While camping at our favorite provincial park this summer I noticed a new breed of family vehicles wedged between the massive SUVs and the block-like minivans. They were smaller than their neighbors, yet still capable of hauling up to seven people. They were—dare I say it—sporty?

That combination of size and style proved to be irresistible to John Manalo. “I didn’t want a minivan, but we needed something that was versatile and not thirsty on gas,” says the 42-year-old IT administrator at the University of Toronto. “There’s only my wife and our six-year-old son right now, but every now and then we have visitors and we are thinking about having another child down the road.”

The Manalo clan decided to buy the six-seater Mazda5, one of two new miniature minivans available in Canada. The alternate choice for anti-van families is the similarly styled Kia Rondo, which can seat five or seven passengers. Both vehicles are clamoring for the title of best compact minivan, so we let them slug it out in a side-by-side comparison.

MAZDA5 – $19,995 to $26,125: Introduced to Canadians two years ago, Mazda’s entry is the veteran in the field. An early recall hobbled this athletic wagon after its launch, but it has since proven to be a reliable family hauler. “This is the perfect car for a family of four,” says Mohamed Bouchama, executive director of the nonprofit Car Help Canada. “It’s good on fuel, it’s reliable and it’s not a bad price.”

Powered by the same 2.3-litre engine found in the sporty Mazda3 GT hatchback, the Mazda5 gets four-cylinder economy without feeling sluggish. It burns a modest 8.3 litres of regular fuel for every 100 km of highway driving or 11.2 litres of fuel per 100 km in the city.