Can You Say, "Zoom, Zoom for Value?"

This is a review on a 2003 Mazda MPV ES model. It was a replacement for our 1999 Ford Windstar SEL minivan which had seen better days. I will try to compare the various minivans that my spouse and I tested in order to come to the conclusion why we decided to purchase the MPV over it's competitors which included the Ford Windstar, Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna.

Driving via Curves: All minivans in general have a varying degree of "floatiness" to their ride due to the higher center of gravity and lack of sport-tuned suspensions normally found in sedans. The Mazda was the least "floaty" of the minivans tested due to the front and rear anti-roll bars standard to the vehicle. These anti-roll bars help to reduce the swaying you experience when going into a turn. Mazda happens to be the only minivan with both front and rear anti-roll bars. All the others come with just the front anti-roll bar. Lateral g's for this minivan is .80gs. All the others are .72gs or less. This minivan also beats a BMW 330i for lateral g's. Now I know how they obtain their "Zoom, Zoom" feel for their minivan. Winner: Mazda

Driving in the city and highway: All use different ways to isolate you from the road. Because I like my suspension more towards the sporting side, the Mazda is most like what I am used to. I like a solid ride with road feel but require a quiet sounding vehicle while on the road. With my sound level meter, I registered 68dBs while traveling at 70mph. To compare, my old Ford Windstar came in at a somewhat noisy 73dBs. All others were within 1dB of the Mazda. On center and off center steering has moderate action with excellent road feel. Similar to German cars that I have owned. 0-60 times is approximately 9.3 seconds, second only to the Honda. Engine idle and full throttle is refined. Idle is surprisingly very quiet. Just like the Toyota. Winner: Mazda

Parking: By a wide margin, if you are looking for the minivan that parks the easiest out there, the Mazda can't be beat. Being up to a foot shorter and four inches narrower than its competition, the Mazda makes parking into a space no more difficult than parking a car. The turning radius of the Mazda is 35 ft. while it's competitors have to settle with 40-43 ft. Also with the Mazda being slightly slimmer in width, there is less of a chance to get the proverbial door ding. Winner: Mazda

Seating capacity: All minivans tested can accommodate seven passengers. The 2004 Toyota Sienna in its more basic form can accommodate up to eight passengers. Even though the Mazda is the smallest minivan, its seating capacity and room is very similar to it's competition. Winner: Toyota Sienna

Third Seat Functionality: Each minivan has its own way of either removing or hiding the third seat in order to increase cargo capacity. The Mazda third seat has a "magic" or folding third seat that goes into the floor of the vehicle and leaves a flat surface for storage. There is one additional feature the Mazda has that the competitors do not have. The Mazda third seat can flip over and convert into a backseat for a tailgate party or changing the little one's diaper in comfort. This feature has already come in handy several times so far. Winner: Mazda

Second Row Captain's Chairs: The Mazda has two individual Captain's Chairs where the passenger side Captain's Chair can slide to one side. This feature is the easiest by far to use vs. any of it's competitors. All you need to do is lift a handle and the chair can slide on tracks several inches to convert the second row chairs as individual chairs or together to make a bench. Having it in a bench configuration eases entry to the third row seats. Honda and Toyota force you to lift the chair to do this. Ford doesn't even offer this very useful feature. Winner: Mazda

Cargo Capacity: The 2004 Toyota comes in with the largest cargo capacity (35 cu. ft.) while the Mazda comes in with the smallest (17 cu. ft.). Don't let the smaller number fool you, the space there is more useful than my Ford Windstar which came in at 25 cu. ft. Overall total cargo capacity of the Mazda is approximately 20 cu. ft. less than the Toyota. Winner: Toyota

Ammenities: To compare the Mazda MPV ES at the price I paid, the competitors couldn't even come close. I would have to compare the competitors to their least expensive models which would offer only a few features that I have on my ES.
Here is what came with my ES:
Leather seating with power driver's seat.
5-speed automatic transmission.
Four-seasons package which include a larger windshield washer reservoir, greater cooling for the engine and transmission with a 3000lbs towing limit and heated mirrors.
AM/FM Cassette with in-dash 6-Disc CD Changer.
DVD Player with 9-speaker surround with subwoofer, remote and two wireless headsets.
17 inch low profile tires and rims.
Foglights.
Foldaway center console tray.
Under the passenger seat sliding tray.
Keyless entry with power sliding doors and alarm.
Front and rear A/C with controls for rear passengers.
Power windows, door locks and mirrors.
Floor and cargo mats.
Chromed tailpipe and step-up bumper.

All this for $25700.00

Value: As you can read from above, the Mazda is the clear value leader here. Going to the Honda and Toyota dealers in my area, their ridiculous attitude of marking up their product over MSRP by several thousands of dollars and not coming down in price, forced me not to purchase either product. In order for me to obtain the similar features found on the Mazda, I would of had to pay at least $31K for one of the competitor's minivan. Winner: Mazda

Reliability: What people may not realize is that the Mazda and Toyota are very similar in reliability according to Consumer Reports and several Internet sites. Honda's reliability is only average. Let's not even talk about the Ford. Can you say, "Transmission Replacement?" Winner: Toyota and Mazda.

Conclusions: If you are interested in an easy to park vehicle that handles like a sports sedan and offers a great value for the price, then I would highly recommend the Mazda is the vehicle for you. If you needs incline towards cargo and people capacity, then the Toyota or Honda would be a better choice.

Overall Specs:
200hp, 200ft/lb. 3.0L V6
5-speed automatic transmission
187 inches in length
72 inches in width
69 inches in height
3800 lbs with rear A/C
EPA estimates 18 city, 25 highway
Regular unleaded gas