The interior of the Mazda6 is a great place to spend some time in. Let me show you why I say that:
Let’s start with the center console. It’s got dual zone climate controls that sit below a touch screen 5.8″ in size along with a slot for CDs. The size of the touch screen fits in with the rest of the dash from an aesthetics perspective. However, I think that some will feel that the screen should be bigger given that many cars come with 7″ and 8″ touch screens these days. You’ll also note that it has a space beneath the climate controls to store small items in.
You also get this control knob called the HMI (Human-Machine Interface) Commander Switch. It doesn’t take long to get used to it and it is handy for controlling the radio, navigation system or even the phone.
Behind the HMI (Human-Machine Interface) Commander Switch is this panel that hides….
….a pair of cupholders that are great for Venti sized coffees from Starbucks.
There’s a storage area behind the cupholders that also doubles as an armrest (which is adjustable by the way). If you look closer…
….You’ll a 12V port, a USB port, and a 1/8″ jack. Bonus points to Mazda for having flaps that cover them so that they don’t get filled with dirt.
Moving to the gauge cluster, it’s of the analog variety and I found it to be readable in most lighting conditions. One thing to note is that the pod on the right can be customized with all sorts of info such as average fuel economy, distance to empty, and so on.
The steering wheel is wrapped in leather and is the right size for those who are “spirited” drivers. Though my wife did mention that it was a bit thick for her small hands. There are controls on the steering wheel to handle everything from audio to cruise control.
This is a picture of one of the paddle shifters that’s behind the steering wheel. Bonus points to Mazda for having them, and for making them work regardless of the position of the shift lever.
Window and side mirror controls along with door lock and unlock buttons are on the drivers door.
And just in front of that is a cubby for change, along with buttons to defeat a variety of electronic overseers should the need arise.
The front passengers get lit vanity mirrors.
Plus you get a place to put your sunglasses.
You get leather front seats with bolstering and they can be power adjusted in eight ways. I should note that the passenger seat can be power adjusted in four ways and both seats are heated. I found them to be comfortable and it didn’t take me long to get a decent driving position.
The back seats will hold two people. Three if you’re all friendly. But if you only need to carry two passengers back there, there is a armrest that flips down that has a couple of cupholders in them. The seats will flip down in a 60/40 split as well for extra long cargo. One thing to note, there is a lot of room back here. If you want a car to carry passengers in comfort, this is it.
You get a good sized moonroof. One thing that I will note, it did cut into my headroom a tiny bit until I found a seating position that made that a non-issue.
One thing that is a welcome feature are puddle lights in the doors.
The trunk is HUGE, and bonus points to Mazda for two things. One the rubber cover for the floor of the trunk and the other for the shrouds that cover the hinges so they don’t crush whatever is underneath them. However, it could use a handle to keep your hands clean when you close the trunk.
All the surfaces that you touch are soft. Plus the fit and finish is approaching levels that I usually see with luxury car companies. Everything that the driver could possibly need falls easily to hand. In short, everything interior wise is well thought through. In fact, I would say that the Mazda6 for the most part fit me rather than I being forced to adapt to it. If you want a car that feels like it was made for you, the Mazda6 is your car.
In part four of this review, I will cover the technology in the car. And there’s a lot of it to cover. Stay tuned!
Apple Lightning Cables Have Very Questionable Quality – Take II
Posted in Commentary with tags Apple on March 20, 2014 by itnerdThis morning when I went down to the Mazda6 that I’m driving this week and plugged my iPhone 5 into the Apple branded Lighting cable that I had plugged in the center console. After starting the car, the phone would not charge nor would the Mazda6 see any of the songs on it. For the next 30 seconds, I said some things that were not suitable for a family audience. Then I composed myself and took the cable upstairs and tried it on my MacBook Pro. It didn’t work there either. Now the cable was not like the ones that I have written about previously that have frayed as there was no visible damage of any sort. Thus this was a different issue. So I took it to the Apple Store and the genius that I spoke to indicated that they had seen this before. In short, they “just stop working” but he gave me a new one instantly after taking the old cable off my hands.
Now while searching the Internet to see if what I had experienced was a fluke, I came across this story from the Boy Genius Report that indicates the cables corrode which causes them to stop working in exactly the manner that I experienced. I cannot say if that was my issue as I didn’t think to check the pins on the cable for corrosion or damage before I went to the Apple Store (and I cannot check now as Apple has my old cable). But it is plausible. What’s also plausible is the fact that these cables have a chip inside them that allows the iDevice in question to authorize it to be used for charging and syncing purposes. It is possible that that chip died for whatever reason. However, the only flaw with that theory is that I have seen iDevices tell you that you’re using an unauthorized cable if it doesn’t like the chip on the cable for whatever reason. In my case it didn’t. Either way I have no clear explanation for this latest cable failure.
Clearly, Apple has some issues with these Lightning cables that they need to address. It would be nice if they spoke up to say that they are working on a fix or at least acknowledge that there is an issue out there. Right now, the fact that you’re hearing nothing from Apple and people like me are complaining online isn’t good for Apple. That’s something they need to quickly deal with in my opinion.
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