A few things have been done under warranty, but they are trivial. Generally very reliable so far.
The Premacy is enjoyable to drive with its fluid gear change and sharp well weighted steering that provides plenty of feel. It is also a comfortable car with a good ride quality and impeccable build quality.
The things that could have been done better are to:
1.) include a few more handy cubbies.
2.) make the engine less coarse and more quieter especially around 4000rpm.
3.) improve the front end grip very slightly (the handling other wise is very taut).
4.) make the interior more classy (the facelifted MK2 version is better).
5.) reduce the levels of road and wind noise at speed (most under £17K Japanese cars suffer from such problems because in Japan the roads are just so quiet, smooth and the Premacy is sold mainly in Japan).
Overall it is a good looking car especially with the optional body kit that we've got. A few more extras on the options list like leather seats, satellite navigation, cruise control and heated seats would have been nice, but otherwise it is a really sound car that I strongly recommend instead of a Renault Scenic or Citroen Picasso, which are both built out of old French baked bean tins. One thing that has to be mentioned is the cars excellent pulling power (torque?), stick it in 5th gear at 15mph an it will pull smoothly right up to its 115mph limit.
Nice call... French baked bean tins, now that is very true -I unfortunately own a Scenic.
I think the Mazda Premacy looks great, but ultimatetely it must be a DAM sight better built than our car.
The engine and gearbox are made from cardboard, the interior trim and rubber parts are manufactured from recycled bin bags.
Oh... and the paintwork is in fact water based poster paint from "ELC"!!
Owned my premacy from 2002.four clutches replaced under warranty (because of judder).tyres need replacing every 20k on the front. lots of understeer in the wet. lots of space so a good family car. fuel consumption on the heavy side and 9000m service intervals makes it fairly expensive to run.
Yes, clutch judder is the Premacy flaw, unfortunately.
As far as understeer is concerned, I have never had any. This could be down to my GSi's 195/55 R15 tyres which provide more than enough grip.
It seems like you are driving a people carrier like a sports car which in reality is not the best thing to do, unless you are in a lowered Zafira Turbo.
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