Mazda Premacy road tests and consumer car reviews

Mazda Premacy 1.8GXi 2002

I had a 1.8GXi for around 2.5yrs. It proved very reliable, pretty economical for its size and quite comfortable too but found myself always fiddling with the driver’s seat to find a better position! Liked the layout of the dash and lockable glove box. Plenty of std equipment; loved the massive electric sunroof and had loads of carrying capacity, especially with the rear seats removed! Great brakes and fairly refined until you got it on the motorway; quite a bit of road and wind noise! I liked the look of the car especially the fontal styling, however, I was disappointed with the drive of this model and never really enjoyed driving it. I found it very dull. I have a Hyundai Matrix now, which though it’s early days, I seem to enjoy driving a lot more and it’s a lot more compact, more nimble than the Premacy as I wanted something a little smaller.

Mazda Premacy 1.8 GXI 2004

We had one of these brand new in 2004, I have to say this is the best car we have ever had. It’s comfortable, roomy enough for 5 people and has a nice big boot for our three medium sized dogs. We found it to be incredibly reliable and never let us down. The only problem we had was with the air con which was sorted under warranty. We had the 1.8 petrol which had plenty of power and even towed our 4 berth caravan without any hitch and always had plenty of power. The Premacy also handles incredibly well with little body roll unlike some other MPV’s available. Yes, the car doesn’t have sliding seats like some but this has never caused an issue. We drove the car 300miles without stopping and still felt as fresh as a daisy when we got out, We also like the fact they aren’t as common as the Renault Scenic and Citroen Picasso, it’s a bit different, looks quite sporty for a MPV and certainly stands out compared to its rivals It also screams quality with a proud Mazda badge on the end of its bonnet. My only criticism if I was to make one would be the passenger chair needs an arm rest, they fit one to the drivers side but not the passenger! I also liked the way the passenger seat folds flat so you can get large loads in all the way through the car The only reason we got rid of the car was because we bought a heavier caravan and needed a heavier car, however our second car is about to be replaced and we decided we missed the car so much I have bought another Premacy for me to ferry the kids around in - a 2.0 GSi automatic. Really regretted selling our original one so hope this second one lives up to the high standards set by its predecessor.

Responses to this review

I would like to ask about your mazda, I am looking for one with automatic transmission. How is yours doing so far? Thanks - Jan from Slovakia

Mazda Premacy 1.8 (115ps) GSi 5dr

We’ve had our Premacy now for coming up to 4 years and I can’t praise it enough. It’s been perfect for our family and has proved very reliable and economical to run. I would definately buy Mazda again.