Exterior & Styling

The sliding doors say "minivan," but many see the Mazda5 as a wagon. Minivans tend not to set hearts aflutter, but there's one thing I appreciate about the 2010 Mazda5, and that's its styling. It's nothing special, but it's also not the redesigned 2011 Mazda5 that's due at dealerships early in 2011; Mazda has already released photos (click on the thumbnails to the right). The 2011 has a less restrained design, including the smiling grille most new Mazda models get, plus a new characteristic: wavelike accent lines in the bodyside sheet metal. On the upside, the 2011 lowers the taillights and eliminates the clear-lens-over-chrome style, which is outdated at best.

    See also:

    Cargo & Towing
    There's 17.2 cubic feet of cargo room behind the third-row seat. Folding the third row flat increases the cargo area to 48.4 cubic feet, and folding the second row flat makes for a total of 100.7 ...

    Seat Belt Warning Light/Beep
    The seat belt warning light illuminates and a beep sound will be heard if the driver's seat belt is not fastened when the ignition switch is turned to the ON position. Conditions of operation ...

    Ride & Handling
    The Mazda5's steering response is designed to engage the driver. A turn of the wheel delivers a quick change of direction, and there's a fair amount of feedback. The suspension is on the firm side ...