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Comments
if you are 18-29 of age youthful mz3
2) space
if you need more room as a driver or like a mid- size car feel mz6
3)Options/price
a load mz3 or a base 6i, the mz3 more bang for your buck
4)engine 2.3
the mz3 top of the line engine for the mz3 and the mz3 is lighter
IMO the 6i is waste now that the cheaper 3s is around, the base 3s hatch and sedan is load with alloy wheels, sportier interior, sport grill, brake away side mirrors, clear tail light and Options like leather, ABS, moon, nav for around 21k fully load if thats what you want.
the 6i fully load for around 25k but you may get a deal for it inpopuler
but it all on your taste and likes the 3s may be to sporty, 6i to big
IMO ask the same questions on the mazde3 town hall site , check out the discussion mazda6 vs mazda3, test drive both, and compare both using edmunds site.
either way you will get a good car
The Accord and Camry 6cyl are not available with a manual trans, so that turns away a lot of 6cyl shoppers. Also, I think Mazda expected the sales ratio to be the same as for those others, and it isn't, so they gotta order more 6cyl cars.
2) for the type of driving that I do, would you rather have the M3 or 4-cylinder M6?
It's a personal thing, so I would suggest a couple of back-to-back test drives. Keep in mind that the Mazda6 has consiferably less road noise, it that is a factor for you. IMO the Mazda3 is "zoomier" around town, but for a lot of freeway driving the Mazda6 is better..
3) how does M3 quality look vs. M6?
MAzda3 is made in Japan but has some significant "first year" problems, The Mazda6 is made in the US and has first year problems as well. I think it's a wash there.
4) is the 4-cyliner M6 powerplant considered a state-of the art engine?
Yes, absolutely.
PS: The real "M3" is a BMW so it's best not to use that abbreviation for the Mazda3.
As is is we have the Mazda Mazda3 and Mazda Mazda6. What? Don't make me say that after a couple of beers.
http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=17139
http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=17010
http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=13626
Source: Ford Media
I am within hours of trading in my sable on a new 6s ( the deal is pending ). As much as I am in love with the 6 now, I would have bought another Sable if Ford had done some re-freshening of the design.
I found this article very interesting (mainly because I'm currently in the market for a new Mustang and formerly for a Mazda6) and thought all you Mazda6 owners/shoppers would be too.
Maybe all the folks who doubt the "stain" is gone will see the Flat Rock plant in a new light.
I thought Ford did refresh the Sable for the 04 model year: the tailights look a little different than the 03 model.
fowler3
I know that the throttle lag issue on the Mazda 6 has been debated ad naseum, but I have to say that I noticed it right away during the test drive. I wish that Mazda would have been able to correct the issue by now. It takes away from the overall driving experience, which is a shame. Otherwise, I liked just about everything else.
vudini
The 2.3L makes the Focus a very desirable vehicle IMO, especially if it had a manual.
Were you driving the 4-cylinder 6i or the 6-cylinder 6s?
-Zor
If I had noticed any lag on any of the many Mazda6 samples that I have driven, this would have been a deal-killer for me.
I suspect a computer code problem on some early units, or maybe some totally different problem that people are attributing to the electronic throttle.
Or maybe people expect the Mazda6 to have the launch of a GM 3.8L V6, which it aint ever gonna have.
fowler3
Young people who receive tickets in our city (16-20) get tickets because they are driving TOO FAST or recklessly for the conditions.
The Mazda 6 blends in well. This is actually a complement. Its design is not earth-shattering; however it is a slight cut above other conservative mid-size cars in NA.
Mazdas truly shine beneath their skins;
MARTIN
It's darting in and out of lanes, weaving through traffic at high speeds, cutting across lanes from far right to left turns, and other dangerous manuvers that get you in trouble.
I'm an old geezer, you know why? Because I never drive like a teenager and if you drive sensibly too, some day, if you are lucky, you will be an old geezer, too. Here's another thing to think about, if you want to be a suicide bomber on wheels go out into the countryside where you can't hurt other people.
fowler3
It's mostly how you drive, as others have already pointed out. Going too slowly will get attention almost as much as going too quickly. Wandering (as if drunk) will also get attention. Just try not to stick out from the crowd.
In some states, not wearing seat belts (including your passengers) is a reason for cops to pull you over. In some neighborhoods, loud stereos or exhausts are allowable reasons.
Go ahead and laugh, but I rarely go more then 2-3 mph over the limit on local roads too (often I'm below or at it, especially in areas where children or animals may suddenly enter the road). I seek my thrills in the curves (you can have a heck of a time and still be well-below the speed limit...just don't go off the road or cross into opposing traffic), not in outright speed (straights are awful boring on any road, unless the road has nice scenery). Even on curves, I go no faster than I feel confident I can brake/avoid an unexpected obstacle like a stopped vehicle, pedestrian or deer (going only as fast as I can "see"). On more-heavily trafficked roads, like freeways, I tend to follow the 80/20 rule: I pass or keep up with 80% of the traffic and let about 20% pass me. Unless the vehicle I'm passing is going awfully slowly (like a heavy truck on an incline), I usually keep my speed differential to about 10mph or less, in case a careless or inattentive driver gets startled by my approach or decides to move over into my lane.
Driving like this, you should be able to drive practically anything and not get undue attention from the police (and a 6 hatch isn't conceivably out of a 16-year-old's league...police do make judgement calls about whether they think a driver matches the vehicle...however, dress and personal grooming are bigger if not larger factors than age).
All kinds of things being posted from all kinds of drivers who think they know how cops think... take it from a street cop of 18+ years, mazdafun's post 16403, and fowler3's post 16402 are all you need to know about and are the ones that are correct. I've run traffic my whole career, and you know the thing that attracts me to speeders-SPEED, d'uh!!
An experienced cop will "hear" the vehicle comimg long before he sees it, engine racing, or even the sound of tires rolling at 85 instead of 65 is very distinct. Trust me on this one, don't drive like and idiot, and you won't have a problem. It's that simple. To say that certain colors attract the attention of an officer may be correct, but we don't give out tickets to cars that attract our attention. I've never gone out and run speed and said to myself, hmmm today I'll only time red cars. I time them all and cite the ones that are speeding. No mystery there.
BTW-my "fastest" ticket was issued to a sixteen year old going 121 mph on a Sunday morning driving... his grandmother's POWDER BLUE Dodge Diplomat. The fact that he was going 66 mph over the speed limit attracted my attention, not the color. (135+ mph sport bike in heavy traffic was the fastest that "got away")
Here in PA we can't even begin to cite unless you are 5 over, and all officers that I know, and I know a lot don't even begin to write until someone is 12 over. I generally don't until someone is 15 over. On the interstates this margin is usually higher still. Many times while on I-80 going to pick my daughter up from college I've winced as I've passed a trooper at 75+ and have yet to be pulled over. For the record-redfire 6, generally waxed to the deepest mirror finish I can attain!!
The last time that I received a traffic ticket (Yes, we get them too) I was in NYC trying to go around the block to find a parking garage and I was cited for an illegal turn. I got the ticket for a traffic violation, not because of what I was driving, which happened to be a blue Dodge Caravan ;-P at the time.
Sorry PAT I know that this is off the subject, but as an officer I couldn't resist...
Saving Sweetsixteen from starting out on the wrong foot -- the right one -- I don't think Pat_HOST will mind. After all, he IS, or will be, driving a Mazda6.
As you said, hearing the engines and tires, may be part of the problem. New Mazda owners may be coming from older cars that are noisey and speed in their much quieter 6's trying to hear their engines. You know how quiet your Redfire is.
When I took a 6 for a test drive that's what happened to me, I kept increasing speed unconsciously expecting engine noise to be 65mph, as it is in my Protegé -- I was going 85mph, still didn't hear the engine. Slowed to 65 and enjoyed the ride. I think it would take a while to get use to that.
fowler3
Does this AT have a learning function or sport mode? I didn't really notice this in my test drives. I've been driving MT for the past 12 years and prefer to shift with higher RPM. I do appreciate the manual-matic function. Can't wait to get out of "break in".
It does "learn" your driving style, but if you don't step on the gas more it will be learning the wrong way!
fowler3
Yes.
Only problem is, they don't appear to be dealing on them at all yet.