Family on budget needs hockey hauler
Of three contenders, Mazda5 best bet in terms of cost and practicality, says John LeBlanc.
Who doesn’t love a good compact crossover? Based on the surging sales of these small and useful vehicles, most Canadian new vehicle owners would shout, “Not us!” But for Peter and Wendy Murray of Ottawa, a small SUV just isn’t doing it for them anymore.
After graduating from their trusty 2007 Honda Civic to their current 2010 Honda CR-V compact crossover six years ago, the Murrays added a second son.
So, as much as they’ve enjoyed the Honda crossover’s easy-todrive nature, reasonable fuel economy and relatively good interior room, with both their boys playing hockey (one is a goalie and requires all the extra associated gear), the Murrays are finding their five-passenger CR-V doesn’t offer enough room for people or cargo.
“Weekends can be crazy when both boys are at the rink and we need to take a friend or two along as well,” Wendy explained.
The Murrays considered the stereotypical “hockey parent” minivan.
But the couple found that beyond the low-cost 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan (that can start as low as $21,895), minivans such as the Honda Odyssey, Kia Sedona and Toyota Sienna start north of $30K, which is beyond the Murrays’ new-vehicle budget.
Essentially, the family is looking for an extended version of their five-passenger CR-V, but with a couple more seats for hockey teammates and their bags, plus similar, four-cylinder fuel consumption — something the V-6 minivans can’t offer.
Thankfully, there is a trio of new compact people movers that may meet the Murrays’ hockeybus needs.
Let’s start alphabetically, with the 2016 Ford Transit Connect Wagon, the up-to-seven-passenger version of the automaker’s compact commercial van that was redesigned a couple of years back.
Power comes from a 169-horsepower, 2.5-litre four-cylinder, mated exclusively to a six-speed automatic transmission.
Like the larger minivans, the front-wheel-drive Ford comes with handy sliding side doors.
And to aid getting the Murray kids’ gear in and out of the van’s large rear cargo space, you can order the Transit Connect with a pair of vertical (or “barn”) doors.
Next up is the 2016 Mazda5, a favourite with Canadian families since it went on sale in 2005.
The front-drive Mazda5 comes with a pair of sliding side doors and seating for six passengers. A 2.5-L four-cylinder makes 157 h.p., and you can pick from a standard six-speed manual gearbox or an optional five-speed automatic.
Finally, we have the newest compact people-mover of this threesome: the Fiat-based 2016 Ram ProMaster City Wagon, new to Canada last year.
Like Ford’s Transit Connect Wagon, Ram’s City Wagon is the passenger version of the frontdrive ProMaster City commercial van.
Also like the Ford and Mazda, the Ram comes with a four-cylinder engine, a 2.4-L unit that produces a relatively generous 178 h.p. A nine-speed automatic is the only transmission offered.
One benefit all three of these compact people-movers offer is decent fuel economy.
With the estimates for the Ram (11.2 L/100 km in the city and 8.1 on the highway), Ford (12.4/8.7) and Mazda (10.8/8.3), any of the three will cost the Murrays less at the pumps than a larger, V-6 minivan.
As is the case with every Dear John column, we have to get down to one recommendation, and the first of our trio of compact people movers to get the boot is the Ram ProMaster City Wagon. Despite its cavernous rear space, Ram only offers the same two rows of seats, for just five passengers, as the Murrays’ existing CR-V.
Then there’s the pricing of both the Ram and the Ford. Because they start out as stripped-down commercial offerings, you need to add features that come standard on the $23,360 to $26,930 Mazda5, such as cruise control, rear-view camera, rear wiper and privacy glass. With these features added, a Transit Connect Wagon XL rings in at $32,079, the ProMaster City Wagon ST at $32,895.
In the end, the Murrays are best served, both in overall cost and practicality, by the aging, but still capable, 2016 Mazda5.