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 On the upside, the 2011 lowers the taillights and eliminates the clear-lens-over-chrome style, which is outdated at best.

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    Manual Transaxle Operation
    Manual Transaxle Shift Pattern The vehicle is equipped with either a 5- speed or 6-speed manual transaxle. The shift pattern for each is shown above. Depress the clutch pedal all the way down w ...

    A sporty cockpit that improves functional beauty
    The new "zone layout" approach focuses on improving visibility and more intuitive controls which provide "a sense of the car and driver as one" and "a reassuring sense of ...

    Tiedown Hooks
    CAUTION: Don't use the tiedown hooks under the front and rear for towing. They are designed ONLY for tying down the vehicle when it's being transported. Using them for towing will damage the bum ...