- #684 of 806
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Canadian Sales for April '09
by conwelpic
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May 07, 2009 (5:20 am)
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Rondo - 1,024 (1039 for '08)
Mazda 5 - 959 (1735 for '08)
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- #685 of 806
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Re: Go Kia - six cylinder has guts! [davidfehr]
by coolmazda5
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May 07, 2009 (10:18 am)
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Replying to: davidfehr (May 05, 2009 9:20 pm)
To be honest with the name of that site you have posted here Mazda may not want you to buy or lease a car back from them either  (BTW, the link seems blocked)
Best of luck, we hope you get a better deal (car/money) in the future
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- #686 of 806
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Re: Go Kia - six cylinder has guts! [coolmazda5]
by gearhead1977
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May 12, 2009 (5:04 am)
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Replying to: coolmazda5 (May 07, 2009 10:18 am)
Just picked up a new 08 GT Mazda 5. The driving dynamics of the Mazda are far superior to the Rondo. The sliding doors work better in our narrow garage and the Mazda interior is nicer IMHO, although the Kia isn't bad really. The Mazda is OK on power, but I do wish it had more. The engine revs smoothly and quickly, so it doesn't feel slow, except above 75 mph or climbing a steep hill. But since it corners so well, I don't have to slow down much and can keep the momentum up through the corners. The V6 in the Kia was a bit coarse sounding too.
The 50 series tires on 17 inch wheels will be painful to replace cost wise. But the "Zoom-zoom" factor makes it worth it.
Never had a Mazda either, so I wanted to try out the brand. As soon as I drove the 5, that was it for the Kia. I had an 01 Hyundai Elantra before, it was fine, but it was a driving appliance, not a drivers car. It was so boring to drive, I traded for a an 01Ford Focus ZX3 and never looked back.
For us, the Mazda was the best overall combination of fun,function and value. 
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- #687 of 806
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Re: I've Owned Both [haviland]
by go59
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May 12, 2009 (8:28 am)
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Replying to: haviland (May 01, 2009 8:57 am)
Off subject, but exactly how do you remove those rubber strips? They appear to be fastened at the front. Cut them?
Thanks,
Greg
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- #688 of 806
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Re: Seats [dona83]
by tourist1292
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May 21, 2009 (10:04 am)
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Replying to: dona83 (May 06, 2009 1:14 pm)
I have test driven a 09 Rondo LX 4-cyl, 09 Mazda5 GT, and a 08 Rondo EX V6. The engine noise of the first 2 were about the same while the EX V6 is significantly less noisy up to 75mph. We got a quote for a 09 Mazda5 Touring at around the same price of a loaded 08 EX V6. The main reason we choose the Rondo EX is actually for the seats. The Mazda5 has 4" less overall leg room than Rondo. My teenager daughter can barely fit in the 3rd row of Mazda5 when there is an average person sitting in the 2nd row. That means the 3rd row will become useless for me very soon. Besides the extra seat in Rondo, the kids are feeling much more comfortable sitting in the back row which would make a long trip more enjoyable for the parents..
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- #689 of 806
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Re: Seats [tourist1292]
by coolmazda5
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May 22, 2009 (5:06 am)
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Replying to: tourist1292 (May 21, 2009 10:04 am)
Hmmm, let's clarify those 4" (4.1" to be precise) of overall extra legroom:
1st, 2nd and 3rd legroom dimensions:
Rondo: 41.3+38.2+31.3=110.8"
Mazda5: 40.7+35.2+30.8=106.7"
I would appreciate the 3" 2nd row difference (which is of no use for me as I have 2 rear facing car seats and the individual captain chairs' back seat reclining is more critical to me, but 0.4" extra in the 3rd row can really make a difference? 
http://autos.yahoo.com/2009_mazda_mazda5_sport-specs/
http://autos.yahoo.com/kia_rondo_ex-specs/
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- #690 of 806
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Re: Seats [coolmazda5]
by tourist1292
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May 22, 2009 (6:50 am)
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Replying to: coolmazda5 (May 22, 2009 5:06 am)
Don't forget that you can slide the 2nd row seat forward to make room for the 3rd row. So you can transfer part of that 3" extra leg room to the 3rd row and that makes a big difference in the usefulness of the 3rd row.
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- #691 of 806
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Re: Seats [tourist1292]
by coolmazda5
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May 22, 2009 (10:22 am)
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Replying to: tourist1292 (May 22, 2009 6:50 am)
And you can do exactly the same with the Mazda5, plus you have the extra space in between the 2nd row seats to stretch a leg or so when needed, like my dad just did today during a trip to the museum as he had surgery recently (6 passengers, 2 car seats in the 2nd row). Again, I'm not sure I follow the logic with 1/2in extra here and 1/2in extra there (you may also be a not very tall driver, so that might help too), but hey, if that works for your family, that is a good thing, that is what matters
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- #692 of 806
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Re: Seats [coolmazda5]
by tourist1292
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May 22, 2009 (11:04 am)
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Replying to: coolmazda5 (May 22, 2009 10:22 am)
I think you've missed the point. Yes, you can slide the seat in Mazda5, but there is still 4" less in total leg room. Tested with my family that my teenage daughter can barely fit in the 3rd row when my wife sit in the second row with the seat already adjusted in Mazda5. In Rondo, both my wife and my daughter got almost 2" more space. Of course, that may not be a problem at all for other family, but there is definitely a 4" difference in leg room between the 2 cars and that 4" EXTRA room can be distributed among the 3 rows in Rondo.
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- #693 of 806
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Hm
by dona83
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May 22, 2009 (3:08 pm)
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That's it, I'm getting snipped after our 2nd kid.
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