2008 Mazda 5 Philadelphia

See Our 2008 Mazda 5 Inventory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2008 Mazda 5 Design

The Mazda5's hood is expansive and flows gracefully into the windshield and A-pillars. The entire front end is reworked for 2008. A single, horizontal bar still divides the Mazda5's grille opening and supports the Mazda trademark logo, but the opening itself is more angular and stylized. The same goes for the broad lower air intake and the large fog light recesses. Headlight housings slash into the fenders and reach around the sides to touch the front wheel well arches, which are mostly filled by the tires.

From the side, the vista is much busier, although geometrically consistent. A strong wedge influence flares character lines and surface planes from the pinched-down front end rearward to a tall, chopped off, stubby tail rendered even more awkward by a pouting, bulbous rear bumper. Matte black B-pillars and C-pillars play down the height of the glasshouse. Side mirrors attach to the lower half of small, wind-wing-shaped quarter windows. Body-color, full-round handles bridge concave circles in the doors. A gentle bulge crossing the doors' lower extremities ties together the blistered fenders. The slots for the sliding side doors scar the flanks. The optional side sill extensions create a ground-effect look that somehow works, giving the perspective a more complete, more finished touch.

2008 Mazda 5 Lineup

The 2008 Mazda5 is available in three trim levels. All are powered by the same engine, a 153-hp 2.3-liter inline-4. A five-speed manual transmission is standard for the Sport, and a five-speed automatic with a manual shiftgate is optional. The automatic is standard for the Touring and Grand Touring models.

The Mazda5 Sport comes with air conditioning; cruise control; tilt/telescoping steering wheel with speed and sound controls; power windows, door locks and mirrors; remote keyless entry; four-speaker AM/FM/CD stereo with auxiliary input jack; front bucket seats with fold-down inboard armrests; driver-seat height and lumbar adjustment; folding second-row bucket seats with inboard and outboard armrests; third-row split-folding seat; interior air filter; four passenger assist grips; roof rack, and carpeted floor mats, An attractive and durable-looking fabric covers the seats and door panels with seat side bolsters and insets wearing contrasting textures. The standard wheel-and-tire package consists of 205/50VR17 all-season radials on 17-inch alloy rims.

A power moonroof is optional, as is a Popular Equipment package, comprising an in-dash six-disc CD changer, a rear liftgate spoiler, and side sill extensions.

The Mazda5 Touring makes the Sport's Popular Equipment package standard, and adds a rear spoiler, fog lamps, automatic climate control, two more speakers for the stereo, a leather cover for the steering wheel, and a combination fold-out table and cargo net bin for the center row of seats. Externally, the mirrors turn body-color (instead of black).

The top-line Grand Touring adds leather seats with matching cloth door inserts, heated front seats, automatic xenon high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps, heated power mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, and a wireless cell phone link. Sharp-eyed observers might spot the GT's exclusive black light bezels, front and rear.

Interior of the 2008 Mazda 5

The dashboard looks like something you'd see in a minivan, with broad reaches of quality plastic spreading far forward beneath the sharply raked windshield. Symmetrical right and left panels belie the Mazda5's international character, as it's easily re-cobbled for right-hand drive countries. The look is sleek and high tech, but with an odd-looking indentation splitting the upper and lower halves of the dash. Air vents shutter like window blinds if the cool or warm air gets to be too much. Metallic-look plastic trims the center stack, shift console and front door handles. The instrument cluster is pleasantly basic, with eye-catching contrasts between the speedometer and supporting gauges. Equally pleasant surprises for a car in this class are the steering wheel-mounted controls for audio and cruise settings.

The optional navigation system's screen has been moved for 2008. It used to rise out of the dash top above the center stack and had a control panel tacked onto the console on the driver's side of the shift gate. It is now integrated in the spot normally reserved for the radio. Menu buttons for the navigation system and radio are now placed above and below the screen, and some of the functions are controlled by touching the screen. The system will take some time to learn, but it should become natural after a few weeks. (The GPS was in the navigation system in our test vehicle wasn't working correctly. Though we were driving around Chicago, it thought we were in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.) The climate controls are sublime, with large, round knobs and widely spaced, clearly marked buttons.

Handling of the 2008 Mazda 5

From behind the wheel, the Mazda5 is an OK driver. Steering isn't especially precise, but it has good on-center feel and directional stability. For such a relatively tall car, there's little buffeting from crosswinds or passing trucks. The brakes are solid, with communicative pedal feedback.

Throttle tip-in can be a bit more abrupt than expected, especially when accelerating from a stop around a corner. So it won't win NCTD's Best Commuter Car award. But for the most part, engine response is easily managed.

Speaking of engine response, while the Mazda5 is reasonably peppy with a couple people belted in, load it up with a weekend's worth of yard stuff or with another couple for a night on the town, and acceleration gets a little sluggish. There's still enough torque to get everything underway with relative ease, but beyond that, evidence of strain emerges. Planning ahead is required for merging onto a freeway or for passing on a two-lane road. All that mass also explores the brakes' limits and shifts the car's balance around, converting evasive moves into exciting moments. Even unloaded, quick left-right-left transitions are best taken no faster than socially responsible rates of travel.

Conclusion

The Mazda5 is an impressive package in this price range. It seats six yet takes up less space than a minivan and costs less to buy and operate. The Grand Touring version adds a touch of luxury to this otherwise utilitarian package. We'd recommend it to small families with kids under five or six years old, with the caveat that we'd like it better if traction control and electronic stability control were available.

Some information for this review was obtained from NewCarTestDrive.com