Mazda MPV: This Season's Tailgate MVP

- Football Game Festivities Mazda Style With Food, Fun and Zoom-Zoom -

IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 4 -- In a crowded stadium parking lot teeming with run-of-the-mill and oftentimes indistinguishable sport utilities, Mazda brings a touch of the unexpected to the time-honored tradition of tailgating. With an appealing blend of styling, packaging, functionality and amenities, the Mazda MPV distances itself from other tailgate vehicles like an endzone-bound running back leaves behind a stampede of pursuing tacklers.

Just getting to the stadium in the MPV is half the fun when game day rolls around. The MPV features a spirited 200-horsepower, 3.0-liter engine, giving the vehicle the fun-to-drive, race-inspired performance of a sports car with the capacity to carry more than just a few sodas. With aggressive styling and ample room for seven passengers and all their cargo, the eye-catching MPV not only struts its stuff on the road, it hauls it too.

Mazda's exclusive Side-by-Slide(TM) seating allows the middle row captain's chairs to move not only fore and aft, but also together to create a bench seat. The MPV's many seating arrangements can be configured to accommodate coolers, grills and other tailgate necessities.

Even more, MPV drivers can travel safely and confidently through troubling game-day traffic, knowing it's one of the top-rated crash-tested passenger vans according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Once parked comfortably among other pigskin fans, the MPV shows its true team colors, even allowing four people to sit facing each other. The back of the vehicle's rear bench can fold 90 degrees, allowing it to act as an outward-facing seat. In this position, tailgaters can sit comfortably with their legs dangling over the rear bumper. In addition, the middle row captain's chairs can be removed with ease and placed on the ground outside the vehicle for use as tailgate recliners.

For the latest scores from games around the country, as well as updates and interviews in stereo, the MPV features a nine-speaker 180-watt audio system and a Sirius-ready satellite radio unit. It also offers a Mazda DVD entertainment system -- perfect for replaying the highlights of years past.

Like every Mazda model, the MPV comes with a four-year roadside assistance program. With a call to a toll-free number, MPV owners can access roadside assistance 24 hours a day, 365 days a year throughout the United States and Canada. For all Mazda vehicles, the company will provide a free loaner car in the event a warrantable condition requires the use of alternative transportation.

The Mazda MPV is covered by a comprehensive four-year/50,000-mile warranty that covers every part on the vehicle except those subject to normal wear. In addition, the MPV is covered by a five-year/unlimited-mileage corrosion warranty.

Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) is responsible for the sales and marketing, customer service and parts support of Mazda vehicles in the United States. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., MNAO has more than 700 dealerships nationwide.