Zoom-Zoom - What Mazda's are great at! (Mazda 626 2.0 GXi 5-door HB)

Name: UKRushbrook

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Product:	Mazda 626 2.0 GXi 5-door HB
Date:	18/02/06 (1509 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Smooth handling, great mpg, large storage space, plenty of space for all passengers

Disadvantages: Rear window panels

This is truly a nice car with lots of advantages and not a lot of disadvantages. My family and I have owned two Mazda 626's after seeing the enjoyment a relative had out of owning two themselves. My first Mazda 626 I bought right off the forecourt and put just over 123,000 miles on the odometer. My second Mazda 626 was an S Reg with 44,000 miles and was owned up until this past May. So I have owned, driven, and maintained 2 Mazda 626's for over 9 years.

There are a few disadvantages which I shall detail -
A. The side panels located behind the rear passenger windows are quite large and have proven a little awkward while trying to reverse. This is particularly true in the newer 626 styles. The older saloon and hatchback styles did not have such a big issue and I believe had a greater view. Compared to say the Ford or Vauxhall mid-range family size cars, the rear window is not extremely large which again makes reversing more of a chore.

B. Getting the vehicle serviced is not necessarily cheap (approximately £100-225 depending on type of service) every 6 months, the lack of breakdowns I have had made this a worth-while investment and gave me great peace of mind. My mechanics confirmed several times that the only major achilles heel that the 626 tends to have is the issue of the brake pads and the discs which tend to wear out quicker than average. I had this problem on both of my 626's and it tends to run £180-215 for full replacements. For some reason, this only tends to affect the front more so than the rear.

C. The only other disadvantage that some may have an issue with is the vehicle's styling. It is not considered to be exceptionally sporty in appearance and is more of a good ol' family car especially when compared to other vehicles in the same price range. However, I personally like the style and always found it a joy to drive and to admire!

Now to what I saw as the vehicle's advantages -
1. Reliability - As I mentioned earlier in the review, I have never had any major breakdowns, but I have also ensured that it received its regular maintenance checkups. The Mazda 626 has received great reviews year after year.

2. Safety - Again, Mazda's have obtained great rewards in the regards to safety features. Very firm cars.

3. Spaciousness - Excellent for all which the exception being that those who are a little larger in body mass or frame could have a little uncomfortable fit under the steering column. The column does allow for some adjustment, but possibly not enough for some. I have three children and never had any complaints from any of them as to having enough room and I had one a teenager and the other two coming up for teenage years.

4. Comfort - All the styles and models that I tried before finally settling on the 2.0 GXi were comfortable no matter where you were seated in the vehicle. Unlike Vauxhalls and the ridge in the middle seat, the rear middle seat will comfortably take an adult, although for long distance road journey's it would probably become rather difficult. The seats seem to conform to the body, particularly in the front and the enveloping feel adds to the joy of driving this car.

5. Handling - The vehicle handles and corners superbly and I particularly like the wider body style which is helpful either in-town or motorway driving. Reversing (apart from the view) is easy and the car will turn and stop with plenty of room to spare. The 5 speed gear box is smooth, but tends to like higher rpm's in 1st - 3rd gears. It seems to like 3500-4500 level and moves up quite quickly. The top end gears can be a little sluggish if a driver wanted to make quick lane changes on the motorway or even on a smaller road. The best choice is to simply drop into 4th and the engine purrs away. Having said that, With very little road noise and not much fuss, the vehicle will move up to 100mph in a matter of seconds.

6. Customer Service - I have only received two recalls for either Mazda 626 both of which were for minor adjustments that only took a matter of minutes to repair. Neither really affected the handling or the safety of the vehicle. In both situations, both the service department and the staff of the dealership were very professional. Service was handled quickly and did not make me dread getting anything else in the post from them. All services have been handled in a good business setting and I have always found those working in Mazda service department and dealerships to be extremely helpful and eager to make sure that you are completely satisfied with your purchase.

7. Security - The vehicle does have a central locking system which is operated from the driver's side door with key or with the remote control and is smooth. There are no annoying beeps to signal the alarm system has been set. The alarm when it goes off is a steady horn sound but not the shrill annoying type. Another feature is that if the car's alarm system is set off or somebody breaks in, everything shuts down and the car's engine will be disabled. Without the proper key, the car cannot be started and driven away.

8. Looks - As I mentioned earlier, some people do not like the styling, but I do. When giving it a good wash and a wax, it shines up a real treat. It is easy to get to any part of the vehicle so even hoovering the inside or the boot is not difficult. One small hitch with the width of the car is that it may not fit inside all garages.

9. Features - These include a fairly decent stereo system. You can get it standard with cd/radio or cassette/radio. Electric windows with the driver's side window able to be lowered at just one touch of the button. For safety purposes with small children, the rear doors come standard with safety locks and the windows can be locked into set positions from the driver's side console. Each instrument is easy to read and all features are easily reached without unnecessary movements or anything that would distract your eyes from the road. One of the additional items is that the engine is large enough to allow you to pull a caravan which we have done. We owned for a time a two-axle Trophy caravan that we would take holidays in and apart from trying to climb some steep hills, it did an admirable job.

10. Fuel Consumption - Depending on your style of driving, I found that I would get 25+mpg while in and around town, but constant motorway use increased dramatically to 35-38mpg even with a full passenger load. Again, they will easily tow a caravan and with the wider body style the views down the sides of the caravan are easily managed without additional mirrors; however, the fuel consumption does drop considerably when towing as with all vehicles.

In conclusion, we have been the proud owners of two of these lovely cars and are considering a third Mazda 626 or Mazda 6. I would not hesitate to either recommend or buy another one (even used provided I knew it had a good service history). It is good for families and alongside the reputation that Mazda has, I would recommend this to anybody desiring a classy car with a good ride, smooth handling, and a real joy to own.

Summary: Great family car with classy looks and great reputation!

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