Freshened Mazda5 Now Available In Japan

Anthony Fontanelle
September 13, 2007

Japanese automaker Mazda's offering in the United States and in Europe includes the Mazda5. But in the Japanese auto market, the said vehicle goes by the name of Mazda Premacy. And just recently, a freshened version of the nameplate was made available to Japanese auto buyers. The sporty and stylish Premacy has been restyled for the new model year. The automaker is looking to sell 1,800 units of the freshened Premacy in Japan every month.

The changes made to the Premacy are part of the automaker's "Communicative and Dynamic" product concept. On the outside, Mazda engineers gave the new Premacy a smoother look with clean lines connecting the hood of the multi-purpose vehicle to its bumper. The headlight design was also changed from the previous version of the nameplate. For upscale version of the Premacy, LED indicator lights are embedded on the door mirrors as well as giving it LED rear combination lights.

On the inside, much was also changed. The dials on the instrument panel has been blacked out with highly visible white illumination showing the dials. This makes the dials more visible to the driver at night. The look of the cockpit also became more upscale with the changing of the looks of the dials. Interior color choice was also changed for different trim levels. Seat fabric choices are also increased making personalization of the interior better for consumers.

On the performance side of things, the new Premacy now uses Mazda's sequential valve timing or SV-T. The use of the said technology increased the performance level of both the available engines for the Premacy. These two engines are the 2.0-liter and the 2.3-liter MZR engines. For the front-wheel drive variants, electronically-controlled five-speed automatic transmission has been thrown into the mix of its features. The addition of these features made the transfer of torque and linear acceleration better. The Premacy also uses reliable components, which are as reliable as Mazda Millenia parts.

And when it comes to the impact of the new Premacy on the environment, its fuel economy was made better thus making it more eco-friendly than its predecessor. The sequential valve timing combined with electronic throttle and the five-speed automatic transmission allows the engine of the Premacy to burn less fuel than previous models.

According to the automaker, all front-wheel drive Premacy with the 2.0-liter MZR engine are certified to meet Japan's 2010 fuel economy standards. The vehicles in fact exceed the standards which makes them eligible for the country's Green Tax exemptions. With that certification, the Mazda5 can surely meet California's stringent emission standards. The automaker also announced that both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive variants of the Premacy have been certified by the Japanese government as Super-Ultra –Low Emission Vehicles.

Other changes made to the Premacy are the enhanced noise reduction for the passenger cabin. The Premacy also employs Mazda's six-plus-one flexible seating concept. With that much room inside the cabin, comfort of the passengers are ensured. Safety features for the freshened Premacy includes the Dynamic Stability Control and a long list of other passive and active safety features.

Source:  Amazines.com