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 On the upside, the 2011 lowers the taillights and eliminates the clear-lens-over-chrome style, which is outdated at best.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:

    Design: inheriting the Mazda 3's established identity while making it more expressive
    The design concept for the new Mazda 3 was "remaining faithful to an inherited identity while evolving the design to make it more expressive." While retaining some of the original model' ...

    Specifications
    Engine Electrical System CAUTION: When cleaning the iridium plugs, do not use a wire brush. The fine particulate coating on the iridium alloy and platinum tips could be damaged. Lubricant Q ...

    Seat Belt
    Fastening the Seat Belt 1. Grasp the seat belt tongue. 2. Slowly pull out the lap/shoulder belt. 3. Insert the seat belt tongue into the seat belt buckle until you hear a click sound. WARNIN ...