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Mazda6 Wagon
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Comments
PF Flyer
Host
News & Views, Wagons, & Hybrid Vehicles
The Mazda Mania Chat is on tonight. The chat room opens at 8:45PM ET Hope to see YOU there! Check out the schedule
I don't think a 4-cyl wagon would be underpowered. The extra space in a wagon mostly helps with bulky items. People tend to not dump a ton of gravel in the back of a wagon like they might with a pickup. Bicycles are bulky and don't really fit in sedans, but they sure don't weigh down a wagon. 1 or 2 hundred extra pounds in a wagon would barely be noticeable.
A neighbour has the Focus wagon and lugs his bike without a sweat in the cavernous trunk. It's a zippy 4 cylinder with excellent fuel economy and cheaper than the 6 wagon. On the other hand, the 6 appears larger, less box like and better appointed.
For those with some extra cash, the Passat and Legacy are interesting; and the turbo diesel Passat must sip fuel like a real miser.
Likely it's that Ford Duratec V6 engine that is responsible for the poor fuel economy of the Mazda 6. The 2.3 litre 4 cylinder of the hatchback may be the better choice at this point for those seeking fuel efficiency with a larger cargo area.
Finally, even if the mpg is better, I stayed away from the Passat due to reliability questions. Ditto the Subaru from personal experience. I hope the situation improves in the future -- so we can get power, reliability and mpg -- possibly hybrid wagons will provide the key. But for now, tradeoffs are the rule.
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
www.fueleconomy.gov
I am not saying the 6 wagon is a bad vehicle. It does well in many areas - fuel economy just is not one of them. With gas prices over $2 that looms larger. The strange thing is that the 626 used to beat the Accord and Camry for mpg (all models being 4-cyl.) Also the current 4 in the M6 is quite powerfull - nearly as much as the old v-6.
Actually we agree: the Mazda6 is a great car with a weakness that I hope future years correct. It should at least get as good mileage as my Maxima. But I'm not sure there's a good alternative at this point in time that I feel I can trust reliability-wise.
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
Mz6-Wgn (Auto)
Hwy 27
VW-Passat Wgn (Auto)
Hwy 27
Subaru Outback Wgn (Auto)
Hwy 25
Seems like the 6 is right in line with the competition.
You can even get the Passat with a diesel that gets 30/38 EPA. A diesel that has more torque than the V-6 in the 6.
Also the MT versions of the two you mentioned get better mpg (Mazda has short gearing so the opposite is true). Toyota and Honda are the V-6 mileage leaders with the Avalon at 31 Hwy with 280 hp and an automatic. Toyota and Honda just don't offer wagons.
The old Taurus with the Duratec engine got 27-29 mpg highway 10 years ago. I would think that could be improved on.
MPG is not the most important thing to me, but when it is below a certian point I won't consider the vehicle. With a good efficient engine the 6 wagon would be my first choice for a fun family car. As it is I won't even consider one. What is the point of having a fun little car to use when you don't want to take the minivan somewhere, when the little car actually uses more gas - Honda Odyssey (20/28)
Should have Mazda given you the choice of a 4 cyl in the wagon, yes. They offer it in the hatch (weights only 100 pounds less I think) which does offer a lot of space but just doesn't have the height in the back if you need to transport very large items.
Oh, I just looked up the MPG for the V6 Camry and it says MT = 28 and AT = 29.
I wonder what real world numbers are for a Odyssey are? You would have to think the faster you drove a van on the hwy the MPG would drop faster than a car. I don't know but I wonder?
"What is the point of having a fun little car to use when you don't want to take the minivan somewhere"
I wouldn't consider the 6-wagon a little car. They have the 3 to fill that spot. It gets 35 with the 2L and 32 with the 2.3, both in manual trim. I won't use the 2.3 w/Auto as it only gets 29 which I feel is sad.
Because the "fun little car" is NOT a minivan!!
I would GLADLY buy a wagon with slightly lower gas mileage than a minivan, not matter how many kids I have or how much stuff I have to haul. Besides, the 6 can be had for about $2K to $4K LESS than the Odyssey. Getting a 6 wagon below invoice is not a challenge, unlike actually finding an Odyssey less than $28K, let alone paying anywhere NEAR invoice for it. Pays for the gas right there...
"Because the "fun little car" is NOT a minivan!!"
Oh ya. I read the first point as to having the 6 as a second car, not as the only car.
I also didn't want a mini-van so we just bought a 6-wgn last month. If we ever need more space (you never know) just put a roof box on top of the car.
We've had a lot of new faces at the chats in recent weeks, and I hope tonight is no exception.
PF Flyer
Host
News & Views, Wagons, & Hybrid Vehicles
The Mazda Mania Chat is on tonight. The chat room opens at 8:45PM ET Hope to see YOU there! Check out the schedule
The engine was a bit TOO quiet but pulled smoothly (obviously not as much "punch" as my G35/weekend driver). The 6AT was buttery smooth but the "manual shift" mode was slightly hesitant and pushes up for downshifts (opposite of that in my G).....perhaps I can rewire it. Overall the drivetrain has a refined feel.
The chassis is exceptional: NO floaty feel or numb steering. I was expecting a harsh ride from the 215/50VR17 tires but it was firm yet comfortable. Brakes are easily modulated with good stopping power. Cornering is acceptable with some slight tire squealing on abrupt turns: about what I expected from a 3400lb. wagon
Interior quality was a notch above what I expected in this price range. Front seats were ok but the back seats didn't feel that supportive and couldn't recline for more comfort. All buttons, switches, and trim were quite good.
Likes: Sporty handling, 6AT, sport trim, projector halogen headlights (some HIDs would be great), large cargo space with fold down rear seats (NO clumsy suv whales for me!), nice 17" factory wheels (need wider tires), 48mo/50kmi warranty.......and the ongoing rebates and cash back!
Slight concerns: somewhat stiff and non-supportive rear seats (they do soften up over time, right?), 3.0 engine kind of weak at lower rpms, Mazda service history?
Now all I need is to have the dealer find the exterior/interior combo that I like! :shades:
PF Flyer
Host
News & Views, Wagons, & Hybrid Vehicles
The Mazda Mania Chat is on tonight. The chat room opens at 8:45PM ET Hope to see YOU there! Check out the schedule
Then on Tuesday during my commute from out of nowhere the car starts bucking,engine light goes on on the Westside Highway in NYC. I manage to pull it
in to Mazda dealer a mile or two away on 11th ave............where it's been for the last two days. The dealer filled the car before I picked it up it up Saturday and it felt like maybe water had gotten into the tank. Of course it could be a sensor as well.
Anyone aware of any engine failure issues on this car....V6, manual.
Customer service is a thing of the past but what gets Me is there guys have no problem with me paying good money for a car I can't drive.Why do I have wait to have a three day repaired because they are doing oil changes?
The car itself is awesome......it's to bad they have less than interested customer service and they'd sell their mother for a buck.
PF Flyer
Host
News & Views, Wagons, & Hybrid Vehicles
The Mazda Mania Chat is on tonight. The chat room opens at 8:45PM ET Hope to see YOU there! Check out the schedule
The dealer I purchased he car from told me yesterday that Mazda's policy is a 48 hour repair on a new vehicle.Of course he never volunteered to do anything for a week. I must have 15-20 un-returned phone calls and spent a bunch of time trying to get Mazda itself to help. My dealer yesterday called the Manhattan dealer to have the car towed back to him for repair and they wouldn't release it to them.
I own the car........
:mad:
Added Eibach lowering springs, ASA AR-1 18x 7.5 wheels, Yokohama AVS ES100 225/45/18 tires, the Webasto 524 Hollandia Panoramic Sunroof and a Magnaflow cat-back exhaust system. The horsepower and torque gain is very noticeable, the handling is even better with the new springs and tires!
Looking forward to the upcoming chats!
Ramsey Auto Group, route 17.....Manhattan Mazda, 11th Avenue, nYC.....
Try East Coast in Fort Lee or Route 23 Mazda....I had a good experience with east Coast when I purchased my 626. I was living closer to them at the time, wish I had purchased it there.
I finally got my car back saturday, made a trip to Manhattan on a day off, inconveinenced my wife to take me in to Manhattan.....not one person from the dealership said they were sorry for all the nonsense. They did me a big favor selling me this car the way they act. Bottom line was the car took 12 days to be repaired from the day I left it with the dealer.......
next time your in...track me down and say hello..
Anyone out there have any advice?
The problem I had was that the car veers to the right on ANY road. The guys at the dealership blame it on uneven road surface, which I think is a lot of BS. It still does it after 6 months.
Many highways are designed with various angles to assist in high speed driving. Many roads are not perfect especially after a winter thaw and your car may have hit a pothole which affected its drive; you may want to do a visual check of your tires and suspension to see if anything looks odd.
Tip: If you don't like the service in one dealership try another.
PF Flyer
Host
News & Views, Wagons, & Hybrid Vehicles
The Mazda Mania Chat is on tonight. The chat room opens at 8:45PM ET Hope to see YOU there! Check out the schedule
1- Cost - Try buying replacements for less than $100.
2- Milage - Fat tires create more road resistance
3 - Winter Driving - Forget driving these in snow. Pony up another $600 for winter tires.
Don't mean to harp, but why can't Mazda have an entry model with more "sensible" tires? "Zoom Zoom" is cool, but there are a lot of folks that just want to get to work and back and take maybe a couple of trips a year.
Yes they do cost more to replace but what are we talking , maybe another $150 over 40,000 miles. I'll take that for the added traction traveling some of the back roads I take on my commute.
I do agree with you on the snow driving, but even if I had the 16" tires I would probably get snow tires anyway.
Probably for the same reason many mid-size cars have to offer a 200+ HP V6 these days, because it's what many people want. Of course many of them would be quite happy with much less than that, as they probably have no idea how much they really need, but I'm sure adding power sells more cars. I for one think it's really interesting how many car advertisements announce the model being advertised right off the bat like so: "introducing the xxx horsepower make model". It's as if HP is the most important decision when buying a car, and due to the marketing hype, many people probably believe that it is.
The larger wheels and lower profile tires do add value in the Mazda6 if you're into tossing your car around more than the average driver. If not, the sedan and 5-door Mazda6 do have 16" steel and alloy wheels available, not sure what the tires are but you could look into getting some of those for the wagon and selling the 17's on e-bay or something. You're right about snow, my wagon didn't really perform up to it's potential last winter, so I will probably be purchasing 205/60-16 snows and steel wheels for them this fall (although I'm tempted to get 215/50-17's).
The tires are 205/60-16 Michelin Energy All-Seasons.
...so I will probably be purchasing 205/60-16 snows and steel wheels for them this fall (although I'm tempted to get 215/50-17's).
Stick with the 16"s!
- They are narrower than the 17s, which helps the tire to carve through the snow for better traction.
- The sidewall is taller, also better snow traction.
- Savings of $50-$75 PER WHEEL!!
If you're worried about dry traction with snow tires, may I recommend Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2s. They're genuine snow/ice tires with an H-speed rating. They're about 99% as good as Bridgestone Blizzaks, without the squirmy, mushy feel on dry pavement that Blizzaks give. I bought them last year, and love them. Better wet traction than the OEM 17" Michelins too!
One of my favorite handling cars was a 1980 VW Scirocco with KYB gas adjust shocks and 175/70 13 tires. Handled like a dream - better than my Integra.
I am looking to get snow tires for this winter. Are you using these on your 17' wheels or did you get a dedicated 16" set ? Also, how much were they and where did you get them ?
I know its only July , but you never know when a freak snow storm will come up.
Thanks
I bought the 16" size, and I got them through tirerack.com. The total price (including steel wheels, tires and shipping) was about $550. Yeah, it sounds steep, but they already come mounted and balanced, and a decent shop will not charge you to switch out your regular tires for snow tires. You could even do it yourself if you want...
Start checking out tirerack in October, because they ran out of the Michelins before the end of November! As a matter of fact, I was told that they had to ship my wheels/tires from two different warehouses, and I got the last 2 tires in each one! And this was before Thanksgiving. I recommend the Michelins, but if you don't care for them, Bridgestone Blizzaks are also good, as well as Dunlop Graspics.
The size you want are 205/60-16s, the same size as the lower-model 6i's with the 4-cyl. I also recommend getting the dedicated wheel/tire combo, rather than getting the 17" tires. Not only are the 16" tires cheaper (by far) over the 17" tires, but despite the fact you're paying for the wheels, you're saving unnecessary wear and tear with mounting and unmounting every spring and fall on the OEM rims. Not to mention the fact you'll have to pay from $50-$100 each time. Besides, you can get some great-looking aftermarket rims for the snow tires if you don't want the steel wheels!
Good luck with your purchase. BTW, it's a good thing to consider snow tires and wheels in July, it just shows that you plan ahead and want the best for you and your 6. There's absolutely NOTHING wrong with that!