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 On the upside, the 2011 lowers the taillights and eliminates the clear-lens-over-chrome style, which is outdated at best.

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    Tough, Elegant and Safe
    Also premiering at the 74th Geneva Motor Show is a new face lifted version of Mazda's stylish and athletic sports utility vehicle (SUV) Mazda Tribute. Since its debut in 2000, Tribute has attracte ...

    Seat Belt
    WARNING: Always wear the seat belt with it correctly routed in its guide: Wearing a seat belt without the seat belt routed in its guide is dangerous because the seat belt would not be able to pr ...

    Ride & Handling
    Impressively, Mazda continues to make good on its zoom-zoom marketing tagline. Just about every one of its models, with the possible exception of the Escape clone Tribute, is among the most engagi ...