This year's summer storms gave Hong Kong its wettest June on record, wreaking havoc on the roads. It was much the same five years ago when the Post tested the then all-new Mazda 6 around Hong Kong Island during a typhoon, and the 2.5-litre wagon proved it was no shrinking violet in the wet. For our road test of the new 2008 Mazda 6S hatchback, weather conditions are only slightly better.
As capable as the 6 was in 2003, Mazda have made a few crucial updates to bring the 6 range bang up to date.
The revamped 6 retains some key features of the first generation, but the 6S - the top of the range 170 brake horsepower sport model - has been given an aggressive-looking front end, sweeping lateral lines and a chunky rear that gives the hatchback an impressive drag coefficient of just 0.27.
The performance five-door boasts diamond-shaped headlamps, a slatted grille, bulbous wheel arches covering 18-inch alloys, sporty side skirts and a floating rear spoiler.
The cabin reflects the bolder exterior, with a leather-trimmed steering wheel, front bucket seats and a broad black and silver centre console housing climate control and a Bose digital sound system. It feels very well put together and the textured paint, premium plastics and leather help cement Mazda's reputation for quality.
The sporting theme carries on across the dashboard, with a newly-designed sports instrument display boasting well-spaced white-on-black dials illuminated in amber-red. It comes with a welcome mode, the dials lighting up sequentially from bottom to top, giving the impression that the car is waking up.
The dedicated Bose audio system comes with eight speakers: three high mid-range units on either side, a central mid-range speaker mounted at the front and a subwoofer behind the rear seats.
