2005 Mazda 6 TS2 review from UK and Ireland

Nothing. A vandal kicked off the wing mirror, but that is a sign of our maliciously envious society. It never happened to my old Passat. Maybe the hooligans felt sorry for me when I drove a VW.

This Mazda 6 estate is the first ever zero defect car I have owned in twenty odd years of motoring.

This car is better than the Passat it replaced.

I bought the car from the same salesman who had changed dealerships! This makes it look like VW are losing their loyal supporters. I had driven VWs for twenty years. It took a lot to put me off: waterpumps; waterleaks; ECU failure; and a garage which claimed it did not know how to change ATF fluid! The last straw was when I lost trust in the salesmen... They were taking me for granted and did not think I would go to another garage. Enough is enough.

The Mazda is agile. The Passat was like driving an old fashioned baby buggy with a lurching nose and bouncy rear end. The Mazda sits on the road like a cat and you can throw it through corners. I am not an aggressive driver, but you feel safe driving "adventurously". I think the estate is worth the extra money because it give extra height to the cabin which I need.

The seats worried me for a time because they seemed low down and on the small side, but I have to admit they give good support and show no signs of wear or tear. I would recommend the dark coloured interior rather than the grey.

The sound system is awesome. The air con is superb. Everything is logical. You never have to read the handbook. I did not understand how counter-intuitive the old VW was until I found I could work out everything on the Mazda without looking it up in a handbook.