People-carriers have always had one great advantage and one great disadvantage.

On the plus side, they’re big. On the negative side, they drive like vans with wallowy suspensions.

But car companies have spent years trying to improve the negatives without taking away the positives. So, here’s one of the best, the Mazda5.

Few cars of this size handle as well. It looks like a big vehicle, but it rides, handles and sounds like an executive estate.

Mazda5, not to be confused with the Mazda MX-5 sports car, an altogether different beast, has been the company’s best-kept secret for a while now. We’re very familiar with the Mazda2, Mazda3 and. my favourite, the Mazda6. But Mazda5 and the CX-5 have quietly got on with the job.

It’s a reliable car which comes as a five-seater with the ability to spring up a couple of seats in the boot, making it very versatile.

Mazda’s designers did a great job of concealing the spacious cabin under a streamlined body, and the latest generation model continues this trend. Adopting exterior styling cues from recent concept models and production cars, this latest Mazda5 also offers improved levels of comfort and refinement for a growing family.

From the driver’s seat you could be forgiven for thinking it’s a Mazda’s 6. Only the 5’s lofty seating position gives the game away. Look over your shoulder, however, and you’re reminded of this car’s versatility. With not one but two rows of seats, the Mazda5 offers families all the space they could need. Access to the second row is excellent, thanks to the twin sliding rear doors. I’m not a big fan of sliding doors, but they are handy when it comes to loading in a car park. No bashed doors here!

The middle row should be good enough for adults and children, while the rearmost row is better suited to the latter. An easy folding mechanism allows quick access, while headroom fore and aft is more than adequate.

Don’t want to use the third row of seats on a daily basis? That’s not a problem, thanks to Mazda’s clever system, which enables you to flip the second row seat cushions and change the seat count from three to two. Then there’s the ability to fold the third row – changing the car’s boot from big to really big.

Mazda’s focus on space and practicality should be applauded, as it makes Mazda5 one of the best in its class. Factor in a robust, durable and attractive interior and it couldn’t be better.

But what about the driving? So often something that’s a distant second, Mazda has done well to make the 5 feel like a car. With its long wheelbase the 5 has the upper hand over conventional cars when it comes to comfort and stability. Long, tall cars rarely fair well on the open road.

But thankfully Mazda5 bucks this trend and proves to be agile and responsive. Its steering delivers plenty of weight and feel, while pitch and roll through the corners has been reduced to almost family hatch levels.

For now, buyers seeking a solid, practical and attractive-looking family wagon would do well to put the Mazda5 on their shopping list.

 

PRICE: £21,290 on the road. One of two versions of the Mazda5, the other being a petrol model
ENGINE: A 1,560cc diesel unit generating 115ps
PERFORMANCE: Top speed 111mph and 0 to 60mph in 13.7 seconds
COSTS: town 44.1mpg; country 64.1mpg; combined 54.3mpg
INSURANCE: Group 16
WARRANTY: Three years, 60,000 miles