Mazda - Does it have a good future in US?

norrmanndo

I wish Mazda would offer more of their overseas models, but I like most Americans probably wouldn't buy the small econo vehicles anyway. And I wish that Ford wouldn't try to control Mazda so much. I used to be a loyal Toyota owner, but now Mazda is my favorite brand. Especially for what you can get for your money.

nippononly

they are going ahead with Mazdaspeed parts for the RX-8 - very cool. And the RX-8 is finally selling better than the 350Z. I am so glad. I want rotaries to stick around! 3 and 6 sales are going strong, and in a year we will see the new Miata and Freestyle clone.

Right now, I would say Mazda's future is bright indeed.

the_big_h

stick to your roots, build quality products that are exciting to drive, and let the trade rags do the advertising :-D

nippononly

(I think it was) just had a long-term wrap-up on the RX-8 where they wondered aloud whether the rotary was a plus or a liability. They liked the car generally speaking, but they only managed to get 13 mpg a lot of the time and the power is all stuffed up at the 7000 rpm level. Hopefully Mazda has solved the long-term issues with the apex seals that previous 13Bs had, the way they promised.

C&D was hot and cold on the styling. Overall, I prefer it to the 350Z for looks (am I the only one in North America?!).

I love the Mazda3 hatches that are showing up all over the place now...

newcar31

"but they only managed to get 13 mpg a lot of the time and the power is all stuffed up at the 7000 rpm level."

13 mpg is horrendous for the power that the Renesis is putting out. I drove an RX8 at Mazda's rev it up event, and it's a hell of a car, but that mileage, ouch. It'd be almost perfect if they could do something about the mileage. Maybe that's why no other company wanted to do anything with the rotary?????

nippononly

have always been gas guzzlers, which is another thing Mazda claimed to have fixed with the Renesis, but maybe it didn't really happen. C&D DID also say they loved that rush to redline...

newcar31

the rotaries have always been gas guzzlers, but back then, many cars were guzzlers, especially sports cars.

Now, there are V8s out there (LS1), that make over 100 more hp, twice as much torque, and get better mileage. Granted, the LS1 is heavier and takes up more space than a rotary, but still.

As far as the apex seals are concerned, that was fixed a long time ago. IIRC, the apex seal problem was in the 70s to early 80s. The twin turbo rotary is another issue, but the N/A versions have been pretty robust for a while. One of my friends had an RX7 with the N/A rotary with 130,000 miles and it still ran great and pulled hard.

mazda6s

nedc2

"C&D was hot and cold on the styling. Overall, I prefer it to the 350Z for looks (am I the only one in North America?!)."

No, I think the Z has a gorgeous shape but the details on the car kill it for me. What's with those door handles, and the angle on the lights? And the interior is just plain dull, and it feels really claustrophobic. The RX8 on the other hand has a relatively airy, and even practical interior for a sports car, reminds me in a way of old Alfa coupes. And the exterior is genuinely original and it already looks like a classic.

npaladin2000

A better question is "does this topic have a future?"

That's not the question. The question is, now that Mazda has such a bright future, will Ford allow them to continue to do so? Or will they screw it up again?

nippononly

all Mazda fans better PRAY that when Ford brings the Freestyle on the scene, with the Mazda clone to go with it, it does better out of the gate than that blasted Escape did. Dragged Tribute's and by extension Mazda's name through the mud for a year or two back in '01...

nedc2 - you hit it right on the head as far as I am concerned, with regard to the 350Z's interior - dull and super-claustrophobic. You can't see out of it at all! And I have no idea how two people ever fit together in the front seats of that thing. Not to mention, all the owners seem to be having big problems with the alignment settings causing huge irregular tire wear which results in lots of expense and tire noise.

OTOH, I have been in the cockpit of the RX-8 and it is a very pleasant place to be, with much much more visibility. And the C&D folks had no problems with it.

the_big_h

from actual owners are about 19-21mpg in combined driving.

14mpg is if you keep the engine at 8000rpm all the time

you keep an S2000 up there all the time you'll get 14mpg as well

mz3ct

Isn't this the Mazda 3 forum? All I can say that if this superbly designed, built and excuted car doesn't have a future in America, then I am definitely in the wrong country. I think this is the best car produced in years, especially for the money. This may be one of the best cars ever made for the money. Mazda got everything right, including the little details like indicating when the headlights are on ('cause the guages are always lit red and it could be missed); the ability to hit the wiper button up once so the wipers go one time; and the 0 mph being at 6 o'clock on the guages instead of about 7:30 on other cars....nothing short of genius. I am always looking for the flaws in cars, especially ones that cost 30k plus. I always find them easily...I am having a hard time finding one with my 3 that cost 19k...not only that, it exceeds my expectations and surprises me. This car makes want to never drive another car again..except for the next generation 3s. For the record, it's my first Mazda and although nice, I don't care much for the 6. I'm not a Mazda maniac, in other words...except for the 3!

newcar31

"Isn't this the Mazda 3 forum?"

No.

wimsey1

I've seen 18-19 in most tests and I figure they are probably runnin' harder on the average than most owners will. I don't think Prius owners will cross shop it though.
I want an RX-8, love the look more every time I see one and it doesn't look like anything else. Now that I have a kid a sportscar with a back seat looks real good.
The RX-8 has beat the 350Z in several comparisons also, though I think the 350Z is pretty cool also.

nippononly

you can always tell what thread you are in because its title is displayed on the top bar of your browser.

The 3 is a nice car, but every sporty Toyota I have been in in the last five years has had 0 mph at 6-o-clock, and a mist cycle (one touch for one sweep of the wipers) has been standard on most cars over $12K or so for at least the last decade.

"14mpg is if you keep the engine at 8000rpm all the time

yeah, ths folks that wrote that article mentioned that the high revving they did was the likely cause, but that was part of their point: the RX-8's rotary needs to rev like that to get "sufficient" power, while they got better mileage out of their 350Z because they didn't need those massive revs to get the power they needed.

carlisimo

I can't quite afford a Protege5 this summer =/. It would have been perfect for me in every way. In a couple of years I'll be able to afford a top of the line Mazda3 but when I sat in one at a car show I felt like I was in a black hole. Seating position kinda high as well.

But it looks to me like Mazda is one of the few companies that lives up to its motto. I salute them.

scape2

Have you been to a Mazda dealeship lately? Mazda has come out with a barrage of new cars in the last year or so. The 3, 6, 6 wagon, RX8 ect.. I just bought a Mazda Tribute (cousin of Escape) for my wife. While there I looked over the 3 and the 6 and was impressed by the quality and styling of both. The sales person said the Mazda 3 is selling like hotcakes. He had a shipment of 12 3's come in earlier in the week and was down to just 2 left on the lot! Looks like Ford has finally let Mazda do its own thing and boy does it show.

npaladin2000

Mazda needs to ditch the rebadged B-Series truck and Escape SUVs, and come out with a econo-answer to the sporty-type handling Cayenne and FX SUVs. A Mazda SUVs should be sporty, corner flat, have tight handling, direct control, etc. In other words, it should be a Mazda. "Zoom Zoom!"

The rebadged Ranger needs to go byebye unless Mazda slams them at the factory and replaces the steering rack. Mazda builds their own trucks still...we should get those. Unless Ford decides to use it as the new redesigned Ranger anyway.

nippononly

to import Mazda trucks from Japan...

and the SUVs you describe might be a little pricey for the Mazda line. Not a bad idea though.

they are probably locked in to accepting the Freestyle clone, though, rather than developing their own "truck". Ford will only give them so much rope...

the_big_h

Mazda did tuned the suspension of that rebadged Escape to have better handling than most compact SUVs.

z71bill

Mazda has some good products - you can make the case that this is the most important thing - look at it this way - what chance do you have if you don't have good products? BUT

I have only owned one Mazda - a Mazda3 - that I purchased in January. Of all the cars in its class I thought it was the best overall pick.

In the first 4 months of ownership I have been into the dealership 4 times - problems include an AC that does not cool (still not fixed), rear brakes that make a grinding noise (partly fixed), and a check engine light that would comes on every few hundred miles (finally fixed).

I have also made 2 calls to the 800 customer service number and written 4 e-mails to customer service.

Mazda customer service is horrible - the worst I have ever had - even Walmart provides a better level of customer service.

The 800 number offers you no help - the e-mail service actually told me to go see the states attorney general.

No company that treats its customers this way has a bright future.

I expected a new model to have a few small problems - I also expected Mazda to stand behind their product - so far they have not.

Based on my experience I dought I will ever buy another Mazda product.

nippononly

Mazda has really bad customer service - I have been witness to that as well. I must say it has mirrored my experience with Subaru, which has also been historically terrible for customer service, and my friend's experience with Ford.

Mazda needs to make a bunch of money on great products for a while so that they can invest in much better customer service, in order to ensure their future success.

big_h: yep, have driven Tribute and Escape as well, find Tributeis definitely more sporty, with the downside of a jittery ride over bumpy pavement and the SUV compromise that it is still tippy in fast cornering.

z71bill

I think the best way to make money is to have good products and provide customer service.

It costs a company big bucks to get a customer - it is much cheaper to keep the ones you have -

Most car companies know this - it is why Toyota and Honda started Lexus and Acura - they saw some of their long term customers moving up to BMW & MB because Toy and Honda did not have high end products. Also the Scion brand is Toyota trying to get customers while they are young - and keep them for life. You also see Loyalty rebates - again keep the customers you have.

Take one customer that has a few problems (like me!)- treat them like crap - and see how many people they tell.

During the first few weeks of ownership I had at least 5 people (I did not know them) ask me how I liked the Mazda3 - I told them I loved it - since Mazda has decided to treat me like crap I have had at least a dozen people ask me the same question - I tell them the AC does not cool the car, the rear brakes are a problem, my check engine light keeps coming on - and that customer service told me to go see the states attorney general.

davesaunders

I'm sure this varies from dealer to dealer. The customer service we've received at a dealership in Stone Mountain, Georgia has been excellent.

nippononly

I am quite sure that is true. I was referring less to the dealer network (although the overall consistency of the dealers can be affected to some degree by the car company itself) and more to the corporate service and assistance. And actually, when it comes to corporate, Subaru has been much more responsive to me in the past than Mazda has. Both have lousy dealers in my area (actually the local Mazda dealer is also a Subaru dealer, and the second Subaru dealer we used to have seems to have gone out of business).

the_big_h

to deal with dealers with heavy hands, regardless of the make of cars they sell.

you don't get on their case, they won't get anything done.

audia8q

you mention Honda and Toyota....they have been rated at or near the bottom of the list when sales satistfaction is scored. They are the model of poor customer service, according to the surveys.....but yet it hasnt hurt sales.

People will tolerate anything if they want to buy your products.

nippononly

what I was referring to in my earlier comments was service AFTER the sale. Honda and Toyota salesmen certainly are a pain in the neck for the most part. The Honda folks generally give off the air that they have the finest product in the civilized world, and you'd better kiss their toes if you want them to do you the favor of taking your money and letting you have one. LOL

The Subie and Mazda sales folks I have dealt with have been friendly and easy going - they know that cars aren't caviar, just transportation for most people.

newcar31

as long as you never have to deal with them.

At least with Mazda, they'll give you a rental car when you need warranty work.

My brother's 2002 Honda Civic has been to the dealer a couple times for warranty work, and my brother is stuck trying to find a ride every time he has to go there. His front end sounded like it was going to fall apart. It could not handle any bumps in the road. The front suspension felt and sounded like it had 350,000 miles on it. The dealer said it was “normal” even though my brother had two Hondas before that never did this. My brother had to take a couple hours off of work for them to tell him the problem was “normal”. Any idiot would've been able to drive his car and realize that something wasn't right. The problem got worse and he brought it back again. This time, someone who wasn’t lazy or wasn’t a moron looked at my brother’s car. Both front struts were shot. NO WONDER. Why didn’t they see this the first time? Two extremely inconvenient trips to the dealer to fix one problem, and no rental car and no shuttle. It’s a pain in the butt for me, because I’m always the one stuck giving him rides. After those two trips, my brother’s seat started rocking. The dealer fixed that the first time, but it’s back again, and he’s not even going to bother taking it back to the dealer because it’s such a hassle. Their hours suck too which doesn’t make it any easier.

Any time I’ve had to bring in either of my Mazdas (a 2001 Protégé and a 2003 Mazda6), I’ve always been offered a rental car. My dealership even has an Enterprise rental shop on site. IMO, that’s a huge bonus.

newcar31

I know. When my brother was shopping for cars, you wouldn't believe how bad the Honda salespeople badmouthed competitors. I remember one salesman talking out of his butt saying that the Corolla and Protege don't compare at all to the Civic. The Civic was in another league. Yeah right. That attitude would've been enough for me to find a different dealer.

z71bill

to separate the dealership from the car company. But my comments are directed more at Mazda - not the dealership.

I agree that Toyota sales can be a pain to deal with - but in my experience when I had a problem they (the service department) fixed it - sometimes even out of warranty at no charge - and never did they tell me to go see the attorney general. That has got to be the lowest level of customer service I have ever experienced.

nippononly

Toyota corporate - in other words, service AFTER the sale - has always been top notch for me too.

z71bill

Obvious - but worth pointing out.

If a company (like Toyota)is hard to deal with -(they want more $ for their product, or the sales staff treats you like dirt) you can always go out the door - moon them on the way out if it makes you feel better - and go spend your $ some place else.

But
It seems much worse if you have already bought the car - and then find out that the company (like Mazda) is hard to deal with / has worthless customer service(they refuse to fix an obvious problem - tell you to go see the attorney general)

After all the sales process only last a few hours - most people keep their cars for years.

hboyd

I've owned three Mazdas over 16 years. When the warranty just expired (usually by a few months) and I had a problem, my Mazda dealers always repaired each car free of charge. It took a little nudging, but Mazda Reps and dealers "good-willed" the services.

Customer phone service has always been at least satisfactory and somewhat useful.

The purchase of our current '01 Protege took about a total of about 120 minutes; (45 min one day to order and 75 min on another day a few weeks later to sign papers and pick-up car.)

I've never been stranded by any of my Mazdas. I've never been treated unprofessionally by any Mazda dealer or employee of Mazda.

-MARTIN

z71bill

I can't even get Mazda to fix my car and it is only 4 months old - 3,950 miles.

They do not even reply to the E-mails I send them.

Mazda customer service sucks.

cutemorganite

I needed an oil change and wanted to take it to the dealer. I called for an appointment for Monday, but the chic insisted that I come on Saturday. I was at the dealer yesterday for three hours waiting for an oil change. I was so angry. I asked the chic when I got there how long it was going to be and she said an hour. I mean, I had a 10:30 appointment and I wasn't seen to give them my keys until 11am. She was apologetic and gave my my oil change for free, but I must call customer service tomorrow. That was totally uncalled for. I still love my car, I just won't take my car to that dealer, nor will I ever take it on a Saturday.

iwantonetoo

I can understand your frustration with having a long wait, but if you had a 10:30 appointment, why didn't you just leave and go to your appointment? If they hadn't taken your keys yet you were obviously not going to be done in time. If Sat. was not convenient, why didn't you tell the "chic" it wasn't a good time for you? I'm not implying that you are at fault in anyway, and I too would have been angry, but I think it would have been much less stressfull to walk out the door and get it done another time.

nippononly

that would necessitate two trips for one errand...

I think morganite meant they had an appointment with THE MAZDA DEALER for 10:30 and was not even addressed until 11:00.

Mazda dealer network: needs a lot of attention.

iwantonetoo

You're right nippononly! It was late and for some reason I took it to mean he had an appointmmet elsewhere. I'm bad! Now that I read it again, it is obvious that his appointment was with the Mazda dealer at 10:30. Sorry, my mistake.

bballa

Iwantonetoo, I don't think cutemorganite is a he. Sorry, just had to point that out. (lol)

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cutemorganite

Yes, I am a female, and yes my appointment was at the Mazda dealer. I was just upset, because if I had known they only had three techs on a Saturday, I would have just went on Monday. The chic insisted that I could come Saturday, so I went for it. I could have gone to Firestone and gotten an oil change within an hour for $11.99. Thanks for everyone's comments anyway.

guest

Well Honda and Toyota's customer service satisfaction scores are right down there with Mazda. I know Honda has tried to get better with that and I saw in an article about how Toyota wants treat its customer's better. Mazda has hot products and they are penetrating the market really well. Next thing Mazda needs to do is improve this customer service issue. The Domestic's have way better satisfaction scores when it comes down to customer service than the Japanese do.

BTW, I took a trip down to Virgina this weekend from Jersey. I saw a lot of Mazda 3's. Mazda 6 is doing well but not as well as the 3.

BTW, avoid to going to the dealer on Sturady's if you can. Thats the kiss of death right there. The dealer I leased a 1998 626 a few years ago from extended their customer service hours ayear ago during the week which is a convienent thing to do.

carliker

You have your good and bad dealerships, whether it's Toyota, Honda or Mazda. In Indianapolis, the service department at the Honda dealership that I bought my S2000 couldn't be much better. Very professional (such as returning phone calls quickly). The Mazda service department was good as well. However, I did have trouble with the sales staff at Honda, but I just went above them to the GM and got the car at the price I wanted. I don't think there is a dealership out there that relieves you from having your guard up while looking. However, some are just better about letting you lower it a little.

nippononly

I guess sales are now speaking for themselves, in telling "Mazda's future", eh?! :-)

I think Mazda's future in general is well assured now that Ford has basically given it the role of mechanical designer for all the small and midsize cars under the Ford and Volvo banners (not to mention Mazda's own).

Just be careful not to alienate the Mazda faithful with the next Miata, people! Oh, excuse me, MX-5.

qbrozen

what volvo cars is mazda the mechanical designer of? I haven't heard of any.

seminole_kev

..Mazda has been tasked with designing all the future, smaller engines for Ford/Mazda/Volvo, but other than sharing common platforms, I don't know of anything further than that.

qbrozen

I'd be surprised. That would mean doing away with their 5-cylinder configuration. I'm not saying it wouldn't happen, but it would certainly hurt to have to give up what has become something of a trademark.

nippononly

envisioned under Ford, Volvo gets to be in charge of safety, Mazda gets to be in charge of mechanicals, and Ford gets to be in charge of platform design, for all the small and medium cars under all three brands. Seems like Ford has decided that of the three, Mazda can achieve the best balance of powertrain durability and reliability at a given price point. Ford, OTOH, will be in charge of cost-cutting and streamlining! I don't really understand what Volvo will be in charge of in this new Ford world.