lines replace the blocky, angular look of last year's dashboard. A new speedometer and

tachometer are bigger and easier to read. Gauges, indicators and warning lamps have

been repositioned for easier viewing. Controls for the stereo, heating, ventilation

and air conditioning are easy to reach. The glovebox in last year's MPV was capable

only of holding the owner's manual. Now gloves can actually be stored there.

The only downside we found to the controls is that it's easy to bump the windshield

wiper stalk when shifting into park.

Overall, the interior of the MPV is a nice place to be. The MPV offers more front

headroom and legroom than the Caravan, Previa and Villager and more headroom than the

Windstar. Getting in and out of the driver's seat couldn't be easier. The view is

excellent in all directions with an expansive windshield, big side windows and large

mirrors.

The seats are comfortable and supportive. They come upholstered in an attractive

velour cloth on DX and LX trim, while the ES gets leather. The leather is nice, but

the ES retails for $2300 more than the LX and we really liked the cloth.

The MPV will seat five, seven or eight passengers, depending on the seating

configuration. All MPVs come with front bucket seats. The DX and LX come standard with

a 3-passenger second-row seat. The LX and ES come with a third bench seat in the rear.

With the standard 3-passenger second row seat, the LX can haul eight people, but

they'd better be good friends. The downside of this arrangement is that the width of

the second-row seat makes it difficult to get into the third-row seat.

This year, Mazda offers a pair of captain's chairs for the second row that are

standard on the leather ES and optional on the cloth LX. The captain's chairs are

comfortable and make it easy for people, particularly children, to get into the

rearmost bench seat. After spending time with all the configurations, we recommend the

LX with the optional captain's chairs.

An even more important improvement to the seating is that the third row seat is now

much easier to remove. Release a couple of latches, store it in the garage and the MPV

is ready to haul four or five passengers and their gear. (Those who don't think

they'll ever need the third row seat may want to order the DX model and save some

money.)

The center bench can also be removed by releasing latches, while the center captain's

chairs can be quickly unbolted. This feature turns an MPV into a serious cargo hauler

in a short period of time. It also makes the MPV a great camper with more flat

sleeping space than most sport-utility vehicles. Keep in mind that the seats are heavy

and will take up a fair amount of space in the garage. For smaller jobs, the middle

and rear seats can be folded flat for loading long items.

A 4-wheel antilock braking system is standard on the MPV. Dual airbags and 3-point

seat belts in all outboard positions are also standard. All four doors incorporate

side-impact door beams and the new front end was designed to better absorb frontal impacts.