1. Why a Mazda 6?
It was attraction at first sight. I saw the Mazda 6 in their signature red in the concourse of a shopping mall some time back. I did not know about the Kodo design language, at the time. I looked at it and I thought, “wow”. I went over to have a look and only then realised it was the Mazda 6.
I had the Volkswagen Passat CC then and in typical fashion of someone who has a continental car, I immediately dismissed the idea of selling on the VW to buy the Mazda 6. It was a few months later when I started having all sorts of issues with my ownership of the Passat that I thought of selling it. It speaks volumes for the eye catching design that I went straight to the Mazda showroom to test drive the car. I drove it and it felt almost German in handling. It was spacious and had a well-designed boot which could accommodate the three golf bags and their carts. It had almost all the bells and whistles that I wanted and was CBU. Without looking any further, I signed on the dotted line.
2. What do you feel each time you get behind the wheel?
Even after 19 months, I am still agog with how nice this design is. Reviewers wax lyrical about the exterior design. Less is said about the interior. The interior is exactly right; unfussy and functional, with everything where it should be. So far it all works well and the car still feels very good to drive. And it is economical too.
3. Do you feel it lives up to the Zoom-Zoom promise?
Yes it does. I love the sound of the high compression engine and with its light body and adequate power and torque, it feels good to drive. The acceleration is linear and it does feel quick enough, but I do miss the turbo-charged rush of a TSI engine. I have driven Toyotas and Hondas before and I feel the Mazda handles better than both those two.
4. Do people take a second look when you drive by?
I have caught some folks casting admiring glances. It is certainly not at me, so I must assume it’s the car. Funnily enough though, I was walking along the street one day and I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye of an ethereal shape gliding past. I thought “wow”, then only to find that it was the Mazda 6 in grey.
5. How do you think you are perceived driving a Mazda 6?
Interesting question. I had not considered it until now. I suppose people would think of me as someone who is not willing to or cannot afford to step up to the continental cars but was keen to disassociate myself from the more “uncle” Japanese cars.
6. Why not the Camry or the Accord?
I have had three Toyotas over the last 23 years and my wife was driving a Honda Civic when I first met her. Both Hondas and Toyotas are good brands and I had no issues with ownership of either of those brands. However, I am a person who has no real brand loyalty and I look to see which car appe
als to me most at the time. As I said before, it was attraction at first sight with the Mazda 6.
7. Any unhappy episodes with the car so far?
Absolutely not. I am still within the 60,000km service package which came with the purchase of the car. There have been no issues save the battery which needed changing, but that was covered under the package. I only had to pay for the replacement of one of the tyres which was damaged due to a nail in the side wall. Painless experience when compared with my previous car.
8. What do you not like about the car?
I find that the 19-inch wheels on the 2.5L model make the ride a bit harsh. The other thing is the “softness” of the sheet metal. I understand that it is part of Mazda’s strategy of lowering weight and making it more economical to run and all that, but I must say that it dents far too easily.
9. Would you buy one again?
If the Mazda made the next 6 more Kodo than this one, sure.
10. If the Mazda 6 were a celebrity, who would it be?
This is a tough one. I like to think of cars as masculine in many ways, but this 6 would be Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow in the Avengers series…curves in all the right places but kicks ass when it counts.
Good or bad, happy or sad, share your experience as a car owner. E-mail denis@countersteer.my