Mazda5 Review

Mazda5

As you would expect of Mazda the engine is particularly quiet and refined. Power delivery is smooth and we would describe performance as adequate rather than rapid.

The dash mounted 5-speed manual gearbox was very easy to use although we did find it a bit notchy. Unfortunately an automatic transmission is not available.

The fuel economy is good with the 2.0 sport returning 25.7 mpg, 42.8 mpg and 34.5 mpg on the urban, extra-urban and combined cycles.

How It Drove - Ride/Handling

The Mazda5 designers have created a body structure that effectively resists distorting in all regular driving situations, despite having wide opening sliding side doors and a large rear tailgate. The stiff body shell results in minimal body roll (bearing in mind it is an MPV) and the EPS (Electronic Power Steering) is well-weighted offering crisp handling with excellent feedback.

The only downside is that the ride is a little on the hard side and unsettled on uneven road surfaces, however, the handling more than makes up for this.

The 2.0 Sport model is equipped with Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with Traction Control System TCS) as standard which are designed to assist the driver in maintaining control during acceleration, cornering and avoidance manoeuvres.

All-round disc brakes with ABS (Anti-Lock Braking), EBD (Electronic Brake-Force Distribution) and EBA (Emergency Brake Assist) are standard on the 2.0 Sport and ensure that the Mazda5 brakes reassuringly well.