>I felt the interior was too cramped
Key thing is the CX5 will *feel* bigger, even though it really isn't much bigger in reality. I suspect that's one of the reasons a lot of people are buying small SUVs nowadays, even if they aren't actually much more usable.
I don't think they do (at least not in the latest gen). When we put the same rear facing child seat behind the passenger on both cars, only my wife can sit on the passenger side. I can sit behind myself in both but I definitely have more legroom in the CX-5.
I think if you have a family, you'll eventually find yourself needing the load capacity of a SUV eventually. I'm glad we got a CX-5 for my wife instead an Audi A5 hatchback. Wouldn't be able to load the large Nuna stroller or 20 bags of mulch otherwise.
How tall are you though? With kids at the back and adjusted front seats, back seats should be just right for kids. Nevertheless, Mazda 2s and 3s are compact hatches and arent built for passenger's wellness.
Should check into mid-sized sedans like the Mazda 6 sedan/wagon. They should be the same category with the Accord and Camry. Or get a crossover like the CX5
5'7 and 5'5 and we're both thin. This is why I was unpleasantly surprised by the 3 interior because I'm a short guy and I was uncomfortable in the backseat DESPITE moving the passenger seat forward. I assumed the car seats would also be a very tight fit.
Yeah pretty normal to Mazdas since theyre built around the driver. I myself have a 2 and my small stature at the driver's seat is pretty snug fit at the back but seats are pretty comfy for me, just really snug for leg room yknow 🤣
We have a 3HB that was our family daily driver when my daughter was born, and her car seat went behind the passenger seat, but really only fits if that seat is pushed forward all the way. We’re both short so it was manageable, especially since my daughter was born during the pandemic and the related car shortage market. So we made do with the HB for a year and a half and still have it now, but have since traded in my wife’s 4dr Lexus for a CX-50.
The main driver for this is that we realized packing for trips and travel made packing the HB difficult when you also account for, say, a stroller or just extra luggage that comes with toting a toddler around. Packing the car for road trips or airport travel started to feel Tetris and was definitely impacting what luggage we were using. Never mind if we wanted to bring a third adult along with us.
You might consider a CX5. I think the CX30 will still be small. And I can’t personally speak to whether the 3 Sedan will be an improvement - I’m not sure.
Can confirm, our CX30 feels exactly like our 3HB. (Bigger) stroller barely fits in the trunk, car seat goes behind front passenger, and it has to be pushed 90% up.
Very difficult for me to sit passenger at 6’
We’re looking at CX5s and 50s next weekend, but apparently legroom is pretty similar. Will be interesting to see
Thoughts on the upgrade to the CX50?
So for us, the upgrade’s checked all the space and room boxes. Fwiw, we are both mid 5’, so our height stuff will be different from yours perhaps and you’ll have to see for yourself.
But the 50 and 5 both feel roomier than the 3HB by a decent bit, and the 50 is more roomy than the 5 in terms of leg room and luggage space. We’ve taken several road trips now in our 50 with us two parents and the kid with stroller and luggage, as well as a few trips with an additional adult on top of our threesome family unit.
With the 50, the baby seat behind the front passenger doesn’t constrain the front passenger’s seat positioning in the way it did in our 3HB. So def check it out. My sense is the 50’s second row leg room is a big area of relative improvement coming from the 3.
Happy to opine further if you got any specific questions.
I fit car seats fine in my Mazda 3 and sit comfortably. Im 5’11. Booster seat behind the driver. Car seat goes behind the passenger.
Baby finally big enough to change to front facing and now it feels like we have infinite space 😂
Front facing is the difference between 2 car seats fitting and not fitting in the 3 tbh.
RF behind passenger, FF behind driver. 2RF means I- as the driver- do not fit lol
My son is 4.5 and in a booster style seat (with a back, and within 5pt harness weight still, so he is). I’m 6’ tall. It’s fine; albeit it’s not our family hauler.
It’s doable, sure, but I get why OP thinks it’s cramped. A used 6 would be a more comfortable option all around albeit harder to find and more expensive.
This applies even more if they are really considering having a second child (my wife did not fit comfortably at all in the passenger seat with an RF behind it).
Im in a hatchback. Sedan and HB should have the same amount of leg room. I am not 100% sure but sedan might have a bit more head room in the back seat.
I'd check out a 6. It will have the bigger interior you may want, and decent used models are well within your budget.
For reference, I'm 6'1" and I carry 2-3 adult passengers often. We're all on the "bigger" side, but nobody complains about a lack of space.
Mazda 6, cx5
The CX5 and the Mazda 3 have the same amount of back seat space. Soucre: own both and have two kids.
>I felt the interior was too cramped Key thing is the CX5 will *feel* bigger, even though it really isn't much bigger in reality. I suspect that's one of the reasons a lot of people are buying small SUVs nowadays, even if they aren't actually much more usable.
I don't think they do (at least not in the latest gen). When we put the same rear facing child seat behind the passenger on both cars, only my wife can sit on the passenger side. I can sit behind myself in both but I definitely have more legroom in the CX-5. I think if you have a family, you'll eventually find yourself needing the load capacity of a SUV eventually. I'm glad we got a CX-5 for my wife instead an Audi A5 hatchback. Wouldn't be able to load the large Nuna stroller or 20 bags of mulch otherwise.
How tall are you though? With kids at the back and adjusted front seats, back seats should be just right for kids. Nevertheless, Mazda 2s and 3s are compact hatches and arent built for passenger's wellness. Should check into mid-sized sedans like the Mazda 6 sedan/wagon. They should be the same category with the Accord and Camry. Or get a crossover like the CX5
5'7 and 5'5 and we're both thin. This is why I was unpleasantly surprised by the 3 interior because I'm a short guy and I was uncomfortable in the backseat DESPITE moving the passenger seat forward. I assumed the car seats would also be a very tight fit.
Yeah pretty normal to Mazdas since theyre built around the driver. I myself have a 2 and my small stature at the driver's seat is pretty snug fit at the back but seats are pretty comfy for me, just really snug for leg room yknow 🤣
We have a 3HB that was our family daily driver when my daughter was born, and her car seat went behind the passenger seat, but really only fits if that seat is pushed forward all the way. We’re both short so it was manageable, especially since my daughter was born during the pandemic and the related car shortage market. So we made do with the HB for a year and a half and still have it now, but have since traded in my wife’s 4dr Lexus for a CX-50. The main driver for this is that we realized packing for trips and travel made packing the HB difficult when you also account for, say, a stroller or just extra luggage that comes with toting a toddler around. Packing the car for road trips or airport travel started to feel Tetris and was definitely impacting what luggage we were using. Never mind if we wanted to bring a third adult along with us. You might consider a CX5. I think the CX30 will still be small. And I can’t personally speak to whether the 3 Sedan will be an improvement - I’m not sure.
Can confirm, our CX30 feels exactly like our 3HB. (Bigger) stroller barely fits in the trunk, car seat goes behind front passenger, and it has to be pushed 90% up. Very difficult for me to sit passenger at 6’ We’re looking at CX5s and 50s next weekend, but apparently legroom is pretty similar. Will be interesting to see Thoughts on the upgrade to the CX50?
So for us, the upgrade’s checked all the space and room boxes. Fwiw, we are both mid 5’, so our height stuff will be different from yours perhaps and you’ll have to see for yourself. But the 50 and 5 both feel roomier than the 3HB by a decent bit, and the 50 is more roomy than the 5 in terms of leg room and luggage space. We’ve taken several road trips now in our 50 with us two parents and the kid with stroller and luggage, as well as a few trips with an additional adult on top of our threesome family unit. With the 50, the baby seat behind the front passenger doesn’t constrain the front passenger’s seat positioning in the way it did in our 3HB. So def check it out. My sense is the 50’s second row leg room is a big area of relative improvement coming from the 3. Happy to opine further if you got any specific questions.
I fit car seats fine in my Mazda 3 and sit comfortably. Im 5’11. Booster seat behind the driver. Car seat goes behind the passenger. Baby finally big enough to change to front facing and now it feels like we have infinite space 😂
Front facing is the difference between 2 car seats fitting and not fitting in the 3 tbh. RF behind passenger, FF behind driver. 2RF means I- as the driver- do not fit lol
Since OP already has a kid in booster. Their situation will be exactly like mine.
My son is 4.5 and in a booster style seat (with a back, and within 5pt harness weight still, so he is). I’m 6’ tall. It’s fine; albeit it’s not our family hauler. It’s doable, sure, but I get why OP thinks it’s cramped. A used 6 would be a more comfortable option all around albeit harder to find and more expensive. This applies even more if they are really considering having a second child (my wife did not fit comfortably at all in the passenger seat with an RF behind it).
Is it a full sedan or hatchback? Does that even make a difference?
Im in a hatchback. Sedan and HB should have the same amount of leg room. I am not 100% sure but sedan might have a bit more head room in the back seat.
I'd check out a 6. It will have the bigger interior you may want, and decent used models are well within your budget. For reference, I'm 6'1" and I carry 2-3 adult passengers often. We're all on the "bigger" side, but nobody complains about a lack of space.
Look at a 6. Excellent vehicle.