Discussion
I must say Mazda are probably making some of the best looking cars at the moment. Had a look in a new 3 saloon and the 6 estate and I was really impressed. They've come on massively over the last year also and I reckon they will soon be seen as a "premium" brand. Take note VW, not every replacement has to look the same with near enough the same interiors.
I'm beginning to agree.
This week I took delivery of a brand new 64 plate Mazda 6 SE-L NAV 2.0 145ps petrol 'sports tourer' estate. Really impressed tbh, and I have to confess my first Jap car is a very nice change from VAG/Ford/Vx.
I love how simple and classy yet utilitarian the dash is. Even down to little touches such as putting the entire centre console displays (clock, climate control displays etc) behind a single panel of glass. No dust-clogged inlaid displays to struggle to clean, finally! While sparse on first glance, I think the interior is actually very well designed and nicely presented once you take time to look it over.
It's a very practical and spacious car, nipping at the heels of our previous Superb for passenger space but with the agility and ease of use of something much smaller. The interior looks much classier though and the seats are massively better and more supportive.
The engine is taking some getting used to, but I've spent 8 years driving diesels and decided I'd had enough of them. The maths didn't add up for me any more especially with the DPF demanding bi-weekly special journeys just to empty it. Our 63 plate Astra 2.0 CDTI 165ps was lucky to get 35mpg in town and 45mpg on a run if I really tried hard to be frugal. The power band was also minuscule (peak torque at 1,750rpm until 2,250rpm!) and it was just... dull... without any financial recompense at the pumps.
I really don't know quite how to describe what I mean in how different the 2.0 N/A SkyActiv petrol engine feels! It certainly doesn't feel underpowered, but below 3k revs it's very gentle sounding and just pushes you up to speed without fuss or any sense of... fun? 'Flat' is too strong a word by far, because the speedo climbs faster than it feels like you're accelerating, and it's certainly not the same feeling as in a TD (nothing, nothing, whoosh). I don't really have the experience of petrols to adequately compare or describe what I'm getting at. Maybe someone with more petrol and less diesel sludge in their experience can help me out on that one haha.
Changing gears between 2k and 2.5k revs up the box gets you to 30/40mph in a few seconds without drama and it's a refined place to be (and so ideal because we have a little daughter due in March). But it only comes alive higher up the rev counter.
Around 2.5k to 3k the engine lights up and starts shouting 'brrrm' fairly loudly - at least relative to the hushed whispers beforehand. The long 4 > 2 > 1 exhaust manifold is the reason apparently and it does sound nice. At this stage (from 3k revs to the redline) it makes MUCH more urgent progress and despite modest book numbers it's great fun to throw down an NSL country road. The sensation of acceleration and speed is entertaining but add in the sharp steering response, precise handling and lively dynamics and it really is a decent family motor compromise.
I get to hush the baby around town with no fuss in a decent state of relative refinement (good riddance 2.0 CDTI Astra!), then drop her of and hoon around the B roads like a teenager with a big grin on my face. Best of all I'm pleasantly surprised at the pump. Filling from the green nozzle after almost a decade took a bit of getting used to, but the sums have worked out in our favour which is a bonus.
I got 47mpg combined in the first couple of days ownership though that was with a lot of motorway. I am finding that 46 to 49mpg on the motorway at 70-80mph (with occasional bouts of 'making progress') and 38 to 42mpg around town is repeatable without trying. Thanks to being NA the fuel efficiency doesn't really seem affected by a few minutes of hooning between sensible driving (where in a TD it would have plummeted). Add in the cheaper pump price for unleaded and no DPF and I'm sold.
That fairly large, chunky front end with aggressive lines also seems to hold some road presence. I ended up with a tourer in aluminium grey and I either look like undercover police or 'something'. I've gone from being invisible on the road to being flashed out of every junction I come to, and with people diving out of my way in the 3rd lane well in advance of my arrival. I like it a lot.
A bit off topic, kind of, but I hope it illustrates that Mazda do seem to be making well thought out - and nicely designed - cars that are attracting a new segment of driver and delivering on their promises. Apologies if this wasn't in the intended spirit of your thread but I hope it'll reinforce your point because I came to the exact same conclusion while shopping around Skoda, VW, Ford and BMW.
All the other cars were very samey-samey and nothing seemed much different from the last time I went car shopping 3 years ago. When we chanced upon Mazda and were lured in by the exterior styling and size of the 6, we started looking closer. It was quickly realised they 'stood out' for several reasons and there was finally a manufacturer who ticked all the boxes, hadn't downsized and turbo'd the engine, and could actually deliver well specified models with only 2 weeks wait between deliveries. In my experience the only thing letting down the brand are sub-par dealers.
This week I took delivery of a brand new 64 plate Mazda 6 SE-L NAV 2.0 145ps petrol 'sports tourer' estate. Really impressed tbh, and I have to confess my first Jap car is a very nice change from VAG/Ford/Vx.
I love how simple and classy yet utilitarian the dash is. Even down to little touches such as putting the entire centre console displays (clock, climate control displays etc) behind a single panel of glass. No dust-clogged inlaid displays to struggle to clean, finally! While sparse on first glance, I think the interior is actually very well designed and nicely presented once you take time to look it over.
It's a very practical and spacious car, nipping at the heels of our previous Superb for passenger space but with the agility and ease of use of something much smaller. The interior looks much classier though and the seats are massively better and more supportive.
The engine is taking some getting used to, but I've spent 8 years driving diesels and decided I'd had enough of them. The maths didn't add up for me any more especially with the DPF demanding bi-weekly special journeys just to empty it. Our 63 plate Astra 2.0 CDTI 165ps was lucky to get 35mpg in town and 45mpg on a run if I really tried hard to be frugal. The power band was also minuscule (peak torque at 1,750rpm until 2,250rpm!) and it was just... dull... without any financial recompense at the pumps.
I really don't know quite how to describe what I mean in how different the 2.0 N/A SkyActiv petrol engine feels! It certainly doesn't feel underpowered, but below 3k revs it's very gentle sounding and just pushes you up to speed without fuss or any sense of... fun? 'Flat' is too strong a word by far, because the speedo climbs faster than it feels like you're accelerating, and it's certainly not the same feeling as in a TD (nothing, nothing, whoosh). I don't really have the experience of petrols to adequately compare or describe what I'm getting at. Maybe someone with more petrol and less diesel sludge in their experience can help me out on that one haha.
Changing gears between 2k and 2.5k revs up the box gets you to 30/40mph in a few seconds without drama and it's a refined place to be (and so ideal because we have a little daughter due in March). But it only comes alive higher up the rev counter.
Around 2.5k to 3k the engine lights up and starts shouting 'brrrm' fairly loudly - at least relative to the hushed whispers beforehand. The long 4 > 2 > 1 exhaust manifold is the reason apparently and it does sound nice. At this stage (from 3k revs to the redline) it makes MUCH more urgent progress and despite modest book numbers it's great fun to throw down an NSL country road. The sensation of acceleration and speed is entertaining but add in the sharp steering response, precise handling and lively dynamics and it really is a decent family motor compromise.
I get to hush the baby around town with no fuss in a decent state of relative refinement (good riddance 2.0 CDTI Astra!), then drop her of and hoon around the B roads like a teenager with a big grin on my face. Best of all I'm pleasantly surprised at the pump. Filling from the green nozzle after almost a decade took a bit of getting used to, but the sums have worked out in our favour which is a bonus.
I got 47mpg combined in the first couple of days ownership though that was with a lot of motorway. I am finding that 46 to 49mpg on the motorway at 70-80mph (with occasional bouts of 'making progress') and 38 to 42mpg around town is repeatable without trying. Thanks to being NA the fuel efficiency doesn't really seem affected by a few minutes of hooning between sensible driving (where in a TD it would have plummeted). Add in the cheaper pump price for unleaded and no DPF and I'm sold.
That fairly large, chunky front end with aggressive lines also seems to hold some road presence. I ended up with a tourer in aluminium grey and I either look like undercover police or 'something'. I've gone from being invisible on the road to being flashed out of every junction I come to, and with people diving out of my way in the 3rd lane well in advance of my arrival. I like it a lot.
A bit off topic, kind of, but I hope it illustrates that Mazda do seem to be making well thought out - and nicely designed - cars that are attracting a new segment of driver and delivering on their promises. Apologies if this wasn't in the intended spirit of your thread but I hope it'll reinforce your point because I came to the exact same conclusion while shopping around Skoda, VW, Ford and BMW.
All the other cars were very samey-samey and nothing seemed much different from the last time I went car shopping 3 years ago. When we chanced upon Mazda and were lured in by the exterior styling and size of the 6, we started looking closer. It was quickly realised they 'stood out' for several reasons and there was finally a manufacturer who ticked all the boxes, hadn't downsized and turbo'd the engine, and could actually deliver well specified models with only 2 weeks wait between deliveries. In my experience the only thing letting down the brand are sub-par dealers.
Edited by DervHead on Monday 1st December 02:06
My friend asked me for help chosing a car. We ended up getting him a '59'-plate Mazda 2. Based on the Fiesta, but with a better engine, better steering, better ride and a better dashboard.
Another friend is now asking me the same question. I've pointed him in the same direction.
Mazda are up to some good stuff at the moment- SkyActiv engines which are a range of efficient petrols, They're doggedly chasing weight savings and their styling looks as good or better than most european cars now.
Another friend is now asking me the same question. I've pointed him in the same direction.
Mazda are up to some good stuff at the moment- SkyActiv engines which are a range of efficient petrols, They're doggedly chasing weight savings and their styling looks as good or better than most european cars now.
BritishRacinGrin said:
My friend asked me for help chosing a car. We ended up getting him a '59'-plate Mazda 2. Based on the Fiesta, but with a better engine, better steering, better ride and a better dashboard.
Another friend is now asking me the same question. I've pointed him in the same direction.
Mazda are up to some good stuff at the moment- SkyActiv engines which are a range of efficient petrols, They're doggedly chasing weight savings and their styling looks as good or better than most european cars now.
Since Mazda stopped sharing production technologies and underlying parts with Ford they are much improved. As you say the SkyActiv chassis, engines and transmissions are a big step forward and the cars are not only much lighter than before, but nicer to drive and better on fuel. A longer warranty would have been the icing on the cake, but they seem generally solid (unless you buy a DPF-equipped diesel... maybe).Another friend is now asking me the same question. I've pointed him in the same direction.
Mazda are up to some good stuff at the moment- SkyActiv engines which are a range of efficient petrols, They're doggedly chasing weight savings and their styling looks as good or better than most european cars now.
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