Doreen Zimbizi

Doreen Zimbizi

I am a one-car woman. A few years ago when I upgraded to my Swedish sedan, I thought that was my ultimate dream car. And I was convinced then that I was going to stick with the brand for life.

Although I have driven around in my friend's very popular German sedan, I would never have thought a Mazda would have had such a profound impact on my taste.

Our Mazda 5, which is here for the better half of the year, was mine for a two-week period. And by the time I handed it back, my heart was very heavy - I had completely fallen in love with this family car.

My son loved it too. So did my friend and her daughter who thought "it was really cool". That's such an endorsement coming from her, because you know how these pre-teens know everything.

I loved everything about the Mazda 5.

It is smooth, very quiet and the gears slip into place without any hassles, making it drive like a dream.

The Mazda 5 is generous in space, a real good family car indeed. The sliding passenger doors are an added bonus, they just make it even more appealing.

But one of the most outstanding features for me was the green light just above the ignition key hole.

It made slotting the key into the ignition seem like A, B, C; whereas I struggle to get the key in my car, especially when I am in a hurry or if there isn't enough lighting where I am parked.

The Mazda 5 took my breath away; I am very tempted to ditch brand loyalty. Or maybe there is still hope for me, once I have evaluated other Mazdas.