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 On the upside, the 2011 lowers the taillights and eliminates the clear-lens-over-chrome style, which is outdated at best.

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    Floor Mat
    WARNING: Make sure the floor mats are hooked on the retention pins to prevent them from bunching up under the foot pedals: Using a floor mat that is not secured is dangerous as it will interfere ...

    Operation Using Advanced Keyless Functions
    Operational Range The system operates only when the driver is in the vehicle or within operational range while the advanced key is being carried. NOTE: When the battery power is low, or in place ...

    Defining Attributes
    On the upside, the current generation's reliability has been above average to well above average, and it's one of the most fun cars in the compact class. Fun is hard to define, but it usually invo ...