivan gets mildly freshened front and rear styling, and a revised center control panel for 2008. Electroluminescent gauges have been added, along with rear seat air vents and controls, additional passenger flip-down armrests and an auxiliary audio jack. A five-speed automatic replaces the old four-speed, and is now standard equipment on the Touring and Grand Touring trims. The five-speed manual remains standard on the base-trim Sport. The Grand Touring trim also gains additional features, while the optional navigation system benefits from a more user-friendly touchscreen design.

• Low price, ample features list, nimble handling, just-right space for small families.

• Performance suffers when loaded up with people and stuff, cramped third row, stability control not available.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 102.00

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  It thinks its a van... but its not - 2008 Mazda Mazda5
  By dee - August 17 - 8:46 pm

  Thought it would be a smaller alternative to a van, bought it when gas was $4.00+. It is way too small, can haul 6 people/4 with stuff, but not both. Cons: non-lighted mirrors, small useless cubbies without lids, industrial looking fabric, door ajar light doesnt specify which door, gas cap is very hard to get off, wimpy horn, cant close windows with car off, small sunroof, would switch volume with placement of radio change buttons (dont change volume often, but you always change stations, add on/off button), cubbie under middle seat cant be accessed while driving, sunshade is too short-useless, light in truck have off/on/door, armrest must be up to access back.

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  Mazda5 Sport; The jury is still out - 2008 Mazda Mazda5
  By PFZ - November 9 - 12:56 am

  Bought "Zoom-zoom" 10 days ago to replace a 1992 Mitsubishi Expo 2.4 which died a natural mechanical death. The Expo beat this Zoom-zoom hands down for roominess, steering, visibility. Zoom-zooms SMALL third side window prevents decent rear visibility for backing up. From the front seats the front of the car is out of sight, the shifting console lights are misplaced, the steering wheel covers the top third of the speed indicator dial, the key is built into remote control case. The outside trim is too close to the ground. The lack of separate bumpers look like an attempt at profiteering. My ratings reflect lack of trust rather than long standing observations.

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  maintenance costs - beware - 2008 Mazda Mazda5
  By TKK - April 27 - 7:23 pm

  Have had the car almost two years. Every 30K miles maintenance runs $750! Cheap price to buy, with expensive maintenance. Wouldnt buy another Mazda for this reason. My past Hondas didnt require this much maintenance.

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  owned it 1 month & have tried to sell it - 2008 Mazda Mazda5
  By mary - May 18 - 10:13 am

  Hate it, way too small, cheaply made, inside scuffs easily, only 2 choices for exterior color if you dont want the too light cream interior-ugly gray and too hot black. The front passenger seat is so small its claustrophobic, useless trunk with 3rd row up, 2nd row barely fits 2 small kids and their back packs. The worst vehicle Ive had in 35+ years of driving. My 13 year old van I got rid of for this car was far superior. AC is not intuitive. Car is too narrow to fit my soccer foldable chair in. I guess if you buy cheap,you get cheap.

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  Low Profile Wheels=Lots of Trouble! - 2008 Mazda Mazda5
  By arecktenwald - April 14 - 1:43 pm

  Weve had our Mazda 5 for 5 years now and have put three full sets of tires on it and at least 2 other random replacements- and it only has 95k miles on it- all highway. The low profile wheels dont last and are fairly expensive to replace. In addition, our transmission gave out in year 2 and had to be completely replaced (luckily all covered by the warranty). Also, the wheel alignment is not great (perhaps lending to the massive tire consumption) nor are the shocks at this point. So the ride is less than smooth. The first two years we LOVED the car, but it certainly has not aged well.

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  Good if you own a tire factory - 2008 Mazda Mazda5
  By CWF - September 29 - 11:33 am

  Bought new in 08 and initially really liked the sporty handling and versatility. But, tires got really loud before 10,000 miles. Dealership was useless; said we should rotate more often, even though we always rotate at 5-6K. Disappointed in Edmunds and other car sites for not warning about design flaw that eats tires, and has been doing so for years. A Google search will turn up hundreds of complaints about excessive tire wear. Looking at another car mag, it appears that Mazda may have fixed the suspension problem in the 09s. To bad for us that we bought the 08. Anyone looking to buy a sharp looking, tire eating, used micro van?

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  Not Bad. - 2008 Mazda Mazda5
  By dudechuck - August 12 - 1:49 pm

  We bought the Mazda5 based on a my wifes friend. She had one and loved it. She had the 07, and by reading reviews we settled on the 08. It was nice for a family of four, once our child was able to seat forward facing. There is not enough room for a rear facing car seat in the second row. You can do it but the person in the front seat has to scoot way up for and it is not comfortable. It was reliable all except the power steering would go out. It was repleced on a recall for free and we did not have any further problems. It was terrible in the snow and got stuck several times in a few inches of snow. The engine is also way to small for the vehicle, with limited highway power.