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Off the top of my head, I know the fist digit '1' = USA made, the 10th is '3' = 2003 model. Others can chime in if they know more.
I wonder how the wagon and hatchback sedan will do? Maybe Mazda should call the wagon an "SUV" and that will get the suburbanites to buy one. God forbid they buy a 'wagon'!
Please, don't even joke about SUVs and wagons and Mazda. They may hear you and decide to build ONLY Outbacks/Matrices/Vibes. Fine choices for those who want them. Others of us want a c-a-r.
I know you were joking. But I'm not.
A pity the wagon/hatch didn't come out the same time as the sedan.
I purchased the 6s due to the fact that it is seamless from 60-90. You are there in the blink of an eye with the engine still tooling along at relatively moderate RPM's. I do allot of highway driving and IMO the 6s is more stable at speed. IMO the extra weight on the front from the V6 helps the car stay planted above 80. The 6i seemed less planted during my test drives. However, this is simply MO. Others have different requirements as to the "feel" of a car and what makes them comfortable.
I get around 21-22 mpg with my 6s with 70/30 Highway/City and a mildly firm (R) foot. Granted I'm not into it deeply every time I drive, I do however use the power in traffic frequently.
In the end you need to take several back to back test drives with the 2.3 I4 and the 3.0 V6. Go out on the highway during rush hour and spend 25 min in it. If you spend any great amount of time squirting in and out of heavy traffic at speed IMO the 3.0 is the way to go. I simply love this car. I have 2,500 miles on it now, and not a single rattle, squeak, or issue period. My only complaint is the excessive amounts of brake dust from the soft pads. It is very time consuming for a person who likes to keep their vehicles spotless. Allot of people are waiting for the hatch/wagon. It is a worthy cause. These cars are worth more than we pay for them.
Regards,
Mark. : )
In fact I do know someone who test drove the I4 MT, and thought for sure it was a V6 until the sales person set him straight.
I'm also anxious to see what the hatch & wagon will look like, as I may get another 6 if I don't like the new RX-8.
I will be in the market in the next 3 months or so. I will be moving shortly after that and would like to buy here to save 4% in salestax. The wagon will not be available for me. I am looking at the Matrix and Protege5.
If the wagon is only going to be available with an AT, then I don't want it. If this is a confirmed fact, then the 6 sedan becomes more interesting to me. If the wagon will be truly available with an MT, then I might just wait for one instead of settling for the sedan or one of the other vehicles.
At first we'd only notice it when we pulled into the garage and got out and everyone would yell "DaAAAAAAAAAAAD!!!" and my husband would laugh and say "it's the car!" No big deal really.
But now that the weather is nicer and the windows are down, I can often smell it at stop lights and when I get out at various stops.
Dang. Can't Mazda do something about this? Put something in the exhausts or something?
I read (before I bought the Mz6) in the Tribute forum that some folks had the same problem.
Is it a V6 thing? I doubt the Tribute and the Mz6 share exhaust systems... but maybe?
Dang, again. It's hard to look cool in your car when you smell like you've just been out for Mexican food!
edit: mazdafun beat me to the punchline!
Otherwise I love this car. Just gave it its first wax this weekend and it looks great.
It is definitely a cat problem, I'm sure they use the same cats on the 6 as the MPV as the Tribute. But if you consistently use the same brand of gasoline (just a good practice anyway) then you should be OK.
Wiseguy...the starter on your M6 V6 is pushing twice the volume of engine as your the civic (3.0 liter vs. 1.6 (1.7?) liter) and two extra cylinders. Depending on how many seconds is several seconds, I would think it is normal to crank a little longer than the civic.
THAT was stinky. I scraped off what I could, but I had to wait for the rest of that nasty plastic to bake off over the course of a few months. Yet another reason to go with paper instead of plastic.
- Mark
I think the ML 320 had an automatic crank that kept it engaged until the engine caught, even if you let go of the key.
I just wanted to be sure that what I'm experiencing is "normal".
I only use Unocal 76. Bummer. I have a card for them.
Maybe I'll bump up to the 89 (from regular 87) and see if that works. Otherwise, I'll have to pay cash for Chevron or Texaco ??? We don't have a lot of choice here. And I won't buy the cheapo gas, it's just not safe.
But I'll try 89 for a while and see if it helps.
Thanks guys!
AAA offers a 5% gas rebate card, but no mention of 1% on other purchases.
I'm thinking of getting one of these. I hate being tied to BP and their silly rebate cards (like I need to carry 1-3 of these at a time in addition to the other stuff in my wallet).
Thanx in advance
MXPX
I prefer to drive an Automobile, and hope that real wagons keep coming back.
- Mark
"I test drove one and loved the acceleration around town, and I had a brief freeway stint to test acceleration, but felt it to be lacking a bit in the 60-90mph range."
I had the exact same experience during my first test drive. I got on the onramp and starting accelerating, shifting around 3000 rpm like my old '88 626 liked to do - and the response was lackluster.
But when I exited and got back on the freeway, I held back and stayed in 4th - and went from 60 to 80 before I even noticed. My husband and I did checked out the specs, and the torque peak is at 4000 rpm for the MZ6 - so shift a little later, and you should get all the power you want!
Now I'm just waiting for my MP3/CD player to arrive, and I'll be good to go. Zoom zoom!
Dinu
Don't forget that the engine is still stiff. Wait until the car has around 1000 miles and you will see a difference in the acceleration. From there on it will start get better and better.
jgriff: For my 6s with the 17'', I always have the tires at the manufacturer's recommended tire pressure which is 32 psi. Make sure you check the tire pressure when the tires are cold otherwise it will show higher.
I used a metal scraping tool and some rough sandpaper to get most of it off.
I tried the 32, (which is written on the door sticker) but it just looks WAY too low. Of course, the 17s have mid-profile tires, so they tend to look a bit low, even with the 34.
34 seems to ride nice, it's a bit more bumpy than the Impala was, but it's also a lighter car.
The suspension was pretty nice. Didn't feel as buttoned down as the Bimmer but it was more comfortable over potholes. Steering is definitely much lighter than the Bimmer, but the feedback was good. That makes it good for in town driving but not as good for highway. Brakes were responsive and effective but they overwhelmed the tires badly. I had to make a rather sudden stop when all the cars slowed down and the tires screeched loudly and gave out tons of white smoke. Scared the crap out of the other drivers and embarresed me. I'd get rid of the stock tires if I ever bought one. I'm sorry but even the rental Malibu I had last week had better tire/brake performance. Lastly, the seats felt ok for the 1st 2 hours, but by the 3rd hour my thighes were aching badly. I just couldn't find a comfortable position.
Other than that though the chassis was solid and the build quality was good. I liked the ergonomics and the abundance of storage cubbies. The trunk is massive.
Overall, the 6 is no BMW, but its a very good family sedan. Now I need to go down to the dealer and test drive a loaded 6s.
Also what is your height and weight? This matters since you said the seats weren't comfortable. So that we have a reference. Seats that feel uncomfortable to someone who's 6'4" 250 lbs might be a different story for someone 5'6" 130 lbs.
You mentioned it wasn't good for highway cruising, could you be more specific? Is the engine RPM too high? too much wind noise? road noise?
1. Protection
2. Long Lasting
3. Shine/Slickness
Thanks!
I'm 6', 160lbs so I guess I would fall into the middle sized category. The seats are comfortable for shorter drives. Its the lack of thigh support that affects it on longer drives.
As for highway cruising, I didn't say it was bad, just not optimal. 4 speeds means no overdrive so the engine was turning 3200 rpm at 80mph. Both engine and wind noise was minimal, but it didn't turn in the best mileage. I got 25mpg average with 99% highway. That's decent but nothing to write home about especially when my 2.5L inline 6 gets 32mpg in similar circumstances.
Illustration: My MPV van recommended pressure by Mazda is 35 PSI. The Dunlop tires maximum pressure listed on the tire is 51 PSI. Since I do not have a compressor at home, I have to drive about 3 miles to the nearest gas station to air up my tires. During that time the tires heat up somewhat. Thus I usually set my tires to 40 PSI just to make sure that when they cool down, the pressure will not be less than the 35 PSI recommended. (You can also check them later at home when the tire is cold and let some air out.)
The other reason I set them at 40 PSI is there is little chance that even on a 100 degree day that the pressure will increase 11 PSI and go over the maximum adviced by Dunlop.
So basically, if you set your pressure leaning towards the minimum required by Mazda, but at least 5 or more PSI less than the maximum set by the tire manufacturer, you should be safe.
My racer buddy says that the higher pressure actually buys you more grip. I don't see how that's possible. I always thought that less pressure gets more grip (more rubber on road), but less steering feel. Maybe some of you guys have the right answer. I prefer the steering feel when my tires are set at a higher pressure. I really don't get into a situation on a daily basis where I test out the limits of the grip, so I can't say from experience which is better.
This stuff shines and the metal feels like glass to the touch. It stays for several months (although the bottle says 1 year) The product is called "Finish 2001" but I had bought it a few years ago. I didnt see it for sale at Canadian Tire last weekend, but there other products that are similar.
BTW, it's over 90 degrees here and humidity equal to over 100. It still feels smooth and slick even when really hot, unlike wax which doesn't react that well to extreme temperatures.
Edit: They are both at the bottom of the Grand Touring All-Season category.
I've noticed that the MZ6 brakes are very sensitive. If the pedal was pushed down 2/3, that's probably too much - try 1/2 next time.
The brochures do say the 6i's 4speed AT does have overdrive. I guess the overdrive is still too short for some of the highway cruising.
25 mpg on the highway for the 6i seems awfully low.
The last pure highway trip I took in a manual transmission 6s produced between 26 and 28 mpg (over several tankfulls). This is cruising between 70 and 80 mph and passing through several really horrible storms along the way.
6s AT. 205/60 16 Michelins. Heavy foot.
I use Zymol on my 6s. I will apply it 4X per year. I use Nu-Finish on the DW's 02 MPV 2X per year. The Nu-Finish works well on the MPV, but does not have the depth of shine as the Zymol. The Zymol really only lasts a couple of months. If I wanted, I could probably apply the Nu-Finish 1X per year.
Mark. : )