Ride & Handling

The Mazda5's steering response is designed to engage the driver. A turn of the wheel delivers a quick change of direction, and there's a fair amount of feedback. The suspension is on the firm side, but it provides a tolerable ride even on the broken pavement that's prevalent near Cars.com's Chicago headquarters.

    See also:

    Two Strikes Against
    The two strikes against the 2009 Mazda3 are its crash tests and its gas mileage. With the crash tests, the problem isn't the results, it's the lack thereof. The Insurance Institute for Highway Saf ...

    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 ...

    New for 2011
    There are no significant changes. ...