The Paris Motor Show is a
special event for Mazda Motor Corporation, as it has been venue in the
past of some of our most important launches. This year is no exception,
as Paris 2004 sees the global launch of the much anticipated Mazda5, a
vehicle designed from the inside out. Mazda5 boasts high levels of
interior comfort and flexibility, enhanced by new-generation designing
and driving enjoyment.
The exterior design of the
new Mazda5 exhibits its fun to drive character in a subtle way. It
employs a design language that is stylish and clean, with a balance of
proportion that is pleasing to the eye on a daily basis, and of course
carried out with typical Mazda craftsmanship.
New to this segment are its double sliding doors with a large 700 mm door
space and low steps, which allow easy access.
On the inside is an interior with a strong quality feel that abounds in
user-friendly practicality and storage, with a spatial design that focuses
on a central area which promotes communication between the passengers.
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Mazda5
introduces an innovative “6 + One“ seating system. Added to three rows of
two seats - enough room for six adults to travel in
comfort and style - is the possibility of unfolding a
seventh seat or a practical karakuri box out of the outer second row seats.
The second row
seats themselves are slide adjustable and can be tilted, and both the second
and third row seats can be folded to create a large loading area with a
virtually flat floor behind the front seats. Combined with two large sliding
doors and a large rear liftgate, the Mazda5 can easily be converted into a
handy transporter of larger items without having to remove any seats.
Mazda5 can also
be converted into a rolling entertainment centre, with a newly developed
hard disk drive audio system (depending on market) that stores between 300
to 500 CDs, a rear seat entertainment system with a ceiling-mounted seven-
inch LCD display and DVD player, and an auxiliary jack mounted in the third
row seat trim for connecting electronic devices like game consoles.
But the
passengers aren’t the only ones spoiled by Mazda5 fun, of course, since the
driver is sitting behind the wheel of a new-generation vehicle with
Zoom-Zoom in its blood. The new Mazda5 may be pleasing to look at, extremely
flexible and comfortable, but these attributes have not been achieved at the
cost of driving enjoyment.
Under the hood
are four available engines, including two derivatives of a newly developed
2.0-litre common-rail turbo diesel engine — a standard power version with 81
kW/110 PS and a high power version with 105 kW/143 PS — that delivers high
output, robust torque and convincing fuel economy, and is coupled to a new
six-speed manual transmission. It is available with a new catalytic diesel
particulate filer, which contributes to a major reduction in NOx and
particulate matter emissions.
Also available are two spirited MZR petrols —
a 1.8-litre 85 kW/115 PS aggregate and a 2.0-litre 107 kW/145 PS engine —
that both deliver lively, linear power, low fuel consumption and emissions.
Getting this
power to the road are chassis systems tuned to be comfortable and at the
same time to deliver responsive driving dynamics, neutral handling and
linear, controllable braking. Mazda5’s body structure is optimized to
deliver the basis for this by having high levels of flexural and torsional
stiffness, despite having two large door openings in its side structure.
Mazda5’s suspension features MacPherson struts in the front and a multi-link
suspension in the rear, and electronic hydraulic power assisted steering (EHPAS).
High levels of
active and passive safety complete the picture of the Mazda5. It is safe to
drive under normal conditions — with a high seating position, a driver
position optimized to minimize blind spots, predictable handling and
steering. Added to these attributes are advanced active safety systems
including ventilated front disc brakes and solid discs at the rear,
four-wheel anti-lock braking (4W-ABS) with electronic brake force
distribution (EBD) and dynamic stability control (DSC).
Driver and
passengers are protected by a host of passive safety features including a
stiff occupant cell designed to resist deformation.
Mazda5’s airbag supported
supplemental restraint systems provide high levels of protection for all
occupants, from the front and side airbags for the driver and front seat
passenger, to a new available airbag curtain large enough to protect those
sitting in all three rows of seats.
With a pleasing exterior
design, an interior that inspires communication, the innovative “6 + One“
karakuri seating and storage system, superior comfort and driving
attributes; Mazda5 is poised to inject Zoom-Zoom into the space wagon
segment.
