Mazda5: room, room

Sound an all-points bulletin: We've lost the "mini" in our minivans.

The original 1984 Dodge Caravan was 175 inches long. The 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan, Toyota Sienna, Nissan Quest and Honda Odyssey are all between 201 and 204 inches long. Nothing mini about them, given the fact that, say, a Cadillac Escalade is 202.5 inches long. Could this be one reason minivans — of any size — seem a dying breed?

Mazda identified a niche: a vanlike vehicle that is large enough for three rows of seats, but small enough to remain affordable, get good gas mileage and be maneuverable around town. Mazda's answer is the Mazda5, based on the Mazda3 platform. It's 181.5 inches long, and rear side doors slide open, like a minivan's. It's a half-ton lighter than its bigger brethren.

With the priority being substance over style, the Mazda5 is not particularly pretty. But a mild restyling for 2008 has made it a little better looking, especially in the loaded Grand Touring trim of the test vehicle. The new grille, headlights and taillights help, and the test model came with handsome five-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels and Toyo radial tires that helped its handling.

Under the hood of every Mazda5 is the 2.3-liter, 153-horsepower four-cylinder engine used in the Mazda3 "S" model. Transmission is either a five-speed manual or, in the Grand Touring, a five-speed automatic. Fuel economy for the automatic is EPA-rated at 21 miles per gallon city, 27 mpg highway; it's 22/28 for the manual. Those may not be exceptional numbers, but given the Mazda5's six-passenger capability, it makes for a pretty thrifty carpooler.

By six-passenger, you've figured out that the Mazda5's three rows of seats are two people each. It's likely they could have squeezed in a three-passenger middle-row seat, but it would have been pretty cramped. As it is, only the flip-up third row is cramped, obviously designed for kids. The middle row is two bucket seats situated theater-style, meaning they are raised enough so passengers can actually see the road, as opposed to the back of the front-seat passengers' heads. Even raised, there's plenty of headroom. Indeed, four 6-footers will be comfortable, though drivers taller than 6 feet might wish that seat went back a bit farther.

The two middle-row seats slide far forward to make surprisingly easy access to the third row seat, and those middle seats adjust on tracks to make a little legroom for the rearmost unfortunates. If you need to carry six adults regularly, you probably need something bigger.

That said, four people fit very well, and with that rear seat down there's 44.4 cubic feet of cargo room back there. With all three rows in place, there's still enough room in the rear for a couple of pieces of soft luggage, or several grocery bags.

Inside, the Grand Touring test vehicle is downright luxurious, with leather upholstery, a power sunroof and heated front seats. Options included a navigation system ($2,000), Sirius satellite radio ($400) and a rear bumper step plate ($50). With $635 in shipping, the total price was $25,480.

That doesn't mean you need to spend that much on a Mazda5; the base Sport starts at $18,630, and the midlevel Touring is $21,245, including shipping. Even the Sport gets you air conditioning, power windows, locks and mirrors; keyless entry, a tilt steering wheel and antilock brakes. There are also side and side-curtain air bags and a tire pressure monitoring system. You can't get stability control, or power sliding doors.

The Mazda5 feels like a car, which is a compliment. Handling is quite good, with minimal body roll, and the ride is smooth on all but the worst roads.

More sound insulation would be nice, as porous pavement makes for a noisy cabin.

More than $25,000 may seem pricey for a vehicle with relatively modest origins, but with the sunroof, leather and voice-activated nav system, this is a useful, comfortable package that delivers far above economy-car expectations.