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 On the upside, the 2011 lowers the taillights and eliminates the clear-lens-over-chrome style, which is outdated at best.

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    Push-Starting
    Do not push-start your Mazda. WARNING: Never tow a vehicle to start it: Towing a vehicle to start it is dangerous. The vehicle being towed could surge forward when its engine starts, causing the ...

    Cargo
    Mazda has done a nice job arranging the CX-7's cargo area. The space measures 29.9 cubic feet with the backseat up and 58.6 cubic feet when it's folded, but perhaps more importantly, the few intru ...

    Exterior
    The Tribute has the same overall shape as the Escape but features unique exterior trim and a different grille and headlamps, which were redesigned for 2005. Both SUVs exhibit a conventional small- ...