2006 Mazda 5 Custom Front

Mazda addresses complaints of the MPV being too small by… shrinking it. Based on the Mazda 3 and built right alongside it in Hiroshima, this $18,000 (with stickshift) mini-minivan shares that car's uplevel 2.3-liter engine and Ford Focus-sourced fancy suspension, dual stabilizer bars, 4-wheel disc brakes, and 17-inch wheels. A higher roofline and six-passenger seating capacity set it apart; the EPA classifies it a "midsize wagon." If "driver's minivan" isn't an oxymoron, the Mazda 5 is it.