Test drive

Saturdays are always too busy to test-drive cars, so I suggested to my friend that we do some test-driving today, Thursday. She was happy to do so, and we started at the Mazda dealer. She originally had her sights set on a Mazda3, possibly the sedan, but I also suggested she try the Mazda CX-30, a small SUV. When she got into the car, she instantly sensed that it was easy to get in and out of and that this car would be perfect for her. The dealer took her through the wireless CarPlay setup and features before we set off on a test drive. On the test drive, I mentioned the Auto-Hold feature, which holds the car from rolling when it is stopped, and the power tailgate, which can raise and lower at the press of a button. If the CarPlay features didn’t sell the car, then the Auto-Hold and power tailgate could.

We told the Mazda salesman we were heading to the Subaru dealer to test-drive the Subaru Crosstrek. He mentioned that he was confident we would be back negotiating with him later in the day and to emphasise his point, he let my friend test-drive the CX-30 for the rest of the day. It was a little bravado on his part, using it as an opportunity to give a middle finger salute to the Subaru dealer when we turned up in the Mazda. In the end, he was correct; the Subaru Crosstrek lacked some of the features of the Mazda CX-30, including a heads-up display and power-operated tailgate. For my friend, there was a clear winner, and she was back negotiating with the Mazda salesman by the end of the day.