Mazda6 Sedan

newcar31

I haven't really heard anybody regretting getting the manual transmission. Some people think it's tricky to drive, but I do just fine. This is my 7th manual transmission car, and I don't think I'll ever buy an automatic, unless I have to.

dudleyr

Newcar31 The 6 looks nice. What kinda mileage do you get with the manual tranny.

Sure got some characters in your guestbook.

fedlawman

Nice looking photos. I think the 6 looks terrific in silver, and rather elegant looking when not cladded up.

I posted some pictures of my car a few weeks ago

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/557960
 
and yes, some weirdos do come out of the woodwork over there. It seems some people live over there, where I simply used it as a means of hosting photos...

newcar31

Yeah, I don't know what that lady's deal is. I can't believe people have even looked at my car, let alone cared enough to rip on it. I just needed a place to host the photos of the Mazda6 and Focus wagon rear suspensions because someone didn't believe me that they were similar. I ended up putting the rest of the photos of my car up.

That's a nice TSX, I'm sure you guys are careful out there on the track. Wouldn't want to see any fender benders.

6i manual transmission mileage-

I check my mileage every tank.

Cold weather, winter gas: 23/28
Warm weather, normal gas: 25/31

carlh

I'm seriously thinking about buying this car but cannot decide whether to get the i (I4) or the s (V6). Any consensus out there?

newcar31

are you getting a manual or automatic? IMO, I'd only go for the 4 if you're getting a manual, but....you really need to drive both yourself instead of listening to what people have to say in here.

People who own the V6 are going to tell you to get the V6. People who own the I4 are going to tell you all you need is the 4 cyl. You aren't going to get a consensus.

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carlh

I'll be getting an automatic so I may need the 6. How big is the difference in MPG? Any experience with an automatice with the 4?

newcar31

I drove the automatic versions of the 4cyl and V6 at the Mazda rev it up event. They were OK, but the manual versions are completely different cars. I'm biased though, I've never had an automatic. Obviously the automatic versions burn more gas. Not sure what the EPA numbers are.

ericzoom

I have a 2004 s with auto and that seems to drive pretty well. The reason i didn't get the stick is because it's a pain shifting in traffic. At least the auto has a fake manual to give a taste of it.

kmaurer

I have owned a 6i automatic for over a year (16,000 miles). The car was initially very sluggish after I purchased it, but I noticed a great improvement in performance around the 5,000 mile mark. While it is no speed demon, I have no trouble going up hilly mountain passes (thanks to the manumatic transmission) or passing semi's on the freeway. My MPG has been averaging around 28 mpg, although I am a pretty conservative driver.

One word of caution - the air conditioner really sucks power from the engine. There is a VERY noticeable difference in performance when the A/C is on. For me, it's very tolerable. Just make sure to turn it on during the test drive.

I really like the automatic - it has very crisp shifts and seems to downshift when I need it to. The manumatic is very good for hilly, mountain terrain and prevents the car from "hunting" for gears.

Overall, I am happy with the 4-cylinder.

thegreatvudini

After 11,000 miles, I average 20 mpg on my 6s AT, and 200 gpm (grins per minute).

vudini

sweetsixteen

Is mileage usually 20mpg average for the 6s, or does vudini have a heavy foot?

buck40

I average 20-22 mpg in my 6s with MT, mainly city driving, moderately heavy foot.

sevenseas

5K on my 6s AT, 20 mpg city and 23 mpg highway.

ericzoom

2k on my 6s AT and I am doing the same 20 city,23 highway.

newcar31

I have checked the MPG on every single tank on my 6i MT since the car was new almost 9000 miles ago. I just filled up my tank and calculated a record breaking (for me) 27 mpg in the city. I use the car pool lanes in my commute, but it's still not freeflowing, and I don't have them the whole way. If I had to sit in the regular lanes, I'm sure the MPG would be worse, and my left leg would be dead. This last tank was the first tank of summer formula gas in my car that was burned entirely in mild temperatures with the engine broken in. There were some pretty cold mornings last tank. Last summer, my engine wasn't broken in, which probably explains why I was getting 24-25 mpg in city commuting. The winter and the different formula gas really affect the mileage. Last winter I had a 21 mpg tank, the worst ever. My all time best was 33 mpg going 65-75 mph with occasional runs to 90, going though northern MN on a road trip.

jgriff

Anyone having problems with a clicking/popping feel/sound in the drivers seat back. It happens mostly when making hard/sharp turns???

Those of you with MT, does the clutch seem a bit stiff? [Compared to other MT]. I know I'm getting older but, after almost 10 months it seems like my left knee it getting & staying sore all the time.

Mostly city driving M6i 23-24 mpg, 28-30 on the hiway. 10k miles.

lapislayla

Hi Everybody,

It's been months since I've visited Edmunds. At that time, my username was Silvercrown. With this new format, I couldn't figure out how to log on with that name and it no longer fit me, so I reinvented my profile name (it's actually based on my car's "name").

There were too many new posts (thousands, in fact) since I last logged on, so I skipped to the most recent and I'll go from here.

I have had my beautiful, blue 6s Sport since last July and I have around 8500 trouble-free miles on it. It still shines like diamonds when it's clean, and I still find myself staring at it in the parking lot. I do love my car.

As for gas mileage, it could be better. I do a mixture of city and highway driving, mostly city, and I average aroun 21-22 mpg. I have a heavy right foot and I love to zoom, when I can, so I'm sure that accounts for my lower mileage. However, I averaged about 26 mpg in my V6 Camry, using the same driving style, so the 6 is a thirstier machine in general.

If I could change one thing, besides improving the mileage, it would be a smaller turning circle. I am still getting used to it and certain parking maneuvers and turns are a pain. In spite of that small detail, I love my car and I enjoy driving it every day.

I did have one small misfortune happen earlier this month. I had to replace one of my tires. The roads here in Michigan are terrible, and even though I am very careful to avoid potholes and other bumps, I managed to get a bubble in my sidewall. First time this has ever happened to me and I've lived here all my life. I never had low profile, sport tires like these, so I guess that's the difference.

Luckily for me, Michelin agreed to pay for 45% of the replacement cost, since my car was so new. Customer goodwill, I guess. It was still very expensive to replace, these tires ain't cheap. And they're not readily available. I went to Belle Tire (I had to go to one of Michelin's authorized distributors for the evaluation of whether or not the tire was defective) and they had to go to their warehouse for that particular tire. So I was there for a long time, but grateful to save some $$$ in the end. Has anyone else had a tire problem like this due to bad roads or whatever?

However, I'm not looking forward to the time when all of my tires will have to be replaced. That's going to cost a small fortune. A friend of mine mentioned Tirerack.com and told me that they would deliver to any location I wanted, so if I wanted a certain auto shop to install my tires, they would send them there and it would save me a lot of money. What do you guys think? Any other suggestions? I'm thinking ahead here. :-)

03accordman

Tire rack is a great place to shop tires. They have a very large variety and knowledgeable salespeople who can help you if you so need. They have thousands of installers and if you do a search in your zip code you are sure to fine many close to you.

I regularly use tirerack and their prices are much, much lower than regular tire dealers.

anonymousposts

We have to replace one of our OEM Michelins on our 04 Accord thanks to a little metal thing wedged in the outside edge of the tread. We found tires.com to be a bit cheaper than tirerack.com and their prices are all-inclusive. Still going to cost $155 but that's way better than the $200 a local tire place wanted to order the MXV4.

newcar31

has the final long term test article on the Mazda6s. It's a pretty good write-up. Their main complaints were road noise and ergonomics, which I don't really have a problem with. Overall the car was reliable for them for 40,000 miles with no un-scheduled service visits. They really liked it, they put 40,000 miles on it in 10 months.

One thing is strange though, at the beginning of the test, it did 0-60 in 6.4 seconds, and at the end it did it in 6.9 seconds.

kptsaab

Hi Accord7:

After having several manual trans Mazda's I have to say I am disapointed in the manual in my '04 6S. Just not up to Mazda slickness. Saw on Mazdatech.com that this tranny is a Ford, not a Mazda. Love the car in every other way. Would opt for an automatic next time. Or buy a TL.

buggywhip

I read that Car and Driver long-term test of the 6. I've been reading that mag for yrs and the 6 was CLEARLY the most trouble-free long-term performance sedan they've tested. The car is a real gem. I truly regret buying my Alero. I saved $3k, but in the long run it wasn't worth it. Sigh.............I didn't know the manual tranny was from Ford. That shouldn't be a problem. I'm not sure country-of-origin matters much with sticks. My old Escort had a 4-sp stick sourced from Mazda; it was flawless. My bro's T-Bird SC had its stick sourced from Mazda; it was a notchy, recalcitrant brute that belonged on a UPS truck. But Ford makes some good sticks b/c they've often used Getrag parts and technology.

newcar31

the best one was the Borg-Warner T5 in my Mustang. My Integra's was more slick, but the Mustang's felt much more direct (because the shifter went straight into the tranny without a bunch of linkages). Also, that T5 felt indestructable. You could SLAM gears in that thing all day long without it feeling like it was going to break, unlike the Integra and every other FWD manual I've driven.

Is the manual in the 6 really a Ford? I didn't know they made their own manuals.

mazda6s

Did you get the free extended warranty from GM?

baggs32

I thought I read that the MT in the Mazda6 was manufactured by Jatco? Or was that in the Mazda3?

newcar31

"I thought I read that the MT in the Mazda6 was manufactured by Jatco? Or was that in the Mazda3?"

Nah, Jatco makes the 5sp auto in the Mazda6.

baggs32

Well at least I had the 5sp part right!

Unlike some others, I rather enjoy the MT in our 6s. It's worlds better than the MT in the 96 Civic it replaced. That thing felt like it was connected by rubber bands Literally.

The 5sp in the ZX2 I used to own was even a lot better than the Civic's. Not as nice as the 6's though.

buggywhip

I think the 5sp in the ZX2 is sourced from Mazda as well. From what I've read, the Miata's gearbox is the best on the planet; that surely must rub off a bit on the Mazda6. Perhaps the Mazda6s gearbox was sourced from Ford b/c Mazda didn't have a gearbox that could handle the 6cyl's power............mazda6s, I got a 5yr/60k bump.-to-bump. warr with the Alero. They wanted me to pay extra for it but I refused. I wish the Alero would fall apart and the dealer would have to buy it back and then I could buy a Mazda6i.

mazda6s

Just after I said my Alero (3.4L) was the most reliable car I ever owned, the intake manifold gasket started leaking coolant and it cost me $866 to repair. That was at 63000 miles. Your 2.2L will probably be more reliable. If not, you might want to dump it before your warranty runs out.

bigdadi118

After 80% of car were tested, CR just released 6 is the SAFEST car in its class.

buggywhip

mazda6s, my Achieva's 3.1L 6cyl blew its gasket as well, quoted $1600 to fix. That's why I'm kicking myself for not buying the 6.........if this Alero bites me, I'm buying a 6 and never buying domestic again.

baggs32

"Perhaps the Mazda6s gearbox was sourced from Ford b/c Mazda didn't have a gearbox that could handle the 6cyl's power.."

Possible. It would have to be the same tranny that's found in the Lincoln LS, Jaguar X or S Type or a Euro Ford (Mondeo maybe?) because I don't think any Ford branded vehicle ever had the 3.0L Duratec with an MTX.

Although the Lincoln and Jag S-Type trannies might be out of the question due to their RWD config.

jgriff

I simply found the M3's MT much slicker and smoother and more enjoyable to drive than my M6. I asked the mechanic about it, and he said it was due to the M6 having a much more durable clutch setup. All I know is that over time, a lot of city driving in my M6 will make my knee sore.

carguy58

I don't think Mazda would ever use a maunal tranny from Ford. Why? because I think only Honda builds a better mauual from what I hear than Mazda does. I can't believe Mazda would do something like that.

newcar31

"because I don't think any Ford branded vehicle ever had the 3.0L Duratec with an MTX"

No, but there were Ford branded vehicles with the 2.5L Duratec and a MTX.

Does Ford make their own manual transmissions, or do they farm them all out to Mazda, Borg Warner, etc?

buggywhip

My impression is that Ford farms out all its manual trannies. It seems logical b/c it's probably not worth engineering them in-house, given the small numbers sold. But that's a good thing for Mazda6 owners. Ford's MT suppliers are great--usually Getrag, B-W, or Mazda itself. Ford's MT suppliers supply many European cars, so they are surely excellent. Hey Mazda6 owners, just be glad that Ford hasn't stuck its other parts into the 6!!!!!...........BTW, I read that the Mazda3 gearbox is teflon-coated, which helps its smoothness. I don't know about the MZ6.

tomcat630

The trouble free C&D long term test flies in the face of all the naysayers who claimed the 6 was "junk", simply because Mazda is 35% owned by Ford.

baggs32

"No, but there were Ford branded vehicles with the 2.5L Duratec and a MTX."

True, but I think the question was whether or not Mazda had an MTX that would hold up to the power of the 3.0L Duratec. The 2.5 maxxed out at about 170HP in the SVT Contor IIRC. Most I4 trannies will accomodate that these days.

"Does Ford make their own manual transmissions, or do they farm them all out to Mazda, Borg Warner, etc?"

I don't know for sure but I think buggywhip is right about this. The only one I've ever really paid attention to was the Mustang's which is not made by Ford.

"Hey Mazda6 owners, just be glad that Ford hasn't stuck its other parts into the 6!!!!!"

After looking through the engine bay and at a lot of the other parts on my Mazda6 I was actually quite surprised at how many parts are Ford sourced. Mostly just switchgear, hinges and the like, but they are there.

For example, the turn signal and wiper stalks are identical to those in our Escape with the exception of the fog light control. The Escape's is a separate button under the left HVAC vent.

I also noticed that the center console in the '05 Mustang is very similar to the one in the Mazda6. However, that might be a case of Mazda sticking it's parts into a Ford. It works both ways these days.

baggs32

This is probably an old topic so please bear with me:

Does anyone know how to make this stereo system sound better? I knew BOSE speakers were overpriced junk but I couldn't find a Mazda6s MT that didn't have it. Now that I'm stuck with it I was wondering if anyone had any luck tuning it.

It's not so bad with the radio but CD's sound pretty bad. I'm also glad that they put that supposed subwoofer on the rear deck with big "BOSE" lettering right on it. Maybe someone WILL steal the speakers and solve my problem.

BOSE = The Honda of audio systems.

ericzoom

I don't find the CD player that bad, but the Cassette is terrible.I know a cassette player doesn't produce the best sound, but forget about it.

mjvchicago

Actually I find that the Bose does sound pretty good (to me anyway) once you tweak the settings.

I favor the bass frequencies, so my tweaks work really well. I crank the bass up to max (6 I believe) and the treble to about midway (I believe it's at 3 or 4). Then I use the fader to give the rear just a bit more emphasis (set it to R2 or 3). From there, I use the ACS and set it to 2. This adds some loudness contour to it, not to mention self adjusts the volume higher the faster the car goes. I don't mind that too much since the sound benefits are worth it.

What the M6 Bose is missing is some equalization to contour the sound better to everyone's ear. The settings above should appeal to you if you like a little more bass. Granted, different CDs/MP3s will sound different depending on how it was recorded to CD, but you do what you can to get the best sound possible on most occasions.

Hope that helps.

newcar31

"True, but I think the question was whether or not Mazda had an MTX that would hold up to the power of the 3.0L Duratec. The 2.5 maxxed out at about 170HP in the SVT Contor IIRC."

The regular 2.5 had 170 hp, the SVT was 200 hp.

"I don't know for sure but I think buggywhip is right about this."

I have never heard of a Ford MTX, that's why I asked. I've heard of Fords with Mazda, Getrag, Borg Warner, and Tremec, so I'd be very surprised if Ford also made their own.

baggs32

"The regular 2.5 had 170 hp, the SVT was 200 hp."

Sounds good. But there's no way SVT used a Ford built (if one existed) MTX in one of their babies. They always use a third party high performance tranny.

baggs32

Bass is the whole problem. There is none when I'm playing a CD with the volume set below 10. The radio has better bass but none of the CD's do and I've tried several. If I turn the bass all the way up the radio will sound awful because there will be too much bass.

I also have to watch what I do with the volume because our 5-month old is often in the rear seat. APC is nice but it can add a little too much for the young guy's ears.

Thanks for your thoughts though. I'll try some of your suggestions out while I search for a happy medium.

buggywhip

Well, Ford parts or not, the Mazda6 is one very reliable machine. I'm one of the naysayers who originally thought ANY Ford parts would spoil the car. I was wrong, big time. Ford took no chances--it let Mazda do the major engineering and tuning. If the car has some Ford hinges and switchgear, who cares?? Those parts are tough to screw up.

newcar31

"Sounds good. But there's no way SVT used a Ford built (if one existed) MTX in one of their babies."

I never said that they did. I was the one questioning whether or not Ford makes any of their own manual transmissions after someone mentioned that the Mazda6 uses a Ford manual. I have never heard of a Ford designed manual transmission. Sometimes I wonder where people come up with this stuff (a Ford manual in the Mazda6). Out of thin air? Out of a hat?

thegreatvudini

Actually, I have a medium heavy foot. It mostly happens when merging into highway traffic, where all of a sudden, I'm in 3rd gear and going 80 mph. Don't you just love the sound it makes as it redlines?

In regular driving, I also find myself driving 75-80 a lot of times, and rarely below 65. On the whole, I get about 330-350 before filling up, when the tank still has about 2-3 gallons left. Let's do the math:

15-16 gallons for 330-350 miles translates to 20.6 - 23.3 mpg. Not such a heavy foot after all! And I drive an AT.

vudini

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