Another Mazda

 

The MX5 is gone, but not forgotten.

The replacement is a pleasant machine. It drives well, is extremely comfortable, and some of its characteristics (gearshift and road manners) remind me of the MX5. 

It's a whole lot easier for a septuagenarian to access, and I don't have to make agonising decisions about preserving its value by not driving it in the rain, and keeping the kilometres low

I thought I knew a bit about Mazdas, but this car has provided a few surprises. Despite the smaller Mazdas having a bad reputation for road noise, I haven't found it a problem. Perhaps the tyres (almost new Michelins) help.

Whilst the seats feel hard and basic, I can drive long distances without developing the dreaded numb bum syndrome.  

Seats folded, it can shift a surprising amount of kit, as I discovered when helping my daughter shift her gear after her return from the UK. It also will accomodate a road bike, as my son discovered.

Existing audio. Works well, but way too many buttons.

These things come equipped with a good amount of tech, (GPS, bluetooth, voice activated calls) but I am replacing the stock audio setup with a touch screen with all the bells and whistles. The new audio won't do anything the old one wouldn't do by pairing it with a phone, but it's less fiddly and Apple Carplay is a good thing.

And with this car, I no longer am a worshipper on the "keep it original" altar. It's quite liberating.

It's mechanically very sound, although one problem with buying sight unseen is that unbeknownst to me prior to purchase, the paint had a few nasty surprises. Previous owner must have owned a cat which had fun climbing all over it and leaving minute scratches in the clearcoat.

I've removed some of them, but others are still noticeable under some light conditions. 

Next post I'll review the new audio kit.