Mazda6 Wagon

joybell

cb70

Are you old enough to drive yet?

revka

Here's more information from Edmunds' Future Vehicles section: 2003 Mazda6 Midsize Wagon.

Check out other photos here. Thanks for your comments! ;-)

Revka

Host/Hatchbacks & Wagons

johnclineii

That link doesn't work for me. All it takes you to is the sedan. I thought at first it was because of Edmunds new website in testing, but I tried it on the old site and got the same thing.

Same thing for the pictures link.

Help?

rogertc1

How much room does it have??? Nice to see a station wagon (depot hack) revival!!!

youster

Why can't Mazda make the wagon available right away among the 6 series debut line up? I am at the point of making my final decision on either 6s or Accord EX. Local Honda dealers have been aggressively cutting prices for volume meanwhile Mazda dealers don't even have more than 15 6i and 6s in their respective lots. If the wagon were available now, I wouldn't even have the dilemma deciding which one to get. Some of my friends went with Passat wagons already!

The wagon and the hatchback are a lot more eye-catching than the sedan. Their marketing strategy is rather puzzling.

revka

I'm working on getting it corrected. Thanks for your patience.

Revka
Hatchbacks & Wagons Host

zaimon

The preview says that the Wagon will be available this spring, whereas I've heard the official release date is Dec, 1. Can you shed some light on this information? Will Mazda release the Wagon (and possibly the hatch earlier than reported)?

Thanks!
- Jeff

hwyhobo

I've been predicting a wagon revival for a couple of years now. My friends think I'm crazy. And now, Focus, Jetta, Passat, Volvo, Freestyle, Pacifica, Magnum, Mazda 6, and more coming. Who's crazy now, eh? (evil laughter)

dinu01

It's about time we get people out of trucks (SUVs and minivans) and into wagons.

Dinu

markjenn

I don't believe there is any "official" release date yet. We've got a bunch of informal sources that say summer or fall, and there is someone on the sedan board who works for Mazda in the Flat Rock plant who has seen some internal docs that say Dec 1. Until we get some independent confirmation, I'd view all dates as speculative.

My guess is that they're aiming for fall 2003 of a 2004 model, but may have to drop back a month or two due to startup glitches. They may also stagger the hatch and wagon, and my guess is that they would view the hatch as the higher priority.

- Mark

joee1

Any information from Mazda as to when it will be available?

I need to purchase by spring and had my mind made up on the Matrix until I saw this wagon.

Why do we have to wait this long for a car that will be in high demand.

SUV's are the dinosaurs of the past.

markjenn

There is nothing to indicate that it will be out by spring, so if you're spring deadline is hard, then you'll have to get something else.

- Mark

taddison

My local dealer says the wagon and hatchback won't be available until late in the year.

For me, it will be worth the wait. I just got in from test driving both the 6i and the 6s, and I am now almost certain I will be buying a 6.

I also recently got back from New Zealand where I saw both the hatch and the wagon on the road. I really liked the look of the wagon - IMO it looks better than the sedan. The only other wagon that strikes me this way is the Audi A4.

I wish I had taken the time to stop at a dealer and look at them closer.

dudleyr

I agree. I think both the hatch and the wagon look better than the sedan.

joee1

Is the wagon available any sooner in Canada?

cb70

When?

dinu01

Knowing the HB will be in the US this fall/winter (November--January), when should one expect the wagon? Before or after? My bet is after, b/c Mazda still needs to put 6 sedans onm dealers' lots. In Canada each dealer has one or two so far, all locked-up inside the showroom. In the US there aren't enough V6 5spd cars... They must meet current demand before launching a new trim

Dinu

azaleosis

Go to the Mazda UK site, then hop on the special Mazda6 link. they are nice looking cars. I have been calling Mazda's WATS line about once a month, and current estimates are running around fall of '04 for the wagon in the US, but one car show website suggested a wagon for Canada in Spring of '04. They are pretty, though. I just hope my current car holds out that long....

damax07

Mazda just blew for me! I am leaning toward the Forester XT turbo, Legacy GT Wagon. I cannot convince my wife to wait for another full year to buy this car. Beside the fact that 5-speed transmission are difficult to get, they have to launch the hatch back and wagon a year later. Sorry Mazda, you just lost a potential sale.

akinca

My husband and I are in the market for a new car and we were looking at the passat wagon(audi, saab, bmw, too much, others not very reliable). No go for me though . . . relibility, premium gas needed in V6, hard to get a 5sp in V6, and not cheap. Why are wagons more than the sedans? Would like a good looking wagon, regular gas, manual transmission (would drive an automatic if I had to), and priced reasonably. Is that too much to ask? We're leaning towards a Highlander, which satisfies most of the criteria, but the Mazda wagon is good lookin'. How much?

johnclineii

Well, first of all...about a year wait.

Then, prices will be announced shortly before they come out!

Unless you mean the Mazda Protege5 Wagon!

http://www.edmunds.com/new/2003/mazda/protege5/wagon/compact/inde- x.html?tid=edmunds.n.typemindex.content..0.Mazda*

dudleyr

If you can't wait for the Mazda wagon, try a 1.8t Passat wagon. It is very fast (as fast as the V-6), and will be less expensive than the V-6 wagon, handle slightly better, and use less fuel. Some say it hesitates with the automatic, but that is no problem since you prefer the manual. You can order the exact model you want of any Passat if you don't mind waiting a few weeks. You could also try a Protege 5 (as mentioned above), but it is smaller than the Passat.

regfootball

conflicting reports on 6 wagon arrival. A sales rep at the auto show last week said November. Some internet articles suggest next spring.

Next spring is TOO LATE.

nedzel

Sorry, that wasn't my opinion when I drove one a couple years ago. Seemed slow off the line, even with the manual transmission. YMMV.

qbrozen

well, in all fairness, that engine from a couple of years ago had about 20 less ponies and less torque to boot.

But, no, I still wouldn't call it "very fast". More like adequate. But I am a tough judge.

I don't know where the handling better bit came from. Unless you mean the 1.8 VW handles better than the V6 VW (due to less weight). But as far as outhandling the Mazda. That is VERY unlikely. The Mazda is always praised for its handling attributes. The wagon should be no different.

nedzel

gbrozen, you are correct that the model I drove was rated at 150 hp (though some people thought it actually delivered more than that), whereas the new ones are rated at 170 or 180 hp. I don't know about the peak torque, which might be more important in off-the-line acceleration.

I agree with you that "adequate" is a fair description with the manual. Fast? Not by my book. An auto transmission makes it significantly slower, IIRC.

dudleyr

The GTI with the 1.8t hit 60 in 6.8 seconds according to motor trend, and will hit 140. That seems pretty fast to me.

qbrozen

First of all, the Passat wagon was the car referenced. So we're talking about 10 less hp and a few less lb.ft. torque than the GTI.

THEN, tack on the 300 pounds of the wagon that was mentioned, and you will also tack on a couple of ticks on that time.

6.8 isn't "slow". But I still don't call it fast. Just seems like every time you turn around you are seeing inexpensive cars pushing inside the 7 second mark. Even so, in the Passat wagon, we're probably looking at around 8 seconds.

skyray

When we visited Germany last year, we had a Passat wagon.

Cruised very nicely and quietly on the Autobahn at 170 Kph.

dudleyr

My father got his Passat wagon up to 140 mph (in one of his senior moments) He said it felt great and may have had a little more.

nedzel

Yes, the Passat wagon will reach a high top speed. But that's relatively irrelevant for most of us. What is important to me is acceleration.

I have my doubts about the Motor Trend figure (actually, I have doubts about ANYTHING that Motor Trend writes) -- it seems a few tenths fast to me. Nevertheless, we were talking about the Passat wagon, which weighs about 400 pounds more than a GTI. The Passat is significantly slower than the GTI.

beanboy

One of the latest mags had a 1.8T Passat sedan with manual reaching 60 mph in 7.9 seconds.

-B

markjenn

The latest issue of CR has tests of the Passat, Accord, 6, and a Hyundai. They continue to say that "wagon and hatchback versions are expected in the fall." Might just be old info as we've had other reports of early 2004.

BTW, they liked the 6 but rated it well below the Passat and Accord (as well as previously tested Camrys). They feel both the 4- and 6-cyl engines are a notch below the competition, they fuel mileage isn't great, and they disliked the auto tranny. Most other areas they think are as good or better than the competition. I think their ratings mostly reflect their priortization of a smoothness over sportiness in a family sedan. For example, they downrated the V6 S model because it rode more harshly on 17-inch low profile rubber and didn't think the handling was any better.

- Mark

dudleyr

I read the CR article. What suprised me the most was that the v-6 accord had fuel mileage that was the same as the 4 cyl M6. I hope Mazda tweeks the engines a little in the next year or two. Not just for power, but for economy (thought the two often go hand in hand)

markjenn

There is no doubt the the 6 is a rung down on the fuel economy ratings. And Honda is usually at the top. Honda really knows how to build engines - I sure wish we could get Honda's V6 in the Mazda hatchback or wagon chassis.

- Mark

swatson19d

FYI - I received this email from Mazda corporate:

Thanks for your interest in the upcoming MAZDA6 wagon! The
MAZDA6 wagon should be available in the U.S. first quarter of 2004.

I can keep you updated with new MAZDA6 wagon information if you
like. Just e-mail me back and let me know and I will put on the
mailing list.

Again, thank you for contacting Mazda. It has been my pleasure to
assist you. If for any reason this response has not completely
satisfied you, please feel free to reply to this message. You may also
contact our Customer Assistance Center toll-free at 1-800-222-5500.

regfootball

let's hope that wagon can be had with v6 and 5 speed.

capitano

They'll build at least 5 of them just to say that it is "available."

markjenn

I'd be very surprised if they didn't offer a V6, but my bet is that the manual will only be offered with the 4-cyl.

The hatchback will probably have a performance version with the V6 and manual.

But I have no information - just speculating.

- Mark

groovypippin

There is no reason to think that the V6 wagon will not be available with a manual transmission. I'm sure it will be.

capitano

not in any significant numbers. The MTs are rare in the sedan. If anything they will be more rare in the wagon.

regfootball

I hope not. The hatch or wagon would be in my sights and I'm sick of auto trannies again.

markjenn

There is lots of precedent for restricting engine and tranny combos in the wagons. The IS300 wagon doesn't offer a manual and BMW restricts engine choices vs. the sedan. Each combo requires expensive emissions testing and increases inventory costs. Dealers don't like stocking lots of different models.

If Mazda views the wagon as a niche market then they could easily say that a V6-manual wagon market is so small, it is not worth supporting. The rationale would be that most people who want a wagon are more interested in utility than sport. And Mazda may decide that the new Protege 5 is the place to make their stand with a truly sporty wagon. Not to mention that if they produce a V6-manual hatch, then that would further reduce V6-manual wagon sales.

Running the numbers, the sedan is shipping at rates around 4000/month in the US, with 10% of these having the manual transmission and about 1/3 having the V6. That's a little over a hundred V6-manual cars a month. Wagons typically sell at rates about 10% of sedan sales. So unless the wagon is a huge hit, Mazda could predict that they'll sell about 150 V6-manual wagons in an ENTIRE YEAR. That's very niche.

OTOH, the M6 is known for being the sporty family sedan, and Mazda is known as a sporty company. They bucked the trend in offering the V6 and manual in the sedan, so you would hope they would do the same for the wagon and hatchback. Their primary competition, the Passat, offers the manual.

We'll see. My bet is that they'll offer a V6-manual in the hatch but not the wagon. But nobody has any hard info.

- Mark

skyray

If you want a manual V6 wagon, you should write Mazda at musa@mazdausa.com right now. The company really does listen to buyer feedback -- it's been extending option choices based on customer service requests.

I should pop an email over... My wife is vacillating between a Volvo wagon and a 6 wagon, and if she gets the 6 she'll definitely want the stick.

regfootball

I thought I saw that 30% of Mazda 6's were being sold with sticks.

markjenn

There's someone who says they work at the Flat Rock plant who says it is around 10%, as reported on the Mazda 6 forum. Sounds low to me also, but that's what he says. I think the same person saw a prod schedule for the wagon beginning in Feb 2004.

- Mark

staredit

...that the 6 hatchback will start production in February, with cars at dealers expected in April.

   The 6 wagon is supposed to start production in March, with cars at dealers June-July.

   This from a consumer center guy who was at a meeting with production folks Friday.

   In the meantime, I learned that Toyota's 2004 Prius will be a hatch -- 6'' longer than this year's, with mileage expected to be above 50 mpg (it's a hybrid). Much lower emissions, too. And I can't wait to see the Chevy Malibu Maxx.

   So many cars. So little money.....

mazdafun

Except there are also too many electronic gadgets as well.

Oh well, if I wanted to switch cars frequently, I'd lease, not buy.

nedzel

Wow, that's different info on the wagon. All the rumors seemed to be that the wagon wouldn't be at dealers until december. Any word on what configurations will be available for the wagon? Any chance for a V6 with manual transmission? Or is it going to be automatic only (ugh).