(Mon 21 Dec 09)

A slightly reworked version of the Mazda5 MPV - the only car of its type with sliding rear doors on each side - will go on sale in the UK on January 1.

Most of the changes concern equipment levels, though there has also been a certain amount of renaming. That does not apply to the entry-level model, however; it's still called TS, and it has 15" steel wheels, remote central locking, electric front windows, a four-speaker radio/CD system and front, side and curtain airbags as standard.

The car formerly known as TS2 is now called Takara, and it gets 16" alloys, privacy glass, leather steering wheel and gearknob, a storage box, electric rear windows, picnic tables and roofrails. The top model is the Furano (replacing the previous Sport), which comes with 17" alloys, leather upholstery, a Sports styling kit, powered operation of those sliding doors and automatic headlights and wipers.

The TS is available only with a 1.8-litre petrol engine, while the Furano comes with a choice of two-litre petrol and turbo diesel units. The mid-range Takara offers all three (though the diesel produces 108bhp in this case, rather than 141bhp as with the Furano) and it's also the only version which can be specified with automatic transmission if you go for the 2.0 petrol engine.

Prices range from £17,150 for the 1.8 TS to £21,555 for the Furano diesel. Mazda is offering various finance packages for retail buyers up to March 31, and for the remaining life of the scrappage scheme it will pay an extra £2000 (in addition to the £1000 each supplied by itself and the Government) in return for an eligible traded-in vehicle, bringing the possible entry price down to £13,150.

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