2000 Mazda MPV LX

2000 Mazda MPV LX 2000 Mazda MPV LX
Long-Term Road Test

Yet another mommy car. As usual, the guys steered clear of it unless they were hauling or vacationing. Still, Mazda's compact, short-wheelbase MPV (for "multipurpose vehicle") was continually in demand, as are most of the sport-utes and vans we have in our long-term fleet.

Not the most popular minivan on the planet, Mazda sold a mere 16,938 MPVs in the U.S. in the first six months of 2001. By comparison, Dodge sold 137,561 of its popular Caravan, and Honda sold 64,816 Odysseys. Of course, Dodge sells its minis in L and XL sizes, whereas Honda and Mazda sell only one size each. In fact, the uninformed might guess the MPV is a smaller version of the Odyssey, given its similarly angular styling and the fact that its middle row of seating can go from bench to captain's chairs and the third-row accommodations disappear into the floor.

This hauler does have most of the bells and whistles one could want, including, in our case, the $1595 rear-seat entertainment system that consists of a TV monitor that swings down from the ceiling and a video cassette player, rear A/C with dual controls ($595), and sliding side doors with-and here's the MPV's strong suit-power roll-down windows, just like station wagons used to have. Mazda claims its side doors can be opened and closed "even by small children," a feat my athletic nine-year-old nephew could not perform without extreme effort and coaching.

Complaints clogged the MPV's logbook. Most cited a lack of acceptable power from the 170-hp, 2.5-liter V-6, lifted and insufficiently modified from the late Ford Contour. It was simply not enough engine for the 3818-pound MPV. Interestingly, the Chrysler V-6 in our long-term 1996 Town & Country LXi, with four fewer horses than the MPV but bearing 352 more pounds, was absolutely spunky. The Mazda's 165 pound-feet of torque was likely the culprit; the Chrysler had 227. At any rate, "fun to drive" was not part of the equation here. It's one thing to endure a mommy car if you're a mommy, or if your in-laws descend on you for a weekend of roller coastering at Ohio's Cedar Point. But no self-respecting enthusiast of any gender would choose this van for a road trip with anyone else aboard.

The MPV received criticism for the column shifter's placement, which obscured the first three radio-preset buttons when in drive. And that kid-friendly video player resided on the floor under the third-row bench. But when the third row was conveniently stowed in its floor cubby, the player was inconveniently still in the center of the cargo area, a nice hard metal box on which to bonk cargo and companion animals. Yes, it could be removed, but not seamlessly; it wasn't designed to be put in and taken out on an ad hoc basis. Its cables and cords endured hardship with multiple attempts to remove and reinstall the unit. Eventually, the mounting bolt was lost, and that part could not be replaced without also replacing the bracket and the frame-all for $65. Silly, silly. The video player, or perhaps a compact DVD player that's better suited to the thermal ups and downs of a vehicle interior, needs a permanent home under a front seat or within a side panel-somewhere out of the way.