I can't wait to test drive it myself too. Visited the Glenmarie showroom last week and saw a white unit parked there. Looked really sweet. Did an article about it:

http://www.kensomuse.com/2012/05/new-mazda...ew-new-car.html

The official price HAS been announced.

2WD
Private: RM155,219.20 (w/o insurance) RM159,500.40 (with insurance)
Company: RM155,419.20 (w/o insurance) RM160,009.70 (with insurance)

4WD
Private: RM165,219.20 (w/o insurance) RM169,760.40 (with insurance)
Company: RM165,419.20 (w/o insurance) RM170,285.30 (with insurance)

From what was told to me by the Mazda SA, 90% of those who booked went for the 2WD since as you correctly pointed out, people who buys this car won't be using it off road? 4WD also consumes a bit more petrol and other than having better grip in the rain, not much point in paying RM10k more for it

A couple of reasons, I suppose. When was the last time you saw a CRV navigating through the dense jungles of Borneo? Or a Landrover Evoque for that matter.

Some of those reasons why people go for SUVs could be utilitarian (large rear door aperture, space on the rear, high cabin space) and image (big wheels, commanding high seating position). I admit, I'm not a SUV-kind of person so I can't really say much. I do know that off roaders don't really buy these cars for those purposes .... certainly not an automatic gearbox if they can help it.

Thanks for the compliment, bro .... I shall endeavor to keep up the good work

Finally managed to test drive the car today .... power, handling, NVH is top notch but surprisingly steering accuracy is off the mark. In fact the steering free play was quite large. Not sure if it's a defect in that particular test unit or a characteristic of the car.

I also asked the SA when can the car be expected to be delivered. Apparently Bermaz just issued an email to all branches that deliveries can only take place after the official launch in June. Not sure how true this is so pls check with your respective SAs.

So, anyone collecting their cars this week or next week?

I tested the 2WD at Tmn Megah, 4WD at Glenmarie