2000 Mazda MPV

Ron Reviews The Canadian-Spec Edition

By Ron Drysdale

Imagine that it's a beautiful spring/summer/autumn day, and you're in the window seat of a Greyhound bus rolling at moderate speed down a scenic byway. Now, imagine reaching over to the wall and rolling down the window. Such a low-tech, straightforward idea.

It was on the way to the Campbell River airport during my last 20 minutes in Mazda's totally-new MPV that I really came to appreciate the simple fact that the vehicle's side-door windows can be rolled (or powered) open. Most of Vancouver Island smells pretty darned good in the summer, and it was a pleasure to kick back in the middle-row right-side seat and sniff the breeze from the gloriously-large window right beside me.

As is typical of the rear windows in most vehicles, these ones go down only about 2/3rds of the way. The Mazda guy implied that an entirely-open window might prove dangerous to children, but a more plausible explanation would be engineering-related...there's only so much room in the door to hold all that glass.

A couple of hours behind the wheel revealed that the MPV's dynamics are as satisfying as the breeze from that window. Our tester didn't have the optional sport package with the 16" wheels, but on the winding asphalt between Campbell River and Gold River the MPV steered, cornered and braked with a sure-footedness that places it at or near the top of its class.

This is the real world, however, and all is not perfect. The MPV's 2.5 litre V-6 produces 170 horsepower and is fine for most driving, but flooring the gas pedal on the highway produces more sound than it does acceleration. The engine is essentially the same Ford Duratec design that's optional (and wonderful) in the Mercury Cougar, but performance is naturally compromised in the heavier MPV. When it comes to power, Honda rules...albeit at a price.