Faults:

Brakes grind, even though they appear OK.

Pedal sticks hard sometimes.

Low performance, have to turn off the air to merge, if fully loaded.

Transmission seems to shift at odd times, or stays in shifted down on acceleration.

General Comments:

Resale value not good.

Depreciation high.

Dealer charged for lots of extras, Etched windows, extended service contract, gap coverage etc.

Faults:

We have had our Mazda van since February 2001. We have not had ONE moment of trouble with our particular vehicle. It's never even been back to the dealership yet. We drove it off the lot and have only had to have regular oil and filter changes at a local shop.

General Comments:

We think it truly handles very well. Quick response but not souped up like a sports car would be. But then that's OK. It's a VAN after all. The gas mileage is not great, but in the acceptable range. It's very comfortable in the front seats, and I have ridden in the 2nd and third seat a few times as well, and it was OK (and I am a large person). It is not easy to get back to the third row seat if you are an adult there unless you fold down the back of one of the 2nd row seats, and then it is quite easy to step up into and walk into the back. We have not had one moments problem yet with our van. We have been most impressed overall, and now my husband is considering buying a Mazda truck.

Faults:

A rear seatbelt became stuck, but was immediately fixed by the dealer.

General Comments:

The MPV gives the most value of any of the minivans that I tested or rented (Windstar, Quest, Caravan), and has features that aren't even available at any price by them. The rear seat folds flat with the floor in about 10 seconds and the middle seats can slide apart to form captain's chairs or together to form a bench seat. The sliding doors have power windows that open past halfway.

I've read reviews that said the engine is underpowered and noisy. With over a year driving this van I can tell you that the power is more than adequate for my uses even when I've had every seat filled, and it is only a little loud under full acceleration. It is as quiet as the other vans when cruising on the freeway. The gas mileage could be better though, It is about the same as the other higher powered minivans.

I am very pleased with the overall quality of this vehicle. The sound system is very good, It has plenty of small storage spaces for the inevitable clutter that finds its way into vans. Nothing rattles yet. One thing that really impressed me since I have two 7 year olds was that the seats don't seem to stain. They've spilled sodas and juices on the velour seats and when I wipe it up you can't tell something was even spilled!

The MPV is a little smaller than the Windstar on the inside, but I like that I can maneuver it into smaller parking spaces. It also drives more like a car than the others, it doesn't feel like a much larger vehicle.

All in all, I would very much recommend this vehicle to anyone with kids that needs some extra space, especially since even with its features it was the lowest priced minivan by a large margin over every minivan except the KIA Sedona, which was about the same price.