Fuel economy, safety features, comfort, power, drives like a car, convenient 4 door, and optional 3rd row folds down in the floor. (very convenient)

None so far!

I have only had the MPV for about a month. Let me tell you, I didn't even want a minivan! We have 3 children though, all boys, and there was really no way around it! My husband and I didn't want the "typical" minvan. Even the name of this minivan is great. So far, I would give this vehicle an A+. It rides smooth, powerful, and it has many features. I fell in love with it the minute I test drove it! The best part is the price! I would also have to agree with some other reviews...this van is SEXY! Not the typical "soccer mom" look!

Similar Products Used:

None

This is an update on a previous review. The transmission problem was addressed by reprogramming the Powertrain Control Module according to a Mazda service bulletin. So far (1 month) it is working fine. Dealer service department was very good, although they would not provide a loaner unless the car was to be in the shop overnight.

Space, handling, smaller size, fuel economy.

BAD transmission. Rough ride over low speed bumps. Poor layout of shifter and other controls. Ford parts in an otherwise decent package.

We bought this van for size, price, and features. Although we liked the performance, fit and finish of the Honda, a comparable Odyssey was several thousand dollars more expensive. The main complaint, and it is a big one, is that the transmission sometimes lags between 2nd and 3d, then shifts in with a bang. Very unsettling and uncomfortable to driver and passengers. We have it scheduled with the service dept., but they informed us they have had similar complaints and don't yet know how to fix it. Otherwise, good handling, good gas mileage, comfortable on the road (rough ride over low speed bumps), very usable space. Not crazy about the power sliding doors, but they came with the other options we wanted. Assuming they can fix the transmission, we are pleased with the vehicle so far. However, we would not buy another one, because other Japanese manufacturers have figured out the quality control stuff that Mazda seems to struggle with. My guess is it's the Ford components that are junk, and that some other Mazda models might be OK. Friends with Miatas and older sedans have been very pleased. If they can't fix the transmission, we will not likely buy another Mazda product. The transmission is a MAJOR problem; unacceptable and inexcusable in any vehicle not made in Cold War eastern Europe.

Similar Products Used:

'98 Odyssey, test drove new Odyssey and Quest.

Smooth riding,drives like a car, quite agile for a Minivan, 200 HP V6 engine with steel timing chain, great ergonomics for me and the Mrs. Large front vented discs and ABS for stopping, 17" alloys w/215-60/17 Dunlop AS4000 tires. Great fit and finish, quality leather hides and materials, rolldown windows in rear sliding doors, sliding side by side captain's seats, easy tumble under 3rd row seats, nice ergonomics for both husband and wife. Nicely laid out dashboard and controls. Arm rests and plenty of cup holders. Deep well in rear for luggage and groceries. Great value and BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK.

Could use some more color variations, Red, Copper Orange, Sky Blue, etc. Could use wider tires like some 235/55-17 Falke or 245/50-17 Falke High Performance tires.

Wife received her new 2003 ES Sunlight Silver Metallic Dec.1, 2003. She has Grey leather,roof rack,Side airbags,ABS Traction Control,17" alloys,wheel locks,rear AC,8-way power seat, Security, AM/FMCD + 9 speakers for $22,601 which includes $2500 rebate before license and tax. This was a few hundred below invoice. No extra dealer prep fees or extra charges. She has no sulfur smell, uses Sunoco gas. Hard upship 1-2 at 160 miles, brought to dealer and no trouble codes, couldn't duplicate. Oil change 500 miles Mobil 5W20 plus Mazda filter. Wife and kids love everthing about it esp sliding side by side middle seates, easy tumble down 3rd row seat into well. She looked at Ody and Sienna. Too big and clumsy for her. On Ody, she couldn't get rear seat down. On MPV it couldn't be easier. At dealership she took out middle captain's chair out of the showroom LX, it weights 38 pounds and she is no weight lifter. Vehicle is extremely quiet, can't hear the engine, rides smooth , drives like a car, and is quite agile for her. My son says the steering ratio is pretty good better than many other cars and minivans. Georgeous paint finish, fit and materials. Quality leather hides better than her former 1985 Cadillac and my 1994 Firebird Formula's leather. Leather on the steering wheel is also nice and padded. This van has a lot of extras you wouldn't think of, plenty of cup holders, door pockets, bottle holders in rear sliding doors, stadium seating for middle and rear passengers plus roll down windows in middle sliding doors a desired bonus. Acceleration is quick, engine has 200 HP and has a steel timing chain not a rubber timing belt plus a 5 speed automatic OD transmission. Too early yet to find out if accelation is comparable to wife's 1999 Grand Prix GT with 3800 V6, or my 1994 Firebird Formula V8 350 LT1 6 speed or my 1974 Trans Am LS2. Once it is broken in, I will check it out. ES is at 900 miles and tranny is shifting perfectly. Traction control and ABS working in our latest snow. Van has real nice upgraded looks and shape with friction coefficent of 0.34. BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK. We also have 1992 MPV 3.0 V6 Shimmering Green with 83K m ,towing package,fog lights,oversize radiator, large washerfluid bottle,larger trans cooler,rear autoadjustin rear shocks,Air cooling scoops for front brakes,HD battery, wiper motor,ABS, tinted,AMFM/Cassette,Eagle GT+4 215-65/15 HR tires on alloy wheels with real spare. This van is RWD and the family workhorse even though it is outdated with 155 HP engine, 4 speed OD automatic trans and boxy shape but we purchased it new in April 1992 and never regretted it.

Similar Products Used:

1992 Mazda MPV Shimmering Green 83 K m.

1. Styling. By far the sexiest minivan on the market. 2. Size. Small footprint makes it easier to drive. 3. Handling is almost car-like, with very little body-roll. 4. Quite roomy interior. 5. Fold-down rear set and movable captain chairs in middle row are a very convenient feature.

Build quality seems inferior to Honda and Toyota. Transmission problems. Sliding doors seem "flimsy".

When we finally decided to upgrade our car to a minivan, we naturally checked out the domestic models, plus Honda and Toyota. We also checked out Mazda and were quite impressed with the styling and space as well as the smaller footprint of the vehicle, which my wife appreciated. However, only a few days into ownership, we started experiencing transmission problems. Between 2nd and 3rd gear on an up-shift, the transmission would hunt for the next gear and when it finally found it, it would bang into gear quite loudly. Dealer was contacted who told me to wait a month till a fix was available. This apparently was a software issue in the transmission's control module and a "bug fix" was expected from Mazda in about a month's time. Problem is that this problem was now almost a daily occurrence (sometimes happening several times a day) and was making me both annoyed and worried. Worry was that the transmission would be getting damaged each time this happened. After sitting patiently by for almost 3 weeks I called the dealer again after I started noticing that the transmission clunked as a result of being put into reverse from park. This is a brand new car that is showing transmission problems characteristic of a vehicle 10 years old or more. So far I've called the dealer 3 times in regards to this problem, and each time I am told that the service manager will call me back to gather more details and to book me in. To-date, no one has called me back. I've owned two Mazda's prior to this (bought used) and never had any problems with them. The older Mazda's were such a joy to own and to fix yourself, which was very important to be since I was on a student budget. I decided to give Mazda a try, after having owner two brand new Hondas, remembering the good old days of Mazda ownership and hauling my college-stuff around in the hatchback. Sadly, the experience of owning a brand-new Mazda hasn't compared. I can't really tell if this is an isolated incidence and that I was just sold a lemon, or whether there's a dark-side to the new Mazdas. Most reviews I've lead seem to point to the former, as most people rate these cars quite highly. Not sure what to make of the problems I've been having. Also, after the first car wash, my wife noticed water dripping into the car from the top of the right side sliding door. That door is also harder to close properly, since sometimes we think we've closed it but the dashboard reports that the door is still ajar. Also alarming to me is the price that the dealer charges for the routine maintenance on this vehicle: almost 3 times the price that I used to pay for servicing my Honda. I only wish I'd been more alert during the test-drive.

Similar Products Used:

Rented Dodge Caravan and Ford Windstar in the past. Test driven Honda Odyssey.

Great interior and look. Very easy to fold back seat into floor of van.

Engine acceleration bangs into gear

Leased a new 2000, loved it, decided to purchase the 2003 with a few extras. Pretty happy, after almost 2 months of ownership recently noticed problems with the acceleration, banging into gear. Took it to get serviced, engine light never came on, they test drove it and checked the engine and of course found nothing. Pulling out of the service dept it did it twice. Still having the problem. Customer ahead of me had the same problem. Can't get it resolved. Make sure you test drive it really well before purchasing. Wish I had my 2000 back!!!

Similar Products Used:

MAzda MPV 2000

4X4 unit is great,roomy, good on gas, reliably

engine light came on but won't go off. There is no sign of problem.

We purchased this by nessecity when we had our third child. They were both a god send. It is the most reliable vehicle on four wheeles. We bought it with 140,000 miles on it. We haven't had a problem with it yet and it has 190,000 on it now. Our model has the four wheele drive with the locking rear differential. This makes it a very formidable 4X4. The only thing it doesn't have is low range. I have and also had many other 4X4's and it is as fun to drive if not more fun than my trucks. When my son was born we were experiencing a very bad snow storm that shut some of the highways down, so I was forced to take back roads to the hospital in order to pick up my wife and son to bring them home. Well, I wound up having to climb a very steep hill that I had just witnessed 2 4X4 pickup trucks back down because they couldn't make it. From that day forward I was never worried about my wife getting stuck with the van anymore. If the engine ever goes on it I think I'm going to have it rebuilt and keep on driving it.

Similar Products Used:

'79 Bronco, '85 chevy pickup, '94 Bronco

DRIVES LIKE A CAR REAR WINDOWS ROLL DOWN REAR AC DID NOT PAY EXTRA ALOY WEELS DID NOT PAY EXTRA DRIVES NICE OVER ALL NICE CAN'T BEAT IT..

NONE

THIS VAN IS GREAT HAPPY WITH THE DEAL I GOT I LOOKED AT MANY MORE MINIVANS. AMERICAN MADE MINIVAN LIKE GRAND CARAVAN WINDSTAR ETC. TOO MANY COSMETICS BUT NOT GOOD.. WE AS AMERICANS LIKE MANY EXTRAS BUT IMPORTS ARE MUCH BERTTER.NO QUESTIONS ASK.

Similar Products Used:

GRAND CARAVAN WINDSTAR JUST DON'T BUY AMERICAN MADE MINIVANS

Handles well Looks good from the outside Mileage is just OK Rear air is a bonus for those in the back. Great 3rd row goes in the floor

Sulphur smell "Roadside assistance" took 20+ minutes to even answer (on a cell phone) Rides loud Interior will not hold up over the years

We bought the Mazda like others, as the Sienna was a bit higher than we liked. Bought this at a dealer who was convenient--they sold the Mazda pc of their biz about 8 mo. later. Had a problem with a pvc pipe under the van making it undriveable. I was told I could get it in, in 5 days. I have kids..and work..no way to wait that long. Now it's in for an alternator problem. Sulphur smell is awful a LOT too..guess I got one of the bad ones.

Similar Products Used:

'94 Plymouth Caravan--loved it '98 Plymouth Caravan--loved it

Drives and rides like a car. Versatile seating. Looks great. Roll-down side windows. Better value than import competition.

Upgraded stereo (180 watt, 6 disc in-dash CD player) sounds good, but not great. Right foot gets hot with heater cranked up.

Recently purchased an 2004 MPV after much research. MPV represents a great value with virtually all of the same features of the class-leading Odyssey, with a small sacrifice in cargo size. New styling for '04 makes the MPV arguably the best looking minivan available (especially with All-Sport package that includes 17" wheels and fog lights). The MPV drives much like a car, and definitely feels more agile than the Odyssey we also test drove. Inside, the MPV has all of the fit and finish quality that any import buyer has come to expect. Ergonomics are very good and control layout is logical. Only issue is that the shifter lever obstructs radio volume knob, but those controls are also located on the steering wheel, so this isn't a big deal. The roll-down windows on the sliding doors are a big hit with passengers and really help with ventilation. Middle seats cleverly slide together to ease access to third row seat. The versatile third row seat folds flat into the floor or flips back to allow tailgate type seating. The 200hp engine (with five spd auto transmission) provides plenty of power for accelerating into traffic and highway passing. Reliability history has been very good for these vehicles and certainly guided our purchase decision. Looking forward to many years of reliable service.

Similar Products Used:

1999 Nissan Quest 1992 Mazda MPV