Currently reading: Mazda 'must match VW quality'
“If you sit in a Volkswagen Polo you get a really good sense of quality,” says Kia's design boss

The perceived quality of Mazda's interiors is an area the company would most like to improve, according to chief designer at Mazda’s R&D centre, Peter Birtwhistle.

“If you sit in a Volkswagen Polo you get a really good sense of quality,” he said.

Mazda hopes to raise its standards to that of the VW, but did comment that its pricing would be affected.

“Using better materials of course means that prices may rise slightly and we must balance that without compromising our position in the market as a value brand,” Birtwhistle continued.

The revised Mazda 2, launched earlier this month, has been criticised for its interior finishRead Autocar's first drive of the revised Mazda 2.

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Eric van Spelde 25 November 2010

Re: Mazda 'must match VW quality'

Must say I'm with the Italians on this one - 'when a beautiful car breaks, you can repair it. An ugly car remains ugly.' And as I spend more time inside the car than looking at it, something that doesn't look and feel like a 1980's stereo 'stack' from Comet inside does hold a certain appeal.

There's enough indifference and mediocrity in design and materials surrounding us in our throwaway society already, and I would gladly trade most of the 'kit' that consumer peer pressure prescribes as 'must have' items today for a minimalist approach with a bit of genuine visual and tactile appeal.

Look at high-end hifi equipment versus aforementioned stack system for an analogy - the only thing you can do with it is switch it on and adjust the volume, but - apart from being functionally superior in terms of doing less harm to the musical content it is being asked to reproduce - it eschews moulded plastic and flashing graphics for stainless steel, cast alloy, real woods and perspex in shapes that are functional yet interesting.

And if it breaks, I'll gladly repair it or have it fixed rather than throw it in the bin...

Webby39 19 November 2010

Re: Mazda 'must match VW quality'

gavsmit wrote:

I bought a brand new Mazda MX5 Cabriolet Coupe Sport which was the worst car I've ever owned in over 20 years of driving.

The car creaked and leaked so after 6 weeks it went to my local Mazda dealership to get looked at - they fixed nothing but washed it covering it in scratches. A battle with the dealerships and Mazda themselves went on for months, with the car spending more time with them than me, as well as it breaking down twice and the hood malfunctioning, that ended with me having to get rid of it for a great financial loss. Some 'once in a lifetime' treat!

I can't understand why magazines seem to think Mazda is a good make - mine was the worst car / ownership experience I've ever had, and I'm not alone after asking others.

Forget the high quality interiors - how about improving the quality of your customer service Mazda?

I have to say my Mk1 MX5 is absolutely not as you describe, the car is faultless although now old in age. The mechanicals have only ever been 100% robust from new, so maybe you had a lemon or the quality control has worsened with time?

As for perceived quality, give me a well engineered car anyday, I don't particualrly care if the dash is soft to the touch etc!

polskifiat 19 November 2010

Re: Mazda 'must match VW quality'

In my mind there's a distinction between "quality", meaning how nice the interior materials look and feel, and "reliability", meaning do they stay in place, not fade, crack, peel, etc. I had a 1996 Mazda 3 1.5 sedan that I bought new and drove for 13 years. The interior was nothing special in terms of quality, but the reliability was fantastic; in all the years I owned it, the car never had a single thing break, fall off, or need repaired. All I did was regular maintenance.

In contrast some years back I owned a VW Jetta. It had a high quality interior, but man was that thing troublesome. Gearbox, wiring harness, cooling system, A/C, all had to be repaired in one year. I considered myself fortunate if I went a single month without a major repair. I know individual cars can vary widely, but based on my experience (and many others) I also hope Mazda doesn't copy VW reliability in pursuing VW quality.