2000 Mazda MPV...Continued

Honda introduced a new feature with a rear-most seat that drops out of sight in a rear well. MPV does this one better with a seat that not only disappears, but flops back to provide a comfortable rear facing seat for tailgate parties and picnics. Mazda puts the spare tire underneath the vehicle on the curbside, rather than inside or under the rear end like other minivans.

Other seating features include "side-by-slide" removable second row seats (LX and ES models). By moving both fore/aft and side-to-side, the side-by-slide design offer the advantages of both captain's chairs and a bench seat, getting the best access to the back or separating fractious youngsters. Rear seats are raised for better vision there.

Mazda suppliers have ruined the delight of in-dash CD cartridge players (wink). Their stereo has a slot that swallows the CDs and arranges them like a jukebox with a dash display to feed back the information.

The new MPV was styled with input from all four of Mazda's R&D centers -- Irvine, California; Frankfurt, Germany; and Yokohama and Hiroshima, Japan -- and will be sold in all markets. It follows Mazda's new "Contrast in Harmony" corporate design philosophy which blends contrasting design elements such as soft and sharp, light and shadow and static and dynamic. Most importantly for the user, there are real soft touch zones in the interior and an absence of sharp-edged mold lines, a claim that cannot be made by some of the more expensive and well-regarded import vans. At the front, creases run across the curved hood. Bold fender flares create a wide profile and contrast with sharp contours and a character line. The sliding door tracks are hidden in the window channels for a clean look.

The dramatic exterior styling also carries over to the interior, highlighted by a rounded instrument panel and V-shaped center console, with all controls within easy reach of the driver and front passenger. Mazda has arranged the dash in the intelligent configuration with the most frequently used radio high on top to minimize the time eyes are shifted from the road.