2000 Mazda MPV - Page 1 Review

See more photos

Shopping for a 2000 Mazda MPV? MSRP: $20,150 - $25,750

SEE LOCAL CLASSIFIEDS

Along with everyone but Chrysler, Mazda was caught off guard by the rapid refinement of minivans in the early part of this decade. While the whiz kids in Auburn Hills (then Detroit) played around with a radical egg shape and double sliding doors, the competition stuck to its guns. Mazda in particular rode its award-winning MPV a little too long: When the world moved on to front-wheel drive and larger, rounder shapes, the MPV remained its petite rear- (or four-) wheel-drive self.

Well, this year Mazda's mighty little MPV minivan is back in action after taking a year off to recompose itself. Two major innovations have resulted: a stadium-style seat whereby the back bench flips itself over to provide an outfacing three-person seat from which to watch Junior play soccer, and power windows in the van's dual sliding doors. All that, and the minivan that once led the Japanese assault has finally switched to front-wheel drive.

Missing in the Y2K MPV, however, are electrically controlled sliding doors, which Mazda's marketing whizzes discovered are no longer a great selling point. "Focus groups told us they'd rather have windows that power up and down than doors that power open and shut," said Martin Leach, managing director of product planning and design at Mazda's Hiroshima, Japan, headquarters. Manually operated, not power, windows are available on the base DX model. The LX and ES models have the power windows as a standard feature.
 

Multipurpose and multitalented

On a recent test drive along Charlottesville, Virginia's leafy back roads lined with horse farms, the new Mazda minivan performed admirably, capably approaching and rounding twisty curves with ease. No one expects a minivan to bucket uphill as quickly as a roadster, but the MPV's 2.5-liter four-cam V-6 (borrowed from Ford’s Contour/Mystique/Cougar) hustled through the Mount Baker mountains without breathing too hard.

All three models, the DX $19,995 MPV, the $22,050 LX, and the top-of-the-line leather-everywhere $25,550 ES, have an automatic transmission that shifts smoothly on demand, and one tends to forget, owing to carlike handling, there's a whole van behind your seat. Mazda's pricing means the new ES model costs around $2,000 less than the Plymouth Caravan LE and the Toyota Sienna XLE minivans.

Probably the I-love-it-where-do-I-sign? point arrives early on, when you first see the MPV.  The crisp exterior design is exceptionally attractive, neat, and simple, and way removed from the usual boxy or needle-nose style, with nicely sculpted fender flares and subtle, edgy creases across the curved hood.  The sliding door tracks are discreetly hidden within window channels, and there's just enough chrome to give it some sparkle.  If you want a "street" look, you can opt to add the GFX appearance package: front and rear spoilers, aerodynamic side sills, and fog lights.

Three-and-a-half inches longer than its predecessor, the MPV nevertheless appears shorter because of its clever styling and compact overhang.  There's also 10 percent more glass area for greater visibility this time around, and the shorter front end means greater maneuverability.
 
 

Looking for yupsters

Marketing its new minivan as a multipurpose vehicle for younger suburban families whose annual income hovers around $66,000, Mazda is pitching versatile seating that 30-ish females with kids will find easy to switch around and even remove.  If you can pick up a 37-pound child, you can pick up the van's 37-pound bucket seats that can also slide sideways to form a bench for squeezing in more passengers, or remain apart.

The patented rear bench, tagged "Tumble under" by Mazda, flips easily backwards, and, if you lift the rear tailgate to its fullest height, you'll have a shady canopy while you're sitting down.  All of the seats, except the driver's and passenger's, can disappear.  The rear bench folds flat into the floor, and the second row of seats is removable, leaving 127 feet of cargo space if you need it to accommodate, say, three mountain bikes without taking their wheels off. Where's the spare tire stored? At curbside, underneath the vehicle instead of in the cargo area, so you don't have to yank out all that gear stored in the back or move the rear seat in order to change a tire.

There are 10 cup holders scattered everywhere except under the roof.  This spot is not neglected when it comes to the nine storage compartments that include one overhead bin plus a box to house 12 compact discs you can play jukebox-style on the six-disc CD changer that's conveniently placed in the dashboard.  The 180-watt speakers can number nine in all, with four speakers standard.

A comforting touch is a tether on the driver's airbag to prevent direct impact with the driver's face during inflation.  In addition, both front airbags' inflation pressures have been reduced to minimize the risk of airbag-related injuries.  Side airbags, to protect chests, necks and heads, are an option, as is an anti-lock-braking system.

All in all, the MPV is a minivan for the new century, despite the lag between generations. Mazda’s operating more smoothly thanks to Ford’s input these days. And with products like the smooth new MPV, its future looks bright indeed.