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Comments
Motor Trend - I haven't seen the print copy yet.
-juice
I've read the Spec B has 0-60 in 5.66, and the MS6 in 5.57. And quarter mile for the MS6 14.09, and Spec B was 14.00
Every publisher will have different numbers, it all depends upon how experienced the driver is, conditions, and what extra weight options are in the car.
-juice
NAV has many uses, not just directions, but also points of interest like gas stations, restaurants, compass function, detour routes, etc.
Example - say you like Wawa for the sandwiches, cheap gas, and clean bathrooms. Your NAV can display the distance to the next one (and the one after that), so you can time your stops. Someone who is good with travel plans can actually benefit much more than a layman map reader. I bet you'd get a lot out of NAV.
There's a thread just for NAV so let's head there if you want to discuss further.
-juice
I've had my MS6 for two weeks. My daily commute in city traffic passes through many photo radar and speed traps. At first I worried whether I would get caught speeding inadvertently but discovered that a light foot on the gas pedal makes it quite simple to drive the car without the turbo effect ever engaging. It's easy to drive this vehicle like a little old lady or a hot-rodder or something in between: a careful driver who has command of power and agility on demand The more I drive it, the more I love it: It's got multiple personalities in the best sense of that term.
Specifically, I mean the:
1) side directional, especially in an age when side and/or mirror directionals are becoming en vogue to allay safety concerns about turning (and when side directionals seem to be on every Mazda I know about), and
2) the two-per-side headlight washers that were in many pictures of the MPS, and, in general, are commonplace with "ordinary" European sedans and higher-ended U.S. sedans.
(Someone else mentioned the flat rear tail light housing on the MPS versus the "bubbled" U.S. version of tail lights, but that's more of an aesthetic versus safety issue.)
Any idea if the Atenza in Japan or the MPS in Europe/Aust./NZ have these features?
BTW, the "bulge" in the taillights is indeed a safety function. The "bulge" contains a red side-marker light on the outer edges of the taillight assembly, which are mandated by US law, but not in the rest of the world. I believe the "bulge" actually matches up with the rear bumpers of NA models, which also stick out farther due to safety laws.
I had XM and Sirius for a bit. Don't see the value in either.
Then again, I'm not the target market. Now that football season is over - thus I don't need Sunday Ticket - I'm going to cancel my Directv until Sept of 06.
What?!!!! Over?!!!
Don't you know that the Steelers are still playing? :surprise:
That statement is hilarious coming from you Blueguy taking into account how many "preferences" you have for your next car.
One company at CES showed off a bluetooth system that connects, within the dash, to many manufacturers' stereos. The system allows users to click to the aux mode and listen to their iPod wirelessly (not RF but bluetooth). additionally, the system comes with a mic the installer/user can place anywhere in the car. Should the user have a bluetooth phone, then when a call comes in the system will mute the music, feed the caller audio through the car's speakers and the mic will allow the user to communicate back to the caller. They figure it'll cost around $250.
For my money that's a far better implementation than any factory bluetooth system - iPod music fed in, phone calls, etc.
I won't even touch navi. That whole thing is a joke and massive ripoff. Resistive and/or capacitive touchscreens, GPS, and the software all cost less than $200, yet manufacturers are still charging $2000 for that stuff. Highway robbery.
Not after this weekend! :shades: (Considering repainting my MS6 metallic orange and changing out the leather from black to navy blue. That would make my limited edition unique.)
Sure will! That should shurely make you the only person sporting the colors after football ends this year in Denver right around 6PM Sunday.
Are you in Denver? Has the team issued a "no sale" on tickets to Steeler fans yet? Everyone else has so far and I'm curious if they followed suit.
Sorry for the off-topic banter guys and gals. It's a little exciting around town right now and it only comes once a year.
Now that's a new one! Most other cities just say to avoid the zip codes and area codes. Even on Ebay.
To try and get back on topic a little, how's the MS6 in snow? I'm all about getting a Mustang GT next March when my current Mazda6 lease is up but the AWD and 4-doors (I'll have two young boys, 2 and 1 in age) is sounding pretty appealing right now. However I will take a straight line performance hit and lose the awesome growl of the Mustang if I for some reason change my mind. Up until this point, no one around here as convinced me to do so.
The first thing I did after taking delivery of my MS6 was change out the high performance summer Bridgestone Potenza tires in favor of Kumho Ecsta ASX 225 40R 18's ultra high performance all seasons, because I knew the Bridgestones would turn the car into a hockey puck on ice. I opted for all season tires instead of snow tires because, despite popular perception and Denver's proximity to the Rockies, we have a mild winter climate and surprisingly little snow for the past 10+year, though we can get walloped with an occasional heavy storm that melts off in a few days. That said, it hasn't snowed here since December 17 (before I got the MS6), when we got an inch of snow. This is a long way of saying I don't know how it will perform on snow. If we ever get some, I'll report. For those who live in the snow belt, I'd recommend talking the dealer into switching tires before you take delivery, unless you're like me and want to swap your summer and winter tires seasonally. (www.tirerack.com has a great comparison and ratings chart to enable you to compare tire behaviors under differing conditions. After you've selected the tire(s) you're interested in, click on Survey Results, then Compare This Tire to . . .)
I used to live in Pittsburgh--I can spot this in a second. Ask them over the phone where they shop for groceries and if they say "jent iggle" they're from Pittsburgh.
Back on topic, I have a hard time seeing how the MS6 wouldn't be better in snow than a Mustang. Not particularly heavy, RWD, hi-torque--what would be *worse* in the snow, exactly, than a Mustang? (Heh, I still have memories of when a buddy of mine in high school bought a VERY used 260Z with nearly bald tires on it in January. I got in, he just hit the gas hard without thinking, and we ended up spending like an hour digging the thing out of the nearest snowbank. Ahh, to be young and foolish in the snow and ice again...)
How about a RWD pickup truck?
Actually the Mustang weighs in at 3488 lbs so it's not light. A decent set of snow tires would make a lot of difference and as was pointed out, snow tires or all-season tires are probably a good idea on the MS6.
You lived here and should know that the roads are kept pretty clear during the snow so AWD isn't a necessity. With the money I'd save by buying the Mustang over the MS6 I could buy a "beater" vehicle for the ~10 days I have to deal with some snow on the roads. I've never had a problem in the snow driving my FWD Mazda6 V6 with the OEM Michelin Pilots. Since the MS6 doesn't seem to be all that superior to the Mustang in the snow I think I'll stick to the Pony I've been dreaming of.
Ask them over the phone where they shop for groceries and if they say "jent iggle" they're from Pittsburgh.
You can do better than that! I was born and raised here and say "Giant Eagle". Not all of us speak full Pittsburghese but there are some key words which we all say. But I won't divulge them right now.
True enough. Actually, the three years we lived in Pittsburgh we didn't get that much snow. I was staggered by how badly the city handled it, but there wasn't much to handle so it wasn't really a big deal. The six months of overcast, though, that got to me...
I grew up in Minneapolis and my wife grew up in Rochester, NY, so when I think "driving on snow" I tend to think of it as a more serious proposition than in Pittsburgh. I would agree that a Mustang with good snow tires is probably just fine there most days, especially if you don't have to cross any of the bridges which tend to ice up.
I do cross the Allegheny to and from work and the bridge has been icy at times but the traction control on the 6 helped out big time. I won't order a Mustang without it.
The city doesn't handle side streets very well, but highways and "main" roads, read school bus routes, are always clear. You just have to prepare to wait in some traffic because everyone is avoiding the side streets. I live in the suburbs and they do a much, much better job of clearing all roads out there than the city does.
-juice
s. holt
That's what I'm trying to avoid though. I asked how the MS6 handled in the snow because I knew it had very aggressive rubber on it which probably make the AWD useless in the snow. I think a TC equipped Mustang GT would handle better in the snow because it doesn't wear full-time "summer" tires. A little sand in the trunk probably wouldn't hurt either.
Exactly. The MS6 gets summer performance tires (Bridgestone Potenza RE050A), which are indeed useless in winter driving. Even without snow, on dry pavement, you'll notice a remarkable difference in both traction and stability, due to the summer rubber compound. I personally wouldn't risk my life (and others on the road) driving on these in the winter, AWD or not.
You can insist on the dealer installing all-seasons at time of purchase. The Pirelli PZero Nero M+S comes in the OEM size (215/45R-18) and are outstanding in terms of all-season traction and control. Tirerack has them at $134 per tire versus $215 for the Bridgestones, so at least they could offer the Pirellis with a few extra dollars in your pocket.
IIRC, the Pirellis are OEM for the Mustang as well...
-juice
It depends on which rims you get I believe but none of them get wrapped in pure summer tires.
Tirerack has them at $134 per tire versus $215 for the Bridgestones, so at least they could offer the Pirellis with a few extra dollars in your pocket.
Wow! I'll have to see if they have 17 inchers too. I will need to replace the Pilots on my V6 Mazda6 very soon, or at least before I turn it in at the end of the lease early next year, and I do not want to pay 190+ a tire for them (Tirerack's price). But I don't want to lose much performance either. Are the Pirelli's pretty comparable to the OEM Michelins on the V6?
My best advice? Check out Tirerack.com. Run a search on their website for your specific make and model, and they'll give you a bunch of choices for the 6. They can give you recommendations on tires based on how you drive, and the prices are great. There are PLENTY of excellent choices that are not only MUCH LESS than the $190 per tire for the OEMs, but will run circles around them in overall performance and customer satisfaction.
Speaking of which, I have a 6 with the 17" Pilots as well, and trust me, I'm NOT buying them again! AFAIC, the 17" tires should be more performance-oriented, and the Michelins are FAR from it. Decent dry handling, but miserable wet traction, and snow traction is non-existent, at all!
You can get the Pirellis for the 6, but the size you'll need is 225/45-17, since they're not available in our OEM size. Don't worry, they'll fit without problems, lots of Mazda 6 owners have bought and installed them on their cars... Still, check out Tirerack.com for a bunch of great choices in the OEM size (215/50-17) as well. If you've got any more questions, I check out the Mazda 6 boards here as well, so feel free to ask...
Tire Rack does have the Pirelli P Zero Nero M+S in the OEM size for the MazdaSpeed 6 - 215/45-18 Cost: $134/Per Tire
The brake calipers on the MS6 are indeed larger than the 6's, so 16" wheels are out, but pretty much ALL 17" wheels will clear with no problem. I've heard of other MS6 drivers that have 17x7 +50 offset for winter tires and they fit without a problem, so I think you'll be okay.
Talk about switching gears :P I traded in a 2000 Lincoln LS, loaded w/ a v8.
http://forum.mazda6club.com/index.php?showtopic=46451 Not even downshifting from 6th to pass is a real treat--reminds you of the power sitting under the hood. Well put together ride.
Hopefully I'll learn from this discussion and be able to help answer questions about my ownership experience. The car only has 26 miles on it, and I've already installed my XM Roady2 in the ashtray! Next on the list is iPod integration!
Are there other useful edmunds Mazdaspeed6 discussions? This one was the only one that came up when searching by vehicle.
Another thing is octane - Mazda recommends 93 octane, but some people can only get access to 91.
This is not a good sign, because it's mid-winter. Imagine when the weather is 30 degrees, maybe even 50 degrees warmer than it is now.
Mazda has had some stumbles of late, the RX8 HP fiasco, then the Miata's HP rating, then the Mazda5 exhaust fires, now this. Come on guys, you can do better than this...
-juice
I then drove at 30mph in 3rd gear for about 1 mile to let things cool off a bit, then shifted to 2nd and revved up past 4000, while still noticing lack of power. It felt like the turbo wasn't working.
While still in 2nd gear, I pushed in the clutch, shut off the engine, restarted it, then let the clutch out again, and revved up past 4000rpm, and the power had come back.
I'm suspecting it might have to do with the exhaust gas temperature, but it's not clear to me yet. This weekend, I'm going to hook up my OBDII scanner to it while I drive and record some data as I attempt to reproduce the problem again.
It's worth noting that moderate driving with semi-frequent use of the available HP didn't seem to trigger the problem, but hard driving with constant use of available HP (and the turbo on max boost) seems more likely to cause the problem.