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| Shoulder space seemed adequate for larger folks despite the 5's compact width. (Photo: Mazda Canada) |
It is compact, the same width as the
Mazda3 that it's based on and built beside in Mazda's Hiroshima, Japan facility, only 15 cm (5.9 inches) longer, albeit noticeably taller. The added length and height allows for a third row of seats, resulting in the ability to accept six adults comfortably seated and a modicum of luggage behind. I would have been remiss not to have sat in back myself, and upon climbing behind the second row seat, which popped up, forward and out of the way easily, giving enough room so that no contortionist antics were needed, I slipped into the third row seat and pulled the seatback in front of me rearward to check legroom. While not equivalent to a first class seat on a JAL flight to Tokyo, the little Japanese micro-van offered ample room for my knees, the ability to tuck my shoes between the floor and second row seat cushion, and more than enough headroom. Granted, I'm only five-foot-eight, but some taller colleagues of mine were impressed at its "bearable" capabilities.
Even with passengers in back those in the second row won't lose any legroom, and this would be my choice of the two. The front seatbacks are carved out to allow especially tall occupants an inch or two additional
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| The third row seatbacks fold forward and lay completely flat, ideal for loading cargo. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
knee room, and shoulder space seemed adequate for larger folks despite the 5's compact width.
Oddly, the front passenger seat isn't as affable for those hampered with excessive height. My driving partner, all six-foot-two of him, couldn't push the seat far enough rearward to allow him room for his legs. They were crushed up against the dash, causing noticeable discomfort. When he was in the driver's seat, the lever that raises the cushion high enough to allow shorter people to see over the dash doesn't lower enough to allow adequate headroom. Too bad, because both problems could be rectified relatively easily, and possibly even at the dealer level.
