*disclaimer: thanks to the amazingness of DriveShop, I was able to drive the impeccable 2016 Mazda6 Grand Touring in exchange for blog & social media love. All opinions are my own.
My life takes me a lot of places ::: blogging, teaching classes, my big girl job, and keeping in touch with my family & friends. Lucky for me, I had quite a few cities on my calendar for that week and the Mazda took me all thru Tampa, St Pete & Orlando!
Do not get my wrong, I love my little VW. I had my first VW in high school, and they have saved my life on multiple occasions. With that being said, I knew that the Mazda Grand Touring had oodles of upgrades and amazing features in addition to the smooth ride. I do want to point out the features I liked best:
[L] Since this feature was only visible while driving, I’m pointing to where the feature lights up; a notification light turns on when you have someone in your blindspot. Amazing safety feature — it even does a little beep if you turn on your turn signal and shouldn’t be turning lanes! [R] A button that starts the car. What is not to like?!
[L] Miles to empty…just helpful. [R] The syncing process took less that two minutes and I was rocking out in no time. The touch screen was very user friendly — and safely you cannot use the screen while in drive mode.
[L] The AC was super chill and easy to use. And there were seat heaters! (I know I would use those in the winter, I am a wimp in the cold!) [R] This might have been my favorite feature, no joke. I reeeeeally wish I had this feature in my VW.
[L] Sunroof…yes please! I love having this in my VW. Living in FL, it is pretty much a necessity. [R] Back up camera — another gimme! This feature also utilized the sensors, if an object was in your potential way, it made a friendly, warning BEEP!
I felt like I was in a Jetson’s mobile! This is a very nifty feature; it would rise up once you started the car and display the MPH and distance between you & the car in front. I know this would be a feature to see first hand — go check it out!
[L] Just behind the gear stick, this group allowed you to manage your volume, music selection and screen display while in drive mode. This came in handy for new music selections or activating the GPS during a pause at the red light. [R] Call me weird, but console space is a must for me; since this Mazda6 does not need keys into the ignition, this space became home for the keys and some shades.
[L] My vdub does the same, and it’s fun to feel like a bada$$ every now and think and drive stick. I will preface, that I was unsuccessfully taught how to drive manual a few times; I got the gear shifting part down, but I have to do what with my foot at the same time?? But having the ability to switch it up was fun. [R] Biiiiiiig trunk for all of my adventures; lucky for this Mazda, I did not make myself at home with the trunk, which is usually packed with yoga gear, maybe some sweaty clothes, a beach chair, and always a change of clothes for last minute plans.
I nicknamed this gorgeous car Slick Rick for the week — and was it slick! I felt as though I was in a luxury car with all the bells & whistles, but yet it drove like a sport car, felt so safe, had excellent gas mileage for all my adventures and drove so smoothly. I have to admit that driving the 2016 Mazda6 Grand Touring did open my {{VW focused}} eyes to Mazda and their line of vehicles. I had a blast driving around this beauty, Slick Rick and I visited St Pete, Tropicana Field, Orlando, Hollywood Studios @ Disney World, and all over Tampa!
Thanks again to DriveShop!
Run DMT
That is a gorgeous ride!