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 On the upside, the 2011 lowers the taillights and eliminates the clear-lens-over-chrome style, which is outdated at best.

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    Modestly Powered Base Engine
    The base 161-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder provides acceptable performance in city and suburban settings. Acceleration is quick enough, letting you keep pace with traffic. Where the engine s ...

    Cruise Control
    With cruise control, you can set and automatically maintain any speed of more than about 30 km/h (19 mph). WARNING: Do not use the cruise control under the following conditions: Using the cruise ...

    Interior
    Inside, I can see fewer people loving the two-tone color scheme and sport-oriented layout of the dashboard. It screams more tech-geek-friendly than family-friendly, but the quality is certainly on ...