Exterior & Styling

The sliding doors say "minivan," but many see the Mazda5 as a wagon. Minivans tend not to set hearts aflutter, but there's one thing I appreciate about the 2010 Mazda5, and that's its styling. It's nothing special, but it's also not the redesigned 2011 Mazda5 that's due at dealerships early in 2011; Mazda has already released photos (click on the thumbnails to the right). The 2011 has a less restrained design, including the smiling grille most new Mazda models get, plus a new characteristic: wavelike accent lines in the bodyside sheet metal. On the upside, the 2011 lowers the taillights and eliminates the clear-lens-over-chrome style, which is outdated at best.

    See also:

    Brake/Clutch Fluid
    qInspecting Brake/Clutch Fluid Level The brakes and clutch draw fluid from the same reservoir. Inspect the fluid level in the reservoir regularly. It should be kept at MAX. The level normally d ...

    Safety
    Standard safety features include: * All-disc antilock brakes * Side-impact airbags for the front seats * Three-row side curtain airbags ...

    Should You Wait?
    As of this writing, we don't have much detail on the redesigned 2011 model, apart from its new styling and a 2.0-liter engine (power unknown). The prospect of a fresh take might make you wait for ...