Back in 2000, the Mazda MPV was an all-new van that seemed to offer all the "zoom-zoom" Mazda wanted to be known for while still giving young families a car they could live with. The MPV was fresh-looking and offered a different take on the typically boring minivan. The only problem was that the van was underpowered and just plain slow when compared to more powerful vans like the Honda Odyssey. Later, Mazda replaced the van's weak 2.5-liter, V6 engine with a 3.0-liter V6 sourced from Ford. This larger V6 gave the Mazda MPV a fighting chance with its even 200 hp. By 2002, Mazda began offering the all-important rear DVD player in the MPV.
Unfortunately, not much else has changed in the Mazda MPV over the years, as evidenced by our test vehicle, a 2004 Mazda MPV. It is still a spunky little minivan but simply lacks the features, performance and civility of competitors from Chrysler, Honda and Toyota. This is not to say that the MPV doesn't offer anything worthwhile to potential minivan owners, it's just that there are better choices for most people.
The main thing the Mazda MPV has going for it is its un-minivan look, and Mazda gave it a number of cosmetic upgrades for 2004 to further that appeal. The whole front end received a facelift, so that the van shares the company look of other Mazda cars and trucks. The grille is now larger and more prominent and is shaped just like the grille from Mazda's sedans. The headlights are new, as are the hood and front fenders. Both the front and rear bumpers have been revised as well. The new front end combined with new side skirts and either 16- or 17-inch alloy wheels give the van an even sportier look than before. The combination taillights and amber turn signals add to the MPV's youthful appearance as they come housed in a clear lens.
Inside, the minivan is a comfortable family van with a sporty flair thanks to additional chrome trim on the dash and gauges. All the controls are well laid out and offer few surprises when looking to accomplish a given task. The column-mounted shifter still blocks some dash controls — we could never tell if the air-conditioning button was on or off. The seats are comfortable even for long periods of time, and the fabric that covers those seats has been upgraded for 2004 to a level of quality now comparable to that found in a Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna. There's also the newly available satellite radio on the Mazda MPV ES version — still no navigation system, though. A practical improvement inside the van is the spring-loaded third-row seat that makes it easier to fold and unfold it. The MPV's fold-flat rear bench has always been a great convenience, but even fold-flat seats can be heavy and difficult to lift up, especially if you're a parent holding a toddler in a crowded parking lot. In addition to this improvement, the Mazda MPV LX model now includes rear air conditioning as standard equipment.
Despite the freshened interior and exterior and Mazda's claim that the MPV has the soul of a sports car, we feel there is too much body roll when cornering to merit a sporty label. In our recent minivan comparison test, we said the Honda Odyssey was "the BMW of minivans" and the Mazda MPV has not shaken our confidence in that statement. It does offer nicely weighted, quick steering that gives it a sporty feel around town, but our slalom test revealed that the sportiness is only skin-deep. The MPV is smaller overall than most minivans, making it slightly more maneuverable and easy to live with in crowded areas, but it still falls short in overall driving dynamics.
While the 2004 MPV has many new features and parts, not much about the mechanical components has been changed. One exception is that rear disc brakes are now standard — and all models come with four-wheel ABS. Our Mazda MPV LX took 126.3 feet to come to a stop from 60 mph. That's about 10 feet shorter than the Honda Odyssey and Nissan Quest we recently tested and notably shorter than other vans like the Ford Freestar, Kia Sedona and Toyota Sienna..
While Mazda's incremental improvements have added to the value and alternative nature of this minivan, it's the mechanical elements that really need attention. The 200-hp engine provides barely adequate acceleration when judged on its own merits, but jump into a Honda, Nissan or Toyota minivan and the difference in power alone is obvious. The 3.0-liter V6 also lacks refinement and is quite noisy under heavy acceleration. We know the company can do better as the engines in the Mazda 3, Mazda 6 and the Miata are much smoother and more civilized. Even the old Millenia motor was much better than the current MPV power plant.
And while the minivan does offer a five-speed automatic transmission, the manner in which it shifts gears is years behind the competition. We found the transmission to be late in downshifting but early to upshift. On several occasions we'd be accelerating moderately (i.e., a level freeway on-ramp), and the transmission would shift from third to fourth, then fourth to fifth, totally sapping any power we needed to merge. We'd then have to squeeze the accelerator more, only to have the car downshift again in order to keep up. The transmission would also lug the engine at times and sort of jerk the car in other instances, never seeming to know what the right gear was for the combination of speed, throttle input and grade of the highway. We like the fact that the Mazda MPV has a five-speed automatic like the Kia Sedona, Toyota Sienna and Nissan Quest but think its operation could be much more pleasant.
Not so long ago the Mazda MPV was the newest, freshest vehicle in the carmaker's fleet. Now it's one of the oldest. This is not a slam on the van but rather an indication of how quickly things are changing in the company. And just as Mazda has made rapid changes, so has the competition. Where its cars are exceptional and equal to or better than the competition, the Mazda MPV is not so lucky. The Sienna is new and better, the '04 Odyssey is older but still better (although a new Odyssey is on its way) and the Nissan Quest is new and slightly edges out the MPV thanks to its stellar engine. The truth is that the Mazda MPV is smaller than most of the other vans, but for smaller families, that may be one of its biggest selling features. To be fair, the minivan is comparable in size to shorter-wheelbase vans like the Kia Sedona and Dodge Caravan (not the larger Grand Caravan). When compared to those vehicles, the Mazda MPV is clearly better and more stylish.
While we feel it might be a bit of a stretch to call the 2004 Mazda MPV sporty, it is sportier-looking and offers a youthful feel that is noticeably lacking on other vans (except maybe the Quest). Its compact size and fairly deluxe interior make it appealing. However, its lackluster engine, clunky transmission and lack of navigation system keep it several steps behind the top-rated minivans.
Unfortunately, not much else has changed in the Mazda MPV over the years, as evidenced by our test vehicle, a 2004 Mazda MPV. It is still a spunky little minivan but simply lacks the features, performance and civility of competitors from Chrysler, Honda and Toyota. This is not to say that the MPV doesn't offer anything worthwhile to potential minivan owners, it's just that there are better choices for most people.
The main thing the Mazda MPV has going for it is its un-minivan look, and Mazda gave it a number of cosmetic upgrades for 2004 to further that appeal. The whole front end received a facelift, so that the van shares the company look of other Mazda cars and trucks. The grille is now larger and more prominent and is shaped just like the grille from Mazda's sedans. The headlights are new, as are the hood and front fenders. Both the front and rear bumpers have been revised as well. The new front end combined with new side skirts and either 16- or 17-inch alloy wheels give the van an even sportier look than before. The combination taillights and amber turn signals add to the MPV's youthful appearance as they come housed in a clear lens.
Inside, the minivan is a comfortable family van with a sporty flair thanks to additional chrome trim on the dash and gauges. All the controls are well laid out and offer few surprises when looking to accomplish a given task. The column-mounted shifter still blocks some dash controls — we could never tell if the air-conditioning button was on or off. The seats are comfortable even for long periods of time, and the fabric that covers those seats has been upgraded for 2004 to a level of quality now comparable to that found in a Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna. There's also the newly available satellite radio on the Mazda MPV ES version — still no navigation system, though. A practical improvement inside the van is the spring-loaded third-row seat that makes it easier to fold and unfold it. The MPV's fold-flat rear bench has always been a great convenience, but even fold-flat seats can be heavy and difficult to lift up, especially if you're a parent holding a toddler in a crowded parking lot. In addition to this improvement, the Mazda MPV LX model now includes rear air conditioning as standard equipment.
Despite the freshened interior and exterior and Mazda's claim that the MPV has the soul of a sports car, we feel there is too much body roll when cornering to merit a sporty label. In our recent minivan comparison test, we said the Honda Odyssey was "the BMW of minivans" and the Mazda MPV has not shaken our confidence in that statement. It does offer nicely weighted, quick steering that gives it a sporty feel around town, but our slalom test revealed that the sportiness is only skin-deep. The MPV is smaller overall than most minivans, making it slightly more maneuverable and easy to live with in crowded areas, but it still falls short in overall driving dynamics.
While the 2004 MPV has many new features and parts, not much about the mechanical components has been changed. One exception is that rear disc brakes are now standard — and all models come with four-wheel ABS. Our Mazda MPV LX took 126.3 feet to come to a stop from 60 mph. That's about 10 feet shorter than the Honda Odyssey and Nissan Quest we recently tested and notably shorter than other vans like the Ford Freestar, Kia Sedona and Toyota Sienna..
While Mazda's incremental improvements have added to the value and alternative nature of this minivan, it's the mechanical elements that really need attention. The 200-hp engine provides barely adequate acceleration when judged on its own merits, but jump into a Honda, Nissan or Toyota minivan and the difference in power alone is obvious. The 3.0-liter V6 also lacks refinement and is quite noisy under heavy acceleration. We know the company can do better as the engines in the Mazda 3, Mazda 6 and the Miata are much smoother and more civilized. Even the old Millenia motor was much better than the current MPV power plant.
And while the minivan does offer a five-speed automatic transmission, the manner in which it shifts gears is years behind the competition. We found the transmission to be late in downshifting but early to upshift. On several occasions we'd be accelerating moderately (i.e., a level freeway on-ramp), and the transmission would shift from third to fourth, then fourth to fifth, totally sapping any power we needed to merge. We'd then have to squeeze the accelerator more, only to have the car downshift again in order to keep up. The transmission would also lug the engine at times and sort of jerk the car in other instances, never seeming to know what the right gear was for the combination of speed, throttle input and grade of the highway. We like the fact that the Mazda MPV has a five-speed automatic like the Kia Sedona, Toyota Sienna and Nissan Quest but think its operation could be much more pleasant.
Not so long ago the Mazda MPV was the newest, freshest vehicle in the carmaker's fleet. Now it's one of the oldest. This is not a slam on the van but rather an indication of how quickly things are changing in the company. And just as Mazda has made rapid changes, so has the competition. Where its cars are exceptional and equal to or better than the competition, the Mazda MPV is not so lucky. The Sienna is new and better, the '04 Odyssey is older but still better (although a new Odyssey is on its way) and the Nissan Quest is new and slightly edges out the MPV thanks to its stellar engine. The truth is that the Mazda MPV is smaller than most of the other vans, but for smaller families, that may be one of its biggest selling features. To be fair, the minivan is comparable in size to shorter-wheelbase vans like the Kia Sedona and Dodge Caravan (not the larger Grand Caravan). When compared to those vehicles, the Mazda MPV is clearly better and more stylish.
While we feel it might be a bit of a stretch to call the 2004 Mazda MPV sporty, it is sportier-looking and offers a youthful feel that is noticeably lacking on other vans (except maybe the Quest). Its compact size and fairly deluxe interior make it appealing. However, its lackluster engine, clunky transmission and lack of navigation system keep it several steps behind the top-rated minivans.
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