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The new-for-2006 Mazda5 is an excellent car for
what it is: a station wagon based on a compact sedan with minivan styling and
sliding doors. It gets excellent gas mileage and has acceptable, though
somewhat strained, acceleration. It rides comfortably and handles nimbly. The
interior features flat-folding third and second-row seats, and is
well-constructed. But the sheer space found in the Caravan’s interior is
enough to offset the 5’s strong points.
The Mazda5 has a rather firm ride, but it is
very well-controlled and still reasonably absorbent. The suspension’s tuning
minimizes body roll compared, and the steering is accurate and responsive.
These benefits and the car’s rather compact dimensions make it feel quite
nimble by even tall-wagon standards, and there is no comparison to any
minivan. The 2.3-liter I4, the only engine offered, performs well enough in
this fairly light car, but could still use more passing power even without
passengers or cargo. The available automatic transmission’s manual shift mode
is purely a gimmick, lacking the benefits in cost, acceleration, and fuel
economy of a conventional manual. Such a transmission is in fact standard on
the Mazda5, a minivan exclusive. Despite the small engine, the automatic
Mazda5 is not as thrifty as one might expect, barely ahead of the appreciably
larger Caravan or Nissan Quest, and actually outclassed by the much larger and
much more powerful Honda Odyssey equipped with its cylinder deactivation
system. The engine gets noisy under the strain of hard acceleration or
high-speed passing, and road noise is also noticeable.
Inside, the Mazda5’s front seats are high,
well-shaped, and comfortable, but too firm. The high second-row bucket seats
recline and can be adjusted fore and aft, and offer good head and leg space
when optimally adjusted, but as in the front, the seat is a bit firm. The low,
cramped third row only has enough room for adults to physically fit when the
second-row seats are adjusted to sacrifice that row’s leg space. Even children
probably won’t be comfortable. (Of course, the Mazda5’s standard wagon-type
competitors don’t offer a third row at all.)
 The interior uses
high-quality materials that fit together very well. The gauges are clear, and
the instruments are logically placed, appropriately sized, and quite easy to
use. Entry/exit is easy enough to the first two rows. The second-row seats
flip forward for third-row access, but the lack of space still makes it
difficult. Drivers sit high and comfortably, aided by the standard tilt and
telescoping steering wheel, but rearward visibility is obstructed by thick
roof pillars. Mazda did not release the cargo volume either behind the second
or third-row seats, but they would clearly be far behind any other minivan’s.
There is barely space for groceries behind the third-row seat, which easily
folds flat. The cargo capacity both the second and third-row seats folded
(they form a flat floor, but cannot be removed) doesn’t even stand out against
like-sized traditional wagons and hatchbacks. There is less than one third of
the Caravan’s space. The cargo area is at least appropriately shaped and easy
to access.
Neither the IIHS nor NHTSA have crash-tested the
Mazda5.
The Mazda5 reviewed here came with standard
antilock brakes, a side airbag system that includes a head-protecting curtain
for all three rows and torso-protecting airbags for the front-seat occupants,
and power windows, locks, and mirrors, including second-row retractable
windows. With only its sufficiently comprehensive list of standard features
and an automatic transmission, it costs $18,396. A navigation system, a 6-disc
CD changer, a sunroof, and automatic climate control are available on the
Mazda5 as well, but there is no available factory entertainment system, nor is
there the option for the seats to be heated, power-operated, or leather.
Overall, the Mazda5 is an excellent car: agile, comfortable,
inexpensive, and fuel-efficient. Its compact exterior dimensions are unique
among minivans in the United States, a radical departure from the general
growth among other minivans to close to two feet longer, almost ten inches
wider, eight inches taller, and 1,100 lbs heavier. But these compact
dimensions come at a cost to the Mazda5’s abilities as a family vehicle. Its
larger competitors obviously offer much more interior space, including
comfortable seating for more than four adults and incomparable levels of cargo
space. So while the Mazda5 is an excellent choice (perhaps even the
excellent choice) among minivan-type vehicles for consumers who don’t need
adult third-row comfort or vast amounts of cargo room, it isn’t the
well-rounded vehicle most traditional minivans are.
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