I truly love my Mazda MPV. It's fun to drive, really reliable, comfortable, and a lot more attractive looking than most minivans. It feels more like a crossover than a soccer mom van. We love that it's trim looking but seats seven, and we appreciate having a roof rack. The car drives really well and handles great even for a larger vehicle. We are also pleased with the gas mileage. Minivans tend to not be as efficient and we are pleased with the fuel economy of the MPV. We really have had no major problems with it even though we've put on almost 100,000 miles in the three years we've owned it. We drive a lot for our work and for fun, so it's really important for us to have a reliable, easy to maintain, and safe car for our family and for our stuff.

I like the size and style of the Mazda MPV. My family fit very well in it. The third row seating came in handy many times. The cargo space was great for hauling sports gear and camping equipment. It was never easy for me to transform the back from seating to cargo space. The headrests had to be removed, and they didn't come out easily. There were two different handles to pull to get the seat to fold over then drop down into the space. I can't even remember exactly what it took to put the seats back up. The seats were very comfortable. Some of the most comfortable car seats I can remember. The visibility was good with lots of big windows. The MPV was used when we got it and needed catch-up maintenance, including power steering flush, transmission flush, alignment, windshield wipers. Not long after we got it the alternator needed to be replaced. There was a problem with the electrical system causing fuses to blow and systems (radio, power locks, charger) to stop working. I wonder if I would have enjoyed it more if it had been better maintained before we got it. I still liked it a lot.

We have four children, so we need a larger vehicle and wanted a mini-van. Originally we were going to get a Honda Odyssey, but we ultimately decided on the MPV because it was a better value for the money, we felt. We were able to get a 2005 with less than 100,000 miles on it for 12,000. An Odyssey of the same year and amount of miles would have cost a lot more than that. I would say that overall what I love about my MPV is that is really a great looking car and doesn't have that `mini-van` look that screams `soccer mom.` We can fit all our kids into it, but it is designed efficiently enough that is a smaller van, which makes it really easy to drive and it handles really well. I love that I feel safe in this car while driving my kids around. The engine is awesome and I feel that I can really rely on it to be dependable. I have owned other Mazdas before and was impressed at the mechanical quality and durability, so I am hoping this car will be the same.