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Auto Reviews
Test Drive

Mar 27, 2008

by STEVEN MACOY

You know an automotive market niche is healthy when a few manufacturers are venturing outside the tired template of making each succeeding model a little bit bigger than the previous year’s. So we’re pleased to report the minivan market, though long ago dismissed as terminally uncool, continues to thrive.

Mazda5 GT
The Mazda5, one of two compact minivans on the U.S. market (the other is the new-for-2008 Kia Rondo) does everything the bigger, more expensive minivans do, but in smaller increments. It can carry six passengers or easily be converted into a cargo box with just two seats and 71 cubic feet of space. But for a couple thousand dollars more, the Dodge Grand Caravan seats seven and more than doubles the Mazda5’s maximum cargo room.

Of course, few would drive a Caravan for fun. The Mazda5 is based on the sweet-handling Mazda3 sedan and exhibits many of the same smile-inducing driving characteristics.

The Mazda5, successor to the margin-dwelling MPV, suffered from a driving position that didn’t suit our tall and medium-height drivers — a comfort issue that might have been resolved by power seats or adjustable pedals, were they available. Also, modest cargo capacity is sure to be a deal-breaker for some families.

Our Mazda5 carried a sticker price of just $25,480 despite being a top-of-the-line Grand Touring model with optional Sirius satellite radio ($430) and navigation system ($2,000). The lowest-priced Mazda5 starts at $17,995.

All Mazda5s come with the same 153-horsepower, 2.3-liter inline 4-cylinder engine, harkening back to the early days of the minivan. Most have V-6 engines nowadays, and their owners pay the price in fuel economy. By contrast, the Mazda5 Grand Touring, with a 5-speed automatic transmission as standard equipment, delivers 21 mpg in the city, 27 highway. The Sport model, with a 5-speed stick shift, does 1 mpg better on both ends. No other minivan comes close.

Thanks to its sliding rear doors, the Mazda5 provides easy access to the second and third seats, which are rendered further habitable in the Grand Touring model by the presence of second-row captain’s chairs with under-seat storage, and a fold-out table in the second row. With leather upholstery and such comfort features as dual-zone climate control, power moon roof and heated front seats, the well-built Mazda5 has an aura of quality and luxury.

Space behind the third seat is tight but serviceable for most day-to-day functions. It would present a problem, however, for a vacationing family of more than four.

Crash-test results for the Mazda5 are unavailable from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, but the Mazda3 earned top marks. Standard safety equipment in the Mazda5 includes front side-impact air bags, side-curtain bags for all three rows, antilock brakes and anti-whiplash front-seat design. Reliability has been average, according to Consumer Reports magazine, which recommends the Mazda5 thanks to its high marks in road testing.

In these times of high gasoline prices, the Mazda5 is well worth a long look as an alternative to its bigger but thirstier competitors.


Steven Macoy (smacoy3070@cs.com) is a longtime car enthusiast and full-time editor who lives in Bethel, Conn.



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