Weekend Athlete: 2008 Mazda5

I've seen the Mazda5 pop up at all my ski and bike races, and after a stint in the new 2008 version I can see why. A lot of cars look practical but really don't deliver. The Mazda5 largely delivers, even though, as always, there are things that could be better.

For starters, yes, it's a minivan. It has dual-sliding doors, which makes it marginally easier to load things from the side.

Since I don't have kids or coach the local youth soccer team, I don't know how easy it is to load tiny folks into the third row of seats. What I can say is that the third row flops over easily and, when that's done, there's plenty of room for gear to take four people camping.

Flopping the second-row seats, though, is a multi-step process. You flop the seat bottom up, then fold the seatback down. That's OK, but putting it back up isn't as nice. The biggest issue is that the lever to raise the seatback is parallel to the armrest – so a couple of times I'd grab the armrest, tug and … the seatback would go nowhere. Since I’m a guy, I’d tug the armrest again, only harder, and damn if that seatback wouldn't move. Once you (ahem) grab the correct lever, things are much simpler. Still, there are better ways of doing this.

Fiddly seat actuation aside, the bike slides right in, either bars first or rear wheel first. There's plenty of room for a 58-cm frame, and that's probably why I see the Mazda5 so much at races. There's a well between the second-row seats when they're folded flat, but I actually kind of like it. It'd be a decent place to stuff a bag of post-race clothes or something.

The load floor is a nice height for shorter athletes, and for taller athletes Mazda put in a most considerate hatch lid; it raises to a lower height by default, but you can push it a couple inches higher to give you more clearance. I like that.

It's a short vehicle that's easy to park, and visibility is fantastic. I'd worry about its short wheelbase and tall dimensions on the highway on a windy day, but I didn't have a chance to test it in those conditions, so I can't knock points for that. It's the type of car I like, and if they'd just fix the second-row seat setup it would push toward the top of my rating scale.

Weekend Athlete Scores (Out of 10)

Ease of loading gear: 9 — It's a small car, but there’s plenty of room.

Ease of seat operation: 4.5 — Third row nice, second row not.

Bike hauling: 9 — Again, small on the outside, nice and big on the inside.

Locker-room cred: 7 — It's a minivan, but it doesn't scream “Mom wouldn’t let Dad take the cool car to the races!” the way others do. No faux-macho crap either.

All-around: 7.5

Comments

[ziggy]

“Mom wouldn’t let Dad take the cool car to the races!” I've never heard that one before. I like the 5. Much better vehicle than the Rondo and you get a little more for less $.

[H-Why]

We have the 2006 Mazda5 and something to add is that it is actually a fun car to drive, unlike most mini-vans. We call it a "micro-van" because it is much smaller than the typical van or SUV. Great handling and pickup, even with kids and gear loaded.

[Hector]

A better way of designing the second row? Are you serious? I can't think of a SIMPLER way of designing fold-down seats. I have an 08 Mazda 5 Grand Touring, as well, and I marvel at what a great, flexible, versatile, well-designed and engineered car it is all the time! And if the only thing you can criticize is how the second row of seats folds down and up, then that's a true testament to the car itself. I'm glad you liked it, though!

A better way to design the second row? Um...remember that an armrest is NOT a lever.