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, but it provides a tolerable ride even on the broken pavement that's prevalent near Cars.com's Chicago headquarters.

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    Overview
    When the first-generation Mazda 3 was released, it introduced a level of driving pleasure and sense of quality which exceeded its class. Five years later, total sales have surpassed 1.8 million un ...

    Under the Hood
    The CX-9 features a 273-horsepower, 3.7-liter V-6 with 270 pounds-feet of torque. * Standard six-speed automatic transmission with clutchless-manual mode * V-6 runs on regular gas * 16/22 mpg ci ...

    Exterior
    Narrow headlights flank a large, five-pointed grille with a Mazda logo. The wheel arches and belt line are well defined. For 2008, Volcanic Red and Silver Metallic are new colors. Built on a 105 ...