The 5 is a cheaper (and smaller) car than the S-Max, so you'd get a newer one for your £10k. If you don't need the extra space (and you say you don't want a full-size MPV) the 5 could be right. The Toyota Verso is another possiblity, but the petrol engines are only 1.8s as against the choice of 1.8 or 2.0 in the Mazda.

There are some horror stories of Mazda diesels failing in a big way just when the warranty runs out, so you're right to stick to petrol.

We've just been through the same buying decision, and in the end chose an S-Max. The Mazda5 looked and drove well (in 2 litre petrol form at least), and as a former MX-5 owner we'd previously been happy with the dealer, but the middle seat in the second row of the Mazda5 put us off. There are really only two individual seats, with an occasional child seat which flips out from the seat base of one of the other seats when required. For us this meant we'd need to use the third row much more often, which in turn would mean no boot space. In my mind the S-Max just feels much more car like to drive as well.

I think however you will get a much newer Mazda5 for £10k. The cheapest S-Max we saw at the Ford dealer was £11k for a four year old LX, and similar age Titaniums are at least £1500 more.

Happy hunting!