Car: Mazda5 diesel range
Prices: £16,931 - £19,280 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 7E-8E
Emissions: 162g/km
Performance: [2.0 D 141bhp] 0-60mph 10.1s/ Max Speed 122mph
Fuel Consumption: [2.0 D 141bhp] (Combined) 46.3mpg
Safety: Twin front & side airbags / ABS/ EBD/ EBA/ DCS
Dimensions: length/width/heightmm 4505/1755/1615
SLIDE RULES
Our Rating: 7.4 / 10
The Mazda5’s Start In Life Wasn’t Helped By A Lack Of A Diesel Variant. That’s All Changed Now. Andy Enright Reports…
Certain things are a given. Mini-MPV drivers tend to be a practical bunch and, as such, often look to a version powered with a diesel engine. Launching a mini-MPV with no diesel variant in the showrooms is akin to fighting with one arm tied behind your back, whilst wearing a carrier bag over your head and an iPod playing Vivaldi. In other words, you’re not exactly bringing you’re A-game. Such a fate befell the Mazda5 when it was originally launched. It was genuinely hard to fault anything outside the engine bay but the 1.8 and 2.0-litre petrol units were never going to punt this car far up the sales charts. A pair of diesels gave the Mazda the capacity to realise its potential and the latest facelift has enhanced its chances further.
Manufacturers like to think in terms of ‘publicity schedules’. They worry endlessly about how much press coverage their cars are getting and how to maximise editorial exposure. The biggest bang for the buck comes when the car is brand new, as the Mazda5 was back in May 2005. From then on, attention tends to wane as the car becomes more and more familiar until it’s eventually replaced. That’s why I was a little worried that Mazda missed the boat with the diesel Mazda5. In trying to launch this car when latter arrivals like the Vauxhall Zafira are still hogging the press limelight, the Japanese company gave itself an uphill task. In the event, the diesels fared well and now the latest facelifted car is well-equipped to grow its market share.
Let’s take a look at this pair of oil-squishing powerplants. Both are sourced from the same 2.0-litre block and customers get a choice of Standard or High Power versions, in a move reminiscent of Mazda’s flagship sportster, the RX-8. Standard yields up 108bhp and 228lb/ft of torque whereas the High Power variant accesses the full 141bhp and 265lb/ft monty. The more powerful engine doesn’t suffer in terms of fuel economy or emissions either, Mazda quoting identical figures for both powerplants. To whit, that’s a combined economy figure of 46.3mpg and carbon dioxide emissions of 162g/km.
Of course, a cynic may well wonder whether the sizable price difference between these two cars is an entirely artificial construct helped by some software tweaks on the electronic brain of the more powerful car but there are other differences. Trim levels for a start. Whereas the Standard model can be bought in TS and TS2 trim levels, the High Power model is only offered in the not directly comparable Sport version. Clever stuff by Mazda but you do get saddled with an 8E rather than a 6E insurance rating for your trouble.
When asked to sum up the philosophy behind the Mazda5, the best the company could come up with was the bafflingly obtuse "insightful new dimension of zoom-zoom pleasure". Rather than dip into a random marketing catchphrase generator, perhaps we can put a little flesh onto the rather good-looking bones of the Mazda5.
The origins of the Mazda5 can be traced through the Premacy via the MX-Flexa design study, shown at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show. Originally built to demonstrate one possible direction for future Mazda MPV vehicles, the MX-Flexa received such a warm reception that many of its design principles have been incorporated virtually unchanged into the Mazda5 production car. Kenichi Fukunaga, Mazda5’s Program Manager explains further, "We conceptualised the Mazda5 as a communicative and dynamic activity vehicle".
The latest Mazda5 can be identified by its revised bumpers and light clusters fore and aft along with a v-shaped grille bringing a racier feel to the front end. The interior has been designed according to Mazda’s "6 + One" concept which aims to deliver comfortable seating for six occupants, plus an additional element of utility that stresses plenty of room for luggage, walk through convenience and ample stowage space. The key theme is the open area created in the centre of the cabin that allows every occupant ample shoulder space and assists interaction between the passengers by ensuring there are always sightlines between one row of
Mazda aftercare service boosts sales and profits
A year after the British division of Mazda introduced Call Mazda First - the carmaker's free-of-charge accident repair service - several dealers have reported an increase in spin-off benefits and bodyshop work in new car sales. Work generated by Mazda's repair service has increased more than twice since its launch, to almost 150 jobs per month, with each job worth £540 in labour revenue alone.
Mazda 2 Sport is sporty and cheap to run
Young motorists looking for a vehicle that is sporty, while still proving to be relatively cheap to run, may wish to consider the Mazda 2 Sport, according to a reviewer.Writing for the Thurrock Gazette, Stephen Lang explains that the Mazda is a good all-round vehicle, which could appeal to both new and used car drivers and those at all ages of the spect...