2006-2008 Mazda 5: Overview

Vehicle Highlights

Mazda's first crossover wagon bowed for 2006 as a longer, taller spinoff of the front-wheel-drive Mazda 3 compact car. Competitors to the compact wagon included the Chrysler PT Cruiser, Pontiac Vibe, and Toyota Matrix, but the Mazda 5 essentially stood in a class of its own. Though it offered many of the benefits of a minivan, including sliding doors, the Mazda 5 was smaller in size than the crop of competitive family vans, promising more adept maneuverability. Mazda called it a "multi-activity sports vehicle." Vehicles of this size are popular in Europe and Japan, but the Mazda 5 was virtually unique in the U.S. market. Mazda 5 wagons came in Sport and uplevel Touring trim. Shared with the Mazda 3 were a 157-horsepower 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine, standard five-speed manual transmission, and an optional four-speed automatic with a manual shift gate for driver-selected gear changes when desired. Sliding rear side doors were standard, as was six-passenger seating, in a 2-2-2 format. "Theater-style" elevated second-row seats and a split third-row bench folded in any combination for extra cargo space, but were not removable. Second-row seats also reclined and slid fore/aft for apportioning space between the second and third rows, and included under-seat storage. Standard equipment included antilock brakes, 17-inch alloy wheels, front side airbags, and three-row head-protecting curtain side air bags. A sunroof, CD changer, rear liftgate spoiler and side sill extensions were standard on the Touring model, and available for the Sport. An optional navigation system was exclusive to the Touring edition.