New Mazda5
by Tim Barnes-Clay, the man behind the wheel.
Date: 24 October 2010
IT'S NOT every day you get a chance to fly to Cornwall. And it's not very often you get the chance to be flown down there just to be given a test drive.
But that's what happened after Mazda insisted on inviting me to test their new Mazda5 at the official UK launch in Newquay on 20 October.
I was impressed straight away with the car. Maybe it’s because the Mazda is aimed at someone like me who has a young family.
You see, with its seven-seater versatility, intelligent packaging and engaging style, the new Mazda5 compact multi-activity vehicle has obviously been engineered from the ground up to meet the demands of even the most active families.
Priced from £17,695 to £21,495 it is available in Mazda’s familiar TS, TS2 and Sport trim levels. Standard equipment levels are exceptionally generous and include six airbags, Dynamic Stability Control with Traction Control System, two ISOFIX child seat anchor points, air-conditioning, cruise control, a six-speaker CD audio unit and alloy wheels across the range.
Nagare Design Language
The Mazda5 also sees the debut of the Japanese motor manufacturer’s distinctive Nagare design language. Inspired by the flowing elements found in nature, the Mazda5 is instantly distinguished by its boldly sculpted flanks.
These distinctive contours are complemented by the company’s striking face, piercing headlamps, and a steeply raked windscreen angle resulting in a lithe silhouette that’s a world away from its more humdrum looking people-carrier rivals.
Access In & Out
Getting in and out of the Mazda5 is now even easier. Its large, twin sliding rear doors open to a wide 686mm, providing exceptional access in even the tightest spaces. For me, this is a great bonus. Until I had children I never realised how much hassle it can be to fit a baby seat into a car – and how easy it can be to hurt your back while twisting and leaning in to do so.
Access to the new Mazda is further enhanced by a broad 130mm foot step and low 439mm step-up into the cabin. Sport models also come with power sliding doors as standard, which is pretty useful if you have a child seat in one hand and a baby held to your chest with the other.
The Mazda5’s innovative seven-seat layout is another massive plus point. The three rows of seats create a wide range of passenger-luggage combinations – from seven seats for friends and family on shorter journeys, to four seats with a generous luggage compartment for longer journeys, to just two seats and a vast, flat-floored cargo area for hauling larger items. Its seven seats can be flipped and folded to create a variety of load-carrying configurations.
Mazda5 Range
The new Mazda5 range debuts with the choice of three engines. The two petrol-powered units – a 115ps 1.8-litre and a 150ps 2.0-litre DISI – are joined by a 115ps 1.6-litre MZ-CD turbo diesel lump. Combined economy climbs 14.2 percent to 40.9mpg and CO2 emissions drop a full 15 percent to 159g/km over the outgoing 2.0-litre petrol engine.
Performance is equally strong with a 0-62mph time of 11 seconds and a 120mph top speed. The 1.8-litre powertrain has a four percent economy boost to 39.2mpg and a six percent CO2 emissions drop to 168g/km over the outgoing 1.8-litre model.
The car touches 62mph in 12.8 seconds and posts a 113mph maximum speed. The diesel offering features common-rail fuel injection and a turbocharger.
The MZ-CD 1.6-litre certainly packs a technical punch too, accelerating to 62mph in 13.7 seconds and reaching a top speed of 111mph, while returning an excellent fuel economy figure of 54.3mpg and tax-friendly CO2 emissions of just 138g/km.
A Family Car
Certainly this new Mazda has everything that a family in need of a large car could possibly want. As well as being economical and versatile it is also engaging and lively to drive.
The only possible downside is that even with all the design tweaks in the world this sort of car is never going to look sexy.
But if you have a family large enough to need a people-carrier, are you ever going to get the time to care how good it looks on the drive? I suspect not.
PROS ‘N’ CONS
PROS
- Versatile
- Roomy
- Economical
- Lively
CONS
- Not the sexiest
FAST FACTS
- Variant tested: New Mazda5 2.0 TS2
- Engine: MZR 2.0-litre DISI i-stop
- Transmission: Six-speed manual
- Power: 150ps
- Torque: 191Nm at 4500rpm
- Max speed: 120 mph
- 0-62 mph: 11.0 seconds
- Combined mpg: 40.9mpg
- CO2: 159 g/km
- Price: £18,895 on the road
