Year-End Deal Reality Check: Mazda

The end of the year means dealers are trying to move old product to make room for next year’s new cars, trucks and SUVs; it also means more deals for new-car shoppers. According to Mazda, ‘Tis the Season of Saving. The automaker’s annual year-end sale program offers well-qualified shoppers 0% financing and no payments for 90 days on select 2011 and 2012 Mazda vehicles.

Model-year 2011 vehicles that qualify include the Mazda2, Mazda3 hatchback and sedan, Mazda6, CX-7 and CX-9. Also eligible are 2012 versions of the Mazda2, Mazda5, Mazda6 and CX-9. For example, qualified shoppers can purchase the redesigned-for-2012 Mazda5 small minivan for $19,345 and get 0% financing for 60 months and forgo payments for 90 days.

The sale ends Jan. 3.

Which Cars Fit Three Car Seats?

Parents are often searching for the automotive holy grail: a car that's not a minivan and can fit three child-safety seats across the backseat. It's a short list. In the nearly two years that Cars.com editor Kelsey Mays, Cars.com photographer Ian Merritt and I have been installing car seats into test vehicles, we've come across only a handful of cars that can hold three car seats across a backseat.

We recently tested the 2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class and it fit three car seats in it. To be considered a fit, there must be enough room between the booster seat and infant-safety seat for a child's hand to reach the seat belt buckle.

Most Popular Car Seat Checks

Parents, grandparents and caretakers know what a pain it can be to install child-safety seats into a car. Imagine doing it over and over and over again. That's what our Car Seat Check team does nearly every week as it tests new cars to find out how easy it is to use the Latch system.

Car Seat Checks are performed by Cars.com editor Kelsey Mays, Cars.com photographer Ian Merritt and Cars.com editor and certified car-seat technician Jennifer Newman.

2012 Mazda5: Car Seat Check

This Car Seat Check was originally published in June 2011 on MotherProof.com.

The 2012 Mazda5 is a small minivan that seats six passengers in three rows of seats. The second-row captain's chairs can travel forward to create more legroom when it's needed in the third row.

For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 rear-facing infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible child-safety seat and Graco high-back TurboBooster seat.

Cars.com Podcast: 2011 Lexus IS, 2012 Mazda5, 2011 Audi TT

This week, Cars.com’s editors tackled a varied trio of vehicles in our 101st podcast. Kelsey Mays talks about the entire Lexus IS lineup – yes, he tested them all; Mike Hanley discusses Mazda’s redesigned small van, the 2012 Mazda5, and Joe Wiesenfelder expounds on the sporty Audi TT.

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Cars.com Reviews the 2012 Mazda5

When we talk minivans we’re usually discussing vehicles reaching 200 inches in length. That’s not anyone’s definition of mini. The Mazda5, on the other hand, is a small, nimble alternative to larger minivans, says editor Mike Hanley. Find out whether the compact package is worth the trade-off of less space versus a typical minivan.

2012 Mazda5 Review

MotherProof.com Car Seat Check Recap

The 2011 Saab 9-5 is a large family sedan that has some trouble fitting child-safety seats despite its girth. The high-back booster seat, convertible and infant-safety seats were tough to install compared with the other large sedan we tested recently, the 2011 Chrysler 300C. Check out the latest Car Seat Checks at MotherProof.com:

2011 Saab 9-5: Car Seat Check 
2011 Chrysler 300 and 300C: Car Seat Check 
2011 Nissan Murano: Car Seat Check 
2012 Mazda5: Car Seat Check

Ford Cancels 7-Seat C-Max For U.S.

Ford was all set to bring its small seven-seat minivan dubbed the C-Max to the U.S. at the Detroit auto show this past January. That was when we got a good look at this small people-mover that is similar to the Mazda5. Ford said today it no longer plans to sell the seven-seat C-Max in the U.S.

The C-Max offers minivan seating capacity without the size and price tag of traditional minivans, along with better gas mileage. The Mazda5 is seeing an uptick in sales, too. Year-to-date sales of the redesigned Mazda5 are up 22%, outpacing the rest of the company’s lineup.

However, the volume remains quite low for the Mazda5, and that might be why Ford nixed the C-Max. A smaller version that seats five will go on sale in the U.S. as an electric and hybrid vehicle with no standard gasoline option.

It seems that Ford thinks it has the pulse of American consumers who are still snapping up the new Explorer despite $4 gas prices. Of course, they’re also buying a lot of Fiestas and Focuses, Focii … well, the other small Ford.

There doesn’t seem to be any other automaker stepping up to the plate in the small people-mover space, either. GM has decided not to sell the Orlando — a similar vehicle — in the U.S., and Kia discontinued its Rondo last year. Perhaps Mazda can make some noise out of this news for its Mazda5. It’s a nice vehicle that now resides in a niche of one.

See Cars.com in USA Weekend

Are you searching for the perfect family car? Something that fits your whole family comfortably, hauls all of the kids' gear and has features that make your life easier?
 
In this weekend's issue of USA Weekend, Cars.com senior editor and MotherProof.com Chief Mom Kristin Varela takes a look at the hottest automotive trends geared toward families. Forget minivans: Kristin focuses on multi-activity vehicles like the 2012 Mazda5 and Ford C-Max, as well as green cars including the 2011 Nissan Leaf and Toyota Prius PHV, a plug-in hybrid. She also looks at family-friendly features like the Ford Explorer's inflatable rear seat belts or the C-Max's hands-free liftgate.
 
Read more about these family-friendly automotive trends in USA Weekend, which can be found in newspapers across the country this weekend, or at USAWeekend.com.

Recall Alert: 2009-10 Mazda5

Mazda is recalling about 16,200 2009-10 Mazda5 minivans over a defective fuel pump connector, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
 
In the affected vehicles, the fuel pump’s harness connector pin may become corroded from water that wasn’t removed completely before vehicle assembly. This could cause the connector pin to break, causing the engine to stall and increasing the risk of a crash.
 
Mazda will begin notifying owners next week. Dealers will inspect the fuel pump connector and repair it if necessary at no charge. Owners can call Mazda at 800-222-5500 or NHTSA’s hot line at 888-327-4236.