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 On the upside, the 2011 lowers the taillights and eliminates the clear-lens-over-chrome style, which is outdated at best.

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    Turn and Lane-Change Signals
    Turn Signal Move the signal lever down (for a left turn) or up (for a right turn) to the stop position. The signal will self-cancel after the turn is completed. If the indicator light continues ...

    Essential Safety Equipment
    Use of safety equipment, including seats, seat belt system, child-restraint systems and SRS air bags. ...

    Transmissions
    The 2.3-litre MZR petrol comes standard with a new five-speed manual transmission that employs multi-cone synchronizers and a new cable shift system, which reduces shift effort and provides for sh ...