My Dad had a Caravan back then. I have actually driven along side one here and noticed how closely they compare. You had to take the seats out of the Caravan... But, it sure made it roomy!
Funny...
Interestingly, the first-ever mainstream minivan in North America, the Dodge Caravan, was roughly the same size. More than two decades later, the Mazda5 keeps the spirit alive in a market that's continuously evolving. It's almost as if the pendulum had gone a full swing and come back to its initial spot...
Source:
http://www.auto123.com/en/mazda/5/2008/review?carid=1083900302&artid=97366&pg=1