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FACT FILE
Far from it. He sacked sales reps immediately if they failed to meet their fearsome targets. three highly profitable years, wearing his motor into an early grave, and reckoned he deserved a BMW.
So when Simon bounded into Dirk’s office to get his BMW, he was presented, instead, with the keys to a Mazda3 diesel.
Dirk’s eyes stayed fixed on Simon as he told him this was the car he needed and there was no arguing.
“Look Simon,” explained Dirk, “This is a company car. I don’t care about your precious image. Now get out.” As Simon left, Dirk called him back. “By the way,” he said, “you’ll have a nice surprise when you drive it. And so will our accountants.”
Over the next few months Simon discovered that, as well as being a hard-faced bully, Dirk was right. The Mazda3 was no BMW and that was a fact. It wasn’t quick, it didn’t attract attention, and Dirk didn’t care less.
He’d told Simon: “You’re not here to collect speeding tickets” but even so the Mazda3 was absolutely wonderful to drive and the amount of fuel it used most definitely kept the accounts department happy.
What a strange car this is. In terms of size it’s more of a VW Golf or Kia C’eed, but its ability to keep going serenely past filling stations is quite amazing.
Mazda make the same ridiculous fuel claims as pretty much every other car maker, with the Mazda3 averaging, it says, 74mpg.
If being late for every meeting was acceptable Simon might have got near that figure but instead he drove normally and still got 54mpg.
He never arrived stressed or worn out. The Mazda3 was such a smooth and quiet car it was never going to trouble him in that department. In others, though, it did.
The words speed and Mazda3 1.5 diesel don’t belong in the same sentence because that sentence should be: “Calm, quiet, efficient and slow.”
Space in the back is a let down. You wouldn’t want to be in it for long if ENGINE: TOP SPEED: 0-62mph: 115mph; 11.0s. Urban: 65.7; urban: extra 80.7; combined: 74.3. CO2: 99g/km. Tax Band A; £zero pa road tax. 17. you were grown up. The boot may have looked big, at 3ft deep, but even with the rear seats folded flat it was only just over five feet, while luxuries such as luggage hooks or a space-saver spare tyre were totally non-existent.
The fact that only the passenger seat got a map pocket on the back rest seemed to point to the fact that Mazda has made this car as an exercise in money-saving as well as fuel.
The glove box, door pockets (especially the back ones) and centre console were all small and, while the silver-trimmed switches were pleasing the general finish was more bon marché than posh.
Still, at least it made someone smile. And that was Dirk, when no-one was around.