2014 Mazda5 Sport: Say Hello To Tom's Hardware's Project Car

[tuanies]

I also just bought the Mazda5. I love it for the seats vs gas mileage. I want to take one of my tablets and and install in in the dash and then wire it to a backup camera. I have a 128gb microsd that is fine for now as far as storage goes. In the future I may want a wifi HD. Running a car LAN is a great idea since the boys are often playing networked games and we usually use my phone or the samsung tablet to create a HOTSPOT. If you use the spare tire space for the sub, where will you put the spare?
I had a 2008 Toyota Sienna XLE Limited prior to this car, and I want to install a tow hitch so that I can use my "Swingaway Cargo Carrier". The space in the back is pretty much nonexistent when the back seats are being used. Also, mine doesn't have luggage rack which is truly the worst!
The last thing I want to do is get a beefier battery and put in more accessory outlets including one A/C like my van had. I really liked that. We played Rock Band while driving to Disneyland a few times a year. It makes the 10 hour drive go much quicker.
I also like the idea of the cup cooler or want to integrate a powered cooler in the place of one of the pockets in the back(the one that doesn't have the jack in it).
I have some iPad 1s that I could put into the seats in front of the four back seats. But I don't want to cut a big hole and then wish I'd have went with a smaller option. But the old iPads are perfect for watching flix or basic gaming.

I've thought about running a tablet for a while but ultimately decided against it in every car I've owned. I like my steering wheel controls and head units that work. When I start the car, I want it to turn on and play music. With a tablet, you have to rig up a custom steering wheel control interface, mess with rooting and kernels to be able to get it to turn on when power is applied to micro USB as well as enable charging + USB OTG use, find a front end that ties all the apps together, and install it so its clean. At that point the cost spirals out of control and you're better off just running a normal double din head unit. I'm running an Alpine INE-W957HD in it right now.

I plan on just removing the spare tire altogether. I hate donuts and have yet to use a spare tire that wasn't my fault since I've started driving. The 5 doesn't have roof rails but there are four mounting points for roof rack crossbars. The new Thule Aero bars look great and attach to them unless you have the sunroof. Only the OEM crossbars allow the sunroof to open.

 

[Superkidsnurse]

I also just bought the Mazda5. I love it for the seats vs gas mileage. I want to take one of my tablets and and install in in the dash and then wire it to a backup camera. I have a 128gb microsd that is fine for now as far as storage goes. In the future I may want a wifi HD. Running a car LAN is a great idea since the boys are often playing networked games and we usually use my phone or the samsung tablet to create a HOTSPOT. If you use the spare tire space for the sub, where will you put the spare?
I had a 2008 Toyota Sienna XLE Limited prior to this car, and I want to install a tow hitch so that I can use my "Swingaway Cargo Carrier". The space in the back is pretty much nonexistent when the back seats are being used. Also, mine doesn't have luggage rack which is truly the worst!
The last thing I want to do is get a beefier battery and put in more accessory outlets including one A/C like my van had. I really liked that. We played Rock Band while driving to Disneyland a few times a year. It makes the 10 hour drive go much quicker.
I also like the idea of the cup cooler or want to integrate a powered cooler in the place of one of the pockets in the back(the one that doesn't have the jack in it).
I have some iPad 1s that I could put into the seats in front of the four back seats. But I don't want to cut a big hole and then wish I'd have went with a smaller option. But the old iPads are perfect for watching flix or basic gaming.