2004 Mazda 6 review from Malaysia

The front passenger side door has a loose cable the dealer can't seem to rectify. It makes an irritating rattling noise. Sent in the car 3 times and they have yet to solve it. Spoke to the technician and he tells me they thought it was on the driver's side! Well, maybe fourth time's a charm.

Had the bumper gashed by an errant motorcyclist. It has been replaced for RM 1,200. The paint job is OK, but the colour is just a bit off.

The car's handling is great. Every day I go through a series of twist and turns on the way to work. This car tows the line superbly. Previously drove a BMW (e38 and e34) and this car does it just as well.

Power-wise, the 2.0 is barely sufficient if you're an enthusiastic driver. Don't expect the car to overtake faster than the average car on the road. It hasn't got enough power, then again it is only a 2 liter.

The car is generally quite quiet. However if you're one expecting a luxury ride in silence, this is not it. Tire noise is evident (riding on stock 17") and the sound insulation could be improved.

As the car is shod with 17", the ride is expectedly a bit bumpy. Greatest fear I have is the long term effects on the interior as Malaysian roads are not exactly smooth all the way. No dashboard rattle yet!

In Malaysia, this car sells at a premium of almost 30% above an Accord 2.0 and Camry 2.0. The key difference being this car is a CBU (completely built up) from Japan and comes standard with 3 year warranty. Not many on the road and gives individuality to the driver.