Mazda5 1.8TS26 | 10 | 2010Scotcars rating

    What to drive when you need to transport the family, and have fun? Mazda has the answer

    SO HERE'S THE dilemma. You've had to react to Chancellor George Osborne's financial cutbacks, and that means selling the sporty little number you enjoy driving when you don't need to drive the family mid-size MPV. So what do you do?The answer is sell your current family runabout and buy the latest version of the Mazda5.

    No, don't laugh. When Mazda launched the previous model, coincidentally five years ago, the launch was held in the far north of Scotland and we were let loose with the car on near empty roads, many of them tight, twisty single-tracks routes.

    On paper it was a brave move by Mazda to expose what is, in reality, a six-seater to the potential fun to be had on some of Scotland's fastest, yet interestingly undulating and uneven roads.

    The car was a revelation. With its very clever chassis architecture, the Mazda5 drove like a sportscar, instantly allowing you to forget it was a mid-size MPV ideal for the daily school run, and constant taxi-ing of children to football and dance classes.

    In conjunction with its mix of engines, it almost over-delivered when it came to performance. Docile and nimble around town, it could be a spirited cross-country hustler in the right hands, and in the right conditions. It was a blast.

    Fast-forward to today. The country might still be reeling from Osborne's financial savagery, but Mazda has once again delivered a product which allows the family to be transported, the principal driver to have fun whenever he or she wants to, and is attractive when it comes to doing the family budget.

    Not only is it attractively priced — the range starts at £17,696 for the 1.8TS tested here, and rises to £21,495 for the 1.6D 115PS Sport — but the new Mazda5 boasts a 17.3% improvement in fuel economy, and has 13.2% lower CO2 emissions, making it cheaper to tax.

    There's a choice of two petrols — the all singing and dancing 2.0 DISI i-stop, and the 113bhp, 122lb ft 1.8-litre — and a new 1.6-litre, 115PS diesel which will enter Mazda's Scottish showrooms in January 2011. All models use a slick six-speed manual gearshift.

    This time Mazda used the narrow Cornish roads near Padstow, home of all things Rick Stein, for the launch and while the route failed to deliver the excitement and opportunity of the initial drive in 2005, it still highlighted the fact the latest Mazda5 has improved on even its own high standards.

    Mazda designers have utilised its ‘wind on water’ Nagare design language; the result is an atttractive incorporation of swoopy curves and swathes along the flanks. Mated to Mazda's new family face, it guarantees the newcomer is one of the most stylish cars of its sector on the road.

    Mazda was keen to highlight that a driver-friendly ‘unified linear feel’ has been engineered into the new 5; the intended result is to refine the transition from braking, through turn-in to corner exit into one seamless process. And you know what? It's worked.

    Steering is remarkably smooth and it will again reward the eager driver. Remember, this is an MPV; yet it turns in and grips impressively well. Apply the throttle on the exit from corner and you'll find yourself smirking with pleasure. Driving an MPV was never meant to be this much fun.

    Inside the cabin, the driver sits up high allowing excellent all-round visibility. The fascia and centre console have been updated, and the improvement is both immediately noticeable and attractive. Gone is the silver-grey finish, to be replaced by good quality, soft-touch textures in black. Far classier.

    Some people eye the Mazda5 as a seven-seater; the reality — according to Mazda — is more of a 6+1. There is space in the middle of the centre row of seats for someone to sit, but really it would need to be a small child. There's ample storage in the cabin and access is aided by manually-operated dual sliding doors.

    Mazda's new 5 is a class act. If you're after a practical, flexible and compact small-to-medium sized MPV — and also fancy something to put a smile on your face when you're driving the car on your own — the new Mazda5 is certainly worth closer inspection.

    Keep up-to-date with all the latest news by following us on twitter.com/scotcars

    Jim McGill

    Quick Stats
    Price OTR/As Tested £17,695 / £17,695
    Engine / Power: 1798cc / 113bhp
    How fast?: 0-62mph 12.8secs / Max 113mph
    How big/heavy?: H16150mm W1750mm L4585mm / 1395kg
    How thirsty/CO2?: Combined 39mpg / CO2 168g/km
    InsGP/Road tax: tba / H
    Alternatives: Ford C-Max, Ford C-Max Grand, Vauxhall Zafira

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