2010 Mazda5 Grand Touring Review
Minivans aren't so mini anymore. Both the 2010 Honda Odyssey and 2011 Toyota Sienna are great family cars - I'll even throw the Kia Sedona in there too. But one thing those family vans are not is mini. The first minivan, the Dodge Caravan was based on a stretched K car platform and subsequent Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi vans (or whatever they were) actually did ride on compact car underpinnings. Today, a Honda Odyssey is more SUV sized than compact. A 2010 Honda Odyssey is about the same size as a Chevy Tahoe in terms of lenght and distance between the wheels. Enter the Mazda5. It has seating for six, side doors that slide open like a typical van plus power comes from a fuel sipping 4-cyl engine (28 mpg highway). It clearly feels small from behind the wheel but the Mazda5 does a lot with its small size. There are three rows of seats - second row seats slide foward and back and third row seats easily flip up or down. The Mazda5 is probably the perfect family vehicle for anyone ...