Faults:

Door seams showing rust after the 2nd winter. Repaired under warranty, but rust has returned on all doors.

Wheel wells showing rust after 3 years.

Paint chipping/flaking off on trunk shortly after 3 year warranty expired. Mazda refused to fix this problem because the rust has not perforated the metal.

Power doors periodically will not shut properly.

General Comments:

Mechanically has been fairly reliable.

Mazda has not addressed their poor paint and premature rust issues. Will never purchase a Mazda product again because of unacceptable corrosion. Their cars will not last very long on salted roads in Canadian winter climates.

Faults:

At 42,000 miles, I had to replace 3 cylinder coils.

At 48,120 miles my transmission needs to be replaced.

At 48,120 miles an oxygen sensor needs to be replaced.

At 48,120 miles I have an oil gasket that needs to be replaced.

General Comments:

My first Mazda was the R-100. I have owned an RX-3, 323 and now the MPV. I never had a problem until the MPV. The problems I am experiencing with this MPV at such a low amount of mileage is very disheartening. I am hoping that MazdaUSA will repair the transmission at no or little cost to me.

Faults:

Re-occuring issue with fog light failure after the dealer did recall work. This was not the fault of Mazda, but rather the dealer installing a used fog light assembly.

The rear brakes are starting to grind. I'm not sure if this is because they're wearing down or because of a sticking wheel cylinder.

General Comments:

This is actually my parents vehicle that they traded a 1999 Mazda Protege. So this review is the opinion of an 18 year old driver that used to drive an Eclipse Spyer.

While I wasn't too thrilled with the idea of driving a minivan at first, after driving it for two years I'm very impressed with the car.

The feel and handling are all Mazda. It drives more like a midsized car, and handles better than one. This is thanks in part to its smaller size. You can't help, but smile when your pulling off maneuver's you never thought possible from a soccer-mobile.

The engine size was upped to a 3.0 for this model year and feels like it was made for this car. It will out accelerate almost any other minivan or SUV on the street, and throws you back into your seat all the way up to the 7k RPM red-line.

However, I can't say the same thing for the transmission. While its fine for cruising, a more responsive automatic or even a manual would be better for the times when you need power on the fly. The current transmission likes to take its time down-shifting.

A lot of people complain that its too small; but my families never found anything they couldn't fit in her. Besides, the smaller size adds up to better handling.

Now for the novelties. The third row seat fold flat into the floor, making for ample storage space without the pain of removing seats. Dual sliding doors (power optional), power rear windows (the first on a minivan), and steering-wheel mounted stereo controls round out the the cool gadgets. And for storage space, there's cup holders and storage compartment everywhere you look; in the dash, in the seats, under the seats, in the doors, on the ceiling.

But the most important thing about this car is the one thing most manufacturers fail to build in. Character. From the sporty front end to the "zoom-zoom" sticker in the back, this car just screams fun. Its the kind of car youll find yourself praising after you cut someone off, and apologizing to for hitting a pothole.