Mazda 5 offers the versatility of a minivan while seating up to seven passengers. Users identify a vehicle which is decent to drive, roomy and reasonable to insure. They also look good, come with sliding rear doors and manage a superb, 5 star NCAP safety rating. In fact, there appears to be nothing much wrong with them at all. The Mazda 5 is marketed by Mazda as a versatile Multi Activity Vehicle. It has a reputation for good build quality, value for money and a stylish shape as well as a decent driving experience - in the type of vehicle which can turn out to be a clunking experience with some other people carriers. There are over 40 storage places including a nifty box under one of the seats. There is a reasonable range of trims and engine sizes. The Mazda 5, known as the Premacy in Japan, was launched 2005, and is capable of a top speed of 122mph and 44.9mpg on the combined cycle. The Mazda 5 is available in a choice of 5-speed manual petrol engines, and 6-speed manual diesel engines.
The Mazda 5 achieved five stars in the Euro NCAP test. The Mazda5 J-NCAP six star marks is also the first time a minivan has won maximum crash safety ratings from both Euro and Japanese testing bodies. The crash safety features from Mazda Advanced Impact Distribution and Absorption System include a strengthened triple-H body, front airbags and occupant restraints which have pretensioner and load-limiter mechanisms as standard. In fact, driver, front passenger, front side and curtain airbags comes as standard for all three seating rows. An impact absorption steering column designed to collapse or pivot away from the driver during a frontal collision to reduce injuries is another key feature. The command driving position provides excellent visibility. Also included are Anti-lock Braking System, Electronic Brake-force Distribution system and Emergency Brake Assist as other standards. For extra support Dynamic Stability Control and Traction Control System are all standards on Mazda 5 Sport. Mazda 5 insurance groups start at group 6 and rise to group 8. All models are below average to insure.
Mazda 5 offers responsive engines. Two petrol engines - 1.8-litre MZR 115ps (85kW) and 2.0-litre MZR 145ps (107kW) are combined with 5-speed manual transmission; plus two versions of the turbo diesel engine 2.0-litre MZR-CD 110ps (81kW) and 2.0-litre MZR-CD 143ps (105kW). The latter are combined with newly-developed 6 speed manual transmission. Diesel particulate filters are standard on both models. All engines are compliant with Euro Stage 4 emissions standards.
