Note: the following is a guest post by Lea Ann Christenson

Ever since my son Sean started studying engineering at USC three years ago, one of the things I look most forward to about autumn is Trojan Family Weekend. Not only do my husband and I get to spend time with Sean during this family event, it also gives me an excuse to return to my home state of California and explore new sights in the iconic city of Los Angeles.

On these trips having a versatile and efficient car is important for me. I need a vehicle that is easy to drive (and park) around city settings, has enough space to transport Sean’s belongings and luggage, and of course looks stylish to fit in on the sleek campus of USC.

During this year’s Trojan Family Weekend I drove the 2016 Mazda6 Grand Touring, which fit the bill for all my driving needs in a perfect blend of practical and luxury.

The Mazda6 Grand Touring is a four-door sports sedan. It is a very practical vehicle for family or city driving. With 40 mpg on highways it is very fuel efficient. With 184 horsepower, the vehicle gives you the power you need to speed up quickly and smoothly. Driving the vehicle feels solid and safe, and it can fit a family of five.

The car has many safety features. The rear view camera helped me to maneuver high pedestrian traffic of a college campus. Mazda Radar Cruise Control helped me maintain a safe distance from other vehicles while navigating the stop and go traffic on Los Angeles’ freeways. With the adaptive front-lighting system, headlight beams turn with the vehicle. This makes night visibility even greater when driving on twisty roads through the Hollywood Hills!

The aesthetics of the Maza6 give it a luxurious feel. The exterior is stylish, featuring a sleek front fascia with a signature front bumper. The vehicle I drove was in meteor gray, a color I found to be modern and classy. Other shades of gray, white, red and blue are available.

The interior of the car is quite luxurious with leather-trimmed seats, a navigation system with real time traffic updates and a surround sound audio system. There’s also a power sliding glass moonroof, which helped me and my family soak up plenty of vitamin D during our drives.

The back seat has plenty of space to comfortably seat three adults, and passengers in the back seat stay cool with rear air conditioning. Los Angeles was experiencing a heat wave during my visit so this feature was particularly welcomed!

The car has a roomy trunk for lots of luggage, and fold down seats give even more space, in fact, enough space to transport Sean’s bike. This was especially useful.

The vehicle has lots of accolades to back it up. In 2015, the Mazda6 was named one of the “10 Best” by Car and Driver as well as named a Top Safety Pick Plus by the IIHS. Knowing this also made me feel more confident in driving the vehicle.

Trojan Family Weekend was a hit and the 2016 Mazda6 Grand Touring was the perfect vehicle to visit the college campus, sight-see around Los Angeles and soak up the spirit of USC with Sean. Fight on!

Note: This post was brought to you by Mazda. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.