Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2008 | Page 109

MOTORING

All things to all men
– and women
It’s a mum and the kids car.
It’s a golf bag transporting car.
It’s a throw in the hay for the
horse car. The scenes change in
your head when you take out
the new Skoda Fabia Estate.
Very much a car you sit in,
you feel safe. Airbags, of
course, are everywhere, and
ABS brakes and traction
control is standard, giving a
drive with that looked-after
feeling. The diesel version
felt sedate – but with only
five miles on the clock it
wasn’t yet in its stride. The
petrol car was just easy:
nippy round parked cars, with
great cornering and spot-on
braking. Perfect for the
school-run then, when mums
heads are distracted by noise.
This is the estate version
of the existing hatchback,
and unusually for a just-out
car it comes with 0 per cent
finance. The Fabia 2 Estate
costs £10,470 on the road.
You get a lot of thought-out
touches for your money with
the Fabia. A sunglasses case
above the glove box (both
air conditioned) is a little
touch of genius, as is a socket
for portable MP3 players.
Cup-holders abound, and
front door panels are wide
enough for 1.5 litre drink

bottles. There is even a clever
bit of elastic that keeps the
bottle from flopping. The
dashboard, with cd player as
standard, is understated.
There are extra whizzy little
touches that you can opt for.
Like cornering front fog lights,
which, at low speed, illuminate
the side of the road you are
turning into. That at least
lessens the chances of running
into a pothole in the fog.
The capacious boot has
organising divides for all that
family stuff. But the divides
can be removed – so you can
throw in those golf-clubs
or the hairy horse blanket.
Doors and boot close with
a positive clunk, suggesting
a good residual value.
There’s nothing flash about
this car. But there is a touch
of cheek. If you opt for the
hatchback you can order a
white top – which turns it
into an ersatz Mini Cooper.

life

The two-in-one car
with split personality
Turn the key and it positively
purrs, a chocolaty rumble
like a domestic cat. A
message appears saying
‘zoom zoom’. Turn it further
and it says ‘hello’. So you
know you’re going to have
fun in the Mazda6.
So it comes as a bit of a
surprise to find the car is so
controlled. It’s got a six-speed
gear-box for heaven’s sake, you
expect it to behave like a colt
reluctant to be reigned in. But
what you get from the tight
gear-change is an immaculate
pull away which is perfect for
town driving. Idling, there is
so little noise or vibration you
hardly know the engine is on.
Get it on the open road
though and that tame tabby
becomes a tiger. It piles on the
speed without taking a breath:
it is doing 80mph without a
second thought, and it takes
corners with sheer joy.
In fact this is two cars

in one. It is your everyday
family car, with huge rear
capacity and a spacious boot,
with neat handling for town.
But give it its head and it
will take you far, far away,
hungrily eating up the miles
and spitting them out.
The Mazda6 TS2 comes with
plenty of toys. Rain-sensing
wipers make you feel looked
after, its integrated Bluetooth
mobile phone system is ever
more necessary: - the list is
impressive. But what this car
really has going for it is its
sheer good looks – its sporty
front and its pert behind.
The Mazda6 TS2 four-door
saloon costs £17,615 from
Northwood Garage, Cowes.
Tel: [phone].
Test driven by:
Roz Whistance

Test drive at FW Winter
& Sons Ltd, Havenstreet
Garage, Havenstreet. 882455
Test driven by:
Roz Whistance

Island Life - www.isleofwight.net

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