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 On the upside, the 2011 lowers the taillights and eliminates the clear-lens-over-chrome style, which is outdated at best.

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    Safety
    Side curtain-type airbags and seat-mounted side-impact airbags are optional in the Mazda6 i base sedan and standard in other models. Antilock brakes and traction control are standard. ...

    Manual Transaxle Operation
    Manual Transaxle Shift Pattern The shift pattern of the transaxle is conventional, as shown. Depress the clutch pedal all the way down while shifting; then release it slowly. A safety feature p ...

    The Inside
    Here's where the Mazda5's small size catches up with it. When compared to larger minivans, there's just not a lot of extra space behind the front bucket seats. The Mazda5 does, however, make effic ...