2004 Mazda 6 TS 1.8 petrol
Summary:
Great Looking Car, As Good As Anything In Its Class!!!
Faults:
Small piece of trim at end of kick plate had come adrift (although I think I might have done that)
General Comments:
Wanted something a bit different from the usual Vectra-Mondeo brigade so went for the sporty looking M6 1.8TS Hatch.
Now wish I went for the 2.0 as this is a bit on the sluggish side, but it would have cost so much more in company car tax.
Went for the metallic blue which I think everyone else has gone for, but I still reckon its the best colour and I still have customers commenting on how good it looks.
The paint does seem a bit on the thin side and marks very easy.
I have also found the panels are thin in places where you would push against them (on the bootlid for instance) which has caused a couple of unsightly dents.
Good service intervals at 12,500 miles and economy has settled down to about 36mpg, not bad seeing I carry 400 kgs of tools in the boot all the time (which by the way is deceptivly large).
The ride and handling are very good although the engine can get a little boomy at times, but its by no means obtrusive.
As a former Passat owner the material quality is not quite as good, but its certainly not bad either and I see no reason why I shouldn't be able to cover 100,000 miles in the 3 years I'm due to have it with no trouble at all.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 3rd November, 2004
20th Oct 2006, 13:34
Just a quick update.
It's now almost November in 2006 and my Mazda is now at 99,000 miles so will be going back to the fleet company in the next month or so. I've tried a Mazda 5 to replace it, but the economy put me off and after sitting in a Toyota Verso I realised the fit and finish of the interior wasn't up to much, so I am opting for the Verso next. (I also looked at the Grand Scenic = Built out of paper, VW Touran = can only afford the bottom specced 90PS model which is too much of a jump backwards)
I stand by all the comments I made earlier, but have a few things I need to add.
The dealer service on the most part is fine, it's just whenever there was a problem it usually took two or three visits to the dealer to sort as they never done anything more than the basic service. This is not funny when doing the mileage I do.
I hit a pothole very hard just before xmas last year and had to have both N/S wheels replaced plus the front lower suspension arm. Since then the car has pulled in towards the pavement and has been wearing the outer edge of the near side rear tyre. But the dealership can't find anything wrong despite five attempts at it.
The gearbox needed looking at at about 60.000 miles because it was jumping out of 4th and reverse was difficult to engage.
But don't let these little foibles put you off, this car has been one of the best cars I have owned. There are not many cars which can rack up the mileage at such a rate and still drive as fresh as a daisy.
Whoever gets this car, at a no doubt great price because of the mileage, will get themselves one hell of a good car.