First glance: The long and short of it
Daimler-Chrysler, undisputed champion of the minivan market, builds the Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country in both long- and short-wheelbase versions. Over the years, competitors have learned a painful lesson: A van sized somewhere between the two will not sell well. You must go long or go short. Most have gone long, since that's where most of the sales are.Not Mazda. When the MPV was redesigned for 2004, they went short.
One could argue that if anyone can get away with building a short minivan, it's Mazda. "Zoom Zoom" is more than just an ad slogan; Mazda builds cars that are involving to drive, and you can't get much less involved than a minivan. (People say minivans drive like buses. They don't. I've driven both, and buses are more fun.)
The MPV is smaller and more car-like than any other van on the market. And its styling is clearly more aggressive; Mazda revamped the MPV in 2004 to look more like their sporty cars, and they did a convincing job. Hip? Nope. It's still a minivan, but it's marginally more interesting than most minivans.
The problem: Minivan buyers don't seem to care. For every MPV sold in the US in 2005, Honda sold nearly 10 and Daimler-Chrysler sold more than 23.
Continued below...
In the driver's seat: Why is it so hot in here?
The MPV comes with separate "captain's chairs" in the second row that can slide together to form a two-place bench and a side aisle. Great feature. They fold down and can be removed, but do not flip forward. Not such a great feature. The sliding side doors (power operated in the ES) have windows that roll down about 2/3rds of the way, a nice touch for kids and dogs.
The MPV's three-place rear bench is comfortable for small kids but too close to the floor for adults. Outer seating positions get three-point belts and headrests but the center seat only gets a lap belt. The seat folds down and disappears into a well in the cargo floor, but it is not split; it's all or nothing. Rear A/C vents are in a single cluster for 2nd and 3rd row seats, so those in the second row have to settle for cold air blowing on their heads.
On the Road: Smaller is better
Here's where the MPV's small size (and Mazda's engineering) really pays off. At 3,772 lbs, the MPV is 400 lbs. lighter than a Toyota Sienna and nearly 900 lbs lighter than a top-of-the-line Honda Odyssey. We put the MPV though its paces on a 1,500-or-so mile trip from Los Angeles to Phoenix and back, which included some pretty steep grades. With the van loaded to the gills, the 200 horsepower and 200 lb-ft of torque from its 3-liter V6 was enough to keep up the pace. It took quite a bit of downshifting from the 5-speed automatic -- often as low as 3rd gear -- but it kept up the pace. (Lucky for us the engine is quiet, even at high revs.)The MPV is about 10" shorter and 5" narrower than its long-wheelbase competitors. That may not sound like much, but it made all the difference when threading through urban traffic and squeezing into on-street parking spaces.
The MPV leans more than a car would in the turns, but the steering is impressively sharp and responsive. Most minivans respond well to sudden emergency maneuvers, but they don't always seem to like it much. Not so the MPV: It takes well to being hustled through the curves. Overall, the experience is like driving a tall car rather than a van.
Journey's End: Now for the bad news
First: Lack of flexibility. We traveled with two kids and our dog, who is big enough to need her own seat. That meant one kid had to go in back. But since we couldn't fold down just half of the rear seat, we had to squeeze stuff in wherever we found space.
Second: Pricing. The MPV's range is a bit below other vans, but it lacks many features they offer such as a GPS navigation system.
Third: Safety. I'm a firm believer in active safety; the MPV's nimble handling and antilock brakes will help drivers avoid accidents. But not all accidents are avoidable. In the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's crash tests, the MPV scored "acceptable" (second best out of four ratings) for frontal impact and "poor" (the lowest rating) for side impact. They crashed an MPV without side airbags; they are optional on LX and standard on ES, but only for the front seats. Side curtain airbags for other rows are not available.
If the thought of giving up your car for a minivan makes you shudder, then the MPV is a good choice. But if you've accepted parenthood and are ready to embrace the minivan lifestyle, you should probably look elsewhere.
