Was out car shopping with a friend today, stopped and looked at the G35C at the infiniti near the Mazda dealer, and thought I'd stop in at Mazda and say hi to a couple of friends, and low and behold....the Mazda 5 is on the showroom floor. Think Scion XB competition. It's a car-van-thing. Back doors on both sides slide in and out like on a van and lock in place. Interior is remniscent of the latest Nissan Quest van crossed with a Mazda 3. Headlights are kinda cool, tail lights are funky. I suppose it's a good alternative for the Scion crowd, but not my cup of tea. The showroom floor car was going for 22,000 MSRP.

 

Mazda 5

 

Yeah,
I saw one at my local dealer on Wednesday. At that price it is fully loaded and includes Nav. I sat in it and was impressed even though it's not on my list of must have vehicles. Lots of head room and general space. Should drive like a tight car to some extent also (Zoom, zoom) being built on the Mazda 3 platform. They may have another winner on their hands. I believe it comes strictly with the Mazda L3 2.3 all aluminum motor found in the Mazda 6 and 3, big brother to what's coming in the new MX5. I tend to get excited when they release new product since it affects my livelihood. I give my stamp of approval to this one.
Paul.

 

i want to check this bad boy out

 

One of it's big selling points is that it seats 6 people, although the last 2 had better be small folks or kids. So you have some mini-van versatility in a small car-like package.
Paul.