Mazda6 Estate: month 6
Arrived: May 2008
List price (including options): £19,490
Average economy: 38.1mpg
The Mazda6 Estate has been -
In all truth the Mazda 6 has been playing second fiddle to a stream of test cars over the last month or so. Even so it's always been handy to have it around for those jobs that you need the space - as fun as sports cars are I never understand how people manage with one as their sole vehicle. Even after being parked up for a while the 6 started up without any problems, my fears that all the electric gubbins in modern cars would drain the batteries quickly never materialising - something some colleagues can't say after returning to cars left in airport car parks for a few weeks.
We're loving the -
Even with more exotic metal vying for my attention the 6 never fails to impress me when I get back behind the wheel. There's a lot to be said about familiarity and the 6 feels like home. It's still a hoot to drive too, with crisp turn in and tidy handling, the 6 still entertaining me enough to have me deliberately take the long trip home for the hell of it. I see a few on the road and I'm always impressed by the looks, but after having my girlfriend follow me to the office to drop off another car I can honestly say that the 6 is the nicest looking car in its class by a long way. Especially in estate guise, the dark blue of 'my' 6 also suiting the neat detailing like the headlamps and chrome trim strips around the windows.
But not so impressed by -
I've finally got my iPhone to connect to the Bluetooth, but calls are only occasionally audible. I reckon that's got everything to do with my new phone and nothing to do with the Mazda - it worked faultlessly with my old Nokia. Fuel consumption is still not quite as good as I hoped it might be, especially when I heard a colleague say they were getting the same mpg out of a diesel Subaru Legacy - which has four-wheel drive to haul around. In fairness I usually drive the 6 in something of a hurry, and with the price of fuel finally dropping I'm a little less concerned about how much I'm using.
We're looking forward to -
I had planned on servicing the Mazda by now, but it's not quite reached the mileage required. It will in the next week or so and I'll need to drop my local dealer a line and get it booked in. With winter finally here I've filled up the washers with proper washer fluid rather than water to stop it from freezing and my regular checks on the oil level still show it's not using any. I'll need to get an ice scraper for it too after the first snow fall of the year left me having to improvise with junk found in the boot to clear the windscreen. Mazda called to say we can hang onto it over Christmas too which is a result, as I'm feeling generous this year and the Mazda's big boot will be perfect for carrying all those pressies.
