Nana Aba Duncan

Published in Women’s Post

Zoom-zoom indeed. Though it is a family car, the 2005 Mazda6 sedan a 4 door, five-passenger mid-sized vehicle gave me such a great week on trial, the poor saleswoman at Agincourt Mazda had to gently tug the key from my hand when I passed it over.

I was surprised to find that there are a large number of smart and savvy women who are part of the Agincourt Mazda team, working in this brand new Markham and Finch location. They have at least one woman in every department, including their service department and the collision centre, which I find enhances the experience at the dealership.

Agincourt Mazda is the newest and largest state of the art facility in Ontario. They are focused on consumer comfort and satisfaction. The brightly-lit Zoom Lounge has a large screen HD television with café tables and chairs. Leisure couches surround coffee tables filled with the day’s newspapers and high-gloss auto industry magazines.

The Zoom Café offers a variety of teas and French Vanilla coffee (my favourite). The Café is flanked by Zoom Junior, a kids’ station complete with toys and attention-grabbing videos. As well is the Zoom Connect area, an internet station available to customers who need to work while they wait. Last but not least is their certified pre-owned department which takes the worry out of buying a used car — they offer a bumper-to-bumper 30 day warranty. In fact, all these conveniences along with such friendly and welcoming staff make buying a car at Agincourt Mazda a stress-free experience

The Mazda6 had automatic climate control and a power sunroof — which I was actually able to use on an unusually warm January day.

But let me tell you about the heated seats, power windows, variable intermittent wipers, power locks with keyless entry, cruise control and the AM/FM stereo, all working together to make a highway drive more like a cruise.

With powerful brakes and impressive acceleration, anyone with a penchant for the sporty would give this car a contented nod.

The safety features on the sedan are easy on the mind with: an anti-theft alarm system, child safety locks, dual front airbags, side and curtain airbags, anti-lock brakes and traction control.

The trunk held my mother’s new large acquisition of boxed dinnerware without accident. The lid was heavier than I expected and there was no cargo net, but if we needed more space, we could have just pulled a latch that would release the rear seats, making them spring forward on their own to make a flat floor.

Covering the bases of utility, safety, economy, looks and ride, it’s no surprise the 2005 Mazda6 sedan earned itself the Automobile Journalists’ Association of Canada car of the year award for Best new Family Car. It’s just a zoomin’ great car.