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 On the upside, the 2011 lowers the taillights and eliminates the clear-lens-over-chrome style, which is outdated at best.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

    New Power Sliding Rear Doors for Maximum Comfort
    Mazda 5 facelift enhances the high convenience of its segment-unique, double sliding rear doors - with an opening width of 700 mm and an opening height of 1,083 mm - by adding power assisted door ...

    Pedestrian Protection
    Mazda 6 facelift has an energy-absorbing space between the bonnet and the engine, and structures for impact energy absorption in the cowl grille and fender brackets, which mitigate the chance of s ...

    Starting the Engine
    NOTE: Engine-starting is controlled by the spark ignition system. This system meets all Canadian Interference- Causing Equipment Standard requirements regulating the impulse electrical field stre ...