Faults:

Tires needed to be replaced at around 30,000 miles. That's about right for the stock Toyo Proxes.

The shroud on the underside lost a massive piece after my wife drove over a stick. A stick. It's not exactly made of sturdy materials.

Fog light was broken by a stray rock.

Top of the rear bumper has quite a few scratches from cargo sliding over it - highly recommended you get the optional rubber cover.

General Comments:

We got our 5 as my wife's daily driver. It is excellent for our family of 4, and it is very helpful that it can transport 6 people in a pinch. Plenty of cargo room with the rear seats folded.

The 5 is far ahead of its competitors in terms of value, fun to drive, reliability, and cost of ownership. When we bought it, I wanted the manual, but as it is my wife's daily driver we got the automatic. I've never driven a smoother, more intuitive automatic. LOVE that in manual mode our minivan will hold a gear to the redline. I've driven sports cars that won't do that. Speaks to Mazda's commitment to sport.

It's fun to drive; handling much like a slightly tall Mazda 3. Twisty roads are a blast, the view out is fantastic, and it sticks to the road really, really well. It won't win any drag races, but hey, it's a van and gets 28 MPG.

Being an inexpensive car, it has an inexpensive feel. Hard plastics abound, and at least on the US version, there aren't a lot of the amenities that are offered on say, a Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey. But then again, it cost nearly half the price.

I highly recommend the 5. Unless you love spending a lot of money on a car or frequently transport 8 people, the 5 is all the car most people need. Plus, it's fun to drive!

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

This car is very well thought out.

It is more fun to drive than the CRV.

Visibility is excellent.

Comfort level, and ease of ingress and egress is wonderful.

The sliding rear doors make it so easy in the garage and parking lots.

The AC is better than the CRV, and the rear AC is great.

The pricing of $20990 with aluminum wheels, CD-MP3 stereo, power windows, power steering, power locks, power mirrors, theater seating, cup holders and compartment galore, front and rear 12v. receptacles, and outside temp. gauge make this a bargain.

I love the new styling, but the front grille isn't my favorite.

I don't normally evaluate this soon, but I'd like people to check out what I think is a SLEEPER.