"At some point, depending on how high the doc. fee is, the price of the doc. fee would become "part of the car," or profit added on to the car/dealership."
This is one of the issues I'm facing with the two dealerships in my area, and is an excellent example of how a customer has to try to figure out the dealership's take on something before a customer can make sense of the deal they are being offered. This can be confusing for the customer, at least for me.
"Documentation" is what we're being charged for, but what's really involved in that? And how much should it really cost?
My local dealership has a $489 documentation fee. The other one in my region I've talked with has a $591 fee.
Based on what I'm seeing on this thread, and just using a little common sense, both of those figures would easily fall into the category of profit margin, not a true cost of preparing documents. Yet both of these dealers insist it's just routine documentation fees, and I'm guessing most dealers would like the customer to consider these fees as non-negotiable.
So, that pretty much forces a customer to either negotiate or accept a cost item that just doesn't seem appropriate. That sets up an uncomfortable situation that's not of the customer's doing. I realize it's a dealer's way of recapturing some profit margin, but they aren't willing to admit that. So the negotiation becomes strained.
Customer/salesperson relationships could improve if these kinds of situations weren't present. I would prefer a reasonable documentation fee of, say, $100 or whatever, and then if the dealer negotiates for more profit, fine, I understand what's going on and we can both negotiate on the true issue, not a hidden issue.
Just figure $100 for the doc fee and lower your purchase offer the extra $300 or $400 they are asking for the huge doc fee. It's all one pot of money. I live in a state where the state limits the doc fee at $150. Dealers can charge less but all of them automatically charge the $150. It's not worth the aggravation to try to get them to lower because most will just lie and say it's mandated by the state to charge that much which is a crock. The state of Illinois just limits the high side. The dealers can charge less but have to make sure they don't discriminate by charging one group of customers less than others. Most dealers just charge the $150 and refuse to negotiate which is fine by me. I know exactly what it is and then negotiate with that much in mind.
Now states that don't set a limit make the doc just one more item to negotiate. To avoid worrying about it, do like I said, just figure a reasonable amount for the doc fee and negotiate an out the door price. If they want $500 for the doc fee, lower your offer by $400 and let them have the stupid $500 doc fee.
I also am interested in what new Mazda 6 owners have been getting for mileage with the respective engine classes. If anyone would be willing to post their experience, I'd appreciate it. I am weighing a 4 cyl vs. a 6 cyl. at this time.
Also any suggestions on model choice - advantages and disadvantages would be appreciated.
Which to carry the theme of trying to wring as much out of the sale as possible is a 21% financial incentive :surprise: on a new home in a market place (Austin) not hit (as much) by depreciating values.
I have the 4 cyl 2.5 and I am getting 6.9L/100KM hwy and 10L/100KM city. That is 34 mpg hwy and 23 mpg city. My car still has < 1000 miles on it, so I expect this to get better.
The high doc fees are ridiculous but maybe that's just the way the dealers in that area of the country have been doing business for years. If you can get the purchase price down accordingly you may even save a little bit on sales tax. I don't believe many states would tax the doc fee.
What are your thoughts on the Mazda6 GT I4 5 speed transmission, do you find it sometimes unpredictable? Does anyone know what brand of transmission it is?
Can anyone tell me if the $1000 Private Launch Bonus is still available and if it is how to get it?
I sent an email to Mazda customer assistance thru their website (as suggested by a post I read on this forum) and this is the response I got:
Hello Anthony,
Thank you for contacting Mazda.
We apologize for the delay in responding to your email.
We are please to hear of your interest in the all new MAZDA6. Currently, are incentives are available the first of each month. We have no information until then. If you would like to the know the current incentives and rebates, please visit. http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayRegionalIncentives.action
Again, thank you for contacting Mazda and allowing me to respond.
Regards,
Al W. Specialist, Customer Assistance E-Business
I am seriously considering an iGT would like to know more about this before I proceed.
Test drove one of these recently and something struck me odd. When I "rolled" down the drivers side window, as the last inch or two of the window disappeared into the door, the door panel bulged out slightly at the same time. Seems to me this shouldn't happen and am wondering if anyone has experienced the same.
Also would like some opinions on the sound quality of the BOSE stereo.
I'd like to know if this quote is good or do i still have room to negotiate ?? '09 Mazda 6i Touring Auto trans. with Convenience Package
MSRP $24885 (includes destination charge) discounted price price $23647 Additional discount $1000 (i guess that's the private luanch bonus) Owner loyalty $500 ( i own a mazda already) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Selling price $22147 still waiting for tax, doc fee, title...etc details.
but suppose other charges are resonable (doc fee is $200 max for example), would $22147 be a good deal ???
Also can the $1000 private launch bonus be offered by the dealer or i must get it from Mazda myself ? Can the private luanch bonus be combined with S-Plan ???
Private Launch expires on 10/31. It was sent out from MAZDA via e-mail to select group who signed up for information on the MAZDA 6. I signed up on the Mazda website on 9/26 and I received the Private Launch e-mail on 10/10. It can be combined with the S-Plan but not with any other private or loyalty program (i.e. MAC bonus cash rebate for lease returns).
Same question...does anyone know if the S-Plan rebate is still available in IL? I've asked my salesman and he's "never heard of it". I asked him to keep checking, but is there another way to find out for myself? Is there another name for it maybe?
weathergirl... its my understanding the S-plan is not state specific. it's pricing available through ford's "partner pricing" program. it's X-plan for ford models, and S-plan for non-ford models (ie mazda). i can check the ford partner site, and let you know what the #'s look like, but i think s-plan typically gets you close to invoice.
cut-and-pasted from ford partner site. 1st price=s-plan, 2nd pr = msrp, prices do NOT include destination
4-DOOR SEDAN SUGGESTED S-Plan RETAIL TRIM S Plan MSRP i SV 2.5L ENGINE WITH 6-SPEED MAN TRANS $ 17,601 $ 18,550 i SPORT 2.5L ENGINE WITH 6-SPEED MAN TRANS 18,729 20,250 i SPORT 2.5L ENGINE WITH 5-SPEED SPORT AUTO TRANS 19,557 21,150 i TOURING 2.5L ENGINE WITH 6-SPEED MAN TRANS 20,067 21,705 i TOURING 2.5L ENGINE WITH 5-SPEED SPORT AUTO TRANS 20,895 22,605 i GT 2.5L ENGINE WITH 6-SPEED MAN TRANS 23,016 24,910 i GT 2.5L ENGINE WITH 5-SPEED SPORT AUTO TRANS 23,844 25,810 s SPORT 3.7L ENGINE WITH 6-SPEED SPORT AUTO TRANS 22,299 24,130 s TOURING 3.7L ENGINE WITH 6-SPEED SPORT AUTO TRANS 23,169 25,075 s GT 3.7L ENGINE WITH 6-SPEED SPORT AUTO TRANS 26,099 28,260
"yikes! been buying for years in houston, and have always pd $50 doc fee!"
"Yikes" was my reaction, too. I've paid maybe $200 at the most in the past, I believe, when I bought my '04 Accord. The $489 is from the dealer in Lexington, Ky., (where I live) and the $591 is from a Louisville dealer. Odd amounts of money -- why not $490 and $590?
I'm close to deciding on a dealer order for an s sport, comet gray/black interior. I've waffled back and forth on the colors, but not on the car itself. I love it.
Someone was asking about advantages of different models. For my money, I love getting all the technology of the great new design, suspension, engine, transmission, etc., in the sport model without buying the things at the touring and grand touring level I have no interest in. I've always considered the basic V6 model of the various sedans, Accord, Camry, etc., to be bargains, relatively speaking.
I do have the S-Plan certificate, and I understand that it will get me invoice pricing plus the usual fees and taxes. However, in earlier posts, people who used the S-Plan reported that the dealership gave them an additional discount of $400 for using the S-plan (different from any Owner Loyalty or Launch rebates). That discount is the one I'm inquiring about.
Has anyone made a purchase with the S-Plan lately and received this discount?
I'm not trying to be greedy here. I certainly don't want to start a whole new discussion on how the customers are trying to squeeze every last drop out of the deal! I just want the facts. Since I haven't had a ton of luck getting my questions answered at the dealerships, I figured I'd ask here.
Did your salesman know about it or did you have to request the additional discount? Was there an actual name for it or is it just considered an incentive?
I just went to my garage and tested mine. I didn't see any bulge when the window was put down. I wouldn't think this is something you would actually look for, so if you noticed it I think I would try another one and see if it does it too.
One thing I did notice (and didn't before) was that the door panel did move slightly when the window was raised all the way. Sort of like the panel sealing against the window.
I think the sound quality of the BOSE system is satisfactory. Of course I have always been satisfied with almost any radio I had in a car so I am not the best one to reply. I have seen some reviews that don't seem to like the BOSE, but the true audiophiles don't seem to like anything.
I went to 2 different dealers and got 2 different break downs of the S-Plan. One had a $400 rebate and one had $500. Ask them to show you the S-Plan price on paper, they should oblige. I put a deposit on (dealer swap) a Silver S- Touring with COnv, Bose and Spoiler which should arrive by Wednesday. I have been waiting for my S-plan Cert from WK association since Oct 6.
For some reason, I decided to replace the OEM Michelins with the same tire.
LOL...That made me laugh. We all do dumb things that seem to make sense at the time.
Good luck with the research. It appears that there are trade-offs with any tire. One that gets good wet traction may not last as long, etc., etc. It's a tire jungle out there.
I like reading the reviews at tirerack. Two people with the same car may rate the same tire completely different. :surprise:
Has anybody been able to purchase with both the $1000 Private Lauch and $1000 or $500 MAC Bonus Cash (For coming off a Mazda lease). My local dealer refuses to combine them. I told him these are 2 distinct offers. MAC has nothing to do w\ Private launch. These guys are very on the up and up so I tend to believe them. I went to another dealer which would try and combine them but he was a bit shady and his fees were alot higher. I actually put a deposit on a car with only one of the rebates but really would like to get a clear answer on the rebates before picking up the car on Wednesday.
I've had a i touring model for about 6 weeks now. I driving about 90 percent hwy, doing about 40 miles per day during the week.
The first 2 fillups I did about 23 MPG.
Then it moved up to about 25MPG.
Currently, at about 2,000 miles driven, it does from 25 to 27 MPG, entirely dependent on just how aggressive I'm feeling that week. Last week I was pretty aggressive and only did 25.
I've had a few Mazdas before, and my experience is they slowly ramp in in MPG over time, and the sweet spot gets hit around 10-15k miles or so. So far I feel like I'm right in line with that.
Hi drosa! Have you tried emailing Sissy at WKA to check on the status of your certificate? I did that and it turned out that the guy who sends them from Mazda was out of town at races. It only took a week to get mine, and that was when both of them were out of their offices at races. Good luck!
Thanks for the tip weathergirl, I did get the e-mail today ( he was out for 2 weeks). So it will be S-Touring over '08 Acura TL Base. I am set to pick up my Silver S-touring with Conv,Bose/Moon and spoiler on Thursday. I recommend anyone using S-plan to ask to see the S-plan price in writing and also go to a couple of dealers to make sure you are getting all applicable discounts ( I went to 3 different dealers and received 3 diff S-plan quotes, invoice, invoice -400, invoice -500).
I have been checking this forum for several weeks, and was going to buy the Mazda 6 i touring this weekend, but after renting one for the week, I have changed my mind. Test driving it for 15 minutes is so different than getting to drive one for a week.
I find the car to be too small and cramped (for this class of vehicle). The 4 cylinder is decent for this car size and good on gas. The Altima feels much smoother with the CVT tranny. The suspension is good. I did find the steering to be a bit loose on the highway. I wish it had a tighter feel. One thing I find dissapointing is the material used inside the vehicle. Even though the design looked quite good, there's a lot of hard plastic surfaces on the inside. It's probably on par with Accord and Camry but not as good as the Altima. The ride is quiet and smooth. The look is beautiful both inside and out.
The number one factor I won't be buying one now is the tighter feel of the interior. The Accord and Altima is much more comfortable. Believe me, I am not here to trash talk the Mazda. I even got my S Plan ready for this weekend, but got kinda dissapointed after driving it for several days. I am sure this car suits many other people so for those who bought one, have fun with it.
Hi cirruss, you had a great idea about renting one for a week. This way you can save yourself buyer's remorse later, if you have any. By the way did you notice the overly high revving engine at highway speeds? During my test drive I observed 2600 RPM at normal cruising speed of about 64MPH. I am waiting to see if the dealer can sweeten the deal.
I have the 09 s GT. And I do not have amy problems with it at all. For you to say that it is to cramped inside suggests to me you might be looking at the wrong type of vehicle all together. Have you looked at the 09 winabego RV's? This might be exactly what you are looking for. Lots of room for the whole family plus another family, and if u loose you job and house you can even live in it.
As for the high RPM. I haven't seen an issue at all. When going 70mph I was right at 2100 rpm.
I doubt there are any 2009 Mazda 6 in any rental fleet as of now. I think you are referring to the 2008 Mazda 6 which is totally different from the 2009 model. Test drive a 2009 and see if you don't change your tune .
ok guys lets call off the dogs. I am sure he is talking about an '08 no frill rental that has been beaten to death. I would like nothing better than to blindfold this guy and put him behind the wheel of a spanking new '09 GT or maybe dump him in the trunk(lets see how cramped 16.6 cubic feet feel) but 1) I promise my parole officer i would play nice and 2) we live in the greatest country where we have the freedom to our own opinion and get to choose the car of our choice.
I think some people will see the 4cylinder as being on par with the rest of the pack in performance and power. It's the 6 cylinder that really has the Zoom Zoom
Thanks for your opinion and enjoy your new Altima. I personally think the Altima is not attractive at all but if I could get the new Maxima for the exact same price as my Mazda 6 then that would be a different story.
The rental is a 2009 Mazda 6 from the Detroit airport National car rental with 1000 miles on the odo. If you are in the area, you can stop by and rent one yourself. I am really surprised why some people will take offense to my statement. I did not say it was a POS or anything of that nature. In fact I pointed out many good things about the car.
This is a townhall where everyone should be able to write their own experience (good or bad). Edmunds townhall is a great resource for car buyers and I have used it for the last 6 years to buy 3 different cars. As for Snoopy316, I am sure the Mazda 6 is a great car for you....enjoy!!
Since they're already available as rentals, is that going to affect resale value down the road? Not that it should be a big factor, but I know some people worry about that.
"By the way, did you notice the overly high revving engine at highway speeds? During my test drive I observed 2600 rpm at normal cruising speed of about 64 mph."
The difference between your observation and snoopy316's (2100 rpm at 70 mph) is the difference between the I4 and the V6 engines. The 2100 rpm at 70 mph is exactly what I observed on my test drive of a V6 grand touring.
If you're buying the I4, looks like higher revs on the highway will be the norm. The Car & Driver review of an i grand touring in the current issue (November I think) says they observed 3300 rpm at 80 mph.
Not sure why Mazda has shorter gearing on their I4 than some other manufacturers. My '04 Accord I'm getting ready to trade for an s sport is an I4 that turns about 2400 rpm at 75, which is about as fast as I drive at my advanced age So we know a lower rpm setup is possible with an I4. I'm hesitant to say that 3300 rpm at 80 mph is a completely bad thing, but I know that fuel economy suffers (everything else being equal) and you would think engine wear would have to be greater.
BTW -- the C&D review is generally very favorable, except they say some of the zoom-zoom has been lost from the previous generation.
Well, there's lots of Camrys in rental fleets and I've seen Accords as rentals at Hertz et.al. also, and that doesn't seem to hurt their resale value much. Now, if Mazda were to flood the rental fleets with the new Mazda6, then that might hurt resale.
Not to discredit what you observations were, I do have a few questions for you.
First, I'm surprised you found the Mazda6 "cramped". It's larger inside then both Altima and Camry.
Your observation about the interior surprises me too....did you rent the base i Sport model or SV model? Every person, and every review has stated that the interior build quality and choice materials are better then Altima. I think there is an Altima owner here that said the Mazda6 interior was far better.
Comfort is purely subjective, and if you found it not as comfortable as the Altima or any other car, I have no beef with that.
I find the Touring with leather/cloth and Grand Touring Leather interiors to be at least class competitive, but models with cloth seats and Sport models without the zebra black trim just seem and feel cheap to me. I do believe that the Mazda6 has a better interior design than the Altima and the Accord, but the 6 does have it share of cheap plastics as well. For example, the area around the climate control functions looks cheap. The entire lower center console where the armrests and cupholders are feels low-rent as well and the fact that the Touring and Grand Touring models have non-padded interior door handles is somewhat cheap too. The door panel design gives me a Chevy Malibu cheap interior feel. Those panels are hard, brittle feeling plastic. At least the Altima and Accord give you some padding in this area.
As for as the dashboard itself, I think the materials are at least class competitive. But like most cars in this class the 6 does have it share of cost cutting. It seems the more I look into midsize family sedans the more I become impressed with the competitor that has the lowest MSRP and lowest transaction prices of the bunch...the Hyundai Sonata. I spent some time in a rental 09 GLS recently with the "Camel" interior. It really impressed me. The dash design and feel give me a VW vibe, something I have yet to experience in the Buttonized Accord, Sporty looking Mazda6 or Drap-designed Altima. In my honest opinion I feel the Altima has some very solid, good feeling interior materials but the design overall is just spartan. The 6 is the other way around. The design looks more attractive, but some of the materials leave a lot to be desired. That's just my opinion though.
Comments
This is one of the issues I'm facing with the two dealerships in my area, and is an excellent example of how a customer has to try to figure out the dealership's take on something before a customer can make sense of the deal they are being offered. This can be confusing for the customer, at least for me.
"Documentation" is what we're being charged for, but what's really involved in that? And how much should it really cost?
My local dealership has a $489 documentation fee. The other one in my region I've talked with has a $591 fee.
Based on what I'm seeing on this thread, and just using a little common sense, both of those figures would easily fall into the category of profit margin, not a true cost of preparing documents. Yet both of these dealers insist it's just routine documentation fees, and I'm guessing most dealers would like the customer to consider these fees as non-negotiable.
So, that pretty much forces a customer to either negotiate or accept a cost item that just doesn't seem appropriate. That sets up an uncomfortable situation that's not of the customer's doing. I realize it's a dealer's way of recapturing some profit margin, but they aren't willing to admit that. So the negotiation becomes strained.
Customer/salesperson relationships could improve if these kinds of situations weren't present. I would prefer a reasonable documentation fee of, say, $100 or whatever, and then if the dealer negotiates for more profit, fine, I understand what's going on and we can both negotiate on the true issue, not a hidden issue.
Now states that don't set a limit make the doc just one more item to negotiate. To avoid worrying about it, do like I said, just figure a reasonable amount for the doc fee and negotiate an out the door price. If they want $500 for the doc fee, lower your offer by $400 and let them have the stupid $500 doc fee.
Also any suggestions on model choice - advantages and disadvantages would be appreciated.
Thanks for your help!
Which to carry the theme of trying to wring as much out of the sale as possible is a 21% financial incentive :surprise: on a new home in a market place (Austin) not hit (as much) by depreciating values.
Now to get 21% off a $30k 6 would be nice
yikes! been buying for years in houston, and have always pd $50 doc fee! :shades:
That is 34 mpg hwy and 23 mpg city. My car still has < 1000 miles on it, so I expect this to get better.
correct for texas. just looked at my sales sheet, and was only charged tax on the sales price.
yikes avi... they're giggin ya twice! once for the fee, and again for the tax on it! :mad:
The 6-speed auto in the V6 is an Aisin unit.
I sent an email to Mazda customer assistance thru their website (as suggested by a post I read on this forum) and this is the response I got:
Hello Anthony,
Thank you for contacting Mazda.
We apologize for the delay in responding to your email.
We are please to hear of your interest in the all new MAZDA6. Currently, are incentives are available the first of each month. We have no information until then. If you would like to the know the current incentives and rebates, please visit.
http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayRegionalIncentives.action
Again, thank you for contacting Mazda and allowing me to respond.
Regards,
Al W.
Specialist, Customer Assistance E-Business
I am seriously considering an iGT would like to know more about this before I proceed.
TIA
Also would like some opinions on the sound quality of the BOSE stereo.
'09 Mazda 6i Touring Auto trans. with Convenience Package
MSRP $24885 (includes destination charge)
discounted price price $23647
Additional discount $1000 (i guess that's the private luanch bonus)
Owner loyalty $500 ( i own a mazda already)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Selling price $22147
still waiting for tax, doc fee, title...etc details.
but suppose other charges are resonable (doc fee is $200 max for example), would $22147 be a good deal ???
Also can the $1000 private launch bonus be offered by the dealer or i must get it from Mazda myself ?
Can the private luanch bonus be combined with S-Plan ???
Thanks!
cut-and-pasted from ford partner site. 1st price=s-plan, 2nd pr = msrp, prices do NOT include destination
4-DOOR SEDAN SUGGESTED
S-Plan RETAIL
TRIM S Plan MSRP
i SV 2.5L ENGINE WITH 6-SPEED MAN TRANS $ 17,601 $ 18,550
i SPORT 2.5L ENGINE WITH 6-SPEED MAN TRANS 18,729 20,250
i SPORT 2.5L ENGINE WITH 5-SPEED SPORT AUTO TRANS 19,557 21,150
i TOURING 2.5L ENGINE WITH 6-SPEED MAN TRANS 20,067 21,705
i TOURING 2.5L ENGINE WITH 5-SPEED SPORT AUTO TRANS 20,895 22,605
i GT 2.5L ENGINE WITH 6-SPEED MAN TRANS 23,016 24,910
i GT 2.5L ENGINE WITH 5-SPEED SPORT AUTO TRANS 23,844 25,810
s SPORT 3.7L ENGINE WITH 6-SPEED SPORT AUTO TRANS 22,299 24,130
s TOURING 3.7L ENGINE WITH 6-SPEED SPORT AUTO TRANS 23,169 25,075
s GT 3.7L ENGINE WITH 6-SPEED SPORT AUTO TRANS 26,099 28,260
"Yikes" was my reaction, too. I've paid maybe $200 at the most in the past, I believe, when I bought my '04 Accord. The $489 is from the dealer in Lexington, Ky., (where I live) and the $591 is from a Louisville dealer. Odd amounts of money -- why not $490 and $590?
I'm close to deciding on a dealer order for an s sport, comet gray/black interior. I've waffled back and forth on the colors, but not on the car itself. I love it.
Someone was asking about advantages of different models. For my money, I love getting all the technology of the great new design, suspension, engine, transmission, etc., in the sport model without buying the things at the touring and grand touring level I have no interest in. I've always considered the basic V6 model of the various sedans, Accord, Camry, etc., to be bargains, relatively speaking.
I do have the S-Plan certificate, and I understand that it will get me invoice pricing plus the usual fees and taxes. However, in earlier posts, people who used the S-Plan reported that the dealership gave them an additional discount of $400 for using the S-plan (different from any Owner Loyalty or Launch rebates). That discount is the one I'm inquiring about.
Has anyone made a purchase with the S-Plan lately and received this discount?
I'm not trying to be greedy here. I certainly don't want to start a whole new discussion on how the customers are trying to squeeze every last drop out of the deal!
Thanks All!
I'm getting it on the one I'm buying this week...
Did your salesman know about it or did you have to request the additional discount? Was there an actual name for it or is it just considered an incentive?
Thanks so much!
S-Plan Rebate
In other words, he knew about it and included it, w/o requesting it (although I knew about it).
One thing I did notice (and didn't before) was that the door panel did move slightly when the window was raised all the way. Sort of like the panel sealing against the window.
I think the sound quality of the BOSE system is satisfactory. Of course I have always been satisfied with almost any radio I had in a car so I am not the best one to reply. I have seen some reviews that don't seem to like the BOSE, but the true audiophiles don't seem to like anything.
2025 Forester Limited, 2024 Subaru Legacy Sport
LOL...That made me laugh. We all do dumb things that seem to make sense at the time.
Good luck with the research. It appears that there are trade-offs with any tire. One that gets good wet traction may not last as long, etc., etc. It's a tire jungle out there.
I like reading the reviews at tirerack. Two people with the same car may rate the same tire completely different. :surprise:
2025 Forester Limited, 2024 Subaru Legacy Sport
I went to another dealer which would try and combine them but he was a bit shady and his fees were alot higher. I actually put a deposit on a car with only one of the rebates but really would like to get a clear answer on the rebates before picking up the car on Wednesday.
MAC and Mazda were one in the same. However, MAC no longer exists.
The first 2 fillups I did about 23 MPG.
Then it moved up to about 25MPG.
Currently, at about 2,000 miles driven, it does from 25 to 27 MPG, entirely dependent on just how aggressive I'm feeling that week. Last week I was pretty aggressive and only did 25.
I've had a few Mazdas before, and my experience is they slowly ramp in in MPG over time, and the sweet spot gets hit around 10-15k miles or so. So far I feel like I'm right in line with that.
Let us know how you make out.
2025 Forester Limited, 2024 Subaru Legacy Sport
I find the car to be too small and cramped (for this class of vehicle). The 4 cylinder is decent for this car size and good on gas. The Altima feels much smoother with the CVT tranny. The suspension is good. I did find the steering to be a bit loose on the highway. I wish it had a tighter feel. One thing I find dissapointing is the material used inside the vehicle. Even though the design looked quite good, there's a lot of hard plastic surfaces on the inside. It's probably on par with Accord and Camry but not as good as the Altima. The ride is quiet and smooth. The look is beautiful both inside and out.
The number one factor I won't be buying one now is the tighter feel of the interior. The Accord and Altima is much more comfortable. Believe me, I am not here to trash talk the Mazda. I even got my S Plan ready for this weekend, but got kinda dissapointed after driving it for several days. I am sure this car suits many other people so for those who bought one, have fun with it.
As for the high RPM. I haven't seen an issue at all. When going 70mph I was right at 2100 rpm.
That's what I was thinking. Where was it rented from?
heh...I thought the new 6 was HUGE...way too big...the new 3 even looks big.
I think some people will see the 4cylinder as being on par with the rest of the pack in performance and power. It's the 6 cylinder that really has the Zoom Zoom
Thanks for your opinion and enjoy your new Altima. I personally think the Altima is not attractive at all but if I could get the new Maxima for the exact same price as my Mazda 6 then that would be a different story.
This is a townhall where everyone should be able to write their own experience (good or bad). Edmunds townhall is a great resource for car buyers and I have used it for the last 6 years to buy 3 different cars. As for Snoopy316, I am sure the Mazda 6 is a great car for you....enjoy!!
The difference between your observation and snoopy316's (2100 rpm at 70 mph) is the difference between the I4 and the V6 engines. The 2100 rpm at 70 mph is exactly what I observed on my test drive of a V6 grand touring.
If you're buying the I4, looks like higher revs on the highway will be the norm. The Car & Driver review of an i grand touring in the current issue (November I think) says they observed 3300 rpm at 80 mph.
Not sure why Mazda has shorter gearing on their I4 than some other manufacturers. My '04 Accord I'm getting ready to trade for an s sport is an I4 that turns about 2400 rpm at 75, which is about as fast as I drive at my advanced age
BTW -- the C&D review is generally very favorable, except they say some of the zoom-zoom has been lost from the previous generation.
First, I'm surprised you found the Mazda6 "cramped". It's larger inside then both Altima and Camry.
Your observation about the interior surprises me too....did you rent the base i Sport model or SV model? Every person, and every review has stated that the interior build quality and choice materials are better then Altima. I think there is an Altima owner here that said the Mazda6 interior was far better.
Comfort is purely subjective, and if you found it not as comfortable as the Altima or any other car, I have no beef with that.
As for as the dashboard itself, I think the materials are at least class competitive. But like most cars in this class the 6 does have it share of cost cutting. It seems the more I look into midsize family sedans the more I become impressed with the competitor that has the lowest MSRP and lowest transaction prices of the bunch...the Hyundai Sonata. I spent some time in a rental 09 GLS recently with the "Camel" interior. It really impressed me. The dash design and feel give me a VW vibe, something I have yet to experience in the Buttonized Accord, Sporty looking Mazda6 or Drap-designed Altima. In my honest opinion I feel the Altima has some very solid, good feeling interior materials but the design overall is just spartan. The 6 is the other way around. The design looks more attractive, but some of the materials leave a lot to be desired. That's just my opinion though.