The 2009 Mazda5 is a less than simple sport-minivan hybrid. While consumers and auto manufacturer’s battle with irrelevant car designs and ill conceived production schedules laid out many years in advance, Mazda has made an astonishingly quick-witted move of developing a minivan eminently suitable for the fuel efficient age: The 2009 Mazda 5.

The ‘09 Mazda 5 doesn’t stop at pure fuel efficiency though. The car is quite a bit smaller than traditional minivans, but still provides 6 very roomy seats by adoption a three row configuration. This also helps to balance the vehicle far more effectively than standard minivan configurations, which allow Mazda to deliver on their second objective: A sporty drive.

All the trims of the Mazda5 feature a 153-hp 2.3-liter 4-cylinder engine, which provides plenty of punch for the light weight chassis and internals. Some will consider it slightly underpowered, but it’s only a matter of being a few horses short and performs excellently in the lower rev range.

When the power, handling, unique design and price of the 2009 Mazda5 are weighed against the competition it’s difficult to see where it might lose buyers. The internal utilities and entertainment options are perhaps that one area, where, although equipped with Bluetooth and other mod cons, the Mazda falls short of offerings from the GM stable.