Zoom, Zoom, Zoom........My 626

the day my husband and i bought this car, we were looking for a minivan. somehow i ended up with a mazda 626. i traded in a 2000 subaru forester. since i am the wife, this review is going to be all about what i like and dislike about the 626 and nothing technical.

the 1st thing i hated was the color. it is called chestnut but looks burgundy to me. i hate dark colored cars because they show every little thing. i'm partial to gold and silver cars, but this was the only one on the lot with a sunroof and it was a deal because it was a dealer demo.

i have the es trim model. i fell in love with the 6 cylinder engine. the subaru only had a 4 cylinder. this car is quick, has good pick-up, and satisfies my "lead foot" just fine.

the es model comes standard with leather seats, 6 cd changer, bose radio, sunroof, air, automatic, 16 inch alloy wheels, heated side mirrors, power driver seat, and cruise. my subaru did not have leather seats. i'm not real fond of the leather seats because they are too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. one thing i had to give up with the subaru was heated seats. i wish my 626 had heated seats. i also had to give up auto-dimming compass rear-view mirror. 626 does not come standard with those, but they are only $120 so i'm thinking of getting one. it is one luxury you cannot be without. it took me 6 months to realize that the car has a bose radio. the sound quality is great! the sunroof is smaller than the one on the forester, but it does not make as much noise and i like that. i also miss the windshield wiper de-icer the forester had. i like the power driver seat because it is not too hard for me to adjust the seat back once my husband has driven it.

the es trim model comes with traction control. i just made it through my 1st winter of over 56 inches of snow. the 626 did wonderful in the snow! i was upset that i had the awd subaru for 2 years and no snow at all, but was very impressed with the 626's handling. it does well in the rain and on the ice too.

the other reviewer did not like the interior of the 626. i have to disagree. i love it! it is very spacious. the cup holders are in the armrest console. i hate when the cup holders are on the dashboard. i don't feel cramped in the 626. i'm only 5'3" and i felt cramped in the forester. everything was on top of me in the forester. in the 626 things are more spaced out. i do miss the hauling ability of the forester compared to the 626.

i have owned my 626 for 7 months and was in my 1st accident last week. i was rear-ended. i have since nicknamed my 626 "the tank" because as hard as i was hit the only damage was a scuff on the bumper. unfortunately, i didn't fare as well. none of my air bags went off either which was a good thing being i'm 6 months pregnant.

at 1st i hated this car because i wanted a minivan, but i have fallen in love with it. i will drive this car until it falls apart. i have even told my husband that he can have the next new car because i don't want to give up my 626. i hope i have many happy, happy, years of zoom, zoom, zooming!