a lot of other people who've discussed the Stream for years would disagree with you. Sliding doors are practical, but then you're stuck with the minivan stigma. I read somewhere the next Mazda5 may not have the sliding door.

 

There has always been a seven-passenger Fit variant in Japan called the Mobilio. This thing uses the same global small platform as the Fit.

It is completely suitable for seven average-size Pygmies.

Honda｜モビリオ｜スタイル

 

Who are these "lot of other people"? I bet they are Honda nuts (guys) that probably pay more attention to the engineering side of the cars, than to the American market mentality.

I showed my wife the Stream about a year ago. She loved it - and it worked to talk her out of moving from an Accord to an Odyssey - expecting that the Stream would be coming this way.

Since then - Mazda 5's are ALL OVER THE PLACE around here. She chats with other women on message boards in Europe - and they all praise the Mazda 5. One of the main attractions - rear sliding doors. My wife - hauling three kids around - cringes at the thought of the kids banging their doors into the car in the next parking spot. Not to mention, it's a ton easier getting kids in and out with the sliding doors.

There will be a hybrid or alternative technology breakthrough here in the next few years which will change the general coarse of auto design. But for the next 5 or 6 years - smaller, more fuel efficient cars (and minivans) are going to be really popular. The Mazda 5 isn't perfect - but it sure fits what a lot of families want - at least where I live.

Watch the numbers: Odyssey numbers are going to sink - Mazda 5 numbers are going to climb.

 

Bring it to the States!!!! We need that here!!!! (My family would buy it!)

Here's the translated link:

Translated version of http://www.honda.co.jp/MOBILIO/style/index.html

 

No, these were people on non-Honda forums (actually some of them were on Mazda forums believe it or not). I don't have the time to search forum-by-forum at the moment though. For the record, I own an 07 Honda Stream RSZ 2.0 (in sexy purple, no less), so I know all about it and the Mazda5. Before we started importing Streams--which I'm no longer doing as other projects are taking up my time and space--we test drove a Mazda5, and I passed on it because I found it a bit heavy and the steering feel was a bit numb. The shifter felt a bit heavy and clumsy (I'm used to Honda 6-speeds though, which isn't a fair comparison) and the front seats, from what I remember were a bit flat. The Stream, by comparison, has steering just as responsive as the Mazda5 (I was really impressed with the 5 in this regard), but slightly more comfortable seats and an engine that doesn't seem to be struggling (from what I can remember). I have a Stream RSZ 2.0 and it's nearly 2976lbs, to the 5's 3389lbs. The RSZ is the sporty-equivalent, so I'm sure a 1.8 non-RSZ would be a bit lighter, although not necessarily as agile on its feet, which may or may not be a big deal for certain buyers.

Maybe the Ody doesn't work for you, but don't let the minivan shapes fool you; these are two completely different vehicles. The Odyssey could practically swallow the 5. Cargo capacity is 147 cubic feet vs. 44 cubic feet with the seats down. With the seats up the Ody still offers 34 cubic feet where the 5 has nada. The 5 isn't as practical as the Stream either. I swallowed our entire SEMA booth pratically in the Stream with room to spare. Quite frankly, I was amazed.

In its defense though, the 5's the sliding doors would help much better to side-load. I'm not saying the 5 is a bad car. It's not. I just have something else to compare it to.

An interesting note about the Stream, the most popular color we had requested was purple; even among young males. It's a deep shade, sorta like Black Amethyst Pearl. If I can get it out of the warehouse, I'll take some pics. The weather's nice now.

 

it just looks like another minivan to me.

 

"NO, Officer! I didn't speed past you! It must have been some other guy in a car that LOOKS like mine!!!"

 

Where are you - that you have a Stream? (Not in the US I take it..)

Read your last post again - all about performance, handling (all awesome Honda traits - that I love Honda for). But my wife - and I think others, are attracted to things like the rear sliding doors, underseat storage, hatch-back, and GREAT gas mileage - in the Mazda 5.

The Stream looks great. Problem is - it's not here (in the US).

What kind of mileage does it get? (Compared to the Civic and Accord?)

Do you know when it will be available in the States?

Do you know if the 8-seat option will be available in the US, or if the JDM equipment for the 8-seat option will work in the US units?

 

I do live in the US. You missed the part where I said my company imported Streams. We imported them from April 2007 to January 2008. And again, I haven't resumed importing them. The car market is fical at the moment with the economy and job market pretty much in shambles. I've been keeping an eye on things, but I have other things to focus on.

I'm going to take a guess and say you probably stopped reading what I wrote at the "performance" part. The Stream is not a "performance" vehicle and I didn't buy one for myself for its performance (I imported a couple FD2s for that hehe ). I brought it in because I needed a business vehicle to haul packages around for in-the-area deliveries and to carry my products to and from shows. Although the cargo capacity in the Odyssey is great, I didn't need the large engine, the heavy curb weight or the relatively high sticker price. As much as I love the Fit, it's too small for me in this regard. I looked at an Element, but still don't love its looks and the CX-7, while priced very well, has more performance than space. At the time, my local dealer had Mazdas, Volvos and Saabs on the same lot, and before I checked out the CX-7 and 5, I looked at the wagons before making my way to the 5. I really enjoyed my time with it, but as I said, the 5's lack of utility with the seats up and down is what killed the deal for me (all the other stuff was me nit-picking to be honest). A few weeks later, the Stream was announced. It's fun-to-drive, which I come to expect from Honda, but so is the 5. That and the fact that they can both have 3 rows and similar horsepower ratings is about where the similarities end. The Stream follows Honda's philosophy to a T. "Man Maximum, Machine Minimum". Build the most space efficient vehicle in its class--which coincidentally, is larger outside of the US--and give it great fuel efficiency. Those were my two priorities.

This is true, but neither is the car the OP originally posted.

I've been a lobbyist for the 7 seater personally. Don't give too much credit to the rumors about Honda pulling the third row out. Honda wouldn't want to cannibalize CR-V sales by offering two 5-passenger vehicles, but the car's not quite as off-road as the Element, so it has nothing to worry about there either. Think of it as an old Accord wagon/tourer. The latest news puts it here sometime next year, but I don't have anything more concrete than those rumors, honestly. You sound like you're looking for something more immediate. This car really should've launched here sooner, but Honda's eyeing Mazda's 5 sales very closely. This wouldn't be the first time Honda tried the mini-minivan approach. The first generation Odyssey was ahead of its time in that regard, but the price of fuel 15 years ago was nowhere near where it is now. The market, from our perspective as consumers, is right for these kinds of vehicles, but Honda wants to make sure it benefits the company.

As for fuel efficiency, to be honest, it hasn't been driven since last year's SEMA (really long story) and with all my projects going on, I can't exactly remember numbers. I do know they're better than the Accord, but I'm not entirely sure about the comparison to the Civic, so when we get it back out, I'll have something more concrete for you. Not sure if I mentioned this, but the Stream only comes with a 5 speed Automatic, which is probably a deal breaker for those that like the fact Mazda offers the 5 with a MT. The Stream is also available in Japan with Honda's CVT, which is partially responsible for the good mileage.

Again, not saying the 5 is anyway a bad vehicle. It is absolutely not. But like I mentioned, I'm just fortunate enough to be able to make a comparison between the 5 and its first real direct competition and the lack of utility compared to the Stream could hurt the 5 in the long run. But since the Stream isn't here now, I'm pretty positive Mazda could address that issue with a second generation 5 probably before the Stream even arrives. That said, if you have a small, but growing family and don't take very many long trips (because of the lack of luggage capacity with the seats up), the 5 should suit you and yours just fine.

Also, if anyone in the Vegas area wants to check out a Stream for the heck of it, send me a pm and I'll get you in touch with the folks that have them.

 

but would it move???

 

I really want to know how fast and how slow the Mobilio can go 0-60 and 60-0 at while full of grown adults... LOL