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Comments
But then again, I won't be spending too much time behind the car.
Not in reality. The theme is the same. It is used in the ES300, New Corolla, and old crapalier.
fowler3
P.S. If you get a chance watch the Italian bike race on the OLM channel. Several of the escorting cars are Mazda6, one in medium grey metallic. Also, there seems to be a bright blue Mazda3. Big signs along the route advertise the Mazda2.
TIA
-B
And whó's confrontational? You are all so delusional to point of even comparing the six to luxury sport cars like the BMW, Audi, Saab. Give me a break. The Mazda6 is an economy midsize sporty (not sport)sedan like the Mitsu Galant. That's what the American public knows, and that is why the Mazda 6 although much heralded by enthusiast like mazdaphiles around here, isnt selling.
I can almost see where the excess inventory will go, to rental fleets, so its no different from the millenia it replaces after all.
So guys, remember I am a troll... Just enjoy your cars, will ya?
Oh yeah, don't we just love nice reviews. If it says nice about Mazda6, they are reliable, honest, etc. But they are paid, dined, troll or whatever if they say one, even one thing against the 6. Why is that?
"There's no denying that the 6 is a nice car, but arent you guys tired of blowing your own trumpets?"
Who's confrontational? You are.
"You are all so delusional to point of even comparing the six to luxury sport cars like the BMW, Audi, Saab. Give me a break."
I guess C&D and other car mags must be delusional too. Obviously it ISN'T a BMW, but it has been compared to one.
"That's what the American public knows, and that is why the Mazda 6 although much heralded by enthusiast like mazdaphiles around here, isnt selling."
Hey people, WolverineX is now the official spokesperson for the American public!!!!
For a change, why dont you take up that job?
It would be nice to have a break.
BTW, did u hear the latest Ford advt? It says:
" Ever driven a Chevy lately? If not, test drive one. It's great"
/*hoping everybody gets the sarcasmic tone*/
The 6 is 5db quieter than an 03 Accord at idle, and within a db at highway speed. It is quite a bit louder at full throttle. But, is that a problem?
Mark.
Absolutely not. That is one of the M6s attributes that I enjoy the most. It is a nice and quiet car on the highway and around the city streets. Once you step on it, it transforms to a lion with a nice growl. I love that sound but I have to contain myself until at least the first oil change. Does the M6i make similar noises at full throttle?
Mazda6: http://www.osa.go.jp/anzen/html2003e/15.html
Comparison: http://www.osa.go.jp/anzen/html2003e/as105.html
These tests include offset and side-impact crashes, though the model tested did not have side airbags. This was the test the '6 did the worst in, getting *only* 4 out of 5 stars.
What about power delivery and handling. No question there is significantly more power, but how does handling compare?
The test drive was on a two-lane country road posted 45mph, glancing at the speedometer I couldn't believe I was doing 70mph! With the Pro you listen for road noise to tell you the speed, in the 6s you had BETTER check the speedometer -- often!
On the expressway it gains speed fast and there is no noise from the road, wind, or tires. The steering isn't as twitchy at 80mph as on the Pro. And the seats have a cushioning effect, they give when passing over irregular surfaces. The 6s doesn't have that bobble one feels in a Pro even on smooth surfaces, which is amazing considering the wheelbase isn't all that much longer.
After 15 years of four-spoke steering wheels I thought the 3-spoke would bother me, it didn't. If the steering wheel had been slightly off center THAT would drive me NUTS! I'd be zigzagging all over the road.
All the little things that bother some drivers are not in the Mazda6. It even has decent outside mirrors for a change. And the dash is much larger, longer, to the base of the windshield which makes the 6 feel bigger.
My final impression: I was driving a car unlike any car I have ever driven before and all of it was good. The stability of a larger car with the handling of the Pro, without the Pro's road noise. No excess bulk, yet plenty of room for four adults. The back seat is very comfortable.
Todd, before I would lease a BMW at $299 a month consider the 6i at $239. Both rates are higher than my $182 month payment. Of course, there's that free maintenance to think about. But would you really expect $2160 in repairs? That's the $60 a month difference.
fowler3
fowler3
wolverine_x: "Just enjoy your cars, will ya?"
Most of MZ6 owners are, thank you! I've test driven the '03 Accord before I purchased my MZ6s, nice car but, IMO, nothing compares to the fun-to-drive factor of the MZ6! It beats the Accord hands down, such a blast to drive with better sheetmetal styling! So far, I have over 6K trouble free miles on my MZ6s MT.
Have you test driven the MZ6 to give us your assessment or are you just shooting from the hip?
"Oh yeah, don't we just love nice reviews. If it says nice about Mazda6, they are reliable, honest, etc. But they are paid, dined, troll or whatever if they say one, even one thing against the 6. Why is that?"
Before you make a statement like that you better have solid evidence/facts that this goes on! This could be taken out of context and defined as slanderous!
fowler3
There are times I almost feel I could pull back on my steering wheel and created the unexpected!!
Mark.
Mark.
Nope. Not even. Too passionate about the car.
"You are all so delusional to point of even comparing the six to luxury sport cars like the BMW, Audi, Saab. Give me a break."
Maybe since those were the cars it was modeled after? No one in their right mind considers the 6 anything close to the equal of these cars - but the cars you mention are what the 6 was, in fact, benchmarked against.
"I can almost see where the excess inventory will go, to rental fleets, so its no different from the millenia it replaces after all. "
Yeah - maybe. Soooo...(*shrugs shoulders*)..what?
I've said repeatedly that I couldn't care less if they don't sell one more car. I'd like Mazda to do well - but I've got my car. Just 'cause the rest of the country doesn't get it, doesn't mean I don't. (note: the rest of the world figured it out)
"Just enjoy your cars, will ya?"
Believe me, I do. Best car I've ever owned.
I find it odd that a Honda troll would even bother to come here and essentially tell us to shut up. It never crossed my mind to do the same to them. Very interesting.
I don't expect them for a month or so.
My 93 Grand Am GT that failed on me which the MZ6 replaced was a beast! No where near as refined, well buttoned up or speed-happy as the MZ6, but man you got driver feedback. You felt the engine vibration and could shift without even looking at the tach just from how the car felt. You KNEW you were going 70 - 90 from the way the car trembled/handled. Honestly, I've actually gone higher on the revs in hear than I probably should a few times only because the Bose has been on too loud.
My guess is that time will train me to keep the car in the right rev zones, but there's something to be said about cars whose engines "over-communicate"!
I've been lurking around the board here for the past several weeks, and I love how devoted everyone is here to the Mazda 6 (and Mazda's in general). I've been a fan of Mazdas since age 13 with the '93 Ford Probe/Mazda MX-6.
Right now, I own a '03 VW Golf (settled for it when I thought the MZ6 was out of my price range), and while it's a decent car, I'm not satisfied with my purchase. I test drove a few 6's over the past few months. Ideally I would like to get the 6s, but to find one under $20K seems almost impossible.
The 6i seems like a great bargain, but with the auto transmission it feels almost lifeless at low speeds (is that due to it being a new car?). Compared to the Golf engine, I'm sure the 6i spanks it 6 ways from Sunday, but I'm concerned about overall performance- especially the transmission. Several magazines point out that the auto tranny is not as smooth as an Accord or Camry, and I'm dealing with a jumpy auto transmission as it is.
So I guess my concerns are: finding a well-equipped MZ6 for under 20K, hearing the opinions on performance of those with the automatic 6i, and whether I should be concerned with problems regarding the automatic transmission. I'm hoping to buy one in the next month, and FINALLY enjoy driving a car that I'm paying the bill for.
I kind of recall something to that extent. Was it a dream?
At low RPMs it seemed very lethargic. Maybe thats because when it hit about 3500 RPM it took off like a scolded dog!
I hope it would be more manageable with the 5 speed. I was impressed with the handling, the ride, and the comfort, but not so much with the driveability at lower RPMS.
P.S. I have driven the manual 6i twice and didn't have a problem with low-end grunt (no, I'm not talking about my bowels).
In the 60's and 70's cars came with big, brutish 160hp V8s that were easy to push fast, and they had to be broken in also. Plus the big trannys back then. Compared to those, a new small aluminum block 4-cylinder engine (and transaxel) can't produce the power and performance you expected.
fowler3
Mark.
p.s. Just noticed that I was grinning as I typed. I wonder why?
Even after the manual's stated 'break-in' period, the motor continued to loosen up. Somewhere around 4,000 miles, I started noticing more force pushing me into the seat. By no means is it like the Nissan V6 with that ridiculous launch - but it gets peppier.
Mazda seems to be tuning these engines similar to a BMW (that ought to annoy the troll) in terms of power curve. Max torque & HP aren't realized until just before redline - but the power builds smoothly to that point.
The V6 jumps at around 5500-6000, indicating a slightly exaggerated jump in the torque curve. Other than that, it just pulls and pulls.
What's your mileage these days with the 4 cylinder? I remember you saying you got good mileage at first, but then after switching over to 17" wheels it was lower.