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First there were sport utility vehicles. Then sport utility wagons (see
review, Subaru Outback). The latest attempt to co-opt the SUV myth is a
sport-utility van. It’s the Mazda MPV.
While the term is mostly marketing, there are similarities between this
sport-utility van and modern modern SUVs. A fourth door has been added. The
absence of left rear doors on minivans once was hailed as a great safety
feature, preventing untold thousands of kids from wandering into streets. But
that idea went the way of “Baby-on-Board” signs. Recent minivans (except Ford’s
Windstar) have four doors, with child lock-outs in the rear.
We drove an MPV with the middle-shelf “LX “equipment package, which is minimum
dress if you want 4WD. Included were rear-seat heat and air conditioning.
Optional front bucket seats let you “walk” from front row to the middle row.
(Try that in an Explorer or Grand Cherokee.) The second-row seat folds into a
solid, spacious tabletop with cupholders for use by third-row passengers. For
four people, it’s a neat way to travel. Alternatively, the third-row seat folds
down or comes out, for abundant cargo volume.
The MPV normally is driven by its rear wheels, with 4WD selected with the push
of a stalk-mounted switch. It is perhaps the easiest-feeling 4WD selector I’ve
experienced. The transfer case lacks a low-range mode, unlike serious
four-wheeling machines. But a rear differential lock is standard with 4WD. Mazda
claims a high correlation between MPV drivers and outdoor sports enthusiasts.
Its rear-drive layout does well trailering boats and snowmobiles.
The MPV’s real strengths are almost intangible: A carefully designed,
quality-rich, import feel. A driving experience that’s envigorating, not
sleep-inducing. But with only 155 horses assigned to move more than two tons,
The MPV lacks muscle. Zero to 60 takes a leisurely 12 seconds. And that’s
without passengers, child seats, luggage, lumber, groceries, skis, or a horse
trailer.
1996 Mazda MPV
Engine: 3.0 V6, 155 hp
Transmission: 4-speed auto
Drive System: RWD, shift-on-the fly 4WD
Wheelbase: 110.4 inches
Weight: 4105 pounds (4WD, front buckets)
EPA economy: 15 MPG city, 19 highway
Observed economy: 20.1 highway
Price: $21,465 (DX 2WD model)
$25,255 (LX 4WD model)
Copyright © 1996 Snow Country Magazine. All rights reserved.
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