Rav4 vs Mazda 5

The wife drives an 06 Rav4. Base model 4 cylinder, 150k, some kid damage to the back seat area. I don't really like it. It needs it's intermediate steering shaft replace again, it always detonates at tip in throttle, the DBW pedal response can be sluggish, but most of all it's used 3 quarts of it's 4.5 quart oil capacity in 2500 miles. She still likes it, but doesn't want to drive it into the ground.

Looking at the local C list, it looks like we could move into a slightly newer Mazda 5 for little or no money out of pocket. Obviously the Mazda has a higher number affiliated with it's name, so it's got to be better there. I think the 5 may be a better vehicle all the way around, but I've never owned a Mazda. I do like the fact that the Toyota uses a timing chain vs a belt. What say ye????

We just bought a 2012 Mazda5 and have put 2,600 in the first month. Lots of nice features and averaging 27 mpg. Plus, it will seat 6 adults. From all reports, long term reliability is good. Did I mention that it was a bargain at $19,600.00?

Brief internetting leads me to believe the 5 has a timing chain. Correct?

btp76 wrote: Brief internetting leads me to believe the 5 has a timing chain. Correct?

Correct.

Ok I just went from a 2008 Mazda 5 Touring to a 2003 Rav4L 4cylinder 2wd.

Both have their pros and cons

Mazda5: Pros: Great handling for a people carrier, can be had with a 5 speed, Mazda3 base so speed parts are plentiful. Lots of storage, respectable fuel economy for such a good people mover. Reclining second row. Seats 4 adults and 2 kids comfortably

Cons: Low ground clearance, Expensive headlight bulbs and tires (likes tires, loves them infact), fragile in comparison to the Rav4 (shocks, front end valences, general suspension components), BACK SEATS ARE FOR PEOPLE LESS THAN 5'5" No storage if 3rd row is up (You can't have everything)

RAV4: Pros: Good ground clearance, Reclining back seat (not just fold closed but reclining like the 5 for rear seat comfort), better turning radius, comparable fuel economy (auto for auto) Cheap parts, sturdier, full size spare available

Cons: gutless, doesn't handle, Seats 4 adults or 2 adults and 3 kids comfortably. 5 adults is an experience in intimacy.

Being in NOLA, the roads are far from perfect and the rains cause large puddles, which ended up ripping all the heat shielding out from under my 5. Also the resale on 5s aren't the greatest, which could be a pro our con depending on your buying habits.

We wished we had the extra kid seat available at times but for us (Family of 4 where the roads aren't perfect) the Rav4 has been a better appliance choice.

Could a Mazda CX-5 be a better comparison to a Rav4?

JohnRW1621 wrote: Could a Mazda CX-5 be a better comparison to a Rav4?

The CX-5 is an entire galaxy better than the Rav4.

The Mazda5 uses a timing chain. It's the perfect 4-person family mover with space for an additional 2 for short trips. Tires are cheap with the 17's on the base Sport model (the only one with a stick). Same for lights for the non-HID's.

I like my Mazda5 just fine. It drives much better than the Honda Element it replaced.

Likes: Drives very nicely, in a sporty Mazda3 sort of way. Seats are good enough up front, not as nice in the second row. Sliding doors are awesome. Tons of storage behind the second row. Plenty of fun with the manual shift. No service issues I know of in 66k miles.

Dislikes: It would be nice to have 3 center row seats. I average about 26 mpg, which is OK I suppose. No cargo with 6 passengers. Oil changes are kind of a pain. Likes to eat through rear suspension components. Rear doors don't unlock on the first or second try many times. Rust is a known problem long-term.

I'd also cross-shop the new 2014 Ford Transit Connect Wagon if you can wait that long. No idea what pricing will be. Mazda CX-5 would also be top of my list.

Don't get me wrong, we loved our 5, but where we were and what we needed it wasn't the right tool this time

I shopped both and ended up with a v6 awd rav4. I love it for what is. A wife's car, that holds kid, dog, etc and toes pretty well too. With the v6, it's far from sluggish. I like all the under floor storage, the fact that it's easy to get to the spare tire, and most things about it. It corners surprisingly well at 90mph. Perhaps you could trade yours in on a v6 for not much more. Also, when shopping Mazda5's with the same mileage and age, they had all started to rust.

We have an '08 5 with 120k on it. I like the versatility of the interior and as said the space is great for four and the occasional 6. I've sat in the back seats and I'm 6'5" but that's with the middle seat pushed forward. My favorite setup for road trips is two kids on the passenger's side, driver's middle seat flat, & me in the driver's back row stretched out.

We get 25 mixed and 30 highway with the 5spd automatic. It's had minor issues like a serpentine belt tensioner bearing (bought the idler wheel for $15 instead of the whole thing Mazda wants you to buy), front struts, front sway bar linkage/bushings, plus regular maintenance. The sliding door tracks are at the bottom of the door and like to get gunked up so a regular cleaning does some good.

A friend has the same year RAV4 and it feels like I'm driving a little person's car. I can't really describe it but everything seems small, of course it's opinion so drive one and make your own. If you drive on rough roads the RAV4 would be a better vehicle.

The Rav4 has left me underwhelmed with that legendary Toyota quality, but it starts everyday. I'm more than a little concerned with it's oil consumption. I like the the Mazda better as a practical vehicle, but will it be reliable to 150,000?

We have an 06 Base AWD RAV4 with the V6. We had the intermediate steering issue from about 2,000 miles, and it was finally replaced with the updated part (outside of warranty but Toyota covered it) at 40K. We're just under 109K now, and haven't heard the famous clunk since it was replaced.

Ours has had two ignition coils fail so far, and the radio display goes on the fritz in warmer weather, but other than those issues it's been solid for us. It does seem, however, that we get mail every month from Toyota over some issue (rear control arms, accelerator pedal, VVTI oil line, etc.). I replaced the VVTI line proactively with the all metal line used in the Lexus, because the hose in the recall was just another version of the rubber/metal one that had the problems in the first place.

I'm also on the Rav4world forum under the same username, and I've seen a ton of V6 water pump and head gasket issues popping up recently, so I would say that Toyota's reputation for reliability is taking a well-deserved hit. I'm hoping to run ours into the ground, but am hoping that happens in the very distant future (say past 250k). I've been very proactive with maintenance, I've used synthetic oil since 1,200 miles, and all major fluids (front and rear transfer cases, transmission, coolant) have been replaced more frequently than recommended.

There's a TSB out there for the oil consumption issue in the 4cyl: http://www.rav4world.com/tsb/2011/T-SB-0094-11.pdf Their tipping point for identifying the issue is if the car consumes more than 1qt per 1,200 miles, which it sounds like you're definitely above that threshold. I don't have much experience on the Mazda5 other than sitting in one at an auto show, but if I owned something consuming that much oil, I'd probably be looking to move into something else.

I got a rav4 2007 base 2wd. Trans mounts are going at 65k miles. That is my only real worry except for the fact that the car seems to be a dent magnet. I got dings and dents all over the damn thing. Why are people such dicks in parking lots.

That oil consumption is pretty excessive. If it's based mostly on your bad luck i would have to assume any mazda5 you buy will go to E36 M3 as well. Is it actually a common problem that ive just never seen or run into being a professional tech for the entire time those vehicles have been out? Could be, i guess.

Personally, i myself would not go from an 06 4cyl rav4 to a mazda5. I would go from an 06 4cyl rav4, to the newest rav4 you can get with a v6 that still has the 3rd row. That takes away the 3 row advantage of the mazda5 while still leaving you more space pretty much everywhere, it's vastly faster, only gets a couple less mpg, depreciates less, and would probably handle the same with swaybars and tires if you actually cared about that. Personally, ive never felt the need to improve the handling on any of the rav4s ive driven, but it really depends on how hard you're going to drive it i suppose.

What kind of gas mileage are all you 5 owners getting? I am contemplating a manual '10 sport 5.

The newer 5 doesn't eat tires; switched mine at 63000 ant they were at 3-4/32.

I have averaged 28 mpg during my 65000 miles, 12 5 6spd.

92dxman wrote: What kind of gas mileage are all you 5 owners getting? I am contemplating a manual '10 sport 5.

My manual 06 Sport 5 (2.3L/MT5, I think 10 is when they switched to 2.5L/MT6) is lifetime averaging at 27.5 right now. I get 23-25 in the city and 29-30 highway on 87 octane E10. Most mixed tanks are right at 27.5.

I try really hard to only buy toyotas with vins beginning with JT, usa built ones arent the same quality in my experience. Sucks, but they seem to have more issues, and always feel dumbed down compared to Jap built, shared market cars.

All old, original bodies, are 2.3L/ 5 speed manual
All new, current bodies, are 2.5L/ 6 speed manual.

The new body was the '12 model
The old body ended with the '10 model
There is no '11 model.

dj06482 wrote: We have an 06 Base AWD RAV4 with the V6. We had the intermediate steering issue from about 2,000 miles, and it was finally replaced with the updated part (outside of warranty but Toyota covered it) at 40K. We're just under 109K now, and haven't heard the famous clunk since it was replaced. Ours has had two ignition coils fail so far, and the radio display goes on the fritz in warmer weather, but other than those issues it's been solid for us. It does seem, however, that we get mail every month from Toyota over some issue (rear control arms, accelerator pedal, VVTI oil line, etc.). I replaced the VVTI line proactively with the all metal line used in the Lexus, because the hose in the recall was just another version of the rubber/metal one that had the problems in the first place. I'm also on the Rav4world forum under the same username, and I've seen a ton of V6 water pump and head gasket issues popping up recently, so I would say that Toyota's reputation for reliability is taking a well-deserved hit. I'm hoping to run ours into the ground, but am hoping that happens in the very distant future (say past 250k). I've been very proactive with maintenance, I've used synthetic oil since 1,200 miles, and all major fluids (front and rear transfer cases, transmission, coolant) have been replaced more frequently than recommended. There's a TSB out there for the oil consumption issue in the 4cyl: http://www.rav4world.com/tsb/2011/T-SB-0094-11.pdf Their tipping point for identifying the issue is if the car consumes more than 1qt per 1,200 miles, which it sounds like you're definitely above that threshold. I don't have much experience on the Mazda5 other than sitting in one at an auto show, but if I owned something consuming that much oil, I'd probably be looking to move into something else.

How's that 6 cyl go? Their acceleration claims were strong, like 5.9 to 60 or somethin. Does yours have the sport pkg with the Tokico dampers?

The 6cyl moves, 1/4 mile times of stock V6s are in the high 14s (think 14.9). It has decent low-end, and an unbelievable mid-range. Torque steer at full throttle when you're around 55 MPH is a little disconcerting, though.

The Sport Trim level included Tokico struts/shocks, but ours is just the regular base model and handles decently for what it is. It is under damped, but most of the population that drives them would never notice. At over 120k now, ours is due for new struts/shocks.

It does return great mileage, especially for a V6 with AWD. In mixed driving, I get 22-24 MPG, and I've gotten 29.7 on an extended highway trip with speeds in the low 70s. Because it runs on 87 octane gas, the fuel costs when compared to competitors are very low.

V6s will likely hold their value OK, as the redesigned Rav4 is only available with the 4cyl. As the original poster mentioned, the early 4cyl Ravs can have serious oil consumption issues.

I have an '08 V6 rav sport and don't think(actually I'm sure)I wouldn't want a 4 cyl people/crap hauler.The rav does nearly everything very well,in fact I can't see anything SUV'ish to replace it with the same qualities.

Had 0 problems other than a water pump a couple of months ago which Toyota did under warranty without asking(approx. 115k or 70,000 miles)and the steering clunk.the only notice from toyota I've received was for a window switch.Guess by '08 they had the kinks worked out.

Kevlar, that first sentence has me all turned around.

The window switch thing was funny, If you read it, it said something to the effect of, "window switch may become sticky, if this occurs, do not spray penetrating lube into the switch, this may short out electrical part of switch and cause smoke."

All turned around how?.

There was nothing wrong with the switch when they replaced it,the notice stated something like switch may malfunction and cause smoke not don't be a dumbass and spray fluids into an electrical device.