http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/25/automobiles/autoreviews/25mazda5.html
A Euro-Style David vs. Minivan Goliaths
By LAWRENCE ULRICH
SOME cars just make sense. But that doesnt mean Americans will like them.
For instance, Americans have largely dismissed the station wagon, preferring taller-riding crossovers by as much as 10 to 1. But the compact van known in much of the world as an M.P.V. for multipurpose vehicle cant even claim the Brady-Bunch nostalgia of the station wagon.
In Europe, where gasoline averages about $7 a gallon, M.P.V.s like the Renault Scnic, the Opel Zafira from General Motors and the Ford Focus C-Max are the ubiquitous answer to this basic question: How can I afford to move my family around without drilling for oil in my backyard?
But here, measured against hulking minivans, the rare M.P.V.s have been seen as scrawny and suspiciously euro the way soccer players are dismissed by rabid N.F.L. fans.
If thats not challenge enough, the Mazda 5 the only pure M.P.V. (with sliding doors) on the market is still a minivan, writ small but no less boxy. Social monitors in the neighborhood might view the Mazda as carrying all the minivans suburban-square baggage, while simultaneously announcing that you couldnt afford a real one.
But that would be unfair. First, there are signs that the big-crushes-all mentality, once as secure as an armored Hummer, is just one gas-price spike away from being shattered forever. Second, all it takes is a whip around the neighborhood to make you realize that Mazdas mouse is sportier than its elephantine rivals.
There is good reason for this: at barely 15 feet long, with an unloaded weight of less than 3,500 pounds, the Mazda is nearly two feet shorter and a half-ton lighter than a Honda Odyssey.
And the Mazda is just a smart family car, because it combines the good parts of a minivan three rows of seats, easy entering and exiting, unimpeded views with the exterior footprint, maneuverability and price of a compact. For all the cavernous virtues of an Odyssey or a Toyota Sienna, those minivans can top $40,000, on par with luxury sedans.
The Mazda starts at less than half that: $19,260 with a 5-speed manual transmission. The midlevel Touring version that I tested, with an automatic transmission, goes out the door for $22,235. The priciest Grand Touring model starts at $23,755 and tops $27,000 when equipped with options like a navigation system and DVD player.
One cannot help but admire a machine that combines sporty and utilitarian virtues at such a reasonable price. Yet theres no denying that this cute vanlet is a niche vehicle that faces stiff competition, not just from larger vans, but from wagons and from compact crossovers like the Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4. (The Mazdas most direct rival is the Kia Rondo, which has conventional hinged rear doors.)
The 5 may undercut the big minivans by $10,000 or more, but it isnt as plush, powerful or quiet. And while the Mazda can haul six people to the movies, you can forget packing that sextet for a trip to the Grand Canyon unless you strap a few children to the roof.
The Mazdas interior is straightforward and well finished. Theres a whiff of economy car in the plastics and fabrics, offset by nicer touches like sporty gauges and a leather-wrapped automatic shifter that protrudes from the dashboard.
Fold the third row flat, and theres a generous 44.4 cubic feet of cargo space. With the second row down, the space expands to nearly 90 cubic feet. Both figures trump any compact crossover. But if six people are spread across the Mazdas seats, theres only 11.7 cubic feet of storage behind the third row. That space is on par with the three-row RAV4. Yet here, the tale of the tape doesnt lie: if you are putting bodies in every seat, the Odyssey, Dodge Grand Caravan and other likesize vans can pack roughly three times as much cargo behind the rearmost row.
That is one reason why Mazda executives see the 5 as ideally suited to families with one or two children.
The 5s sliding doors are cleverly engineered. Though they are not power-operated, they open and close so weightlessly that a small child can operate them, yet they dont require the heavy (and trouble-prone) electric motors of larger minivans.
Those doors create a huge, nearly 28-inch-wide entryway: If you pivot the second-row seats forward in a smooth one-touch operation, the Mazda offers access to the third row that no hinged-door model can touch.
When opened, those manual doors also hug the vehicles sides more than the electric portals of other minivans. Throw in a body thats eight inches narrower than the Odysseys, and the Mazda is especially easy to load or off-load in tight parking slots or garages. At the rear, the liftgate opens just high enough for a six-footer to stow gear without having to duck below it.
To get everyone to fit, the Mazda takes a socialist approach to resource-sharing. The front seats are normal, except for their captains-chair folding armrests (which are so stubby only a T-Rex might find them useful). But the second- and third-row seats are subtly shrunken to maximize the space and allow all that magical flat-folding.
When I sat in the second row, the top of the seatback ended at my shoulder blades. And in the third row, taller riders need to slide the headrest up some 10 inches to get support for their heads.
The second row has three inches less legroom than the CR-V or RAV4, though you can slide the seat back nearly four inches to expand the space. A theater-seating layout, with each row positioned slightly higher than the one ahead, helps to stave off claustrophobia. Thats combined with the Mazdas fantastic outward views, aided by pleasingly low window sills and enormous vistas of glass.
Some car critics have complained that the Mazdas third row is strictly for children, and it is true that knee space and foot room are tight back there. But when I was forced into the way-back space, with my 3-year-old daughter sitting ahead of me (thrilled at seeing Dad relegated to the cheap seats), I found that a lone adult rider can fully stretch his legs down the center aisle, making the journey surprisingly comfortable.
Motivation comes from a 2.3-liter 4-cylinder with 153 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque. Even without a load, the 5 is on the slow side, running from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 9.7 seconds. With passengers aboard while climbing steep foothills north of New York City, the Mazda sweated a bit to make speed. While the Mazda engine is one of the smoother 4-bangers around, no magic of balance shafts or engine mounts can make it as quiet and vibration-free as a 6- or 8-cylinder. Still, the Mazda will still cruise effortlessly at 80 m.p.h.
And if theres not much of Mazdas signature zoom zoom in the acceleration, theres plenty elsewhere. Despite noticeable body roll on turns, the steering and suspension are joyfully sharp, sensitive and fun you just have to work at it. Once I pledged to keep that little motor on full boil, working the shifters manual function like mad, the 5 responded in kind. Its hard to say how many family owners want to carve turns in a minivan, but with the 5 it can be done. And for 2010, the 5 gets electronic stability control a valuable safety feature as standard equipment.
Among vans, the fuel economy battle goes to the Mazda, with the 5 rated at 21 m.p.g. in town, and 27 on the highway (22/28 with the 5-speed manual), compared with 17/25 for an Odyssey (with an engine that shuts down cylinders at cruising speed).
Shoppers should know that Mazda intends to replace the 5 with a redesigned version next year. But as a second heads-up, that new version will also add the grinning-idiot front fascia that currently disfigures the otherwise brilliant Mazda 3 compact car.
With carmakers working to bolster their fleetwide fuel economy, the Mazda will soon have some serious competition. Future rivals include the seven-passenger Ford C-Max, which shares its platform with the Mazda and will reach showrooms in late 2011. Chevrolet will offer its Orlando that year; that seven-passenger M.P.V. may eventually adopt the Volts plug-in hybrid technology.
Its another sign that the world is shrinking and that car styles long popular in Europe including these compact people-movers may establish themselves here.
At this rate, those N.F.L. fans will start rooting for Real Madrid and noshing on brie and quiche.
INSIDE TRACK: Little big van.
A Euro-Style David vs. Minivan Goliaths
By LAWRENCE ULRICH
SOME cars just make sense. But that doesnt mean Americans will like them.
For instance, Americans have largely dismissed the station wagon, preferring taller-riding crossovers by as much as 10 to 1. But the compact van known in much of the world as an M.P.V. for multipurpose vehicle cant even claim the Brady-Bunch nostalgia of the station wagon.
In Europe, where gasoline averages about $7 a gallon, M.P.V.s like the Renault Scnic, the Opel Zafira from General Motors and the Ford Focus C-Max are the ubiquitous answer to this basic question: How can I afford to move my family around without drilling for oil in my backyard?
But here, measured against hulking minivans, the rare M.P.V.s have been seen as scrawny and suspiciously euro the way soccer players are dismissed by rabid N.F.L. fans.
If thats not challenge enough, the Mazda 5 the only pure M.P.V. (with sliding doors) on the market is still a minivan, writ small but no less boxy. Social monitors in the neighborhood might view the Mazda as carrying all the minivans suburban-square baggage, while simultaneously announcing that you couldnt afford a real one.
But that would be unfair. First, there are signs that the big-crushes-all mentality, once as secure as an armored Hummer, is just one gas-price spike away from being shattered forever. Second, all it takes is a whip around the neighborhood to make you realize that Mazdas mouse is sportier than its elephantine rivals.
There is good reason for this: at barely 15 feet long, with an unloaded weight of less than 3,500 pounds, the Mazda is nearly two feet shorter and a half-ton lighter than a Honda Odyssey.
And the Mazda is just a smart family car, because it combines the good parts of a minivan three rows of seats, easy entering and exiting, unimpeded views with the exterior footprint, maneuverability and price of a compact. For all the cavernous virtues of an Odyssey or a Toyota Sienna, those minivans can top $40,000, on par with luxury sedans.
The Mazda starts at less than half that: $19,260 with a 5-speed manual transmission. The midlevel Touring version that I tested, with an automatic transmission, goes out the door for $22,235. The priciest Grand Touring model starts at $23,755 and tops $27,000 when equipped with options like a navigation system and DVD player.
One cannot help but admire a machine that combines sporty and utilitarian virtues at such a reasonable price. Yet theres no denying that this cute vanlet is a niche vehicle that faces stiff competition, not just from larger vans, but from wagons and from compact crossovers like the Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4. (The Mazdas most direct rival is the Kia Rondo, which has conventional hinged rear doors.)
The 5 may undercut the big minivans by $10,000 or more, but it isnt as plush, powerful or quiet. And while the Mazda can haul six people to the movies, you can forget packing that sextet for a trip to the Grand Canyon unless you strap a few children to the roof.
The Mazdas interior is straightforward and well finished. Theres a whiff of economy car in the plastics and fabrics, offset by nicer touches like sporty gauges and a leather-wrapped automatic shifter that protrudes from the dashboard.
Fold the third row flat, and theres a generous 44.4 cubic feet of cargo space. With the second row down, the space expands to nearly 90 cubic feet. Both figures trump any compact crossover. But if six people are spread across the Mazdas seats, theres only 11.7 cubic feet of storage behind the third row. That space is on par with the three-row RAV4. Yet here, the tale of the tape doesnt lie: if you are putting bodies in every seat, the Odyssey, Dodge Grand Caravan and other likesize vans can pack roughly three times as much cargo behind the rearmost row.
That is one reason why Mazda executives see the 5 as ideally suited to families with one or two children.
The 5s sliding doors are cleverly engineered. Though they are not power-operated, they open and close so weightlessly that a small child can operate them, yet they dont require the heavy (and trouble-prone) electric motors of larger minivans.
Those doors create a huge, nearly 28-inch-wide entryway: If you pivot the second-row seats forward in a smooth one-touch operation, the Mazda offers access to the third row that no hinged-door model can touch.
When opened, those manual doors also hug the vehicles sides more than the electric portals of other minivans. Throw in a body thats eight inches narrower than the Odysseys, and the Mazda is especially easy to load or off-load in tight parking slots or garages. At the rear, the liftgate opens just high enough for a six-footer to stow gear without having to duck below it.
To get everyone to fit, the Mazda takes a socialist approach to resource-sharing. The front seats are normal, except for their captains-chair folding armrests (which are so stubby only a T-Rex might find them useful). But the second- and third-row seats are subtly shrunken to maximize the space and allow all that magical flat-folding.
When I sat in the second row, the top of the seatback ended at my shoulder blades. And in the third row, taller riders need to slide the headrest up some 10 inches to get support for their heads.
The second row has three inches less legroom than the CR-V or RAV4, though you can slide the seat back nearly four inches to expand the space. A theater-seating layout, with each row positioned slightly higher than the one ahead, helps to stave off claustrophobia. Thats combined with the Mazdas fantastic outward views, aided by pleasingly low window sills and enormous vistas of glass.
Some car critics have complained that the Mazdas third row is strictly for children, and it is true that knee space and foot room are tight back there. But when I was forced into the way-back space, with my 3-year-old daughter sitting ahead of me (thrilled at seeing Dad relegated to the cheap seats), I found that a lone adult rider can fully stretch his legs down the center aisle, making the journey surprisingly comfortable.
Motivation comes from a 2.3-liter 4-cylinder with 153 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque. Even without a load, the 5 is on the slow side, running from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 9.7 seconds. With passengers aboard while climbing steep foothills north of New York City, the Mazda sweated a bit to make speed. While the Mazda engine is one of the smoother 4-bangers around, no magic of balance shafts or engine mounts can make it as quiet and vibration-free as a 6- or 8-cylinder. Still, the Mazda will still cruise effortlessly at 80 m.p.h.
And if theres not much of Mazdas signature zoom zoom in the acceleration, theres plenty elsewhere. Despite noticeable body roll on turns, the steering and suspension are joyfully sharp, sensitive and fun you just have to work at it. Once I pledged to keep that little motor on full boil, working the shifters manual function like mad, the 5 responded in kind. Its hard to say how many family owners want to carve turns in a minivan, but with the 5 it can be done. And for 2010, the 5 gets electronic stability control a valuable safety feature as standard equipment.
Among vans, the fuel economy battle goes to the Mazda, with the 5 rated at 21 m.p.g. in town, and 27 on the highway (22/28 with the 5-speed manual), compared with 17/25 for an Odyssey (with an engine that shuts down cylinders at cruising speed).
Shoppers should know that Mazda intends to replace the 5 with a redesigned version next year. But as a second heads-up, that new version will also add the grinning-idiot front fascia that currently disfigures the otherwise brilliant Mazda 3 compact car.
With carmakers working to bolster their fleetwide fuel economy, the Mazda will soon have some serious competition. Future rivals include the seven-passenger Ford C-Max, which shares its platform with the Mazda and will reach showrooms in late 2011. Chevrolet will offer its Orlando that year; that seven-passenger M.P.V. may eventually adopt the Volts plug-in hybrid technology.
Its another sign that the world is shrinking and that car styles long popular in Europe including these compact people-movers may establish themselves here.
At this rate, those N.F.L. fans will start rooting for Real Madrid and noshing on brie and quiche.
INSIDE TRACK: Little big van.
