Mazda6 Sedan

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Comments

  • maxhonda99maxhonda99 Member Posts: 1,289
    Where can I find some good information on the 2003 Mazda 6? The Mazda website is useless when it comes to information on the Mazda 6.

    I have a 2000 Accord currently. Might be looking for a new car come next summer and the Mazda 6 could be in the running. I saw it and sat in it at the auto show this past winter in NYC. It's exterior styling is a knockout, and the interior is nice save for cheap plastics and what thin door panels. More info. on safety equipment and options, standard features, and trim levels would be nice to know.
  • johnclineiijohnclineii Member Posts: 2,287
    The Mazda website is useless for 6 info?

    Click on the Mazda6 (it is the fourth car from the left) at the top. Select specs under Interactive on the right (YOU MUST have Flash installed, else this will not work) Pull up the specifications, and then select printable version at the top right of the screen. An Adobe Acrobat file with COMPLETE specs and stats appears. What more do you want? Prices? To be announced within the week, so we have been told by Rich.
  • ickes_mobileickes_mobile Member Posts: 675
    I'm not trying to argue with you Mazda6s, that the Mazda6 is a pretty good value. But, the $21,060 V6/5spd. Manual isn't a fair comparision with the Accord EX. Sure, you get the bigger engine, but the Accord has a sunroof and six disc changer. Maybe if its the power you're after great. But, in that case its more like a direct trade off.

    Its kind of like the comparision used on the Mazda webpage where the give themselves a bunch of "seagulls" for optional equiptment not available on the Accord LX, most of which is available with the EX.
  • mazda6smazda6s Member Posts: 1,901
    No, Accord EX MT isn't an exact comparison with the 6s MT. I was just pointing out, to those that think the 6 is overpriced, what you can get for less than the price of the EX. There are also a couple of things that you get with the base 6s but not the EX, like (TCS) Traction Control Susyem, 8-way power driver's seat, Automatic HVAC controls, Outside Temperature Indicator, and Leather-covered steering wheel. Oh yeah, that's aside from the 59 extra HP, of course. OK, the Accord is a little bigger inside and has the Sunroof, CD changer, and Side Air Bags, so it all depends on what is most important to the buyer.
  • johnclineiijohnclineii Member Posts: 2,287
    As long as we are comparing Accord prices to Mazda6 prices, what Accord can you get in a wagon or hatchback? Oh, I'm sorry...you can't get a *Mazda6* wagon or hatchback in North America either.

    I wonder when?

    My point is a simple one: Provided that Mazda gets the 6 wagons and hatches out soon, Mazda will have quite a period of near-exclusivity...a period when price comparisons won't matter, because there is virtually no competition (Subaru is about it wagonwise, hatch wise there is NO real mid-size affordable hatch widely available).

    There is a HUGE benefit to being first in a successful market. The question is, will the hatch and wagon be successful? Most of us say yes, and enthusiastically so. The better question is how many of us (and the rest of the North American car market) will put our money where our mouths are?
  • johnclineiijohnclineii Member Posts: 2,287
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20724-2002Oct26.html
  • vcjumpervcjumper Member Posts: 1,110
    Seems to like the 4 banger. I wonder what the RPMs are at in 5th gear at my 135km/hr cruising speed.
  • panamaltd2panamaltd2 Member Posts: 162
    The only thing I have heard of the Mazda6's interior is how up scale it is and how extremely nice the plastics are that are being used. One distinguished European magazine said, "Even Mercedes would do well to cope a fell of this Mazda's dashboard." I really doubt Mazda would put cheap plastics into this car.
  • mazda6smazda6s Member Posts: 1,901
    135km/hr is about 84mi/hr. Do you guys up there in the great white north really have speed limits that high?
  • vcjumpervcjumper Member Posts: 1,110
    Nope, I just stay at the speed of most others in the left lane here. No speeding tickets in 12 years.
  • mazda6smazda6s Member Posts: 1,901
    135km/hr is about 84mi/hr. Do you guys up there in the great white north really have speed limits that high?
  • smuggssmuggs Member Posts: 1
    I don't want to argue that the honda accord is not a wonderful car. In fact, my brother just bought a new one. But when I saw the new 6 today, I said "Wow!". That's a nice looking car. The accords, even with their new body style, have always looked a little 'over-the-hill' to me. I'm looking for something European, stylish, and definately fun to drive. I think the 6 will be my cup of tea, and in the right price range too =) I was actually considering a bmw 3 or audi 1.8T...but the rear legroom always looked so small. The legroom on the new 6 looks pretty plush. I can't wait to go test drive one =)
  • johnclineiijohnclineii Member Posts: 2,287
    You saw a 6? On the web or in the sheetmetal? If the latter, where?

    john cline ii, the curious one!
  • mazda6smazda6s Member Posts: 1,901
    OK, vcjumper got my curiousity up, so I did the math using the gear ratios in the specs I have. Here's what you'e got:
    RPMs at 60MPH (97KPH)
    6i-MT 2363
    6i-AT 2361
    6s-MT 2379
    6s-AT 2001
    RPMs at 75MPH (121KPH)
    6i-MT 2954
    6i-AT 2951
    6s-MT 2974
    6s-AT 2501
    OK vcjumper, theorically at 135KPH you would have about 2800 with the 6s-AT and about 3300 with the other 3 models, but this speed is well over any Canadian or US speed limits that I know of, so should only be attempted by a "professional driver on a closed course". :)
    Looking at the gear ratios, I think the 6i-AT is going to be a little sluggish due to the necessary compromises in the 4-speed auto. The first gear overall ratio (11.7) is just to high for a good launch with a 2.3L, 160HP engine. I think this is going to hurt sales when people are comparison shoping with the Accord LX-AT. The 6s-AT, on the other hand, has a nice low overall ratio in 1st (14.1) as well as a fairly high overall ratio in 5th (2.54) that lowers the RPMs to 2500.

    If anyone wants all the gear ratios let me know and I'll post them. I snagged them off the Mazda6 site before they revised the document.
  • ickes_mobileickes_mobile Member Posts: 675
    Well made points Mazda6s guy...

    As for cheap plastics, most of the reviews I've seen applaud the fine materials used in the Mazda6 interior, EXCEPT the center console. Most of the complaints seem to question the style and not necessarily the material...
  • vcjumpervcjumper Member Posts: 1,110
    Wow glad I peaked your curiousity, thanks for the info.
  • ickes_mobileickes_mobile Member Posts: 675
    what happend to www.mazda6club.com ?
  • johnclineiijohnclineii Member Posts: 2,287
    My browser re-directs me to:


    http://www.mazdaatenza.com/

  • stretchsjestretchsje Member Posts: 700
    Allright Audi8q, if it were still daylight savings, it's be past midnight already, hence it'd be time for the Mazda 6 official pricing to go public. Can't wait!
  • jtkz13jtkz13 Member Posts: 51
    I'm interested in all the specific gearing specs you got.

    jtkz13@yahoo.com

    Highway rpms dont bother me. I want a 3.98 gear like my taurus, but with a nice steep 1-2-3 gearset ratio.

    Thanks in advance.
  • mazda6smazda6s Member Posts: 1,901
    (Overall ratios in parens)
    6i-MT
    1 - 3.307 (13.575)
    2 - 1.842 (7.561)
    3 - 1.233 (5.061)
    4 - 0.914 (3.752)
    5 - 0.733 (2.943
    Final drive 4.105
    6i-AT (Oops, Mazda really messed up here)
    1 - 2.816 (11.678) (can you say "dog"?)
    2 - 1.497 (6.208)
    3 - 1.000 (4.147)
    4 - 0.725 (3.007)
    5 - N/A (doh!)
    Final drive 4.147
    6s-MT
    1 - 3.153 (13.031)
    2 - 1.842 (7.613)
    3 - 1.258 (5.199)
    4 - 0.947 (3.914)
    5 - 0.733 (3.029
    Final drive 4.133
    6s-AT
    1 - 3.801 (14.109) (Dude!)
    2 - 2.131 (7.910)
    3 - 1.364 (5.063)
    4 - 0.935 (3.471)
    5 - 0.685 (2.543)
    Final drive 3.712
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    are making me research what the gear ratio #s actually mean now. There goes a productive Monday!

    Dinu
  • 1wiseguy1wiseguy Member Posts: 120
    I'm with you, Dinu. I don't know what they mean. Can anyone explain what the 5MT numbers mean ? (since I won't buy an auto)
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    The only thing I know about gear ratios is that a lower number will make the engine rev faster, and a higher number will have the opposite affect. Or is that just the final-drive ratio?
  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    Shouldn't / isn't the final drive ratio be the ratio of the last gear,4th or 5th, as the case may be?
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    The final drive ratio is the ratio of the final drive or differential gear. It isn't the ratio of the last gear. It is the ratio by which all of the gears are multiplied by. Think of a rear wheel drive car. The transmission gears are in the transmission. The final drive is in the differential.
  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    but still doesn't make sense.
    If the differential gear ratio is what is important, why talk about the gearbox ratios?

    all I can understand is that
    1:0.9 means that the engine will run at 900rpm when the wheels are turning at 1000rpm

    u take me from there.
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    Hook that 1:0.9 up to a 3.712 final drive for an effective 3.34 ratio. The final drive multiplies gear ratios. Both gear ratios and final drive are important. They play off of each other.
  • stretchsjestretchsje Member Posts: 700
    Gearbox
    ______
    3.307-|
    1.842-|
    1.233-|============x3.712========wheels
    0.914-|
    0.733-|
  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    I was trying to think of a way to make it easier to visualize, but that diagram works well.
  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    good going...nice diag.

    Ok. so is see that gearbox enables to reduce the engine RPM then the differential increases it again????

    0.9 x 3.7 = 3.33 => First gear ratio
  • zeongzeong Member Posts: 31
    Is pricing avaliable yet? I saw a post earlier saying it should be avaliable today.
  • meesrmeesr Member Posts: 20
    ........ you folks should work across the street from Mazda R&D like I do, they have been unloading new Mazda 6's for the last 3 days.

    YELLOW SEDAN. I have seen it, and it is real.
  • mazda6smazda6s Member Posts: 1,901
    Just think of it as the the ratio of the engine RPMs to the wheel RPMs. You have to mulitply the final drive ratio times the gear ratio to get the overall ratio for that gear.
    To simplify, let's say you had a final drive ratio of 4.0, and a 4-speed tranny with gear ratios of 4.0, 3.0, 2.0, and 1.0. Then the overalls would be 16.0, 12.0, 8.0, and 4.0. OK, that means in 1st gear the engine is turning 16 times faster than the wheels, and in 4th gear the engine is turing 4 times for each turn of the wheels.
    Now, if you want to know your RPMs at a given speed, you have to get the circumfirence (sp.) of the tire, and divide that into the length of a mile (5280 ft) to get wheel revs per mile. Then you can multiply that by the overall gear ratio to get engine revs per mile. This also happens to be the same as the engine RPMs at 60 MPH, because 60 MPH equals 1 mi/min! Amazing!
  • mazda6smazda6s Member Posts: 1,901
    Dude! Get some photos!
  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
  • stretchsjestretchsje Member Posts: 700
    "Is pricing avaliable yet? I saw a post earlier saying it should be avaliable today."

    I'm waiting too!

    ---

    "YELLOW SEDAN. I have seen it, and it is real."

    Slap a label on that truck that says "SHIP TO D.C."
  • wgrwgr Member Posts: 127
    I have just checked Mazdausa.com and no prices are posted re the 6.
  • stretchsjestretchsje Member Posts: 700
    audia8q has them...
  • rodlcwrodlcw Member Posts: 45
    There are some Mazda Comparisons of them to Honda Accord and Camry and another.
    Of course NO price on the Mazda6, and careful on what they are comparing to.
  • ickes_mobileickes_mobile Member Posts: 675
    somewhat because of the different model structures between the different makes. For example, the comparison gives a bunch of seagulls for optional equipment on the Mazda6 vs. the Honda Accord LX. Of course, much of the optional stuff on the Mazda6 is available on the Accord EX.

    The physical measurements should be spot on. Given that the only significant measurement difference is in rear shoulder room, I'm surprised the interior volume is so much less for the Mazda6 compared to the Accord.

    Go figure...
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    Tthanx for those neat calculations! Today I san say that I've learned a little more about cars...and the people who drive them.

    Dinu
  • csuftitanscsuftitans Member Posts: 215
    Thanks for the thorough explanation of the gear/drivetrain ratio. I just waste an hour of productive work just to try and understand what you're saying :-). Damn that's some good info.

    BTW, I think audia8q is busy driving around on his new 6.
  • jtkz13jtkz13 Member Posts: 51
    4th and 5th gear are overdrive. 4.13 is a damn steep ratio for a stock 5 speed car. With some good tires that thing will jump off the line good. Too bad it's on open differential and not LSD. Thanks for the info Mazda6s :-D
  • jtkz13jtkz13 Member Posts: 51
    as how my taurus can pull 2.25 60's I cant see why the 6 with 20hp more, steeper 1st gear, and probably a little lighter couldnt pull a low low 2.1 60' which would put it stock low 15's :D
  • meesrmeesr Member Posts: 20
    ........ not too enthused on the Mazda guys clamping down on me taking pics on their property.

    If anyone is in So. Cal., the Mazda R&D facility's at the intersection of McGaw and Redhill, Irvine, Ca.

    Saw an disguised Mazda RX8 last week ;) .
  • stretchsjestretchsje Member Posts: 700
    An RX-8. The only car that could keep me from buying a 6, if only they'd release it. I haven't heard a pip about that car in months!
  • diploiddiploid Member Posts: 2,286
    That's because they want you to pay $8 to see X-Men II, which will feature the RX-8.
  • jtkz13jtkz13 Member Posts: 51
    I saw an RX8 at the 2002 NAIAS. They are very nice, and will give the 350Z and S2000 a real run for their money. Too bad it's a tiny little engine. :D
  • coakleysdcoakleysd Member Posts: 32
    Called Mazda. The rep even forgot it was the release date for pricing. He did go and research the info. for me and called back. He said that the base price will be $19K up to $27K for a "nicely equipped" mazda 6. I assume "nicely equipped" means a fully loaded, automatic 6s, but I felt his response was deliberately vague.
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