General Comments:
The MPV gives the most value of any of the minivans that I tested or rented (Windstar, Quest, Caravan), and has features that aren't even available at any price by them. The rear seat folds flat with the floor in about 10 seconds and the middle seats can slide apart to form captain's chairs or together to form a bench seat. The sliding doors have power windows that open past halfway.
I've read reviews that said the engine is underpowered and noisy. With over a year driving this van I can tell you that the power is more than adequate for my uses even when I've had every seat filled, and it is only a little loud under full acceleration. It is as quiet as the other vans when cruising on the freeway. The gas mileage could be better though, It is about the same as the other higher powered minivans.
I am very pleased with the overall quality of this vehicle. The sound system is very good, It has plenty of small storage spaces for the inevitable clutter that finds its way into vans. Nothing rattles yet. One thing that really impressed me since I have two 7 year olds was that the seats don't seem to stain. They've spilled sodas and juices on the velour seats and when I wipe it up you can't tell something was even spilled!
The MPV is a little smaller than the Windstar on the inside, but I like that I can maneuver it into smaller parking spaces. It also drives more like a car than the others, it doesn't feel like a much larger vehicle.
All in all, I would very much recommend this vehicle to anyone with kids that needs some extra space, especially since even with its features it was the lowest priced minivan by a large margin over every minivan except the KIA Sedona, which was about the same price.
6th Sep 2004, 15:28
2001 Mazda MPV 89K+ miles. Gear shift want come out of gear. I parked the vechile and went into the store. When I came out and started the engine the shifter would not come out of park position. When I looked at the display it should theat the car was in neutral. After reading the hand book Ireleased the lock on the shifter and was able to move the it. Got it in drive and the car did move, but I could not get it back in park position. the shifter moves back and forth, but the indication on the control panel does not. I turned the car off because it stayed in drive. So know I cannot get it to start again. Need help any way I can. Before this at about 25k miles the engine stopped running on me. The dealer did not want to replace it, but when they open the oil pan up they could not find any metal shavings. Plus I had enough proof of my oil changes.