USED Mazda 5 MPV (05 - 11)

My car

I bought a Mazda 5 three weeks ago, and it has been back to the garage three times for three different problems.

The first time was for refitting the front airbag, after it became loose from the DVD fitting. This was effciently done, and I had no complaints. The second was after two weeks, when it started squeaking going over speed bumps - this, I'm told, is a known problem, and hopefully it can be sorted soon.

The third problem is another suspension problem - possibly due to the anti-roll bars. I wish I had never bought one, the dealer just says it was never tested in this country and Japan does not have speed bumps, but this is little consolation to me - we just have to wait for Mazda to come up with solutions to the problems

The salesmen were dishonest, because we asked if there were any known problems and were told 'no', but when the car was taken for repair of the two suspension problems, they admitted they have files of people waiting for these two problems to have a solution.

I'm not a complainer and have never written a review before, but I want others to know about our experience, because I would have been more cautious if i had known. It is a practical car, but you are better to wait for a year until all the problems have been rectified.

My car

I have only had this MPV for a short while, but I have had many different cars over the years and this is the most practical one ever. It drives and handles faultlessly and the fuel economy is a lot better than I expected

My wife and I are both retired and we can get our bikes in the rear by just flipping down the seats and in they go no problem. As for shopping, the sliding side doors are easy for access if the parking space is a bit tight.

It is as easy about town as it is on a longer run, the driving position and controls are all about right. At present I have no complaints at all.

My car

I've owned this car for a couple of weeks now - I find it very good to drive with great handling(for an MPV) and very practical. However, when I got it home I could not believe my eyes: the right-hand interior door panels were a different colour to the left. I notified the dealer who was very apologetic - they ordered the parts and fitted very promptly, and by way of compensation they fitted a sat-nav system free of charge. I cannot really fault the car: it does about 35 to the gallon, it's very comfortable, the suspension and steering are outstanding, it's great on A or B roads and the sliding doors make so easy for passengers to get in and out - I strongly recommend this car. Oh, and it's cheap to insure as well.

My car

I received this car on September 1 2005. After considering the Golf Plus, Touran, Grand Scenic and Corolla Verso, the Mazda 5 won the day for myself and my wife. With number two on the way, we opted for more space than my Audi A4.

The 2.0 Sport costs £1200 more than the 1.8 TS2. For that money, you get 30bhp more, tinted second- and third-row windows, traction control, a stability program, full climate control (instead of standard air-con) and an in-dash six-CD changer that plays MP3 files burnt on to a CD. (I couldn't see this feature in the brochure but it means 60 CDs' worth of music.)

Other features added on the Sport are a bonus but weren't essential, such as front foglights, a rear spoiler, and 17-inch alloy wheels (up from 16 inches on the TS2). All that for £1200 more!

The 2.0 is effortless and pulls well at low revs. It is very quiet around town and on the motorway.

Another bonus is that the 2.0 is only in insurance group eight (only slightly above the 1.8-litre model).

My wife enjoys driving this. The seat adjustments for the driver means we are both comfortable. The seating is flexible and easy to adjust. A great feature is the sliding and reclining of the middle seats.

A couple of notches forward on one of the seats and our pushchair can go into the boot straight on instead of crossways freeing up a lot of room.

I purchased through one of the brokers mentioned often in What Car? and got a decent discount of £1500 delivered by a UK Mazda dealer