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Mazda6 Sedan

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Comments

  • bluong1bluong1 Member Posts: 1,927
  • glideslopesglideslopes Member Posts: 431
    "Honda has made the 03 Accord sportier than ever."

    Well, anyone with even a small amount of automotive insight would know the article to be immediately in question.

    USA today is fine for your travel forecast. Otherwise go with a publication which has more than it's color graphics to tout.

    Mark.
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    "Honda has made the 03 Accord sportier than ever."

    Well, anyone with even a small amount of automotive insight would know the article to be immediately in question.

    Actually, Honda has made the 03 Accord sportier than any previous version. The coupe with a 240 HP V6 can be purchased with a manual and 17 inch rims. That's a definite notch sportier than their 15 inch/16 inch shod auto-equipped coupes of the past 15 years.
  • gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    I happen to like the forward rake of the Sedan. I just don't like the shift knob. It looks and feels too hard and skinny. The tranny itself is like buttah though.
    I went and looked at the coupe again yesterday...I think I'm gonna have to get a 6 and an Accord coupe. The exact coupe I want is being built Dec. 14th. I'm meeting the truck when it comes in.
  • mazda6smazda6s Member Posts: 1,901
    Sure, that's fine if you want a coupe. What about us guys that want it sporty with 4 doors?
  • dsm6dsm6 Member Posts: 813
    It just isn't sporty. It's kind of like adding those side ports to the Buick Park Avenue.

    Don't get me wrong, they are both fine automobiles. Well, one of them is, anyway. You get to pick which one.
  • riopelleriopelle Member Posts: 132
    for the heated seat info. On mornings like today's, heated seats seem like a safety item. They are anyway, since warming the ambient temperture makes one sleepy and therefore reduces driver awareness and responsiveness.

    I saw a 626 hatch today, darn that design held up well. Can't wait for the 6 hatch.
  • bigzheng17bigzheng17 Member Posts: 81
    how long does it take between you push it and it actually shift? i heard it usually take a while for it to respond (for cars in this price range anyway).

    also do you guys think it actually useful? i think it's surely is nice to have it, but don't think it will be used very often.
  • doying5doying5 Member Posts: 83
    Anybody see this on the Car and Driver website?

    http://www.caranddriver.com/xp/Caranddriver/dai/2002/december/20021205_dai_under.xml

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it has opened three separate investigations into defects with sedans from Toyota, Honda and Nissan...
  • dinu01dinu01 Member Posts: 2,586
    You mean not ALL Honda cars are perfect? I don't believe this! All along I was told Hondas are God's gift to car buyers and you try telling me otherwise?

    BTW, two of my colleagues from work want to buy Civics. I sent them the Car and Driver comparo where the Baby 6 won, but I was told "But it's not a Honduh!". Whatever...

    Oh yeah: I love the 6!

    Dinu
  • jampedrojampedro Member Posts: 38
    As a proud owner of a 6 for over a month, I sometimes like to drive my auto trans manually by moving the shifter among L, S, D and using the hold button. Somehow my previous car, a '98 Camry never inspired me to do this like the 6 does. Is there really any difference between doing this and a shifter that has the shiftronic option (or whatever it's called) up - down positions?
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    Your 6 isn't a USA 6 is it? It doesn't have the *Sport AT* as Mazda calls it? Some AT trannys can be shifted manually, check your owner's manual to see if it is alright to shift that way.

    maltb, LOL! I read the USA Today review, he is a bit of a grouch. Even his compliments are qualified. I do agree with him on the body cladding, the sport front bumper facia is better looking than the standard facia and so is the back facia, but I don't care for the rocker panel cladding and the boomerrang on the trunk lid. Some photos I have seen of 6's tested in Italy show the standard 6S facia with 17-inch wheels, this looks better, too.

    Instead of making a third, sport model, Mazda decided add-ons were the cheaper course for those who wanted them, IMO. But for most buyers, it comes across as a stylish sport sedan in the Europran tradition, not a boy racer.

    I'm beginning to move away from the Redfire color, who wants a sport sedan that neighbors will ask, "How do you like your new Dodge?" LOL!

    fowler3
  • marchharemarchhare Member Posts: 44
    As a proud owner of a 6i for 2 weeks, I enjoy using the sequential shifter. I don't know that I have found it too 'useful' per se, but it's amazingly fun! Downshifting on the interstate into 3rd (the 6i only has 4 gears) can make passing quite a bit easier--especially when you've got the 4 cyl.

    --==--march
  • sparky52tsparky52t Member Posts: 13
    I've ridden in cars with heated seats and though that's fine and dandy I've never seen the need for them. My caboose warms up pretty well on its own thank you. I would, however, pay some serious cash for a heated steering wheel!!


    I saw my first 6 on the slush covered streets of central Pennsylvania. A yellow one passed me driven by a fellow who seemed fairly old to be wantin' some of that 'zoom, zoom'.

  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    ZOOM ZOOM has no age limit. Only cars have rev-limiters. ;)
    Ever been past your power curve?

    fowler3
  • mazda6smazda6s Member Posts: 1,901
    "how long does it take between you push it and it actually shift? i heard it usually take a while for it to respond (for cars in this price range anyway)."

    The 6s-AT shifts down quickly when you bump the lever, but the upshift is pretty sluggish. I'm going for the MT.
  • sparky52tsparky52t Member Posts: 13
    Why yes. More often than not these days. By the way the "old fellow" I referred to couldn't be more than 55 years old. And for the record, I just turned 50 but have a "frame of mind" age of about half that.

    So you're right. "Zoom Zoom" is more philosophical than physical.
  • audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    http://www.motoringweb.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=933


    A leading warranty company in the UK has found Mazda's to be the most reliable brand...second year in a row.
    Not Honda, not toyota, not nissan. Little ole Mazda whips them all.


    They also state that the Mazda6 has one of the lowest "cost of ownership" in it's class...and Mazda in general has the lowest cost of runnin in the industry. Nice job Mazda.

  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    UK quality surveys don't have much to do with US cars. The Focus and the VW GTI are both highly regarded over there but bring up the rear in the US. Consistency is key. When you can have a brand that is highly rated in all of it's markets then you can talk.
  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    sparky52t, hope you enjoy the posts. And welcome all newcomers to Mazda6.

    fowler3
  • glideslopesglideslopes Member Posts: 431
    I'll tell ya, the 6 sure has the Honda Herd up in a tizzy.

    I must admit, I love it!!!

    Mark. ; )
  • the_big_hthe_big_h Member Posts: 1,583
    in short, they love it.

    the footage of the 6 blasting through the twisties without any body roll is just awesome.

    catch this show this week if you can!
  • mazda6smazda6s Member Posts: 1,901
    sparky52t - What's up with all the "older guys" interested in the Mazda 6? I thought the demographics of the 6 buyer was primarily males in their 30s. (I just turned 51)

    fowler3 - What's up with that?

    Pop Quiz: What car company did Mazda acquire rotary engine (i.e. RX-8) technology from, and actually had a rotary-engined car in the market before Mazda? Hint - This company was later acquired by Volkswagen/Audi. In case you were going to say Porsche, that's not it.
  • barresa62barresa62 Member Posts: 1,379
    I believe this is who Mazda acquired the rotary technology from. In fact, there was a midsized sedan marketed in Europe by NSU in the late 60's, early 70's w/the rotary (R80 or something?)

    Stephen
  • diploiddiploid Member Posts: 2,286
    "NSU went on to produce the first rotary engined cars in the 1960's with the NSU Wankel Spider and the NSU Ro80."


    "Best known for pursuing the rotary technology is Mazda, who began looking at the concept back in the 1960's with the help of Wankel and NSU. A research division was set up in 1963 and the first car using such an engine the Cosmo 110 sports car which hit the streets in 1967."


    http://www.pistonheads.com/features/rotary/


    The power of google...best search engine out there.

  • gee35coupegee35coupe Member Posts: 3,387
    Isn't really in a tizzy. I'm one of them. I drove the 6 and loved it. But I'm going today to put my deposit on a EX-L 5 speed coupe. I'm leasing it for 3 years until the 6 proves itself and they start making the 6 speed 6 cylinder Accord coupe in decent numbers.

    The 6 is a nice car but I can't touch the Accord deals right now for my "xmas car", they don't have the 5 door that I really want, and I have a couple problems with some of the details on the Mazda interior compared to the Accord.

    I think the 6 is a great car and I think it will be a huge success for Mazda. But I think someone else said it best. Most 6's that will be sold will not be the Sport stick package that sets the Mazda apart from the Accord/Camry, it will be the normal family sedan version. And the Accord/Camry have that segment locked down and the 6 does not have what it takes to break that dominance.
  • mazda6smazda6s Member Posts: 1,901
    Yes it was NSU. They actually sold cars in the US back in the 60s, though I don't believe it was any of their rotary models. I owned a NSU Prinz back in high school. It was a strange little contraption with a 2-cyl 4-stroke air-cooled engine in the rear.

    Mazda was able to solve the rotary engine seal problem, though it took them a few tries to get it right. The demise of NSU is attributed by some to pushing the rotary-engined cars to market before the engine reliability problems had been solved, though the fact that Mazda was able to produce a reliable rotary engine before NSU could may have contibuted to it as well.

    Well, I'm off to my local Mazda dealer to see if they have gotten in any 6i-MT models yet! Has anyone noticed that the option combos and restrictions on Edmunds and MSN don't match the Mazdausa web site? I don't think we're done with this question yet.
  • windowphobe6windowphobe6 Member Posts: 765
    I'm 49. The last two cars I've owned have worn the 626 badge. Why shouldn't I be coveting the 6?
  • mazda6smazda6s Member Posts: 1,901
    I wonder if Mazda marketing is missing out on an opportunity here?

    Hey, maybe I'll get a license tag that reads M6OGC. Lets see how many people can figure THAT one out!

    Or should it be OGM6C (Old Guys Mazda 6 Club)?
  • sparky52tsparky52t Member Posts: 13
    You may be right about Mazda6s for old guys.


    All my life I've always been a very practical car purchaser. My auto buying so far has been:


    1978 - Westmoreland VW Rabbit with auto trans - my greatest automotive mistake! (I had to get out and push it up hills!)


    1981 - Mitsubishi Tredia - my first manual trans and a lot of fun but still very practical


    Since then - 1 Subaru 4wd station wagon, 2 mini vans and then -


    In 1991 a Mazda 626, 5 speed - (my favorite car but still very practical.)


    I think the 6 represents a chance to buy a car that allows us practical types a chance to have our automotive cake and eat it too. -- (Figuratively speaking)

  • newcar31newcar31 Member Posts: 3,711
    "UK quality surveys don't have much to do with US cars."

    I think it would apply to the Protege and MX5 Miata. Aren't all Proteges and Miatas from Japan? What would be the difference between Japanese built US models and Japanese built UK models?
  • audia8qaudia8q Member Posts: 3,138
    I'm just glad to see you "old guys" have NOT joined the Gran Marquis club....Watch out, it get's most of them. :)
  • davegod75davegod75 Member Posts: 48
    Anyone think mazda will be changing around these funky packages they have set up. I'm not too fond of the spoiler and black leather in the sport package. But I love the other items that come with it.


    A choice of leather color would be great. Gray is much nice IMHO.

  • fowler3fowler3 Member Posts: 1,919
    >>And the Accord/Camry have that segment locked down and the 6 does not have what it takes to break that dominance. <<

    That's probably true, but it will make a sizeable dent. I hope it's a huge success for Mazda for the number they hope to sell, and I am sure it will be from the posts seen here.

    Honda and Toyota have spent decades building their consumer base, customers who return over and over again. But there are many who do not like the changes at Honda, namely the decontenting the past four years. Look at the Civic.

    I bought Honda cars for 15 years, then bought a '98 Accord, which I didn't like at all in a short time.
    Traded it for an '98 Odyssey, a good tall station wagon. When I was ready to sell I bought an '01 Mazda Protegé. Honda had nothing I liked and used models were too expensive.

    If the payments are the same, would you rather pay on a used car or on a new car? Also, banking practices have changed, banks no longer make new car loans, suggesting buyers get them from dealers. If they do make car loans the rates are 10% APR!

    I've always liked small cars since being in the USAF in Europe in the '50s. Had a few American barges, but mostly small cars the past 30 years. And have always wondered why some manufacturer couldn't build a good handling, well equiped, higher than average quality small sedan at a reasonable price. The wait has been long, but Mazda seems to have the right idea.

    After driving the 6, I realized it was as close to that ideal car as I will see in my lifetime. There are things I don't care for in its design, not really important, since there is SO MUCH that is good. The "titanium" center stack turns some people off. But aren't we tired of the same old center stack (pod) designs that look like SUV's. I like it! It's cool! It isn't as bright as photos show.

    When you get older you think about what you bought over the years, what you want to live with the next 5 to 10 years. I want a stylish, contemporary sedan that is fun to drive, good build quality, and good fuel economy (because we don't know what lies ahead politically and internationally), and one with a comfortable interior. The 6 fills those requirements. Plus lower service costs than Honda and Toyota dealers charge.

    Keep something in mind, how many people in their late 50's, 60's, and early 70's have home computers and are on the Internet? It was only a couple years ago the number was very small. Were you on the Internet in 1995? I was. In fact, I was a contractor with Apple Computer at age 65. What do you mean OLD? Old is a state of mind. I have seen men in their 50's who think they are old and...look old.

    fowler3
  • glideslopesglideslopes Member Posts: 431
    1) Well, I'll admit that. They sure do have a lock down on the Impala segment. No doubt about that. The Accord is an excellent form of family transportation. You know, to Wally World, get the kids from school, soccer practice. Is the trunk 14.3 or 14.5? You know. Class dominant for sure. I concede.

    2) I'll even wager that Honda and Toyota are not all that interested in the 6. I'll wager they stay awake at night and watch the coming train from Korea. It's picking up steam and is right on course. Everyone should be looking over their shoulders at Korea.

    Mark.
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    You've confused me. Why is your name Gee35 if you're buying a FWD family car?
  • ickes_mobileickes_mobile Member Posts: 675
    The Mazda6s was named to C&D's Ten Best list in their January issue. (For you Honda bashers, so was the Accord sedan/coupe for the 17th out of 21 years). The Mazda6 pretty much got ignored in the MT COY issue, but I'm guessing it has a shot at unseating the Passat as Automobile's best family sedan (Automobile of the year was the 350Z).
  • vadpvadp Member Posts: 1,025
    ...so was the Focus, making Car And Driver's 10Best list for the fourth year in a row!
    Each and every year it has been in production.
  • a418t1a418t1 Member Posts: 2
    Over the years, I've owned either VW's or Mazdas. Ever notice how they are often sold at the same dealership? Going back to '82, I had a Mazda GLC-4 steed manual, bias-belted tires, vinyl seats, no rear defroster- pretty basic car for $5200.00. The car was exhausting to drive in for more than an hour or two. Somebody broadsided me and the car was totaled. In '85 I bought a VW Golf- pretty basic car- no ac or power windows. The first 50k, the car was great but then, body hardware started breaking. At about 75k, the front end was shot. There was so much flex in the body, I was breaking windshields monthly. By '89, I couldn't stand it anymore. The VW dealership I had the car serviced at also sold Mazdas and Audis. I took a liking to a ead Audi 80. A sales guy though urged me to look at a 626 5 door. I bought a nicely equiped LX for $14K. I sold it in 97 with 125k miles on the odometer. Overall, it was a pretty good car- good gas milage, versatle body style, reasonably fun to drive (I don't remember the details, but I think it had a 2.3 12 valve engine that made about 120 horsepower). I started thinking about a new car in 95. Mazda was decontenting the 626 and VW was in a death spiral. I heard about the Audi A4 and was curious. In 97 I bought a 1.8T front wheel drive A4 for $23,550. It's been a good car and acyually pretty cheap to own. With 100k, I am once more thinking about a new car. At this stage of my life, I know that buying a new car is really kind of stupid. Highly evolved people have moved beyond cars as a means of external validation. Nontheless, there really aren't too many experiences like buying a new car. So, I'm thinking, is it time for a new Mazda 6 or a new Audi- certainly not apples to apples.
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    You sure are proud of that Focus vad .. now let's see if they can improve their rear occupant safety and their quality ratings.

    Well we negotiated a deal for a 36 month lease on the Accord EX-L tonight so the 6 will not be in our driveway any time soon. It came down to the Honda having more of what we were looking for. In our humble opinion it had a better steering wheel, better dash design, and had some features not available on the 6.

    With that said, there still might be a 6 hatchback in our driveway in a couple of years. I just hope they straighten out the option packages by then.
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    a4: The Audi A4 with the sport package is one sweet looking car and the lease deals (if that's the route you choose to go) are pretty attractive on them. However, if I were buying a car I would have a hard time deciding between the two cars but VW/Audi quality scares me. I am a little more comfortable with Mazda.
  • indysabreindysabre Member Posts: 42
    Anonymousposts, you may have it right.

    I've been looking at lease prices of Mazda 6S with sport, bose and leather vs. Accord ex v6

    Even with S plan pricing, the Mazda will run me about $400 a month for 15k per year, 0 down, 36 month lease. The same lease with an EX V6 looks to be coming in about $50 a month less.

    Disclaimer: I think they are both very nice cars but if leasing vs buying, the Honda seems to be a better deal. I'm not here to debate the pros cons of each car, we all have our own opinions. I'm just wanted to point out the lease numbers that I have been able to find and see what others might think.

    - mark
  • mazda6smazda6s Member Posts: 1,901
    I stopped by my local dealer today to see if they had gotten in any more cars, and the same 3 cars that they got in 10 days ago in their first shipment are still sitting there. Has anyone else has noticed the sluggish initial sales? I didn't even see anyone doing test drives. Bring on the rebates!

    I suspect Mazda will hold back more shipments until the first batch starts to move.
  • aromasaromas Member Posts: 314
    I'VE NARROWED MY CHOICES TO THE MAZDA 6S AND ALTIMA 3.5 S.E.. TEST DROVE THE ALTIMA (NICE RIDE AND HANDLING FOR A BIG CAR BUT THE TORQUE STEER DID NOT IMPRESS ME) NOT THE MAZDA AS IT ISN'T AVAILABLE IN CANADA UNTIL JAN. ANYBODY OUT THERE WHO HAS DRIVEN BOTH AND THEIR THOUGHTS ON HANDLING AND RIDE. PLEASE DON'T MENTION HONDA OR TOYOTA BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT IN THE RUNNING UNTIL I TURN 65 IN ABOUT 30 YEARS. ALSO SINCE I HAVE NOT SEEN THE 6 IN PERSON, HOW DOES THE EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR COMPARE TO THE ALTIMA? I HAD A MX6 YEARS AGO AND MAZDA IS STILL CLOSE TO MY HEART AS I USED TO LOVE THE HANDLING.
  • the_big_hthe_big_h Member Posts: 1,583
    please don't type in all caps, it's hard to read and is considered YELLING in internet etiquette.
  • vadpvadp Member Posts: 1,025
    Well we negotiated a deal for a 36 month lease on the Accord EX-L tonight so the 6 will not be in our driveway any time soon.

    No surprises there.

    It came down to the Honda having more of what we were looking for. In our humble opinion it had a better steering wheel, better dash design, and had some features not available on the 6.

    Some missing features? Hmm... Let me think...
    O!... The shiny H on the grill, of course. LOL.
  • diploiddiploid Member Posts: 2,286
    As opposed to a shiny bird(?) on the grille had she bought the Mazda6?
  • vadpvadp Member Posts: 1,025
    Please tell me, what are the odds of that ever happening?
  • glideslopesglideslopes Member Posts: 431
    They still have not been able to deal with the fact that "ACCORD" is nowhere to be seen on the back side of their new mature consumer oriented basic transportation systems.

    Don't bring the "H" into it. That is darn right dehumanizing.

    Mark.
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    The 6 was missing a few key features. It didn't have dual-zone climate control, the Mazda stereo left some to be desired even with the Bose system (which would cost mega dollars if it ever broke), Accord comes standard with 6-disc changer (the sound is better than Mazda's stock stereo but not as good as the Bose) and with upgraded speakers it will be just fine, the Accord has dual-stage airbags, has historically been a safe car in crash tests, and blah, blah, blah.

    I'm not going to start a debate over the 6 and the Accord. They are both DARN nice cars and excellent in their own ways. We just found that with the deals on the Accord right now and the extra features it was hard to justify buying the 6. We got a Accord EX-L Coupe with spoiler, fog lights, etc for 325 p/ month with only $1000 down. Mazda couldn't come any where near that deal.

    Actually, don't say that we won't buy a Mazda because together we have owned 2 RX-7's, a Mazda B2000 (not the Ford one), and the Protege (which was also not a Ford designed Mazda). So instead of getting personal get down to the local Honda OR Mazda dealer and buy one of these great cars, it will probably reduce your bitterness.

    I would also invite you over to the Honda Accord room where since it's introduction there have been alot more actual purchases vs. just general chat about the car and when you are going to buy one. Kinda let's you know where the 400,000 Accords go while Mazda is still trying to overcome the disappointing 626 and Millenia. Mazda has been off the radar screen for a few years now and they need the 6 to be succesfull for the sake of their company. Will we buy a 6? Eventually. When the 5-soor comes out and we know for a fact that Mazda has avoided the Ford bug that seems to carry over into the models they collaborated on with Ford.
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