Sporty mini-van

srobertson

Mazda MPV thinks it's a sports car

If BMW built a van, I think this would be it. It looks sporty, it drives sporty, and it has sporty features -- like a disappearing third-row seat that can be flipped over to create a tailgate seat. One BMW feature it doesn't have is a BMW price. The MPV is a Mazda, after all!

Mazda builds fun-to-drive cars. Whether I'm behind the wheel of a snazzy Miata roadster, a compact Mazda3, a mid-size Mazda6, a rotary engine RX-8, or a Tribute SUV, I've never had a dull moment. Sure, there are cars with more horsepower, more luxury or more features, but I think you can't find a higher fun-driving quotient for the money.

So how does Mazda, builder of the world's best-selling roadster, build a minivan? A bit smaller, a bit more maneuverable, and a bit more agile, that's how. Think of most minivans as people and cargo movers. Think of the MPV as an emotion mover. When a minivan has a sporty image, a tight turning circle, well-balanced handling and a nimble feeling, it's going to be more fun to drive. Those same attributes translate into confidence and pride when you pick up two other couples for a trip to the ball game, or a night in the city. In an MPV, everyone enjoys comfortable seating, easy entry and exit through the dual powered sliding doors, and second-row passengers have their own powered roll-down windows (an industry exclusive). The luxury ES model also has rear air conditioning to cool everyone down after an emotional soccer game.

You might say Mazda's original MPV was ahead of its time when it was introduced in 1989. The big rage back then was minivans -- not SUVs -- and Mazda needed to produce something unique, something the competition didn't offer. Its original MPV had a right-side swing-open rear door with a roll-down window and optional four-wheel drive. A few years later MPV had two hinged rear doors, each with a roll-down window, and optional body cladding, giving it the look of an SUV. The hinged doors were eventually replaced with sliding doors, but the roll-down windows remain.

The four-wheel-drive option is gone (if you need that, you should consider the Tribute) but the sporty personality remains. In fact, the Mazda brochure calls its MPV the "sports car of minivans," and says it's the only place you can get that "Zoom-Zoom" feeling. MPV's ride is achieved with independent strut-type front coil suspension and stabilizer bar, and a torsion-beam rear suspension, also with coil springs and stabilizer bar. Power rack-and-pinion, engine-speed-sensing steering gives the MPV a precise feeling on the road, while four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and electronic brakeforce distribution handle the stopping chores. In the propulsion department is an alloy three-liter, dual-overhead-cam, 24 valve, V-6 engine producing 200 horsepower and 200 pound-feet of torque on regular gasoline through multiport electronic fuel injection and distributorless ignition. An electronically controlled automatic overdrive transmission with five speeds is standard, as I suppose it would be just too weird to put a manual transmission in the "sports car of minivans."

You may choose between two MPV models: the LX or ES. I test-drove the higher-priced, snazzy ES, with optional power moon roof, sporty roof rack and rear spoiler. It also had the Four Seasons package, which ups the normal 2,000-pound towing capacity to 3,000 pounds through the use of a transmission cooler, heavy-duty battery and trailer wiring harness. An auto-dimming mirror with Homelink garage door opener brought the total MSRP to $31,170. The ES includes a raft of standard features, from an 8-way power driver's seat with adjustable lumbar support, to rear air conditioning, leather-trimmed seats and larger 17-inch wheels. Not to be overlooked is the great-sounding in-dash, six-disc CD changer sound system with nine speakers, including a sub woofer. This can be controlled with the steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, which share space with the standard cruise control. The ES also gives you power sliding rear doors, which are operated three ways -- from the key fob, switches on the door pillars, or the driver's control panel. Mazda even found a way to build some fun into the fob: Push a button on the side and the spring-loaded key pops out like a switchblade knife!

Whether you choose the LX or the ES, you'll be driving a vehicle with excellent safety ratings. Advanced two-stage front air bags with passenger-weight and driver's seat-position sensors provide five-star crash safety results in frontal and side impacts, and front and rear crumple zones and modern seat belt systems help protect all the occupants. The 2005 MPV is rated for 18-mpg city and 25-mpg highway. If I had one, I'd figure out how to wedge the Miata's excellent six-speed manual transmission under the hood and get another two or three miles per gallon!

Steve Robertson of Robertson's Creative Photography is a car enthusiast and former staff writer/photographer for the Southeast Missourian. Contact him at sjr1@robertsonsphotography.com.