| Arrival date: | | May 2008 |
| Price: | | £19,490 |
| Current mileage: | | 13,600-miles |
| Average economy: | | 38.4mpg |
| Relevant links: | |
First drive of the Mazda6
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Been anywhere interesting?
Our Mazda6 wagon has been pretty busy of late, though it's had a chance to take a short rest and visit a dealer for its 12,500-mile first service. Straight after that it was pressed into service running down to Wales to watch a few stages of Rally GB, where with no Mazdas to cheer on we followed the progress of Guy Wilks in a Mitsubishi. Well, it's another Japanese firm, he's a Brit and, err, his car brand starts with the letter M, too. Tenuous perhaps, but fun. After that it was straight to the hand car wash, as the 6 was carrying a good deal of Wales on its bodywork after driving down some pretty mucky roads. It's amazing how good a car wash you can get for £12 these days, the 6 shining like new after just ten minutes.
Anything stand out...?
Rallying seems to be as much an endurance event for the spectators as is for the drivers. Thankfully the 6 took it all in its stride. With the engine oil topped up and a clean bill of health from its service I had no qualms jumping in it, filling up the tank and heading towards Swansea. I covered around 550 miles in one day, the Mazda the perfect companion, with the supportive seats keeping my back ache-free despite many hours behind the wheel, and the big boot mercifully loaded full of warm and dry clothes, boots, umbrellas, torches and the likes that come in handy in Wales at this time of year. I hadn't loaded any of that kit specifically for the rallying, it seems to just all have gravitated towards the cavernous 6's boot and stayed there over the past few months...
The one-touch folding rear seats proved a real boon the other day too. I've not had the need to drop them since Le Mans in June and I'd forgotten just how simple it was. Doing so allowed me to chuck my bike in the boot to give me transport home from Mazda's Pilling Motor Group Ltd. dealership where it went for a service. Thankfully it's only a few miles away, meaning a short cycle there and back to drop it off and collect it.
...and for the wrong reasons?
I have absolutely no complaints with the service at Pilling Milton Keynes Mazda. I was able to book my first service online and was phoned only a few moments after doing so. They managed to fit me in pretty much straight away and being so close by meant it was a cinch dropping it off and picking it up. Being the first service I didn't bother to ask how much it was likely to cost. I figured on a maximum of £150-180 so when Pilling called to say it was ready for collection and would be £270 I was pretty shocked. That's a heap of money for what should be a very simple check-over. I phoned a few places around the country and found that Pilling's price was among the cheapest, some dealers charging over £300. For a first service?
Apparently being a diesel the tappets need checking, but speaking to the people at the dealership it's an aural check in most instances. I hate to think what it'd have cost if they needed adjusting. Pilling did give it a good scrub inside and out and the service from the staff was impeccable, but I can't help but think that £270 for a spot of oil, a wash and some washer fluid is very, very expensive indeed.
Having used the Bluetooth systems of many other manufacturers recently I've come to realise how hopeless the one in the 6 is. It's hardly hands-free at all. Unless you know the number of the person you want to speak to (and who remembers numbers these days?) and can get it to understand your voice when shouting them out, then you need to use the phone itself to dial out. I'm sure plod wouldn't be happy if they caught you doing that, so I'm reduced to just receiving calls. Or pulling over to connect.
Where next?
I've been so busy with some of the other cars around here that my girlfriend has been pinching the Mazda on occasion. She likes it, but finds it a bit big to park in the tight spaces outside the flat. With Christmas only a few weeks off it'll be pressed into service soon visiting friends and family all over the country. That's something it's sure to do well, though I think I'll perhaps have to empty the boot before long. The thing is though, where do I put all the stuff that's in it?
