Boston.com's view

There comes a time for many vehicle models when a revamp is necessary in the midst of its planned model cycle.

Sometimes the competition changes so quickly that new engines, new safety features, whole new drivetrains are necessary to keep up.

For the Mazda MPV, that time is now. Thus, we have the revamped 2002 model, coming to us as Honda’s Odyssey and Chrysler offerings got bigger, sleeker, more powerful, and came with better standard safety features. And it came as “crossover” vehicles, from virtually every other major maker, arrived offering many of the practical features of SUVs without their size, bulk, or unnecessary off-roading equipment.

While the full-blown makeover of the MPV won’t come until around 2005 – and what form that may take is only a guess – Mazda went right to the root of its problem (the engine), produced a better transmission, added ABS as a standard safety feature, and tossed in a touch of sportiness through a mild exterior redesign to keep up with the pack.

The new engine is the big news.

It has a 40-horsepower upgrade over the previous generation’s sometimes anemic 2.5-liter, 160-horsepower V-6. That engine was fine for a couple who wanted to roam in their minivan out to the store for groceries or browsing on weekends in antique shops. But load it up as a minivan was meant to be loaded – kids, friends, gear – and it could be Wheeze City when trying to pass or climb steady hills.

The new engine is a 3.0-liter, all-aluminum V-6 that delivers not only 200 horsepower, but also 200 lb.-ft. of torque, most of it over a remarkably wide band – just what is needed in a hauler. The 200 lb.-ft. arrives at a respectably low 3,000 rpms. Yet taking off with a full load of kids and their soccer gear, there was a steady tug of solid torque from about 1,800 rpms right up into the high 5’s.

Thankfully, Mazda also replaced the 4-speed automatic transmission of the past with a 5-speed automatic for a smoother, quieter ride. With the 4-speed, and limited horsepower, it seemed the past-generation MPV often searched ceaselessly for the proper gear when carrying full loads. The result was an annoying and pervasive hum as overtaxed engine and confused transmission tried to do their mutual job.

Now, it has a smooth mating of power and gear ratios, and that problem is solved.

In advertisements for the MPV, Mazda declares it to have “the body of a minivan and the soul of a sports car.”

They’re half right – with the first claim – and I hope their second assertion doesn’t convince anyone that it’s OK to take the MPV out and fling it around. It is, after all, still a van, still a tall box, still less stable than a low-slung sports car.

That said, this is as nimble a van as I have driven. Its independent front suspension, mated with a torsion axle at the rear and a thicker rear stabilizer bar, makes for a surprisingly flat ride when passing and making lane changes and even when cornering, ful ly loaded, on tortuous back roads.

It doesn’t drive like a sports car, but it sure feels better than some sedans.

It carries up to seven people in myriad seating combinations and, with its 187.6 overall length, is remarkably maneuverable for a vehicle that holds that many. It is easy to park and simple to get in and out of tight quarters. I give it a leg up on my favorite van, the Odyssey, in this area. Of course, there is a tradeoff with this shorter length, and that is that the storage space behind the third row of seats is not expansive. It is helped by the well into which the third seat folds flat. With the third seat up to accommodate a full load, the well becomes a covered cargo bin, and more cargo can be loaded atop that.

Put the third seat down, and there’s plenty of space back there.

The middle and front seats are captain’s chairs, well bolstered upfront, firm and supportive – both there and in the middle. A nifty feaure of the middle two seats is that they slide on lateral tracks and can be left as individual seats with clear passage up the middle of the van, or can be pushed together as a two-passenger bench seat to either the left or right side, giving access from either side’s sliding door.

The base model DX MPV has been discontinued so it now comes in two models, the LX and, as tested, the ES.

ABS is standard on each while the LX has as standard features air conditioning, cruise control, and power windows and locks. Traction control, an option on the LX, is standard on the upscale ES, which also features electrically controlled rear doors (a nice feature but a bit too slow to open and close sometimes), leather interior, and rear air conditioning. The LX starts at just under $23,000 while the ES kicks off at just under $28,000.

Again, this is a revamp – not a full-blown redesign – and the latter could take many forms. My guess is we’ll see a new MPV meant to compete with the coming wave of crossovers. One thing I’d like to see is an all-wheel-drive option.

Nice touch: The power, downsliding windows in the middle sliding doors. Nice to be able to let fresh air into a van.

Annoyance: They have bent and positioned the shift lever, on the column, so that it does a Byron Dafoe-like job of blocking off the radio and its controls. Driver shoots for the volume control. Shift lever saves!

2002 Mazda MPV ES

Base price: $27,192

Price as tested: $28,637

Horsepower: 200

Torque: 200 lb.-ft.

Wheelbase: 111.8 inches

Overall length: 187 inches

Width: 72 inches

Height: 68.7 inches

Curb weight: 3,662 lbs.

Seating: 7 passengers

Fuel economy: 21.8 miles per gallon

SOURCE: Mazda Motor Corp.; fuel economy from Globe testing.

Nice touch

The power, downsliding windows in the middle sliding doors. Nice to be able to let fresh air into a van.

Annoyance

They have bent and positioned the shift lever, on the column, so that it does a Byron Dafoe-like job of blocking off the radio and its controls. Driver shoots for the volume control. Shift lever saves!