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 On the upside, the 2011 lowers the taillights and eliminates the clear-lens-over-chrome style, which is outdated at best.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

    Mazda5 2010 Review
    The small-minivan idea is a good one, yet most minivan models have either grown or — in the case of Mazda's MPV — disappeared. Complete with three rows of two seats each and the genre-defining sli ...

    Operation Using Advanced Key Functions
    Keyless Entry System This system uses the more traditional keyless entry buttons to remotely lock and unlock the doors and opens the trunk lid, and opens the power windows and the moonroof. It c ...

    The Little Engine That Could
    The Miata started its life with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder that grew to 1.8 liters in 1994 and 2.0 liters with the current (third) generation in 2004. Tweaks over the years, including the addition ...