After its preview in Geneva, in March, and now on sale in Japan, the new generation Mazda Premacy (known as the Mazda 5) indulges the flavor of becoming the most fuel-efficient minivan today, and it is also one of the main reasons we want to have, aside from the new Mazda Axela (Mazda 3) to arrive in the Philippines soon.
Using the same "Nagare" design flow from the Mazda Axela, the true beauty of the new Premacy is distinctively Japanese, and the side view adds a nice touch, indulging every family to gander at every astonishing detail and using its new look as an excuse from its rivals.
Despite the beautiful exterior design, the interior quality is not nearly as perfect as the outside view since it copied most from the Mazda Atenza (Mazda 6), meaning there is nothing too perfect about the interior quality of the new Premacy. However, the new Premacy is a 6+1 seater thanks to the middle seat found on the second row that can be used as an armrest. If you have one more passenger to seat, flip the armrest from the second-row seat to turn from a 2nd row 2-seater to a 2nd-row 3-seater. See? It does not seem to be redundant using its feature. Aside from that, you can use the middle seat as access to the third row, if you have any passengers to seat with, especially the kids.
Good to know that the fuel-efficient i-stop technology from the second-generation Mazda Axela and the Mazda Biante is also included in the new Premacy, providing the 2.0L DOHC 16-Valve engine with the outstanding fuel economy of 16.0km/L of fuel economy. This fuel economy is sure enough to outperform the fuel efficiency of the Honda RK StepWGN/StepWGN Spada.
My thoughts about the Premacy:
We are sure that this latest model is more like a minivan version of the Mazda Axela (Mazda 3) thanks to its familiar design. With i-stop equipped, the Mazda Premacy can be the most fuel-efficient minivan today, giving the new meaning of the FTW acronym "for the world,” if I do say so myself. For its interior, the middle seat from the second row is a valuable tool not just as an armrest but also as easy access for the third row. It is perfect for mothers who are busy with themselves, especially fetching the kids from school. Since it is summertime in Japan, the new Mazda Premacy is the perfect getaway vehicle for the entire Japanese family, guaranteed to make the entire Japanese summer getaway memorable.
Photo: Mazda/Carview