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In comparison, my friend just bought an automatic 2000 ECHO sedan that weighs like 2200lbs. His goes from 0-60 in about 9.5 seconds, and that's only with 108hp. Imagine if it had 220 and a stick!
It is not a Ford Engine. It has highly modified/ different pistons and cams. The only common thingy is the Aluminium block.
It's a new generation of the Ford Duratech and will be shared by Ford and Mazda.
No it won't. The Mazda 6 version of the duratec is only going to be used in the Mazda 6.
The 3.0 Duratec in the Mazda 6 is already used in the Ford Mondeo ST220 in Europe.
"either Mazda and Ford decided to modify the torque and horsepower of the Duratec to be the EXACT SAME horsepower and torque figures as eachother, or they have the same engine. Guess which one makes more sense."
Well, in THIS case, it makes more sense that they are the same engine. That's not always the case though. The Mazda 2.0L in the Protege and the Ford 2.0L in the Focus have the EXACT SAME hp and torque. They must be the same engine then right? Nope, they are completely different engines.
It only makes sense that the ST220 has the same engine.. the ST220 was introduced late summer... right in time for the Mazda 6 to be also introduced in Europe.
Actually, the Mazda 2.0L was in use way before the zetec 2.0L. I was just trying to point out that just because two engines have the same outputs, doesn't mean they are the same. I believe you that the V6 is the same in the Mondeo and the Mazda 6. It does make sense. You could have just explained it like you did in the post above. Instead, you had to write "WRONG" with exclamation points and be a smart [non-permissible content removed] about it. Lighten up.
Fact: Ford controls Mazda and they are sharing many components. The same four cylinder is planned for the 2005 Focus.
By the way, the Taurus SHO was an awesome car, but in terms of engines, the Mazda 6 is much more efficient. Look at the mileage they both get. Even with the difference in drag, it's drastic.
It only makes sense that the ST220 has the same engine.. the ST220 was introduced late summer... right in time for the Mazda 6 to be also introduced in Europe.
Ford should have the Mondeo ST here, to sell along with the 6 MPS and get in a little in house performance wars.
That Mondeo interior is really well laid out, very Audi like for a pedestrian car...nicer than Passat.
- The interior, despite the original center console and air vents is a little boring. It is however very functional. There is a lot of storage space. The center armrest has three separate containers and there is 4 cupholders up front. Also, the seatback of the front seats have storage pockets. I noticed that the hinges on all compartments are "dampened" like in the passat. A nice touch. I also noticed that there were a lot of courtesy lights (lack of lighting is one of my personnal pet peeves with most cars).
- Trunk space is huge and easy to access.
- Rear seats are very roomy, even more than in most luxury sedans.
- Soundproofing is very good. This car is very quiet.
- Suspension is soft enough to be comfortable yet manages to control body roll.
- Manual transmission is smooth and moves efortlessly.
- Steering is predictable and is not affected by acceleration or body roll.
- Visibility is excellent
- The exterior is unoriginal and failed to attract the attention of bypassers. (Not my opinion but I guess its fair coming from a guy who regularly tests 50000$+ cars)
- Despite the 220HP, the V6 is not powerful enough to turn this car into a real sports sedan.
- Reliability is an unknown for this model.
The 4 cyl has already been in the Ford Ranger/Mazda B2300 Pick-up for about a year . It lacks variable valve timing (S-vt?? or whatever Mazda call it).
The 6 cylinder is the Duratec, besides the Taurus it has been used in the 2.5 & 3.0 Jaguars (with VVT)which range from 190HP to 230HP.
Also the Lincoln LS V6 has been using the same engine ( same as Mazda 6 will use ) where it has been putting out 220HP/215 lb-ft "without the vvt gimmick" .
However the 2003's LS already have vvt (s-vt??) and it makes more power.... 232HP/220lb-ft.
In other words....nothing out of the ordinary although the LS output now its pretty good for a Ford poweplant ;heck... its almost as competitive with the Accord V6 and the Altima even though is still a 3.0 liter.
That is like saying that the Mazda6 tires are Cadillac tires because both hold the same amount of air and are the same size. (Never mind that one is Michelin and the other Goodyear...or that there are modifications to one tire and the other is off the shelf...or that they are produced in different countries to totally different specifications).
As for me, boring yet functional works for the controls. I don't need a work of modern art that takes too much effort to find and work controls (like the little-loved Buick Skylark and Ford Taurus consoles that had controls placed haphazardly in the name of artistic form).
Looking forward to when these come available for test-driving, though I'm going to wait for the hatch and wagon (I've decided I need more utility than a sedan offers...then again, that RX-8 is awful tempting-looking).
From what I remember it has the 4-cyl engine, manual trans, cloth seats, no sunroof, low profile tires, Bose sound system, dark gray metallic color.
I would prefer something functional and attractive. However, I don't want form overcoming function.
"With the newly developed MZR engine*, used in the Atenza, Mazda Motor Corporation has commenced production at the company's new engine plant (Minami-ku, Hiroshima City). The newly developed engines are all aluminum, in-line 4-cylinder gasoline engines, with 1.8-liter, 2.0-liter, and 2.3-liter engine displacements.
A ceremony was held at the plant to celebrate the start of production of the new engine. In his speech, Mazda Representative Director and Executive Vice President Hisakazu Imaki commented, "This newly developed MZR engine was developed with Mazda taking the lead role, being designated as the 'Center of Excellence' in the Ford Group for its highly recognized engineering. This plant that will produce the new engines, by incorporating various ideas of everyone, has realized high quality and high efficiency, and is now the factory attracting the most attention in the Ford group. I would like you to all take pride in this plant, and let's make the next-generation products that these engines will be used in a success."
The new I4 engines realize superb performance due to improved torque and increased output, have excellent fuel economy and clean emissions, and perform quietly with little vibration. The engines will be used in the Atenza and other following next generation products.
A trial run of the new engine production was held starting from last October. This plant has introduced the "Cosworth casting process," which is also used for the peak performance F1 auto-racing engine. This casting process technology has been provided by Ford and Cosworth from England, and then matured and innovated by Mazda-specific technology. Through this, the mass production of quality, lightweight, and compact engines has been attained, and an epoch-making production process, producing at a lower cost than cast iron engines, realized.
The new engines, in addition to being used in future Mazda products, will also be used by the Ford Group in approximately 2 million units, of which Mazda will produce around 425,000 units, expected to be produced within the next several years. The production base in the Ford Group consists of a total of four plants: the Mazda plant here in Japan, and Ford plants in the U.S., Mexico, and Spain. Production at the United States and the Mexico plants began from the second half of 2000. Mazda has positioned this engine as the cutting edge, global core engine in the Ford Group, and will continue to foster this technology."
http://www.mazda.com/mnl/200204/jisedai.html
Sounds about like good timing to get it into the B-2300/Ranger for its debut in Feb '01.
What's your take on that?
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
newcar - Yes, I was referring to the "old" 2.3L engine. I don't know nuthin about the newer one.
What about transmissions? No cute names (duratec, zetec, econotec, etc) but they are perhaps a better translation of the hp figures then the figures themselves. Anyone have any info on the transmissions, and what kind of "at the tire" hp do you think we will see?
If they benchmarked BMW, I hope they benchmarked the trannies and drivetrains. BMW is one of the best at wrangling the most net HP out of their engines. (ie rated at 200, netting 177 at the wheel, etc)
A 160 hp engine can be flabby or furious, so can a 260 hp engine. Need proof, drive a G35 then drive the I35.
I drove an I30 before I finally aquainted myself with BMW up close, and man...the 60 hp deficit of the BMW was a complete mirage in the road performance. The BMW felt faster, more alive, and the I30 felt flabby and less willing to move.
One of the reasons Honda can still sell 105hp I4 cars is that they make pretty spunky and efficient drivetrains/trannies. My 105hp Civic HX with a CVT could keep up nicely in traffic. I dare say it had nearly as much oomph and more smoothness than the current Hyundai Elantra mushbox. That has been a Mazda fault for me with their V6 626. It had decent enough power ratings, but no reaction at the pedals. You press the gas, and it wouldn't get up and go.
Let's talk trannies... :0
5 forward gears and a clutch. It's as smooth or nasty as I want it to be.
From the CarsEverything article:
• The Mazda G5M five-speed is designed to give the four-cylinder engine line-up crisp, short-throw shifting feel and low shifting effort in true sports car style. It features new dual synchronization - a high power synchronization feature for responsively quick shifting, easier shift effort and precision engagement - for the first and second gears.
• The A5M transmission is used for leveraging the higher-torque engines, including the V-6 gasoline engine and the diesel variants. This five-speed manual transmission also features Mazda attention to detail for optimal shift quality.
http://www.carseverything.com/content/search/results/article/1346/
I can tell you the surprise I got when my 318ti needed a new clutch (my fault).
It was an estimated $600 for the clutch with labor, but they weren't sure until they did it if I would need a new flywheel...quoted price for the part: $625.
Turns out that BMW used a dual-mass flywheel for crisper acceleration on the 4-cyl manual ti. The other 3-series uses a more standard (single mass) flywheel that had a parts cost under $200.
So, for that crisp tranny on a 4...it could be a slightly more costly tranny to repair, depending on parts used versus the 6...
just a few cents into the argument.
I did like the five forward gears quip.
Personally, I am a fan of the CVT technologies. Except for the new fad of "gearing" the CVTs to perform with powerband revving like a normal slushbox, the CVT is the most intelligent way to strip a driver of gear shifting duties.
The object point of CVT? To rev the engine to the most powerful point in the RPMs, hold it there while the car is accelerating, then when the driver lets off the gas, reduce the RPMs to the best spot for efficiency. Honda Civic HX models do this quite well.
Only problem with CVT is that is has issues when dealing with high power output and is a simple theory but complex piece of equipment. Other issue with CVT, it tends to have a starting pause while the belts grab hold of the tranny...take one drive of an Audi A4 CVT and you will see what I mean. (I am not a technical engineer, so some terms may not be correct, but the simple man explanation still stands)