Able-Bodied for the Disabled (and Others).(Column)

Byline: Steve Thompson

Losing the use of one or more limbs changes what you can do in ways you can't appreciate until it happens.

For instance, because my left leg is now effectively inoperative, I have to use a walker or wheelchair to get to a vehicle, so entry and exit is often a challenge. This isn't just due to the gyrations needed to climb into or out of a car or truck; it's also because of the required stowing of my mobility gear. That can be a struggle when I'm alone.

Thus longish coupe doors, suicide doors like those on the Honda Element, and driver-side sliding doors like those on any recent minivan are very important to people in my predicament. Hence the potential appeal of the Mazda 5, due primarily-but not exclusively-to its sliding driver-side door.

As most tests on the 5 report, the microvan's 2.3-liter, 157-hp engine does indeed limit lunge on demand, but it can be argued that having to think about energy management in any vehicle is a plus, because it requires very attentive driving.

Such driving in the 5, with the sport four-speed ...