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.

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    Driving Impressions
    The easy-to-drive Mazda3 handles more adeptly than most rivals. The automatic transmission delivers quick, smooth responses. Performance with the larger engine falls short of some sporty compacts, ...

    Safety
    Standard safety features include: * All-disc antilock brakes * Electronic stability system * Side-impact airbags for the front seats * Side curtain airbags for all three rows * Tire pressure mon ...

    Front Seat Belt Pretensioner and Load Limiting Systems
    For optimum protection, the driver and front passenger seat belts are equipped with pretensioner and load limiting systems. For both these systems to work properly you must wear the seat belt pro ...