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 On the upside, the 2011 lowers the taillights and eliminates the clear-lens-over-chrome style, which is outdated at best.

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    Under the Hood
    The normally aspirated (non-turbo) 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine is now available on "i" Touring models, and it comes with a five-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. The ...

    New Five-Speed Automatic Transmission
    A new five-speed automatic transmission with manual shift mode is introduced for the MZR 2.0-litre petrol engine, a first for the Mazda 5 line-up. It has a new torque converter that achieves an op ...

    How the Air BagsWork
    How the Front Air BagsWork When air bag crash sensors detect a frontal impact of greater than moderate force, an electrical current is sent to the inflators. Gases are produced to inflate the fro ...