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Diesel flavoured Zoom Zoom choice of the Mazda5 range. Image by Mazda.

Diesel flavoured Zoom Zoom choice of the Mazda5 range
All of a sudden everyone seems to think we need a performance people carrier.

   



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All of a sudden everyone seems to think we need a performance people carrier. Mazda's offering, the Mazda5 "C-MAV" (C-segment Multi-Activity Vehicle), is better than most. We tested the Mazda5 in petrol form last year and surmised that the diesel engined version might be the one to go for. Here we review the Mazda5 diesel in Sport trim.

Diesel and Sport? Don't forget Mazda's "Zoom Zoom" tagline as well. There are two versions of the 2-litre diesel engine available in the Mazda5; the lesser produces 108bhp, the other 141bhp (at just 3500rpm), which is pretty well on a par with the petrol version, but the payoff is torque: 229lb.ft for the cheaper engine, 266lb.ft for the other. The more powerful engine is the standard fitment in the Sport model we tested.

Much of what we wrote about the petrol Mazda5 still applies. The Mazda5 doesn't look like a frumpy people carrier; conversely it's very stylish. It looks long and low and you wonder how seven people can possibly fit inside. Open the rear sliding doors (that ensure access to the second and third row seats is so easy) and it looks like something from Captain Scarlet. Maybe Spectrum could have used a Mazda5 to transport the Angels?

Sit inside and the Mazda5 is Tardis-like; surely it can't be this big? It's an illusion; it really is a big car. The nose swoops out of sight and needs to be remembered when parking. Turn around and the tailgate appears to be in the next county. Yet once moving above parking speed, the Mazda5 shrinks around the driver and seems small again.

The seats are arranged "theatre" fashion in three rows, each row being mounted a little higher than the row in front. The middle row contains two seats set to the outside of the car, but a central seat folds down between the two for when you really need the seventh seat. The outer seats slide and fold forwards to provide access to the rear. The rearmost seats seemed a little hard but still provide ample legroom, and of course both the centre and rear seats can be folded flat in a myriad of combinations to provide flexible seating/luggage compromise and a completely flat luggage area. The only downside is that if all seats are in use, the remaining luggage area probably isn't big enough for the family holiday; maybe not even for the weekly shop. I thought the Mazda5 worked best for families of four or five with a need to transport a couple of extra school friends now and then.

Elsewhere storage simply abounds in a way only people carrier manufacturers can imagine - where did we put everything in the old days? In total there are 10 cupholders (for seven passengers...) and thirty other storage compartments dotted everywhere. It could take a lifetime of use to find them all, let alone use them all.

But this is a performance multi-activity vehicle, so enough about space and storage and things practical. What's it like to drive? That's what matters here. And the answer is very good. Just as we found with the petrol version, the Mazda5 doesn't handle like you'd expect a people carrier to. It can be hustled at a fair lick surprising onlookers completely, whilst hiding the fact from the passengers who get a pretty smooth ride. Performance is deceptive; the huge diesel shove makes the Mazda5 belie acceleration figures of 0-62mph in 10.4 seconds. It feels a lot quicker than that, and is more than capable of some very safe overtaking speeds. On the motorway, it settles into a natural gait in the outside lane, mixing it with the rep-mobiles and not being found wanting. The only downer is that wind noise increases at these higher speeds to the point of being irritating.

The driving position is amongst the best I've encountered recently, the gearchange probably the very best, with rifle-bolt precision as you slot from cog to cog. Sixth gear is fairly overdriven and as is common these days, really for out-of-town use, but the payback in economy is massive. I looked at the official figures (the combined figure for the Mazda5 diesel is 44.9mpg) and I laughed: no way, not going to happen, I thought. But the Mazda5 had the last laugh on me: a spot check over a couple of hundred miles of brisk motorway running certainly showed that economy in the forties was a reality. Couple this with a 60 litre tank and a 500 mile range should be on without cutting the fuel stop too fine; drive a little slower and even 600 miles doesn't seem so unreasonable.

Current prices show the Mazda5 Sport diesel to be £17,900, some £1,600 dearer than its petrol counterpart. But we only got 26mpg from the petrol car, bringing the breakeven point south of 25,000 miles and in the real world the diesel version is quicker and more relaxing. For most people I think the diesel is the better buy unless you have an aversion to the diesel pumps on garage forecourts.

In common with the petrol car, the Mazda5 diesel comes very well specified. Sport trim brings with it stylish 17-inch alloy wheels, privacy glass on the rear windows (contrasts well with silver paintwork), climate control, a six speaker audio system that was up there with the best for sound, and a trip computer. From a safety point of view, ABS, EBD, EBA (Emergency Brake Assist), front, side and front/rear curtain airbags all provide confidence that the family will be safe.
Mazda5 UK range overview

Petrol models:
- Mazda5 1.8 TS: £14,350
- Mazda5 1.8 TS2: £15,150
- Mazda5 2.0 Sport: £16,350
- Mazda5 2.0 Sport Nav: £18,000
Diesel models:
- Mazda5 2.0D TS: £15,950
- Mazda5 2.0D TS2: £16,750
- Mazda5 2.0D Sport: £17,950
- Mazda5 2.0D Sport Nav: £19,600

Trevor Nicosia - 18 Apr 2006



  www.mazda.co.uk    - Mazda road tests
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2006 Mazda 5 specifications: (2.0D Sport)
Price: £17,900 on-the-road.
0-62mph: 10.4 seconds
Top speed: 122mph
Combined economy: 44.9mpg
Emissions: 173g/km
Kerb weight: 1535kg

2005 Mazda5. Image by Mazda.2005 Mazda5. Image by Mazda.2005 Mazda5. Image by Mazda.2005 Mazda5. Image by Mazda.2005 Mazda5. Image by Mazda.

2005 Mazda5. Image by Mazda.2005 Mazda5. Image by Mazda.2005 Mazda5. Image by Mazda.2005 Mazda5. Image by Mazda.2005 Mazda5. Image by Mazda.



2005 Mazda5. Image by Mazda.
 

2005 Mazda5. Image by Mazda.
 

2005 Mazda5. Image by Mazda.
 

2005 Mazda5. Image by Mazda.
 

2005 Mazda5. Image by Mazda.
 

2005 Mazda5. Image by Mazda.
 

2005 Mazda5. Image by Mazda.
 

2005 Mazda5. Image by Mazda.
 






 

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