Compact Stuff- and People-Haulers: 2012 Mazda 5 vs 2014 Jeep Patriot

Welcome back! Today we’re checking out a couple of smallish boxes on wheels, just the thing if you need plenty of seating or stuff-hauling capability, but have a small parking space. And just to keep things interesting, they’re both stickshifts.

We had to settle for automatics with yesterday’s choices, but sometimes you do what you have to do in order to get that sweet V8 rumble. This was one of those days when I had no idea what the outcome would be: On one hand, we had a Jaguar-designed Ford product with a somewhat sketchy reputation, and on the other, we had a mechanically-solid but somewhat childish Dodge. I couldn’t have guessed which way you were going to go.

In the end, the Lincoln won out, and I don’t know if it’s due to the lower mileage, the recent maintenance, or just the animosity towards Chrysler products that seems so prevalent. Me, I’d take the Magnum – if I didn’t already have a Hemi-powered car with a much nicer interior.

So far this week, we’ve determined that you all like Mazdas, and dislike Mopars. That might seem to make today a foregone conclusion, but as always, the devil is in the details. Let’s go over these with a fine-toothed comb and see which one really is the better deal.

2012 Mazda 5 – $3,700

Engine/drivetrain: 2.5-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, six-speed manual, FWD

Location: Richfield, WI

Odometer reading: 210,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives great

Vehicle taxonomy gets a little muddy sometimes: What makes a vehicle a van, for example, instead of a tall wagon? Is it just the presence of sliding doors? Mazda seems to think so; it calls this car, known as the Mazda Premacy in Japan and the Mazda 5 here, a van, yet when Nissan built a similar tall wagon with sliding doors on both sides, it was marketed as the Stanza Wagon. Po-tay-to, po-tah-to, I guess.

Here in the US, the 5 is powered by our old friend the MZR four-cylinder, here displacing 2.5 liters. It powers the front wheels through a six-speed manual, pretty racy stuff for a family hauler, but Mazda rarely does boring. It has 210,000 miles on it, but it has had a ton of work, and the seller has all the records dating back to 2015 when they purchased it. It runs great, and comes with an extra set of wheels with snow tires – a nice touch for the Great Lakes region.

It’s in good condition inside, which isn’t always the case with a used minivan. Vehicles like this tend to lead hard lives, and for this one to be this clean north of 200,000 miles, someone must have cared for it. The seller says, and I quote, “Everything works exactly as it should,” including the all-important air conditioning.

It looks good outside too, but it’s a Mazda, for sale in Wisconsin. Better take a good hard look underneath, to make sure the floors and rocker panels aren’t pulling a disappearing act.

2014 Jeep Patriot Latitude – $4,000

Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD

Location: St. Charles, IL

Odometer reading: 130,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives great

Brand names get muddled and diluted too, even when they probably shouldn’t. One weak product, one thing that doesn’t measure up to the standards that the brand has always set, can do a lot of damage. If they say Hanes before Inspector 12 says they say Hanes, then the Hanes name means a little less. And when a so-called Jeep is nothing more than a Dodge Caliber in cosplay, it dilutes the entire Jeep brand. Even when it’s a sensible, popular little vehicle like the Patriot.

Jeeps are four-wheel-drive; everybody knows that. Except when they’re not. The Patriot was available with two different 4WD systems, but this one has neither. Its 2.4 liter “World” four-cylinder drives only the front wheels. But unlike most Patriots, which have an automatic transmission – or worse, a CVT – this one has a proper five-speed manual. It has a new clutch, and runs and drives well, but that’s all we know about its mechanical condition. The ad is one line long.

It looks used, but not abused; the interior has some wear and scuffs, but it’s intact and undamaged. This is the fancier Latitude model, so it has power windows and locks and stuff, which makes it even stranger that it’s 2WD with a stickshift.

I have to confess I always kind of liked the Patriot’s looks; it’s chunky and purposeful, and I tend to like boxier vehicles anyway. Unfortunately, I also know what northern Illinois winters can do to cars, having grown up there, and this little Jeep is already showing signs of rust. There’s a pretty good bubble on the right rear wheel arch, and you know there’s always more than what you can see.

I’ve been through a lot of used cars in my life. I mean, not as many as some, but I’ve had my fair share. Every time I go looking for a car, vehicles like these – practical all-rounders with manual transmissions – are exactly what I probably ought to shop for, but rarely do. They make sense, unlike most of the cars I end up with. But at least I get to shop vicariously for cars every day, and show you what I find. Which one of these makes more sense to you?

(Image credits: sellers)