Tested a 2.0l diesel Mazda MPV yesterday and was very surprised at its acceleration and the overall ride quality. It's quite a bit smaller than the Hyundai Trajet I drove a few weeks ago and felt like it. The interior was nicely finished and not too fussy. Standard equipment was very good and offered everything I want/need. The sunroof was very nice and a bonus in a car with air-con.
I was, however, a little disappointed with the seating.
At around 5'8" tall I found the head/ shoulder room available in the middle outside seats very limited. Also the various seating configurations were limited by the fact that none of the seats swivelled and strangely, the rearmost 2 seats apparently would not fold flat in the same was as the middle ones. I can't understand this at all since it greatly reduces luggage space unless you take the rear 2 out - something I'd prefer not to have to do.
As regards price (and with no haggling) the ex demo 53 plate silver model I drove was offered at £15.5k (£500 off screen price) and a 6k model with tow bar for £15k (again £500 OSP). He'd do a new one with metallic for £18.2k (£2.2k off list) but suggested the ex demo models were much better value. Drive the Deal would do it new for about £500 less.
As regards the petrol v. diesel argument and despite my low annual mileage of 4-6k, he advised me against the former. He said they were not popular, would depreciate much faster and would be harder to shift in the future. I'm not sure if all that holds water though and would be interested in anyone else's views on that.
One other thing - I noticed a sort of vibration through the clutch pedal when changing gear. It was almost as if something had come loose inside and was knocking. I had no problems finding any of the gears though and heard no alarming noises. Anyone got any idea what the cause of this might be?
Overall, a nice car with some nice touches - especially the sun roof and rear sliding doors. All let down a bit by the lack of passenger headroom and infelixble rearmost seats.
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Volvoman, I'm not sure when you say Mazda MPV,is that the Premacy, if so check out the Motorpoint website for good deals on Premacy diesels,prices are reasonable.
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Hi AZ - no, the Premacy is a lot smaller than the imaginatively named 'MPV' which is Mazda's largest offering in this country and about the same size as the Chrysler Voyager. It'd be nice to get one for Premacy money though:)
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Mother-in-law bought a Mazda Premecy 2.0 Diesel approx 3 years ago and has been very pleased with it.
Ease of access and practicality were her main purchasing criteria, but she had also become disillusioned by shockingly bad Rover group cars. Her previous Montego estate had been a complete disaster.
The Mazda has been a revelation. 100% reliable and fault free in the 3 years she has owned it. Unreservedly reccommended if reliability is a priority.
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Reliability is certainly a very big factor for me - hence my interest in the Mazda MPV. Mazda cars certainly do seem to do very well in all the surveys and the MPV's service intervals are now at 12.5k as opposed to the 6k mark for the original model. Pity about the Premacy though, it'd just too small for my needs so it's the MPV or nothing from the Mazda stable.
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go for diesel if you want a better resale value its true diesels are the preffered choice in this type of vehicle
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If you want reliability go for it. Experience the glow of knowing you'll reach your destination every time.
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Diesels are much preferred, so I tend to agree with the salesman on this - and it's not a bad price.
Luckily you're the kind of guy who keeps his car for a long time; given the rarity and lack of demand for these things, I'd probably put it in AutoTrader now if you want to get shot in five years' time.
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Thanks all - so it's agreed that the diesel would be easier to sell on in the future. David is right to say that I don't change cars often, in fact I've only had 5 in over 20 years of motoring - Renault 20tl, Toyota Corolla, Nissan Cherry, Rover 820 and Volvo 940. All were bought second hand and so I don't suppose I've lost very much via depreciation :)
My aim is to keep this car for quite a long time as my children are still young and will only get bigger. Due to my youngest son's medical problems we will tend to holiday in the UK so although my mileage is low it will probably increase a bit over time. The car will not be used for commuting as I'm lucky enough to work from home and don't envisage this changing.
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Test drove the Hyujndai Trajet 2.0l diesel (auto) today and was once agin pleasantl syurprised by the engine which seemed smooth and quiet. However odn't know if it was well sited to the auto box since it did seem a bit low to respond.
incidtaly drove past the Mazda dealer about 30 mins later and had another look at the MPV with the wife and kids in tow. Comparing it with the Hyundai was like comparing Thierry Henri with Nobby Stiles! The finish and quality of the Mazda seemed much better. Also, I managed to get the rear seats to fold flat - something which the dealer had been unable to do. The problem was just that the middle row of seats were set right back so slding them forward a bit and removing the rearmost headrests was all that was required. This all makes the MPV a much more realistic proposition than I first thought. Also, all its seats slide whereas in the Trajet they're all fixed with the exception of the front 2 which slide and rotate.
Had a much better look at the trim on the Trajet and this did look as though it would be likely to wear nuch more quickly than the MPV's - especially the cloth seats. In fact I checked out the leather seats (£1400 option) on another Trajet (52 plate) and they too looked quite worn for a car with only 16k on the clock. So, all in all (as you'd expect I suppose) the Mazda has a higher quality feel all round but is more expensive, a bit smaller and only has a 3 year warranty as opposed to the Trajet's 5 year. Life's never simple is it but if DavidHM is right those MPV demonstrators will be in the showroom for some time so the dealer may well be a bit more flexible on the price. In the meantime I'll keep looking.
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Hi Volvoman,
I would definitely go for the diesel as well.
It will hold its value much better, even if you keep it until it's 10 years old.
Also, what will they give you for the Volvo in Part Exchange?
Best of Luck!
Hugo
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Hi Hugo - how are you me old chum?? (drop me an e.mail when you've a minute or 2 - be good to know what you're up to).
Not looking to P/ex the Volvo - have decided I'll give it to my younger brother as he drives a 940 Wentworth which although 3 years younger than mine has done more miles and suffered more problems than mine including 2 blown turbos. It's a bit like the southern states of the US around here - we like to keep things in the family :)
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