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Follow-Up Test: 2002 Mazda MPV
A New and Improved Anti-Minivan
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By D. John Booth
Date posted: 01-07-2002
Consensus is a rare commodity amongst us jaded autocynics. Some will hate a car's ride; others will love it. One says a car is plenty fast; another claims it's pathetically slow. One man's bucket seat par excellence is another man's torture rack. Hell, sometimes we can't even agree that we drove the same car.
It's something of a surprise, then, when almost every opinion of Mazda's second-generation MPV was universal: an excellent minivan in search of an engine. Smaller than most other people-movers, the now two-year-old MPV was a welcome alternative to the ever larger breed of mom-mobiles put forward by domestic and foreign manufacturers alike.
It was also versatile thanks to a disappearing Tumble-Under third row of seats a la Honda Odyssey and a nifty Side-By-Slide system of adjusting the position of the second row of seats — this last an improvement on the system first introduced by that same Honda. Thanks to its small size, it was also easier to park and maneuver in tight confines, not to mention a little more sporting on a twisty road. Admittedly, its smaller interior made the third row of seats a tight squeeze, but adults so seldom use the rear seats that it's not much of a limitation.
The engine, though, was something of a disappointment. Basically a rejigged Ford 2.5-liter V6 from Ford's no longer available Contour, the MPV's peak horsepower was a barely marginal 165. Torque was even more suspect, at 165 pound-feet. While those numbers allowed the MPV a modicum of performance when lightly loaded, four adults and their luggage would severely tax the little six. Acceleration was blunted and what little there was came with a flurry of revs, not exactly the easy-going comportment soccer moms look for in their minivans.
The condemnation of the MPV's paucity of horsepower was universal enough that it came as little surprise that barely two years after its launch Mazda announced an underhood upgrade. Like the previous engine, this new V6 is also sourced from Ford, only this time the larger Taurus donates its Duratec V6 and the displacement sees an increase to 3.0 liters.
That means horsepower is up 35 to 200 and a similar number of pound-feet are also available. It's worth noting that, as a result of its different intake plumbing, Mazda's take on the Duratec V6 has a lower torque peak — 3,000 rpm versus 4,400 rpm — indicating better pulling power at lower speed. Making better use of that power is a new five-speed automatic transmission that helps, Mazda claims, the new, more sprightly MPV achieve better EPA fuel economy ratings than the outgoing 2.5 (18 miles per gallon in the city, 24 mpg on the highway).
Of course, its main attraction is all that increased torque. Rather than continually searching for power through revs, the 3.0-liter is able to climb hills without continuously downshifting. Mazda claims it's because the V6 produces 90 percent of its torque peak between 1,800 and 5,500 rpm. The automatic transmission also lends a hand by using Mazda's "slope control" system to hold a lower gear when the hills get very steep.
Whatever the case, it means the MPV can finally maintain a decent pace no matter how heavily loaded. It's still not as torquey as the Odyssey's 3.5-liter or the 3.8 in top-of-the-line Chryslers, though it feels more powerful than lesser Chrysler products and Pontiac's Montana.
The engine is also smoother than its predecessor, if for no other reason than it's not always screaming toward redline. It also feels more refined than the pushrod V6s still powering most domestic vans, and if it's not quite as quiet as Honda's 3.5 V6, it's definitely in the same league.
For 2002, Mazda also firmed up the suspension, changing the springs and the roll center in such a way as to decrease body roll during cornering. Indeed, the MPV does err decidedly on the sporty side of the handling equation with much less body roll than traditional family-haulers. The counterpoint is that the ride is noticeably firmer than those competitors. It fits in with the Mazda's "Body of a minivan — Soul of a sports car" marketing campaign. Just don't expect the coddling ride of a Caravan or Montana, especially over the frost-heaved roads of the Northeast.
In fact, the MPV is very much the anti-minivan. It's smaller, sportier and more nimble than its more tradition-bound segment mates. It's also a bunch cheaper than most with the base LX retailing for $22,250, a reduction of $550 over the 2.5-liter predecessor says Mazda. That includes antilock brakes, dual sliding doors, air conditioning, an AM/FM/CD player with steering wheel-mounted redundant controls, cruise control, power door locks and mirrors, and the Tumble-Under third row of seats that conveniently stows away in a tub area in the trunk. There's a Luxury package that adds larger 16-inch alloy rims, an eight-way power driver seat, a six-disc in-dash CD changer, traction control, front side airbags and foglights.
The top-of-the-line ES gets all that plus 17-inch rims, leather seats, the power sliding rear doors as standard equipment, an upgraded audio system with nine speakers and rear air conditioning for $27,192. Currently, the only two available options are the power moonroof ($700) and the six-disc CD changer ($450). Mazda says that a DVD-based entertainment system to keep the kids occupied will likely be an available option later in 2002.
Though the Mazda is vastly improved with its newfound power, it is still best suited for those who need a minivan, but can't quite stomach the prospect of driving around in a porky mom-mobile. Its handling is relatively sporty, the performance is now more than adequate, and even if it isn't the biggest family-hauler on the block, it still has the ability to haul people and a lot of their stuff.
As for pricing, the reduction in MSRP for the base LX (last year's DX has been eliminated) is quite a welcomed bit of value, and compared with the domestic offerings, the MPV's lower price is indeed attractive.
When the MPV's compared with Honda's Odyssey, the value equation gets a little murkier. With the price reduction, the MPV LX gains a competitive advantage over the similarly identified Odyssey. However, the ES version of the MPV only undercuts Honda's EX with Leather by $1,058, not enough to make up for its smaller size and less powerful motor. And the Odyssey is already available with a DVD entertainment system.
So our recommendations remain the same. Choose the base LX for its sporty performance, competitive pricing and agility. Opt for the ES only if that last quality is the most important criterion in your search for a fully equipped minivan.
See all the Ratings: 2002 Mazda MPV ES 4dr Minivan (3.0L 6cyl 5A) Road Test Scoreboard
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(Enlarge photo)
Maybe you won't be taking your MPV to Laguna Seca Raceway every weekend, but you'll definitely appreciate the extra power provided by the newly added 3.0-liter Duratec V6 engine while shuttling your family around town.
(Photo courtesy of Mazda North American Operation)
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