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 On the upside, the 2011 lowers the taillights and eliminates the clear-lens-over-chrome style, which is outdated at best.

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    Overloading
    WARNING: Be careful not to overload your vehicle: The gross axle weight rating (GAWR) and the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of your vehicle are on the Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Label on ...

    Door Locks
    WARNING: Always take all children and pets with you or leave a responsible person with them: Leaving a child or a pet unattended in a parked vehicle is dangerous. In hot weather, temperatures in ...

    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 ...