Price: $23,875
Gas mileage: 21 city and 28 highway mpg

Macho factor: Sporty styling and athletic handling.

If your idea of macho transportation is a big honking pickup truck, you will probably be underwhelmed by the smallest entry on our list, the Mazda5 Grand Touring.

But you shouldn't be. Think of it as minivan lite. It's the most fuel-efficient among our choices.

At 180.5 inches, it's nearly 2 feet shorter than the Kia Sedona, yet it still seats up to six. With the second- and third-row seats folded down, it offers about 28 cubic feet of cargo room. Arguably this isn't a big space, but because of the way it is configured, it can hold a lot of stuff.

The optional driver-shiftable, five-speed, automatic transmission delivers the 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine's 157 horsepower to the front wheels. It doesn't sound like much giddy-up, but the Mazda5 is surprisingly quick.

Because it isn't as tall as other minivans, has a lower ride and its suspension is tuned for sporty, car-like handling, the Mazda5 is a blast to drive.

Its standard features list includes full power accessories, remote keyless entry, tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, leather seating, automatic climate control with pollen filter and a six-speaker audio system with six-disc CD changer and auxiliary input jack.