Road Test: Mazda5 MUV is family friendly
Starting at $19,990, the second-generation Mazda5 is available in three versions, all of which are powered with the same 2.5-liter, inline-four-cylinder engine as the Mazda3, Mazda6 and CX-7. Credit: Handout
Never underestimate the significance of doors. More specifically, the significance of sliding side doors on a type of vehicle that doesn't ordinarily have them.
The ease of sliding doors was the reason that, after a week with the 2012 Mazda5 hatchback, my 8-year-old son declared the car his favorite of all the vehicles he's experienced me testing. And he's been driven in a Ferrari 458 Italia, Land Rover LR4 and a whole host of other truly stunning cars.
Obvious cost benefits aside, the Mazda5 is designed for everyone inside the car, not just the driver. Overhauled for 2012, the family-focused five-door, six-seater offers a lot of comfort and functionality for the money.
Starting at $19,990, the second-generation Mazda5 is available in three versions, all of which are powered with the same 2.5-liter, inline-four-cylinder engine as the Mazda3, Mazda6 and CX-7. I was testing the entry-level Sport with a six-speed manual transmission that was pleasantly responsive.
The Touring and Grand Touring versions of the car are five-speed automatics; the Sport is also available with the same transmission. All three automatic versions receive the same fuel economy estimate from the Environmental Protection Agency of 21 miles per gallon in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.
The Mazda5 is a multiutility vehicle, or MUV, that fuses the style and driving characteristics of a car with the family friendliness of haulers such as station wagons, minivans and sport-utility vehicles. The Mazda5 subtracts the I've-given-up-on-fun stigma of the minivan and the gas-guzzling status of an SUV while retaining some of the better characteristics of the usual go-to vehicles for parents.
It's low to the ground like a car, making it easier for little legs to scramble in and out of than a jacked-up SUV. Borrowing a page from minivans, the sliding side doors remove the risk of scratching when a kid gleefully flings open his door into a tall curb.
But what's most alluring about the Mazda5 is the configuration of its interior space. There are three rows of seats arranged on stepped flooring similar to a movie theater. The second row is situated slightly higher than the first, and the third row is slightly higher than the second so, in theory, everyone in the car can see out the front window.
