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| Once at speed the 5's personality takes on a new especially confident purpose. (Photo: Mazda Canada) |
But then again, that term is a bit unfair. I think sports car-like is much more apropos, being that the high-revving 2.3-litre four-cylinder that the shifter is connected to causes some serious fun when employing the front wheels. It's not particularly powerful, when compared to the average minivan at least, but factoring in the Mazda5's relatively lightweight structure the 157-horsepower mill churns out all that's needed for a pretty quick trip to highway speeds.
But really, are four cylinders enough to power a six-occupant minivan at full load? I can't say for sure, as I only had one additional person along for the ride, but if you look back to the early days of minivans, such as the first Chrysler Magic Wagons, as well as vans from Toyota and Ford, they were all powered by four-cylinder engines with nowhere near the efficiencies of Mazda's 2.3, that delivers impressive power and torque while still managing somewhere in the neighborhood of 11.2 to 10.7 L/100 km in the city and 9.0 to 8.7 L/100 km on the highway, and those vans were slightly larger than the new 5.
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| While a bit softer in the spring settings than the ultra-agile 3, the 5 is no slouch in the corners. (Photo: Mazda Canada) |
Once at speed the 5's personality takes on a new especially confident purpose, its suspension soaking up bumps and jumps, dips and dives, and anything else thrown at it during our daylong escapade through the circuitous roads that make up the valley hills surrounding Mission, BC. I especially enjoyed the experience due to my co-driver, who knew the backroads in this area extremely well. Having Russ at my side, giving direction before each turn in the road like a WRC (World Rally Championship) copilot, allowed me to take in the scenery at speeds slightly in excess of the posted limit, and in so doing truly test out the 5's road-holding prowess.
