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Comments
Looks great! Congrats!
Let me ask you (a little off-topic I know), how's Honduras for a 1 week vacation in December? Is the weather ok? As in NOT hurricane season?
Thanx!
Dinu
Highs: Lusty engine, taut suspension, roomy trunk and back seat.
Lows: Untoward bumps and thumps from the suspension.
The Verdict: Sporty is as sporty looks, feels, sounds and does.
Also - last paragragh:
"Bottom line: If you're in the market for a sports sedan and you think you're nearly as big as an automotive enthusiast as we are, stop by the Mazda store and ask to try on something in a size six."
Overall an excellent review - they really liked it.
Mike
So I guess it came in first? : )
Mike
http://www.caranddriver.com/xp/Caranddriver/roadtests/2002/december/0212_roadtest_6.xml
"Bottom line: If you're in the market for a sports sedan and you think you're nearly as big an automotive enthusiast as we are, stop by the Mazda store and ask to try on something in size 6."
Maybe I need to go look at it some more, in person perhaps, and drive it. Almost makes me sad that my Protege is so reliable. ;-)
This seems like the most tempting configuration and plan for me so far - given the brain-dead options packages! OK, bring on the hatch already, Mazda! And make it available in a barebones 5-speed, 2.3l I-4 avataar.
Anyone know whether it'll be possible to throw in aftermarket stereos into the 6 - from the discussion groups in Europe or Oz? No way would I restrict myself to Sirius satellite radio (I prefer XM, but thats not an opion on Mazdas!) and I'd like a 6-CD changer without having to buy the iffy Bose sound system!
man, that C&D review sure is good!!!!
16-17 inch High Performance All Seasons would do just fine in the DC Metro area! Which is why I waited until I moved out of Utah to upgrade from my stock 13 inch steel wheels.
I took the car outside from the parking garage for the outside shots. I like the red controls lighting so much, I took those interior shots inside the garage. Sorry about the poor sharpness, but it was very dim light.
December in Honduras is one of the best months to visit. Not humid as in some other months and clear blue skies (like in the picture). Temps 80 - 90. Ocasionally a cold front from your country will make it down here where they've been known to die a slow death over a few days with drizzle and cooler temps. But absent a norther, it's the best weather time. Stay away March - May. Brutally hot and humid. Think Dec - Feb in your country, opposite temps, but just as horrible.
The V6 engine "has variable valve timing, and smooth and quiet power delivery reminiscent of a BMW in-line six's. Although the gearbox still isn't as slick as, say, a Honda's, it does not impede spirited driving."
"It's nearly as comfortable and practical as the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, it'll probably be as reliable, and it's priced right on top of the family-sedan sales leaders. But with the 6, you get zip... some style, too, and it's loads more fun than the other two. For sure there are some practical aspects — such as rear-seat comfort — where the Mazda loses, but in my view the sportiness here far outweighs its minuscule functional shortcomings."
Seriously, it is a good car that has the looks and as attested by C+D the goods to back it up.
jampedro: Thanx for the info. I don't have any vacation days left for this year, but my mom asked me to get her a ticket somewhere hot and since I heard that Honduras is available to Canadians for the 1st time this yr (and it's getting more and more popular), it might be a good change from the usual trips to Cuba, Mexico and the Dominican.
Dinu
After reading all the reviews and looking at all the pics, I see nothing that would interest former Millennia owners, much less Accord and Camry buyers.
I've been wrong before. When Ford introduced the Mustang, I looked it over carefully, above and below, and said - 'This piece of crap will never sell!' Somebody said, "Never underestimate the taste of the American car buyer." They were right, real quality means nothing to most buyers. Look at all the cars on the road with missalined taillamps, gaps between sheetmetal panels, etc. etc. They don't give a damn as long as it goes. These days, a useless for long trips, rock-hard back seat means nothing as long as the sheetmetal is fancy and the dash a good imitation of a Euro sport sedan's. In a $25,000 car one should expect the blue windshield tint at the top, not the simplistic and cheap copout black patch above the inside mirror.
fowler3
this is for those young and middle-aged guys and gals that want that elusive 'zoom-zoom' feel in their daily driver :-)
what better way to build a nice owner base than building a car that targets the younger crowd? Protege's doing a perfect job at that :-D
fowler3
As far as a soft ride is concerned, I think Mazda (or more so Ford) has left it to Ford itself to make one for the regular public. Mazda will be the Econo Sport car division of Ford...apparently that is what I feel
The new Mercedes E-class sedan has a stiffer, sportier suspension, as do other cars. BMW has been mounting incredible sales increases from their days when they were floundering in the early 90s, and everyone wants a piece of it! BMW did this by making a sporty, yet stiffer riding, vehicle.
Mazda is just emulating this, since their sales have been way off, especially with the 626.
Someone like me, who would not have considered a 626 would have shopped a Mazda6 with a V6 and a stick if it was out when I bought my WRX. I gave up my Camry, a smooth riding car, to go to the WRX because I wanted the handling, the feel, and the acceleration without spending $30K+. I also wanted a practical car. It looks like Mazda would deliver this option as well.
In terms of a smooth ride and comfortable seats, I highly recommend the new Accord. It is supposed to have one of the most comfortable seats on the market today, with a very smooth ride. The Camry is pretty good too (as I can state from previous experience).
For smaller cars, Toyota did a great job with the Corolla, and the new Hyundais are supposed to be nice as well.
It featured a silver 6.
Anyone else seen any general public (highway billboard and TV ads) yet?
With all due respect, Mr. Fowler3, Mazda has been serving that market. And not making money. Not even a little. They have decided to go back to their heritage and market cars only in the sporty niche.
Perhaps a look at another company will help us to see what is going on here. A few years back, Subaru had both FWD and AWD cars. The AWD cars looked very expensive indeed compared to the FWD cars, and neither group was selling very well. People came in to look at Subaru, which, without even thinking about it, to them meant AWD (that was all Subaru sold, or so they thought). They would look at the sticker on the FWD the dealer had quite understandably put out fron (it was less expensive). Then they found out it didn't have AWD. Then they found out how much more a car that did would cost. Then most quickly and quietly went back out the door they came in.
Other would-be buyers were loyalists who EXPECTED Subaru to only sell AWD and were offended that FWD was available. They were somehow not REAL Subarus. Even the AWD Subarus were seen as less authentic just because a FWD was also available. Most of them didn't buy either.
So, Subaru made a brilliant move. They dropped the FWD cars. They stopped being all things to nobody.
At first, the relatively few people who bought FWD Subarus were upset. Yet going back to all the cars being AWD has been a trememdous success for the company. Before Subaru stopped trying to be all things to all people and switched back from the FWD they had been trying to sell, many industry observers had thought Subaru was doomed.
Both Subaru and Mazda made the mistake of trying to be all things to all people (just as Porsche is now with the Cayenne SUV and VW with upscale cars far above its usual market). Both ended up not selling very many cars by trying to be full line manufacturers (like Toyota or GM or Ford). Both disappointed their base. Subaru's base was the buyer who wanted rugged dependability and AWD. Mazda's had been people who wanted Japanese reliablity with a bit of sportiness not found in other cars at the same price level.
The Millennia was an odd car for Mazda. It replaced the 929, which had only been a slightly larger, more equipped and more expensive 626.
To answer your question, Mazda is SAYING the 6 replaces the Millennia and 626 in order to save face and to placate dealers (and a few loyal owners). It appears, though, that in reality the Millennia is gone and there is no replacement as such. That is how I, who have no vested interest and can thus speak freely, see it. Your opinions may differ.
In the meantime, I recommend a nice Nissan Maxima with the GLE package. It is a very nice car and may very well suit what appear to be your desires.
Those of us who had not been served in the sporty, affordable midsize market, will look at the 6. Especially if we can find one equipped in a reasonable fashion!
Mazda makes it to 60 .2 seconds less than Accord and pulls a full 1/10 G more on the skid pad (.84 v .74!), yet is 5db quiter at idle.
That's 6.8 seconds for ta loaded 6s and 7.0 seconds for the Accord EX V-6. The Altima scores 6.3s and 7.3s with a manual and automatic, respectively, and pulls .83g on the skid pad.
All numbers from C/D.
I had a loaner Millenia, and was thoroughly unimpressed with the car. I am 24 though, and prefer sporty driving to needless luxury.
Damax07
Maybe Mazda stole their mojo.
Skid pad numbers are how many lateral G's the car can hold in a turn. Each "G" is the force of gravity. So in the 6, if you weigh 200lbs, you'll be able to corner strongly enough to exert 168lbs of pressure to your side.
Think of a roller coaster, and how you get pushed in your seat to the outside of each turn. The lateral G's are the pressures pushing you to the side of the car.
.84 G's, especially with the heavier V6 engine, is outstanding. Anybody know the weight distribution of the V6 compared to the i4? It's 60/40 for one of them, I presume the i4.
Millenias: Seen a few here and there. Definitely not a money maker for Mazda, so it had to go. Same goes for the 626.
Dinu
Dinu
Dinu
That's a tad oversimplified. Galileo showed that earth acceleration (1G) doesn't depend on weight more than 300 years ago: 1G=9.8m/s^2. Lateral acceleration is oppositely proportional to the curvature of the trajectory and square of the speed. An object going in a circle at certain speed is subject to an lateral acceleration. For instant a car going 40mph on a circle with radius = 50 meters (~ 50 yards) is subject to 0.65G.
Bruno
By the way, CarsDirect.com has much lower expected purchase prices than Edmund's. I have not tried to buy a car through either, but I plan on giving CarsDirect.com a chance next year when I decide what I want/can afford. Has anyone bought a car thru Edmunds, et al ?
... and even if the V6 Accord sedan came with a manual, it still wouldn't be the driver's car the 6 promises to be. There's more to driving than just drag racing.
I guess this discussion is a moot point, because the people on this board (myself included) tend to favor handling over acceleration, and the 6 is the clear favorite there with any engine.
The Millenia was never meant to be a Mazda. It was the first car designed for Mazda's luxury division that was to compete with Lexus, Acura and Infiniti. To be called Avanti, the division was scuttled last minute, leaving Mazda with a homeless near-luxury car that overlapped both the 626 and 929. So replacing both car's with one, the 6, is just putting the last nail in a long buried coffin.
As for the 929, it was a rwd barge, if I recall.
And the Millenia, in case people are confused, was actually smaller than the 626 - just more luxurious, and offered the cool supercharged V6. In fact its interior was barely any larger than later generation Proteges!
I actually took the Millenia back and got a Protege loaner because the Millenia hurt my back like hell. It also had no power (it was a "P" model), and was hard to see out of for me.
Back: Nothing to look at twice
Lateral: Same as above
Front (as seen in my right side mirror): UGLY! It screams UGLY! Yuck! Can anyone pass a bag please. Quckly!
Overall: The prev gen 98/99-02 is not bad looking at all (for me), but this 03+ is nasty. I'm thinking Toyota's designers were kidnapped and put to work in a sweatshop by Honda. It doesn't look tipsy like Toyotas, but the sheetmetal is as beautiful as the current Camry. Leaders in their class all rite (in fugliness).
Dinu
UGLY!!!!
Bring on the 6.
Dinu
Correct?
Mike