Mazda5 awarded MPV of the Year

The new Mazda5 Compact Multi Activity Vehicle (MAV) has won the MPV of the Year title awarded by 4x4 and MPV Driver magazine just two months since the stylish Zoom-Zoom MAV was launched in the UK.

The Mazda5 was praised in the October awards issue of 4x4 and MPV Driver magazine – in newsagents from 22 September – for its fresh styling and build quality: "The style is unquestionably ‘Mazda’ and all the better for it...It’s built to an impressively high standard, too. The driving position is spot-on, visibility good and the gearchange brilliant — all far from guaranteed in an MPV.

"It has sliding doors, but there are no heavy, tediously slow electric contraptions here — they’re so light and slide back in such a well-oiled manner you don’t need motors. They reveal a wide opening that’s instantly accessible and they shut again with the push of a fingertip rather than a slam. All MPVs should have them."

The Mazda5's flexibility also grabbed the judges’ attention: "The Mazda5 seats seven and the rear two seats are perfectly accommodating for teens…dump the kids at the shopping mall, overload on DIY gear and the seats fold flat in a ridiculously easy one-step manoeuvre, bases cleverly sliding beneath the floor."

Judges were full of praise for the Mazda5 driving experience and pricing too: "You’ll love the drive. Handling is incisive, while the ride is marvellously unruffled, uncannily so the poorer the road becomes. Both petrol and diesel engines provide decent punch for the money — and what prices! Better-equipped yet cheaper than the competition, it seals the deal. The Mazda5 is the best MPV on the market."

Marketing director for Mazda UK Mark Cameron was delighted at this first UK award for the new Mazda5: "We are delighted to accept this award, especially so soon after launch. The MPV of the Year award proves that Mazda5 is already turning heads in the growing C-MAV segment thanks to its stylish design, flexible interior with Mazda's Karakuri seating system, as well as a rewarding driving experience you would not normally expect from a MAV."

Bob Murray Editor, 4x4 and MPV Driver added: "Mazda5 is the complete compact MPV: it looks good, drives well, is beautifully put together, fully-featured and great value for money. It goes straight to the top of the class."