The “Mazda 5” could be an alternative to another type of vehicle: the compact crossover. There are, of course, drawbacks to the Mazda 5's smaller size. Notably, the small third-row seat is suitable only for children, and that's only if you scoot up the sliding second-row captain's chairs. The Mazda 5 also seats a maximum of six, one less than regular minivans. The Kia Rondo is close to the Mazda 5 in design and concept, though it has traditional rear doors.
The “2010 Mazda 5” is a six-passenger small minivan available in Sport, Touring and Grand Touring trims. Standard equipment includes 17-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, full power accessories, keyless entry, automatic climate control, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, driver seat height adjustment, and a six-speaker stereo with auxiliary audio jack and steering-wheel controls. The Grand Touring adds automatic xenon headlights, automatic wipers, leather upholstery, heated front seats and Bluetooth.
In performance testing, a Mazda 5 Grand Touring went from zero to 60 mph in 10 seconds, which is a bit slower than most minivans and compact crossovers. Fuel economy for the automatic-equipped 5 is 21 mpg city/27 mpg highway and 23 mpg combined.
Standard safety equipment includes antilock disc brakes, stability and traction control, front side airbags and three-row side curtain airbags. With the third-row seat folded flat, 44.4 cubic feet of luggage space are available.
The 2010 Mazda Mazda5 ranks 5 out of 7 Minivans. This ranking is based on our analysis of 53 published reviews and test drives of the Mazda Mazda5, and our analysis of reliability and safety data.
With three rows of seating, sporty handling and excellent safety scores, the Mazda5 is definitely worth a look.
The Mazda5 is the mini-est minivan. The Mazda5's small size means that it handles well, but is short on passenger space. If you need more passenger and cargo room, and want an all-around more comfortable interior, check out the Honda Odyssey. It's a large wagon with three rows of seats, so it doesn't have the Mazda5's sliding doors.
Our 2010 Mazda5 Touring arrived sporting a price tag of $22,480 and a hue we’ll henceforth refer to as press car red. The Mazda5 is based on the widely praised compact Mazda3 chassis, a solid contender for hot hatch value.
Leather, satnav and DVD entertainment are available in Limited trim. With segments busting left and right, the Mazda5 creates its own niche somewhere between compact wagon and minivan. It’s got three rows of seats, but only seats six. The middle row folds flat as well, leaving room for bikes or surfboards up the side.
Knowing the 5 is based on the Mazda3 chassis, we came in with high expectations. Regarding the chassis: satisfaction accomplished. Excluding sportwagons, the Mazda5 is the best handling people mover we’ve ever piloted. Essentially, it drives like a well-sorted budget hot-hatch, begging you to chuck it harder into the next turn.
At idle the engine sounds grumbly and the power steering sounds like the Power Loader from Aliens. Unlike some four bangers, the engine note doesn’t improve with speed.
The market is thick with driver-friendly, quick-shifting, rev-matching paddle-actuated six or seven speed automatic transmissions. The Mazda5′s five-speed slushbox is not among them. 1,000 Hooniverse Points, right there.
The 153hp 2.3L four-pot works hard getting the Mazda5 to do anything but plod.
