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A somewhat ambiguous remark, Newcar31 May I respond with a short answer quiz?
1-A PLEASANT surprise compared to the 2.5? or,
2-An UNPLEASANT surprise?
I did drive a 6i manual a few months ago, & it seemed ok. Been in my 626 2.5 Six since, so the "feeling" of the test drive has faded, except for the overall conclusion that I drew, which was that it should be ok.
On the fuel issue raised by Madaxeman, every auto expert I've talked to or heard on the radio has said the same thing: use only the octane called for in the owner's manual. Anything more and you're throwing money away. I suspect a lot of people are throwing lots of money away on the erroneous theory that more octane has to be better for their cars. This is the line taken by the Magliazzi Bros. among others.
I think Mazda needs to seriously fix one thing: road noise. This has always been a Mazda shortfall. What really drove this home is that I picked up my car today after 15 days at the dealership. I couldn't believe how much louder it is compared to the loaner I've had. I can't believe I'm saying this, but... after a few blocks in the 6, I already miss the Elantra they gave me. That said, I do have to say that I'm glad to have back a car that can handle.
Later, I'll post my comparison of the 6 to the Elantra while it's still fresh in my head. Let's just say this little Hyundai was an eye-opener.
Another 6 deficiency? You make it sound like it's full of "deficiencies". The only real deficiencies IMO is the silver colored center stack and the rust. Besides the silver center stack, what is so cheap looking about the interior? Many auto publications think it's pretty nice. I'm not going to go dig up quotes, but I know the dash has been compared to BMW and German cars in general. I had a 2001 Protege and there are no visible Protege parts in the 6's interior, so I don't know where you got that from. I've heard other people (maybe it was you) say this before. Really, if there are Protege parts in the interior, what are they, specifically?
The smaller size is not a deficiency. It's about the same size as my parent's old 92 Camry and about as big of a car that I'd ever want.
Neither of the engines qualify as "deficiencies" either, unless you get an automatic, but then that's your fault...lol. They may not have the absolute power of the Hondas or Nissans, but they're still pretty darn sweet engines. The V6 sounds excellent, and the 4 cyl sounds pretty good too. They're both super smooth. I know the V6 in the Mazda6 is smoother and sounds better than my parents I35 with the 255hp VQ.
Road noise? ALL of my friends think it's very quiet, and I do too. My parent's I35 isn't noticeably quieter.
As far as the Altima's interior being improved, it should've been done a lot sooner. It really looked unbelievably, inexcusably, cheap. On a par with with an 87' Chevy Celebrity IMO. The interior was pretty much trashed in every automotive review, so it doesn't surprise me that Nissan would want to improve.
* Mazda Tribute - spring 2004
* Mazda MPV - spring 2004
* Miata - spring 2004
* RX-8 - summer 2004
* MAZDA3 - fall 2004
* MAZDA6 - fall 2004
I think most agree that the silver on the center stack is a bit much, but in keeping with the rest of the interior styling, it's not horrible (and some actually like it). The materials used and fit and finish are very good. I never felt like it was a cheap interior (like the new Toyota's Prius feels) with cheap materials. It feels on par with a car that is much more expensive.
I just checked Road and Track's test of 5 sedans in 2003 and it shows that at 70 mph, the Mazda6's (6s) road noise is 69 dBA, exactly the same as the Accord EX and the Altima 3.5, and quieter than a Toyota Camry and VW Passat. So I'm not sure about the road noise complaint....
I just checked out the new Altima interior and I don't see what the big deal is. It appears that they changed the dash to a softer material (the way it should've been in the first place). Whoopde do! It still has the goofy recessed guages, and the nasty orange illumination that should be left back in 1986. The 6's interior is still better IMO.
YEAR HP TORQUE WT.
94(626) 118@5500 127 @4500 2626
98( " ) 125@5000 127 @3000 2800
03(MZ6) 160@6000 155 @4000 3042
They must have tweaked something at the styling change in '98; it appears to be the same 2.0 L engine. The new 2.3L seems to have much more punch, although the MZ6i does weigh 242 lbs more than the 626 Fours of '98-'02, so there's more metal to push around.
Someone pointed to the benefits of variable valve timing in a previous post. Can someone explain VVT to this ignoramus, & why it's a good thing?
BTW, I had a look at the new Altima interior, and it is indeed much better. But did I notice in one of the photos FAKE WOOD trim around the shift boot? Say it isn't so Monsieur Renault...
Mazda did refresh the 2000 626's interior from the 99 model. Maybe Mazda will do the same thing with the 6 when its up for a mid-cycle refresh.
On a sour note I was looking at a local dealers inventory and they have 21 03 leftover 6's left. Maybe the weak intro for the 6 caused 6's to pile up on lots a little bit. Mazda did sell 4,121 6's last month and that was and 83% increase over the same time last year. Mazda seems happy with their sales numbers the last 4 months so I guess Mazda is on the right track. The 6 is still not enough to scare Nissan or Honda in the mid-size segment. However the 3 is enough do get Honda and Nissan back on their heels for a new Civic and Sentra I bet. Mazda seems good at selling small cars not really bigger ones.
The numerous rattles are also driving me crazy, especially how the front door panels rattle when the bass (non-Bose) is set any higher than 2 and the volume is any higher than 6. However, my door panels and dashboard have been removed and installed so many times that they just are not tight any more.
True. However, it is a big decrease compared to the previous months:
Dec '03 - 8,778
Nov '03 - 6,180
Oct '03 - 6,194
Sep '03 - 5,341
Aug '03 - 7,328
We'll see what trend happens in the upcoming months. Perhaps the Mazda3 is stealing sales... it outsold the 6 for January despite a relative lack of incentives.
People are always going to find some "deficiency" with ANY car and I mean ANY car. You just have to be realistic about things. The Mazda6 CANNOT have a VW interior, Lexus quietness, Buick ride quality, BMW handling, Altima 3.5L speed without the torque steer, Honda resale value, Mazda discounts, all at the same time.
The Mazda6 is quick, it's fairly quiet, it rides nice, it handles well, and it looks good.
Is it the best at everything? No. Is ANY car the best at everything? No.
What I do like is how quiet the 6 is in the rain. Those felt-like wheel-well liners make a huge difference. In previous cars (and the Elantra), the noise from the water splashing up into the wheel-wells was nearly unbearable.
http://www.carseverything.com/content/article/1346.3/
Refering to the 4-cylinder engines it states:
"During scheduled maintenance, the valve lash no longer requires inspection."
No mention of this for the 3.0L engine.
That's why when you see publications looking at sales numbers, they look at what the Mazda6 did in January 2003 versus what it did in January 2004. That is a far more accurate comparison. (Although, in this particular example, the comparison isn't fair given that Mazda was still ramping up full production and marketing of the 6 in January 2003, so most people weren't likely aware of it as a new offering.)
1/04 sales compared to 12/03:
-19.1% Total (18,637/23,056)
------------------
+130% Mazda3 (4,426/1,921)
-53.1% Mazda6 (4,121/8,778)
-48.0% MPV (1,215/2,336)
-30.0% Millenia (7/10)*
-25.8% Protege (2,582/3,479)*
-13.9% RX-8 (1,789/2,079)
+12.5% Miata (603/536)
-2.3% Truck (929/951)
-0.03% Tribute (2,964/2,965)
0.0% 626 (1/1)*
*Discontinued
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Mazda's numbers jumped 24.7%, aided by strong sales of the Mazda 6 midsize and Mazda 3 compact cars. With 18,637 sales in January, Mazda surpassed Volkswagen by more than 300 units.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2004-02-03-jan-sales_x.htm
In other words, Mazda is doing great!
National substituted a Chrylser Concord instead of the Intrepid I reserved as they had none. But they wanted to charge me more as it was a "premium car". "Ummm it's the same car."
Avis tried to give me a Grand Am at the same price as a LeSabre. Alamo actually upgraded me from a Grand Am to a DeVille for $5/day.
Thanks,
Martin
Subject: MAZDA6 Door Sash Surface Staining - Special Service Program (SSP) 57
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 08:36:25 -0800
Mazda Motor Corporation has decided to conduct a Special Service Program to remove surface staining on the door sashes of 2003 model year MAZDA6 vehicles produced from October 2, 2002 to July 22, 2003.
Owners of affected vehicles will be notified by first class mail beginning February 13, 2004.
CONDITION OF CONCERN
During assembly of some 2003 MAZDA6 vehicles, a lubricant used to ease the installation of the door weather-strip caused staining over the clear coat on the door sashes.
2003 MAZDA6
1YV *P80****M00348 - M57057
October 2, 2002 to July 22, 2003
The asterisk symbol "*" can be any letter or number.
I look forward to using freeway on-ramps. Driving along a road before the on-ramp, kick it down into 2nd to slow the car down slightly to around 30-35mph. Take the turn onto the on-ramp quick, stepping on the throttle coming out of the turn. 40..50, kick left and flick the shifter into third, 60..65..70 and you still have half the on-ramp to go. If you wanted to, you could be going 90 by the time you merge into traffic.
Freeway driving and acceleration is also impressive. It's amazing how smooth the car feels at higher speeds. Here in Arizona, the speed limit is 75 on freeways outside of town, and cruising with traffic is no sweat. Want to pass another car? Done. Need to get around a big truck (keep them rocks away from your paint job and windshield), no problem. The wind that gathers at the front of a big-rig doesn't even phase the Mazda 6 like other cars I've been in, where you can feel the car veering away from the truck because of wind pressure.
In short, I couldn't be happier. The Mazda 6 is an amazing vehicle. Certainly, there are other cars that perform as well as the 6, but not at the same price point and not with the level of practicality that driving a sedan gives you.
Mike
I can vouche for this, on a recent trip borrowing a friends Mazda6 I was doing 110MPH on rain slick turnpike passing 18 wheeler's and the car felt very planted when doing so.
Wonder how well the 6's brakes will work on that wet pavement at 110 mph if something goes wrong.
I'm pretty happy, too. The car is a lot of fun to drive when your in the mood to play. It goes down rural back roads at speeds that would have other cars feeling pretty unsafe. It handles these situations with aplomb and keeps a smile on my face. Can't ask for much more than that.
It is also comfortable when your just stuck behind slow moving traffic.
Saw the hatchback at the auto show last week and *really* like it. Wish it was available a year ago...
Good to see a company standing behind their product and making things right. Sadly, mistakes were made by humans in the assembly stage and possibly some R&D.
fowler3
I compared this car to the Passat and TSX. Both have nicer interiors than the 6 (especially the Passat), but neither is as engaging to drive IMHO. I recently had the chance to drive a friend's TSX while she drove my 6. I think we both came away satisfied that we had chosen the right car.
The 6 is not for everyone. But if you're looking for a practical sport sedan, it is an excellent choice.
CL