(Tue 22 Jan 08)

The 2008 model year Mazda5 has gone on sale in the UK at prices starting from £14,760. As mentioned in our previous news story, the key change is the introduction of powered sliding rear doors (in the previous model you had to push and pull the doors yourself), but there are plenty of other new features too, including various styling updates and a wider choice of colours.

For the first time, there will also be the option of five-speed automatic transmission in addition to the standard six-speed manual gearbox. The automatic will arrive in March, it will be available only in conjunction with the 143bhp two-litre petrol engine, and Mazda has not yet confirmed how much it will cost.

The other engines in the range are a 114bhp 1.8-litre petrol and a two-litre turbo diesel which comes in 109bhp and 141bhp forms. As part of the 2008 upgrade, the official combined fuel consumption figures are down from their previous levels in every case, and so too are the CO2 emissions ratings, though that doesn't help the tax situation on the two-litre petrol models, which are still in VED Band F.

The 1.8, though, has come down from Band F to Band E, which means you pay £40 less tax each year, while the diesels have moved from Band E to Band D, saving £25. The diesels, incidentally, have identical economy and CO2 figures, but that's just a quirk of the testing system - the 143bhp will undoubtedly use more fuel in real life.

There are four trim levels, called TS, TS2, Sport and Sport Nav, the last of these names indicating the presence of DVD satellite navigation and a rear parking camera. The engines and trim levels are not interchangeable - the rule of thumb is that the more powerful the engine, the more equipment is likely to be offered as standard.

The £14,760 mentioned previously is the price of the 1.8 TS, while the 2.0 diesel Sport Nav tops the range at £20,545.

Mazda Gallery
Mazda Road Tests