Well, my third child is about to turn two and still no three-row vehicle in the garage. The reason is simple: none of them are nearly as fun to drive as my Protege5 compact wagon. But sooner or later I’m probably going to have to bite the bullet. I’ve driven and reviewed the Mazda MPV twice before, in 2002 and 2003. But after driving the latest from Honda, Toyota, and Dodge I wanted to see if the more compact MPV was, if hardly a sports car, at least a sports car relative to them. Also, I had my car at the dealer for an oil change, and no five-speed Mazda3 was handy. So here you have a third review. It’s more concise than the earlier reviews, so feel free to check those out for more detail.

Styling

About a month ago I noticed an unfamiliar front end on an MPV in the supermarket parking lot. It turned out this more aggressive, Mazda3-like front end was actually new for 2004. I usually notice such things promptly, but this one managed to sneak under my radar. It works, at least with the larger, more aggressive wheels on the MPV ES. On the LS the more aggressive nose looks more than a tad ridiculous, though.

The rest of the van remains the same bland box it has been. Nothing much to say about it.

Inside the MPV continues to grow more tasteful. Unlike most vehicles, there’s considerably more style to be found inside this one. The seats are very similar to the Lexus knock-offs in my P5. So they’re comfortable and in dark leather they lend an refined upscale ambiance to the interior.

Accommodations

As in most minivans, in the MPV you sit well above the top of the instrument panel. That said, I found the driving position a bit odd this time around. The MPV is much narrower than the Odyssey and Sienna, so its raked A-pillars are much closer to the driver’s line of sight. As a result, from the driver’s seat the MPV feels like a tall, narrow vehicle. Which I suppose it is. But the way the A-pillars have been positioned accentuates the fact.

As I said, the driver’s seat is comfortable, with a moderately firm well-shaped seatback and cushion. One advantage over the similar seat in my wagon: the MPV ES’s seat has an 8-way power adjustment. The chief benefit is that recline is infinitely adjustable. In my car I too often want a setting between those provided.

In the second and third row there’s no mistaking the MPV for a compact minivan. It’s considerably tighter back there than in an Odyssey or Sienna, and the seats themselves are smaller and less plush, especially the stowable third-row bench. These seats are serviceable for adults, but for any real travelling are much more suitable for kids. Which is just find given how many minivans are used. If you only need to put kids back there, why tote around a lot of extra vehicle?

Getting into the third row is enabled by a right-side second-row captain’s chair that slides inward. This also enables the second row buckets to form a bench, but I suspect the major motivation for this feature was third row access.

As you might expect, cargo volume doesn’t not rank up with conventional minivans, especially not with the third-row bench out of its well, but compares well to most anything else.

On the Road

A few years back Mazda cured the MPV’s initial power deficiency by boosting displacement form 2.5 to 3.0 liters and giving the automatic transmission a fifth ratio. Even with these changes the MPV is hardly at the head of the class in powertrain performance. Its powertrain lacks the refinement and effortless thrust of the Honda and Toyota units. But it’ll do. How quick does a minivan really need to be, anyway?

After driving the Honda and Toyota, it was clearer to me that among minivans the MPV is a sporty handler. It feels more compact, lighter, more nimble than the Honda, much less the overly soft Toyota. But that’s kind of like saying I’m thin in the context of one of those all-you-can-eat buffet restaurants. (What’s fifteen extra pounds when the guy next to you is packing an extra hundred?) Compared to a good midsize wagon the MPV continues to come up short. Simply put, it’s not fun to drive. I continue to wish for less steering assist. But the major issue is that even shod with low-profile performance tires the chassis just doesn’t ask to dance.

Shock and spring stiffness isn’t the issue. For a minivan, the MPV is stiffly suspended. You hear and feel road imperfections more than in an Odyssey, and much more than in the squishy Toyota. But the ride is still far from uncomfortable. Noise levels are similarly higher than in those vans but still low enough for long distance comfort.

Mazda MPV Price Comparisons and Pricing

For quick, up-to-date pricing, and especially user-specified price comparisons, check out the website I created: www.truedelta.com. Why yet another vehicle pricing website? Well, I personally lacked the patience to keep using the others. They were too slow and required too much effort, especially when trying to compare prices. So I taught myself some programming and created a site where there is no need to dig through option packages, prerequisites, and the like one by one -- the TrueDelta algorithm figures these out for you in one swift pass.

As in previous years, the Mazda MPV is virtually identical to the much larger Odyssey in price. So you're not going to buy it just to save money. You've got to want a more compact van.

Last Words

Another MPV test drive, another conclusion that the MPV is not the fun-to-drive seven-passenger vehicle I’ve been seeking. For me the best hope is that Mazda might see the MPV as a placeholder for a seven-seat vehicle that handles as adroitly as the MPV’s wheels and new front fascia suggest it does. That said, I did leave this test drive feeling that someone who just wants to be able to haul a bunch of kids around in a reasonably compact vehicle could be very happy with this one.

A Note on Mazda MPV Reliability

I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I've started collecting my own data. Results, once they are available, will be posted to my site, www.truedelta.com, with updates every three months.

Unlike other sources, TrueDelta will clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy an MPV rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). You will be able to specify the number of years, annual miles, and types of repairs to include in Mazda MPV reliability comparisons.

Before I can report results, I need data on all cars--not just the MPV--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive free access to the site's reliability information. Non-participants will have to pay an access fee.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.

A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.

Some of my reviews of related vehicles:
Mazda MPV (my more comprehensive review of the 2003)
Honda Odyssey
Nissan Quest
Toyota Sienna


Amount Paid (US$): 28000
Model and Options: ES with entertainment system, a few minor options