2009 Mazda5
by Jim Prueter -10/2008

The “mini” non-minivan

If no particular vehicle comes to mind at the mention of a Mazda5, don’t be disappointed. Now in its fourth year of production, it was in 2005 as a 2006 model and since that time just over 35,000 have been sold.

That said, with gas prices north of $3 a gallon and the national financial crisis having everyone looking for ways to save money, here’s an economical vehicle that will haul up to six people and now seems like a pretty good idea.

The Mazda5 is derived from the same compact platform that’s shared with the Mazda3, Volvo S40 and V50 wagon, and the European Ford Focus soon to arrive in the U.S. Ford owns Volvo and a partial interest in Mazda. The 5 is just four inches longer than the Mazda3 and a full foot and a half shorter and eight inches narrower than a Honda Odyssey minivan.

Mazda insists the 5 isn’t a minivan, a vehicle that carries the negative stigma of being a “soccer mom” conveyance. Yet like a minivan, there are two sliding side doors for easy access and no door banging, three rows of seats that all fold flat, and a rear hatch for easy cargo loading. To keep the price down, the doors and rear lift gate are operated manually, and you can’t get power seats.

And like a minivan, it has a long sloping front nose and a tall roofline. The look is a bit weird at first, but grew cuter as the weeklong test drive went on.

The 5 is offered in three trim levels: Sport ($18,665), Touring ($21,590) and Grand Touring ($23,345). All are front-wheel drive, powered by the same 153-horsepower, 2.3-liter, four-cylinder engine. Sport comes standard with a five-speed manual shifter, while the Touring and Grand Touring are equipped with a five-speed automatic with manual-shift mode. The automatic is an extra $1100 over the Sport.

I drove a Grand Touring model ($23,395, including a $670 shipping and handling fee) with one $50 option, a rear-bumper step plate. Standard equipment on the test vehicle included 17-inch alloy wheels, leather trimmed seats, automatic climate control, power windows and door locks, AM/FM/6-disc CD changer, tilt/telescopic steering wheel, power moonroof, heated front seats, Bluetooth hands-free phone system and power heated outside mirrors.

Options include a navigation system ($2000), but oddly no rear-seat DVD entertainment system for the kids. That will keep the price down but not the kids quiet.

Safety equipment on all trim levels includes anti-lock brakes with brakeforce distribution and brake assist, and front, side and three-row head curtain airbags. Neither traction control nor stability control is offered. We think this is a serious oversight by Mazda. These features are among the most important, according to government crash tests, and are expected to be required on all vehicles in the near future.

The Mazda5 did achieve the government’s highest 5-star safety rating for driver and passenger protection in front and front-seat side crash tests. Rollover rating is 4 stars.

The biggest attraction of the Mazda5 is the three rows of seats. Two bucket seats are standard up front, ditto for the second row. But because this is a small vehicle, something has to give. Tall drivers like me will find that the driver’s seat won’t slide back far enough for comfort and the narrow wheel wells won’t allow for much side to side leg movement.

The second row buckets slide fore and aft and tilt. The third row is tight, so much so that only small kids will ride there without complaint — as long as the second-row passengers slide their seats a bit forward. Forget about getting back there if you’re an adult.

But getting to the third row is an exercise in patience. Slide the second row forward to create room to slide your leg through, but don’t be tempted to step on the sliding door hinge for leverage. You’ll damage it.

Second-row seats are small but manageable. Headroom is great, shoulder room not so much so. What we do like about the second row is that the seat bottom cushions pull up to reveal compartments ideal for hiding packages, camera equipment or a purse. The passenger side conceals a pullout table with dual cupholders that fixes between the two seats.

But with all three rows filled with people, cargo space disappears; there’s very limited space behind the third row. A few bags of groceries or soft-sided luggage may fit, but not golf clubs.

If more cargo space is needed and the third row is empty, a pull cord on both seat backs easily drops one or both of the seats flat.

Given its overall compact size, the ride is quite good, and free from squeaks and rattles. Handling felt well-controlled, steering light and the four-wheel disc brakes solid. On curves and corners it did feel a bit tippy at times but not unsafe.

I hoped for a bit more horsepower but had no problem quickly getting up to highway speeds comfortably. The automatic transmission was smooth. We didn’t try the manual shift mode.

For 2008, the Mazda5 received a redesigned grille, new front fascia and new head and tail lamps. Inside saw several changes as well, with new gauges and center console. Cool-air outlets were added to the second-row passenger area.

All controls and operations are intuitive and easy to use. The audio system is excellent and includes a setup for satellite and MP3 use. Our tester had a sunroof that tilted and slid open. I didn’t like how the shifter sticks out from the large center stack and impairs legroom, however. A stalk shifter similar to Mercedes-Benz’s would eliminate the problem.

Overall, as small vehicles go, this is a good one and in its own way pretty cool. It’s a minivan that doesn’t really look like one, and it comes with lots of standard equipment and plenty of thoughtful features. It’s an affordable people mover that won’t break the bank.