Geoffmobile

My baby has big ears and nose...with slanted eyes and a sweet smile.
She weighs in at 1449 kgs.

Geoffmobile is borrowed from Batmobile. More appropriately, you can call it Oxmobile since I was born in the year of the Ox.

Mazda has a sports heritage and was famous for making the rotary engine. They are currently partly owned by Ford who actually makes wonderfully good cars to drive due to their driving dynamics. Superior road holding, brilliant steering feedback and F1 type cornering without tailspin are part of the package.

Ford owns Volvo and Jaguar too so do not be surprised that sometimes these cars share the same chassis and platform. The chassis is one of the most important part of what makes a car a driver's car.

The previous version of the Mazda 6 shared the same chassis as the Ford Mondeo in the same year which made it such a hot drive when it was released. This latest version, though bigger - is actually lighter than the older one thus consuming less $$$ = petrol. For a typical 2.0 litre car, it is considered normal for consumption to be 9km for a litre. I have since tested the new Mazda 6 and confirm that for a litre of petrol it would fetch you 10km. Excellent by any standard.

Interior


When you get into the car and turn on the ignition, you will first be greeted by a Zoom zoom zoom music, a Mazda slogan which appears gimmicky but heck it feels good actually. When you turn on the lights, you will feel a radiating warmth from the red and indigo blue lighting from the instrument panel which calms you down despite the anticipated excitement. Function and control buttons are all at the right places, clearly laid out giving a very good ambience all round.

Assembly quality and materials used are as good if not better than Volkswagen or Honda.

The interior is spacious - huge even. Simple yet elegant, classy with a sporty feel giving you a sensation that you are in a car 2-3 times its price. Seats are firm but comfortable with the right support for your lumbar and thighs and comes with memory for driver position.

Insulation is good and the engine is so quiet that an ant crawling on you dashboard could be audible. Yet it allows a muted roar from the engine when you step on the gases, just allowing enough decibels to let you know you are in power mode.

The trunk or boot space is quite enormous with about 16 cubic feet, enough to stuff 4 golf bags or for a family travel.

Exterior

It cast quite a large shadow since it is longer, wider and higher than the previous 6 with a sporty silhouette. Resemblance to the sports version in the RX-8 was not coincidental especially the muscular wheel arches. Strong body lines and stylishly designed back and front lights gives it a sexy look and enhances its stance showcasing a fluidity when cruising or an attractive head-turning look even when stationary.

Features

Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESP), 6 front air bags, split Dual-Zone Climate Control. built-in CD/MP3/FM (ipod anyone?) stereo with 6 speakers, auto-dimming rear mirror, auto-aircon, rain-sensor wipers and lighting, fog lights, audio control on steering, manual transmission from the joystick and paddle shift gives it high equipment ratings.

Front suspension is single wishbone with a sophisticated and effective multi-link setup at the back.

Drive

Steering feedback and solid braking makes you feel in control but it doesn't feel as heavy as my previous Mondeo. It is a bit more sugar-coated and lacking a bit of raw edge in the Mondeo or the old 6 but it can be a good thing as it is certainly more agile than the other two.

Steering feedback allows you to know that you have just gone over a pebble or a cigarette butt and a precision feel to let you know you are holding on to the asphalt.

Handling curvy roads will make you fall in love with the M6, a delight to drive yet compliant and comfortable making the passengers all cosy and the driver interested and engaged.

If you may like, you could easily switch to manual mode and and toy with the joystick flicking it up or down the +/- for forward or downward switch of gears or better still, you could even turn it on with F1 style paddle shift at your finger tips just by the steering wheels.

Conclusion

JD Power, the torch bearer and industrial leader's report on automobile reliability surprisingly rated the Mazda as the most reliable car in the world in a global survey in terms of breakdowns and others.

To me, this is the closest thing to a Beemer. My high expectations has been met, maybe even exceeded. It has been designed and engineered with the driver in mind in a very dynamic process. It is a car for people who love to drive. Leave this car alone if fun-to-drive factor is not your consideration. Moreover, it has brilliant driving dynamics all around and is read my lips - "reasonably priced".

If you are a sucker for a fabulous car without the cash for a BMW, an Audi or other expensive marques, this is the car to have! What are you waiting for?