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2007 Mazda5 Touring Road Test

Introduced a couple of years ago as a 2006 model, the Mazda5 immediatelybrought to my mind thoughts of tall multi-purpose vehicles sold here many years ago, such as the Nissan Axxess, Dodge Colt Vista and Honda Civic Wagon. Such vehicles have long been popular in Japan and other world markets, so Mazda decided to export the Premacy to North America and rename it the 5. With the MPV minivan having been discontinued last year (although a new generation continues on in Japan), the 5 replaces it on the lower end of the market and the CX-7/CX-9 crossovers replace it at the higher end.

Mazda offers the 5 in three trim levels, starting with the base Sport model before moving up to the Touring, and then topping things off with the upper level Grand Touring. The base 5 Sport is equipped with air conditioning, power windows, locks and mirrors, cruise control, rain-sensing wipers, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and brakeforce distribution, and 17-inch alloy wheels, etc. The Touring adds fog lamps, a

Micro-vans are slowly returning to the marketplace. Mazda was first with the 5. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

rear spoiler, automatic climate control, power sunroof, body color caps for the power mirrors, side and curtain-type airbags, an anti-theft alarm, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Heated leather seats, xenon headlights, are part of the Grand Touring package.

I elected to try out a Touring model that was finished in PlatinumSilver with a black cloth interior. It doesn't quite look like a car and it doesn't quite look like a minivan, which is fine by me. I find it well proportioned and it's only slightly longer and taller than the Mazda3, the car with which the 5 shares a platform. This also means that it shares the excellent all-aluminum 2.3-liter four-cylinder, producing

Green back-lighting is odd, given that Mazda's traditional color is amber. Layout provides an excellent view of the road. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

the same 157 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque as in the 3. However, the engine has its work cut out for it since the 5 weighs roughly 440 lbs more than the 3, thus making acceleration to 60 mph a bit leisurely, taking about 10 seconds to achieve this feat.

My car was hampered with the optional 4-speed automatic, which seemed slow to kick down. Like most modern automatics it does come with a “manual mode” that allows you to row through the gears. I'm not a fan of this feature, and in every car I drive that comes equipped with it I might try it out only once. I always find it awkward, not particularly intuitive and kind of pointless. Manual-type automatics always come off as compromises, and I think they're offered just so people think they have the best of both worlds;

5 shakes off some snow and ice. Yep, it's got sliding doors. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

a manual and an automatic in one. If you want an automatic buy an automatic, don't try to pretend you have a manual. Of course, a true sequential-manual is an entirely different beast.

On that note I am glad that Mazda offers the 5 with a 5-speed manual, and highlyrecommend it. It certainly kicks things up a notch in the acceleration and fun to drive departments. In its home market, Mazda has released a DISI 2.0-liter version of the 5 mated to a 5-speed manual or 5-speed automatic that hopefully finds its way into the North American version.

Just the same, the one we have here drives very well. It's reasonably quiet and the steering reaction and feel is very good. The suspension is independent all around, with struts up front and a multi-link type in the rear. The ride is nicely firm, while the handling is always tight, resulting in a car that's pretty easy to throw around corners.

Inside, I found that the driving

Digital climate control, and premium stereo rock. Four-speed automatic doesn't. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

position is a bit too upright for my liking, and I had to crank the seat all the way down in order to feel comfortable. Visibility is excellent though, and the 5 is easy to maneuver and park. The distance between the accelerator pedal and brake pedal is a bit narrow, mind you, but I got used to it after a couple of days. All of the materials possess a look and feel of quality, and everything is placed exactly where you would expect it to be. It is odd, however, to be in a Mazda with green back-lighting, as I'm used to theamber they have long used in the sportier models. Once again, as with most recent Mazdas, the stereo is not MP3 capable and satellite radio is optional, but not without buying extra hardware at $430 and undergoing a dealership install. For a car company that enjoys one of the youngest average age buyer, this is a major oversight. An iPod adapter is also optional, and I've used it in the Mazdaspeed3 and it works really well.

With dual front and side impact airbags up front as well as head curtain airbags

Seats six people. Four regular-sized ones, and two smaller ones in the third row. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

for three all rows of seats, the Mazda 5 has received top safety marks in Japanese and European crash tests, receiving a full five-star rating in the latter. It has yet to be tested by either the NHTSA or the IIHS here in North America, an oddity, considering the length of time it has been on sale.

The dual sliding doors open wide to allow easy access, and on my Touring model I didn't have to shut them all the way as an electric motor would pull them completely closed after I got them most of the way there. I also liked that the windows go completely down in the sliding doors. There's a lot of room inside for six people (notice I didn't say adults), with three rows of two seats, although you can't remove them or stow them completely into the floor like some larger vans. Still, both the second and third rows, as well as the front passenger's seat fold forward to form a large, flat loading area for just about anything.

Legroom is tight in the third row for full-size people to endurefor anything more than a short trip, but my 6-year old son fit in perfectly. It wasn't too bad getting him in and out either. In the second row, the seat bottoms lift up to reveal more storage

Most importantly, the 5 is fun to drive. And you can't say that about most minivans. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

and a small table that folds out between the seats; this feature is on the Touring model only. With the third row of seats upright there's very little room behind them, so long vacations with six people are out. But six bags of groceries fit without a problem. The rear hatch also incorporates a two-tired mechanism so it won't go all theway up if you don't want or need it to. This way the vertically challenged don't have to jump up to close it. Since my wife is only 5'2”, this is a nice touch.

For what it offers, the 5 is very reasonably priced, coming in right around where a well-equipped 3 does. Base price for the Sport is $17,635, while the Touring starts at $19,150. My test model's optional automatic transmission costs an additional $900.

Since it is priced similarly, I think one of the 5's biggest competitors isn't necessarily a mini-minivan, like Kia's new Rondo, but rather the car on which it shares a platform, the 3. It handles sharper than the 5 and is quicker off the line, and is therefore more fun to drive, plus it holds almost as much stuff and passengers, and is simply the best small car on the market right now. But the 5 does have its own merits, and certainly warrants a look if you're shopping for a tall wagon, minivan or small SUV.

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