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Mazda Biante 2.0 (A) Review

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This is an old car model that is no longer for sale by the local distributor since Jan 2018.
Editor Review
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Mazda Biante 2.0 (A) Review
24 Feb 2014  |  Mazda Reviews
The Mazda Biante is one spacious van-like car that will do well in its mission - move people.
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   Consumer Reviews of Mazda Biante
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4.0
 
16 Consumer Reviews
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Comfort
4.0 Reliability
4.0
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Handling
3.5 Features
4.0
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Exterior Styling
3.5 Interior Design
4.0
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Value for money
4.0 Engine Performance
3.5

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Fordred
1st Gear
2 reviews
88 points
68 forum posts Joined on 01-Jul-2014
Best value for money high roof MPV  Posted on 18 Oct 2018
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Comfort 4.0 Reliability 5.0
Handling 4.0 Features 4.0
Exterior Styling 5.0 Interior Design 4.0
Value for money 5.0 Engine Performance 4.0
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Review
Spacious. For me, the highlight is the middle row. Can split up for easy access to the rear row, or can join together for 3 person to sit. Don't think there's another MPV with such a feature at this price range.
Owned this car for 3 yrs. Durable workhorse. Didn't have to replace anything (yet) apart from regular servicing.

FC about 10km/L, mixed driving. Quite decent for an MPV of this size.

Considered the Toyota triplets from PI but chose this due to the customizable middle row. Love the freedom of having the aisle for most of the time, but still can close up the gap and carry 8 people when needed. Plus it's an AD model compared to PI, better piece of mind.

What I like
Customizable middle row!
Lots of space, decent power when the car is at speed

What I do not like
Interior is basic with mostly hard plastics
Rear row slides instead of folding up which results in limited rear boot space.


GearSection
Neutral Newbie
5 reviews
0 points
0 forum posts Joined on 07-Feb-2011
No regrets  Posted on 16 Dec 2017
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Comfort 4.0 Reliability 4.0
Handling 3.0 Features 4.0
Exterior Styling 4.0 Interior Design 5.0
Value for money 3.0 Engine Performance 3.0
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Review
Bought it from used market, an impressive MPV attract by the outlook and interior, although it has an aging design since 2008, first launched at Asia market in 2014 but till date it still looks fresh.
Sitting inside felt loving it, generous space comfibily for seven, eight could be squeezy (depend on passengers size), control panel placed not too far from the driver seat and easy reaching, passengers accessible from front to back row without opening the door move from outside.

Handling :
Great visibility, Easy to handle suitable for ladies to enjoy drive for ferrying kids with their big smile, so that mens can shake leg where else...
The car is heavy, can feel the weight start from zero speed, may need to floor down the accelerator in order to feel the gravity.
Suspension very comfy, Suay Suay Liap hump Da You Chiong Liao (small hump just acceleration and go over), be prepare to get screw up by passengers in high speed for big hump.
Engine power might not be powerful, but Hey... This is not a sports car.
Stupid I-Stop unable to disable permanently, each time got to off it manually for every start up if you do not wish to activate the features.
Steering wheel and gear shift too close to each other, always hit the gear shift when i swing my hand, need to change my driving habit.

Conclusion :
No regrets for this selection, family quite happy with it.
Fun to drive, good for long journey and adventure trip, spacious, quiet drive, tons of features. Fuel Consumption in average.

What I like
Auto sliding door.
Quiet ride.
Great visibility.
Space.
Smooth transmission.
Magically 2nd and 3rd row seat.
Etc...

What I do not like
Stupid I-Stop features unable to off it permanently.
Steering wheel and gear shift too close.
Plastic dashboard.


Ikan_kunning
Clutched
1 reviews
14 points
19 forum posts Joined on 15-Mar-2009
Super spacious car!  Posted on 25 Sep 2017
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Comfort 4.0 Reliability 4.0
Handling 3.0 Features 4.0
Exterior Styling 3.0 Interior Design 4.0
Value for money 4.0 Engine Performance 3.0
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Review
I bought this to replace my aging Toyota Wish which was a good car to begin with. I wanted a car that was roomy and power sliding doors which the Biante fulfilled. After living with it for almost 3 years, I'd say it's a wonderful car.

What I like
The interior is where it really sells. It's a nice place to be with decent sound insulation.

All my friends commended on the spaciousness. A friend's wife even told him not to drive his E-class so they can ride in the car!

The 2nd row seats can be pushed back further to provide an almost living room space kind of seating, when you're not using the last row.

Although we did not test it but I believe the last row was good enough for adult passengers for long haul drives up north without the feeling of being cramped in or forced to sit in the fetal position, although that would mean sacrificing luggage room.

The 2nd and 3rd row air cons/ blowers also made it very comfortable.

What I do not like
I am nitpicking...

The interior is functional and decent with electronics and buttons well laid out. But if you compare with the rest of the Mazda range, the interior plastics will not be giving you the luxurious feel and the infotainment system is basic. I suppose at that price point, you have to compromise somewhere.

The seats are comfortable but a little too flat to for passengers feel hugged or secure.

The gearbox/ engine is where I felt Mazda should have done a lot better. For such a size and weight, they could've done more work. While I do not expect top notch fuel consumption or performance like a sports car, the car really feels underpowered and often even at low speeds, the box chooses the wrong gear and ends up feeling sluggish which can be solved if you switch to the paddle-shifters permanently.

Once at cruising speed, all is fine.

All in all, it's definitely a car worth checking out if you're in the market for a people mover.


opgamerkkhk
1st Gear
36 reviews
28 points
63 forum posts Joined on 15-Nov-2016
Big ass car  Posted on 24 Nov 2016
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Comfort 5.0 Reliability 5.0
Handling 5.0 Features 3.0
Exterior Styling 1.0 Interior Design 5.0
Value for money 5.0 Engine Performance 2.0
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Review
Shorter people could even stand up in the biante which boasts impressive legroom and headroom.But ugly exterior which deters mpv buyers away

What I like
space,dashboard

What I do not like
looks


abwisdom
Neutral Newbie
3 reviews
0 points
0 forum posts Joined on 07-Sep-2016
Too big for me  Posted on 14 Sep 2016
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Comfort 5.0 Reliability 4.0
Handling 4.0 Features 5.0
Exterior Styling 4.0 Interior Design 5.0
Value for money 4.0 Engine Performance 4.0
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Review
Tested Biante and eventually got a Mazda 5. Generally quite a nice drive but underpowered and too large.

What I like
Interesting 2nd row seat design
If you want space, this car has it.

What I do not like
Feels like driving a van, given its size
Underpowered
I think Mazda 5 price is more reasonable, given the OMV of Biante is not much more than Mazda 5 but the 5 is much cheaper.


Masda8
Neutral Newbie
1 reviews
0 points
0 forum posts Joined on 09-Jun-2016
Bad after sales  Posted on 08 Jun 2016
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Comfort 4.0 Reliability 4.0
Handling 4.0 Features 4.0
Exterior Styling 4.0 Interior Design 4.0
Value for money 4.0 Engine Performance 4.0
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Review
The car is good but the after sales is quite bad. Servicing appointments are difficult to get.
Worst - recently I had an accident. The repair took 3 weeks because they didnt have parts. I was planning to buy a European car. I was told not to go for it as spare parts take a long time to come. It seems to be the same with Mazda. The service staff are good but the company doesnt seem to be well organised with its after sales.

What I like
The car

What I do not like
The after sales


D_bergkam
1st Gear
1 reviews
70 points
187 forum posts Joined on 27-Dec-2008
Value for Money MPV  Posted on 28 Feb 2016
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Comfort 4.0 Reliability 4.0
Handling 4.0 Features 3.0
Exterior Styling 5.0 Interior Design 3.0
Value for money 4.0 Engine Performance 4.0
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Review
I have driven this car for about 3 months. Like the height and the exterior design. FC is about 10km/litrre.

The space is enough for my family of 5. I like the sliding doors and the centre aisle. If need be, the aisle can be closed up to seat 3 in the 2nd row.

The 3rd row can also be adjusted conveniently to create more boot space.

What I like
- Spaciousness
- Exterior design
- Centre aisle

What I do not like
- Bare dashboard features


Horizon123
Neutral Newbie
2 reviews
0 points
0 forum posts Joined on 24-Oct-2009
A spacious simple family mover.  Posted on 25 Jan 2016
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Comfort 4.0 Reliability 4.0
Handling 4.0 Features 3.0
Exterior Styling 3.0 Interior Design 3.0
Value for money 5.0 Engine Performance 5.0
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Review
Quiet, smooth engine. Very soft feel during drive, felt like driving a caravan than a MPV. Cockpit windscreen view is like watching ultra wide screen, marvelous wide view. Lack of luxury basic feature such as auto headlight and rain sensor, door ajar sensor not itemized, no auto power windows for all windows ,only driver, whole interior ceiling lamp cannot be centralised control neither at driver seat. No auto tail gate.
I would still recommend the MPV for its price and size to fit all in. Fuel consumption so so. My best so far is 1L /9.5km on mixed drive.


Pooner
Neutral Newbie
1 reviews
0 points
0 forum posts Joined on 30-Jun-2015
Most spacious and tallest MPV I have owned.  Posted on 01 Jul 2015
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Comfort 4.0 Reliability 4.0
Handling 4.0 Features 4.0
Exterior Styling 2.0 Interior Design 5.0
Value for money 4.0 Engine Performance 3.0
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Review
My first Mazda MPV ever owned though have owned a Toyota Wish prior to this. Biante colourful lit dashboard is stylish and very rarely found in most MPVs. Clean look Interior coupled with high roof make its interior spacious. The 2nd row seat can be adjusted to sit 2 or 3 persons and the 3rd can sit another 3 persons making it a 8 seater MPV.

The front exterior is stylish too but the rear design is quite disappointing especially so due to the tapering sides finish at the rear. Design and finish for the rear could be better if there is a rear roof spoiler that could offset the poor design and lessen the overall boxy look.

Performance wise, happy so far though the engine starts to go sluggish when turning and slowing down at traffic junction stoppages due to I-stop feature. Stepping harder on accelerate will help overcome such sluggishness but this could mean more fuel consumption.

What I like
I like the clean interior and spacious seating arrangement with high roof. Do not have to bend the 2nd roof seat to go to 3rd row. Can create an aisle at 2nd row to access the 3rd row easily.

Separate air con control that cools the rear quickly. Also available TV screens at rear of headrest that can been fixed easily for rear passengers at separate cost.

What I do not like
Poor rear design that have tapered sides at the lower part.
Looking for a roof spoiler from Mazda Japan and local agent to fix at the rear but quite disappointed that they do not have it though I have seen it in HK, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Looking forward to reach out to Mazda Japan to see if they can consider producing the roof spoiler as I am sure many Biante owners are looking for it now to make it sporty and less boxy like Toyota Vellfire or Alphard.


Achtung
6th Gear
3 reviews
4,853 points
4110 forum posts Joined on 31-Dec-2001
Design that grows  Posted on 17 Oct 2014
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Comfort 5.0 Reliability 4.0
Handling 4.0 Features 4.0
Exterior Styling 5.0 Interior Design 3.0
Value for money 4.0 Engine Performance 3.0
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Review
Test drove it recently. The exterior design and interior gadgets are classy and the design grows on me slowly but surely. I did not like the stop/start function and felt that after it has stopped, the engine is turned out at the most erratic time. Maybe, the cars I owned do not have this feature and it takes a little getting used to!

The leg space for the third row is reasonable. My only gripe is the boot space when the third row is folded up. It is not a stow away concept and the boot space is little meagre. More often than not, people who opt to buy such cars need space for humans and stuff.

The engine is sluggish and would have been better with a larger cc.

What I like
Design
Interior
Comfortable ride
Quiet engine

What I do not like
Boot space
Underpowered engine


Simpleonly
5th Gear
1 reviews
2,102 points
825 forum posts Joined on 18-Aug-2003
Big space  Posted on 08 Oct 2014
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Comfort 4.0 Reliability 4.0
Handling 4.0 Features 4.0
Exterior Styling 4.0 Interior Design 4.0
Value for money 4.0 Engine Performance 4.0
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Review
test drive the Biante during the MCF Hangout at Mazda showroom.

Hmm... not bad not bad.... for it size it can still pick up.... it "manual gear/paddle gear" (sorry dun know the actual term) is very responsive too...

only con is the last row can't flatten or fold 1 of the last seat...

will be watching for this........ shall COE DROP!!! LOL


*Remark - have not own the Binate yet, therefore not sure on the reliability yet. I just input that so that I can submit this review


Opel17
6th Gear
1 reviews
3,914 points
2084 forum posts Joined on 30-Mar-2008
The Mazda Biante, a good choice.  Posted on 30 Sep 2014
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Comfort 5.0 Reliability 4.0
Handling 5.0 Features 4.0
Exterior Styling 3.0 Interior Design 4.0
Value for money 5.0 Engine Performance 4.0
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Review
I also test drive the Biante during the MCF event on 25 Sep 2014.
It is very spacious, and we like how the seats can be configured for 2-2-3 and 2-3-3 layouts. Front passenger can access the 2nd row (and 3rd row) via the central aisle. There are aircon vents for the rear to ensure a cool ride for rear passengers. The rear doors are electric sliding with safety feature to prevent closing on any obstructions/fingers.
On the move, the Biante pick up speed rather easily. Although the Sales Consultant demonstrated the gear paddles, the auto box work well when left on its own. Despite its bulky dimensions, we find that it is quite easy to manoeuvre.
Overall,the Biante can be a good choice for a big size MPV.

What I like
8 seats layout.
Electric sliding rear doors.
6 speeds auto allow quick pickup.


alym
Neutral Newbie
12 reviews
1 points
5 forum posts Joined on 08-Dec-2013
Typical very safe MPV that will not go very wrong  Posted on 05 Aug 2014
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Comfort 4.0 Reliability 4.0
Handling 3.0 Features 4.0
Exterior Styling 3.0 Interior Design 4.0
Value for money 4.0 Engine Performance 3.0
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Review
Mazda Biante is a typical boxy people mover, japanese made, standard features with no frills, lots of space and high roof. You will not go very wrong with this choice for its reliability and value for money

What I like
- 8 seater, lots of space, no compromise on 3rd row - can truly fit 8 adults
- high roof thus making the car looks big
- fuel economy for the size
- reasonably priced for the size of MPV
- 2.0 litre lesser road tax

What I do not like
- boring exterior look very boxy and full of chrome on the front
- don't expect performance even though Mazda is promoting SKYACTIV-DRIVE with 6 speed transmission


Coolpica
4th Gear
11 reviews
590 points
1235 forum posts Joined on 27-Sep-2005
Most complete and reasonably priced MPV  Posted on 27 May 2014
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Comfort 5.0 Reliability 5.0
Handling 4.0 Features 5.0
Exterior Styling 4.0 Interior Design 5.0
Value for money 4.0 Engine Performance 4.0
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Review
Test drove the Mazda 5 and Biante last Sunday. Mz 5 is pretty cramped, according to my family members who were seated at the 2nd and 3rd row, to them moving over to the Biante is akin to moving from a studio apt to a penthouse. The space is HUGE! All 3 rows are cooled comfortably.(Last Sunday was a pretty hot day) My family members had no complaints at all. Egress into and out of Biante is aslo very easy. I love the drive of Biante over Mz 5. On the same load, Mz 5 does struggle a bit but Biante has no such problem. Tested both cars with and w/o i stop. Suffice to say that i stop doesn't affect the acceleration much, pretty smiliar to my Wish. I just love the paddle shifts on Biante. Once engaged, the gears downshifted and the power just came on immediately. Compated to MPV which are of the same league, e.g. Previa, it is reasonably priced. In summary, Biante is really a good car to get, if you have a huge family. If cruise control is added to Biante, it would be complete package!

What I like
HUGE Space
3 rows of aircon
Nice console
Adequate power to ferry 8 passengers

What I do not like
2 airbags? What? not sufficient for a people carrier


kwongtung2011
Neutral Newbie
1 reviews
0 points
0 forum posts Joined on 11-Apr-2014
Awesome MPV  Posted on 11 Apr 2014
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Comfort 5.0 Reliability 4.0
Handling 4.0 Features 4.0
Exterior Styling 5.0 Interior Design 5.0
Value for money 5.0 Engine Performance 3.0
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Review
Really good car, carry 8 adults with ease. My whole family enjoyed the car very much. The design is good and the technology is up to date. There is not much to complain about really except the high COE price.

What I like
The build and design
The space and ease of movement in the cabin
The small interior details
The FC is good for a 1.6T MPV

What I do not like
The power needed to start fast
No sunroof

Mazda Biante
4 stars - based on 16 reviews