Short Take Road Test
We liked this latest-generation MPV as soon as we saw it. It is, after all, arguably the nicest-looking minivan out there. Being smaller than most of its rivals helps, too, because that provides a more wieldy driving experience. However, the vehicle was short on power, using a modest 2.5-liter V-6 engine to haul itself around.
Now, for 2002, Mazda has dropped a new 3.0-liter V-6 into the engine bay, one that churns out 200 horsepower at 6200 rpm and--more important--offers 90 percent of its 200 pound-feet peak torque output between 1800 and 5500 rpm. Hook all this tractive effort to a new five-speed Jatco automatic transmission, and suddenly Mazda's MPV has a little more of the "zoom-zoom" the company's popular ad campaign has been trumpeting.
Enough to improve the 0-to-60-mph sprint from 11.3 seconds to 9.4, the quarter-mile time from 18.5 seconds to 17.2, and top speed from 106 mph to 118. More noticeable to everyday users, however, is the muscular midrange response available any time the driver needs it.
Extra zoom has also come the MPV's way in the form of revised front struts with a three-degree offset axis to reduce friction, larger rear anti-roll bars, revised rear shocks, and more rigid body-and-suspension bushings.
In addition, 17-inch wheels are standard on ES models, shod with P215/60HR-17 all-season radials. (Base LX models get 15-inch wheels and cloth upholstery but retain a high level of standard equipment, including air conditioning and ABS.)
It all adds up to a remarkably nimble minivan--one that boasts a 0.80-g skidpad performance on M+S tires--and lends some credibility to the company's ad blurb about its MPV having the body of a minivan and the soul of a sports car. To back up its claims, Mazda introduced the 2002 MPV at the Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca, where an autocross event amply showcased the vehicle's adroit handling.
All of which is excellent justification for a couple about to part company with their Miata or VW GTI in the name of reproduction, but a van's accommodations remain the most important part of the equation. And here the MPV offers good versatility, if slightly less space than some of the other mommy vans. It boasts power sliding side doors, both of which can be operated remotely. It has two so-called Side-by-Slide center-row seats, either of which can moved inward from a position close by the door to form a bench or to provide access to third-row seating. They can also be removed altogether. The third-row seat folds and tumbles into its own little recess to provide a clear cargo space that is big enough, Mazda says, to accommodate a 64-inch big-screen TV.
Other nanny vans offer the same tricks, but Mazda's MPV has one big treat in store for center-row passengers: power windows. Anyone who has spent time in the center row will testify to its claustrophobic nature, and even though the MPV's windows don't open fully, they will provide considerable relief.
Safety is always a consideration when transporting little consumers-in-waiting, so Mazda has a broad array of gadgets, including ABS, electronic brake force distribution, three-point belts on all outboard seats, pretensioners on front seatbelts, ISOFIX child-seat tethers, impact-absorbing interior trim in various strategic locations, and on ES models, optional traction control and side airbags.
Naturally, the MPV's structure was designed to absorb and redistribute impacts in an appropriate manner, and the power sliding doors sense obstructions. For another kind of security, both models have alarm/immobilizer anti-theft systems, and for the protection of the ecology, Mazda's MPV burns its fuel ULEV clean.
There's not much to complain about here. The steering column has three stalks sprouting from it, and we grabbed the wiper controls in search of a gear once or twice. Perhaps the transmission is more easily confused than those found in rival kiddy vans, and so far, Mazda does not offer a factory-fitted DVD-based center-row entertainment system. Other than that, the MPV seems a great combination of balance, proportion, and utility. At $27,712, you could do worse.
