2009 Mazda 5 - Zoom Zoom!

7th April 2009

We’ve all heard the commercial, but what does Zoom Zoom mean? If you believe the hype, it means small, energetic, crisp handling, peppy accelerating vehicles that are fun to drive.

Having driven one for a few days now (through some twisty roads, and lots of highway), I just have to say: ZOOM ZOOM!

This week I was lucky enough to get a dark blue 2009 Mazda 5. I can’t say that I was all that excited about it when I got to the Hertz counter, but I had my choice between a Fusion or a Mazda 5. I told the fine gentleman that I didn’t care about vehicle size so long as I got something that wasn’t stripped - I prefer a loaded Focus to a stripped Crown Vic. Call me crazy, but 10 hours of butt-time over 3 days calls for some comfort!

Based on my typical criteria (good acceleration, crisp turn-in, stable ride, and decent amenities), I’m declaring the 5 a winner right up front. Believe it or not, I’d actually buy one. Well, if it were American I would. As it is, I’ll stick with mentioning to my Ford friends that they might want to take some cues from the 5 for upcoming vehicles. For the record, styling is not one of them. Frankly, I find the 5 to be about as bland as can be, but then again, if you are looking for a compact package that can hold 6 people comfortably (4-5 if you have luggage), then you can only ask just so much.

Where the vehicle really delivers is on the road. The acceleration provided by the 2.3L, 153hp engine feels like considerably more. I actually had guessed it made closer to 230-240hp before looking up the stats on the website. And while the pedal is clearly front-loaded (as they all are these days), there is still some extra oomph available when the transmission provides a needed downshift and the engine spools up to higher rev’s (and hp) during high demand situations.

Interior fit and finish is as expected - the parts fit nicely, and the materials are high quality.

And in case anyone is curious, they have padded inserts where your arm rests on the door. Apparently someone reads these posts - thanks Mazda guys!

All the little things are right as well: the shifter is right where your hand falls when you take it off the steering wheel (you know, in case you are the type to engage the manual shift feature in your mom-mobile), the aux input and powerpoint are well located and covered with nice little flaps to conceal then when not in use, and the front center console is open topped for easy access and storage.

Cruise control and stereo controls? Right where they should be: stereo on the left and cruise on the right.

Center stack? Well laid out, with fairly intuitive controls for everything.

Turn signal? Exactly where is should be - extend your left pinky and flip it up or down. If your hands aren’t at 10 and 2, then it is your fault, not Mazda’s, cause the lever is right there if you hold the wheel correctly. As a side benefit, the distance is just right to allow you to pull the lever without taking your wheels (or eyes) off the road if you want to “flash to pass”.

The only thing that is missing ergonomically are thumb rests on the wheel. I know, this is a small gripe, but if you are going to get everything else correct, the thumb rests seem like a glaring oversight. OK, and the wheel spokes are poorly positioned as well (given the lack of thumb-rests).

Overall, this is a solid entry in a competitive marketplace - if you are in the market for a small people-mover, you would be remiss if you did not drive this vehicle.