Mazda5 Review
Published: 20th January 2007
Mazda5
Ease of Use
A great deal of thought has gone into the ergonomics of the Mazda5 and this really shows. The dashboard is ergonomically laid out, simple and stylish and as with all Mazda’s the controls are tactile with everything to hand.
Visibility is good all round with few blind spots making the Mazda5 easy to park and manoeuvre. The front doors are large and open to reveal wide access points. The rear sliding doors are easy to operate and make the Mazda5 a very easy vehicle to get in and out of which is particularly helpful for people with mobility problems.
The Mazda5 is the only vehicle in this category with sliding rear doors and with 6 seats regular seats across three rows and a seventh stowable seat. The occasional seat cleverly folds into the base of the second row left seat.
The innovative ‘Karakuri’ rear seats fully flatten with the pull of a handle. The backrests are flattened, the seat is lowered slightly and a completely flat loading area appears and there is no need to pull up the seat bases or remove the headrests.
The Mazda5’s wide tailgate opening has a low sill facilitating easy loading of bulky items.
On a practical level the Mazda5 Sport incorporates:
40 storage spaces intuitively dotted all around its cabin, cupholders, under seat compartments, door pockets, an illuminated 11 litre double glovebox, trays, boxes, hooks, a concealed sub-boot box for extra space, removeable load cover, boot light, seat back pocket on the passenger side and map reading lights.
Safety and Security
The Mazda5 has a 5-Star Euro NCAP rating for adult occupant protection.
The following safety & security equipment is standard on the Mazda5 Sport:
MAIDAS (Mazda Advanced Impact Distribution And Absorption System) engineered ‘triple H’ body structure to help protect occupants from impact forces. Supplementary Restraint System (SRS) central control unit and crush sensors, front seatbelt pre-tensioners and load limiters. Four-wheel anti-lock braking system (ABS) with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) and Emergency Brake Assist (EBA). Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with Traction Control System TCS). Front driver and passenger airbags, front side airbags, front and rear curtain airbags (up to 3rd row), ISOFIX child seat anchorages, Thatcham Category 1 alarm and immobiliser system, seatbelts, front 3-point (ELR) x 2 with pre-tensioners, rear, second row 3-point x 2, rear, third row, 3-point x 2 and seatbelt reminder (driver and front passenger).
