Mazda News Round Up
You may or may not know, Mazda was very successful at the 2006 What Car? Awards on 19 January. With two category wins and two ‘highly recommended’ nominations Mazda was one of the most successful manufacturers. The new What Car? magazine is now on the shelves (March 2006 edition) and focuses heavily on the awards.
The Mazda RX-8 reinforces its dominance of the Coup?� class, winning the category for an amazing third year in a row! Pages 82-83 are dedicated to praising the beauty, performance and chassis of the RX-8. The car’s highly specified interior, unique freestyle-door access and taut and agile handling are key points identified which set it apart from runner-ups, the Audi TT, BMW 6-Series and Nissan 350Z.
‘Best Open-Top’ was the category won by the new Mazda MX-5 (p.86-87). The car’s ‘exquisite balance and phenomenal handling’ set it apart from the competition as do the ‘excellent economy, reasonable insurance rates and outstanding resale values’.
The Mazda 6 is ‘highly recommended (p.67) in the ‘Best Estate Car’ category and is described as ‘outstanding value for money’ whilst the interior, seats, safety and load space are praised.
On page 99, the Mazda 5 is ‘highly recommended’ in the ‘Compact MPV’ category. What Car? describe it as ‘heaven-sent’ in addition to being practical whilst enjoyable to drive.
In addition to the awards section, pages 182 and 183 feature WhatCar?’s recommendations for ‘great used cars’ including the Mazda6 and Mazda MX-5.
Finally, ‘Diesel Car’ magazine’s February issue features the Mazda 5 TS2 Diesel as one of their ‘favourite cars so far’ for 2006. It is described as ‘fiendishly clever’ with journalist Danny Cobbs commenting on its versatility, sliding doors and five star Euro NCAP rating. It is also tipped to be in the running for a prize in the 2006 Diesel Car Awards.