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 On the upside, the 2011 lowers the taillights and eliminates the clear-lens-over-chrome style, which is outdated at best.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:

    Driving Your Mazda
    Explanation of instruments and controls. ...

    Safety
    Side curtain airbags and seat-mounted side-impact airbags are standard in all Mazda6 models, as are antilock brakes and traction control. ...

    Safety
    Safety equipment includes: * Standard front, side-impact and side curtain airbags * Standard antilock braking system with electronic brake-force distribution * Standard electronic stability system ...