Mazda Problems

The Focus is a good car with a serious flaw; it has a dual-clutch automatic transmission that gives trouble. I would happily have a 2012 Focus with a manual gearbox, but I wouldn't buy one with a dual-clutch auto. I'd be looking at a Japanese or Korean brand and going for something like a Mazda 3, Honda Civic or Accord, Hyundai Elantra with a good record of reliability.

It's probably easier to eliminate those that don't stack up, those being the VW Golf, Holden Cruze and Ford Focus.

All have transmission questions over them.

The best options would be the Mazda 3 and the Hyundai i30.

As promised when you first contacted us we got in touch with Mazda about the problem with your GPS, and we finally got a response. Unfortunately, it doesn't answer your question. A company spokesman told us that: "without actual car details (of your car) it is difficult to comment or provide accurate feedback, so we would highly recommend that the customer (you) contacts Mazda Customer service, which allows us to look into his situation and communicate with him direct." So, get on to Mazda and put your request directly to them.

No, not in 2004, but a four-wheel drive model, the MPS, was introduced in August 2005.

The MX-5 is a great little sports car for someone looking for some fun on the road.

The earliest ones are getting a little long in the tooth and are looking a little tired.

Go for an NC model, that's from 2005-on, and you shouldn't go wrong. They're reliable, user-friendly, they look good, and they're great fun to drive.

Look for a low-mileage example and avoid any that look like they might have been used in competition.

All of the cars you name meet your criteria of size, economy, performance and handling.

You could also add the Mazda3 and 6 to the list.

Of all of those I would nominate the Camry as the great all-rounder.

The tare mass of the V6 model is 1527kg; the four-cylinder model is 1434kg, which might help explain the discrepancy.

The Trax is good value for money and stacks up well against all comers in the class. The 1.4 turbo is the best engine, and it has a conventional auto instead of a CVT that most of its rivals have. Others to look at are the Suzuki S-Cross, Ford Kuga, Nissan Qashqai, Mazda CX-5 and Subaru XV.