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Comments
What did you think of the new console color? Did you notice any difference in the front seats, other than the new cloth material? I hope they didn't make them wider to fit all the overweight people in the US.
We are now a 3 zoom family.
It's named after a race track in Malaysia...does Crayola know about these names
and will the grade school kids of today be able to trade in the 64 pack for the new
larger variety? I never needed a book bag...my 8 pack would fit in my back pocket!
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I always thought of Mazda as the Japanese BMW.
Not in Longwood, FL (near Orlando). They are Mazda only.
The 2003 6i ATX is averaging 25 - 27 in local driving at 35K miles (27 mpg on last night's filliup). The 2005 6i ATX got 26 mpg on the first fillup, I am on the 2nd tank right now. MPG will probably be lower on this tank as I am working the motor a little harder to assist with the break in.
EIGHTEEN-INCH wheels on the 2006 Mazda6s???!!!
Where is Mazda going with this wheel-size fetish? Case in point:
My 1992 Protege alloys: 14-inch.
My 2000 Protege alloys: 15-inch.
My wife's 2002 Protege alloys: 16-inch.
My 2005 Mazda3 alloys: 17-inch.
Soon we'll have to tear out the upper sides of our fenders to house the giant four-foot-diameter tires spinning around BESIDE our cars, and we'll need mudflaps on our hoods! (Oh, and LOTSA extra money in our bank accounts to afford the $400 tires that will fit these monstrous wheels.)
Meade
And maybe then they can concentrate on building cars that aren't trouble-prone, and finding some service personell that take customer service seriously.
(I can never resist the temptation to let people know what a lousy car and ownership experience my VW was). So far, Mazda is just blowing them away- and VW is moving pricing up on the Passat to make it more "upscale"! ? Yow! :confuse:
Where is Mazda going with this wheel-size fetish? Case in point:
My 1992 Protege alloys: 14-inch.
My 2000 Protege alloys: 15-inch.
My wife's 2002 Protege alloys: 16-inch.
My 2005 Mazda3 alloys: 17-inch.
Per the MAZDA 6 Tech website, larger wheels and tires cause a big increase in unsprung weight which dramatically reduces the performance of the car. Most owners who auto-cross their cars, down size their wheels to 16" to improve handling and acceleration.
Also, the 18 inchers are optional on the Mazda6.
Optional, yes, but probably standard on the sport and grand sport packages, which the majority of the performance-oriented drivers buy.
IMO, 18" wheels are OVERKILL on this car. There are plenty of 17" wheel/tire combos that fit the bill, in terms of looks, ride quality, and handling. I highly doubt the OEM 18" wheel will be lighter than the current OEM 17" wheels, let alone aftermarket wheels.
Unfortunately, it's the LOOK that Mazda has to achieve, not core perfromance. They see and hear the 6's with 18" or 19" wheels, and even a few 20" cars are out there (although it's not safe or healthy to a car's suspension in any way, shape or form.) They figure that 18" will look good. They forget about the increased weight, rolling resistance, lower resistance to pothole damage, and the (lack of) ride quality or comfort. Kiss your fuel economy numbers goodbye. Not to mention the limited tire sizes they can use, and the expense it costs to replace them! :mad:
Somebody at Mazda needs to be held down while being slapped repeatedly on the back of the head! NOBODY that autocrosses will use 18" wheels, and as stated before, they use 16" or even 15" wheels. 17" wheels are the biggest they need to be, and I'll INSIST that they replace the 18" pizzapans with them before I'll sign a purchase order.
Save the 18" wheels for the upcoming CX-7, and instead inject another 20-30 HP in EACH of the engines, as well as a 6-speed stick. You'd attract more possible sales, rather than the "bling-bling" crowd.
No, the 18 inchers are only standard on the '06 Mazda6 s Grand Sport and Grand Touring (AT only) trim levels, so you only get them if you get the s model with leather. Do autocrossers like leather seats? Probably not.
Since I hate leather seats (don't get me started) this is fine with me. :P
I'm planning to buy a new car in the next week or so and have narrowed my choices to the Mazda3 and Mazda6. I prefer the interior room and overall design of the 6, but the 3 has (at least thus far) been more in my price range (at or under $20k).
I've test driven the 3 s 4-door with both manual and automatic transmission. I've also tested the 6 s 4-door with both transmissions. I haven't had driven a 6 i yet, but I've found one at a dealer in the color I like (Lapis Blue with black cloth) with Bose/Moonroof package and 5-speed manual. The car is 150 miles away, so it will be this weekend before I can go look at/test drive it.
My question is this- does the 2.3L have adequate power for this car when mated to the manual transmission? I found this combo very acceptable in the 3 s, but the 6 is a bigger car.
Any input?
On a different note my Mazda6s was involved in an accident three days ago. I was broadsided by a driver who went through a red light (have two witnesses to back me up). My car has damage from the front bumper along the drivers side. Looks awful. The Mazda6 did a good job protecting me although I did sustain injuries to my shoulder, neck, and left hand side torso.
Not sure about California laws regarding "diminished value" (difference in price between pre-accident condition and value of car after car repaired) but if the other party's insurance carrier decides to repair the car I will request compensation for diminished value. If they refuse I will take them to small claims court. From what I've read you have a better chance winning if the accident was the other drivers fault.
In a word, yes! Power from the 4-cyl is more than adequate for the 6, expecially with the 5-speed manual. Power losses through the manual transmission is a fraction of what they are in the automatics. As a result, the 6i 5-speed is no slouch, and it feels (and has) more rear-wheel HP than many other 4-cyls (and a few V6's as well) saddled with a slushbox.
For my money, get the bigger car.
As far as price, a 6i 5-speed with a few options can easily be had for less than $20K with rebates, and a little bargaining. Check out edmunds.com for pricing information, then work from there. Remember, a smart shopper NEVER pays sticker for a car.
Good luck, and enjoy the 6!
Lastly, I bought my 2005 6i ATX for $15, 400 (before the $699 dealer fee). I got the $2000 "employee" discount and the $1000 MAC financing discount. That's less than I paid for my 2002 Protege 3 years ago.
To go further into it I am looking at CR's chart right now for the and the 03 6 was rated worse than the average 03 model because it was under average in 4 troble spot categories: "Cooling" which is a problem is extra weighted in CR's reliability charts. The average model had a excellent reliability in "Cooling" for the 03 model year where as the 03 06 only had a better than average rating in "Cooling". Excellent Reliability gets a bullseye in CR's ratings where as better than average gets a red spot on the top and a white spot on the bottom in a single circle. Paint/Rust/Trim was another trouble spot category where the 6 lagged behind again. The average 03 model had a bullseye(excellent reliability) for Pain/Rust/Trim. The 6 again got a better than average rating(red on top white on the bottom circle)in the Paint/Rust/Trim Category. The 03 6 lagged behind again with issues with the fuel system. The 03 average model had a bullseye(excellent reliability) where as the 6 had a white circle(average reliability) for the fuel system. "Brakes" was another trouble spot where the 6 again was behind the average 03 model in reliability. The average 03 model had a better than average reliablity rating(red on top white on the bottom circle.) The 6 for "brakes" only had a white circle for average reliability. For 04 CR only surveyed cars in up till March 31,2004). However the 04 6 had a worse reliability rating than the average 04 reliability for the trouble spot(electrical system.) The average 04 model got a bullseye(excellent reliability) for electrical where as the 6 only got a better than average reliability. Remember CR puts extra weight for reliability on Electrical systems in cars. Also the 6 had worse reliability alot than the 04 model in "body Hardware". The average model got an excellent reliability rating where as the 6 only got a better than average reliability rating.
In conlusion its is not a terrible car reliability wise it just lags a little behind other cars in reliability for the 03 model year. Its still got a big X for below average reliability on CRs charts and was put on the used cars to avoid list for both model years 03 and 04. In my opinion CR shouldn't have not put the 04 6 on the "used cars to avoid list" however. They only surveyed cars up to March 31,2004. I mean there was still 5 months to go in the 04 model year after March 31,2004.
CR does it like this:
Excellent Reliabity: Problem rates: 2.0% or less.
Better Than Average Reliability: Problem Rates: 2.0% to 5.0%
Average Reliability: Problem rates: 5.0 to 9.0%
Below Average reliability: Problem Rates: 9.3% to 14.8%
Much worse than average reliability: problem rates: More than 14.8%.
Looks nicer then the outgoing model, esp. the front, much more agressive with honeycomb grille insert(is it the same as mazdaspeed m6?), nicer dark interior(i never liked"titanium" look), and different wheels. Dont know if it going to be worth the price difference( they had loaded '05s for 22k ), but all in all I liked it better then "old" model.
Just at the local Mazda dealer yesterday, and they, along with other dealers in the area, are NOT offering the family pricing that Ford offers.
It's a scam anyway. If you do a little research and haggle with the dealer, you can often times BEAT the family plan pricing. I bought my 6 way before the incentives became popular, and not including rebates or trade-in, I paid $800 less than employee pricing.
The incentive is there basically to draw crowds into showrooms and buy a car without worrying about haggling, or getting hosed by the deal. Sure, it works, but if a dealer offers it, the haggling after the discount is all but eliminated. Not worth it to me...
You are correct that it's a local dealer gimmick and not mazda corp...I love watching marketing in action.
Is that wrong? :confuse:
First of all... Have you ever seen a 6 with a price tag OVER $31K? I just have...
The car was a 6S Grand Touring model with auto and a ton of add-ons. Black cherry with tan leather. The 18" wheels, as I thought, are ugly in person as well. Tires were Pirelli P Zero Neros, though, A DEFINITE step up from the Pilots. My wife, who hasn't seen an '06 pic yet, likes the wheels and the blacked-out light treatment, as well as the color. I liked the grille, but the foglights underneath the bumper jutted out so much that they look aftermarket, and cheap aftermarket at that. Proportions overall looked okay.
We couldn't open the doors or sit inside (obviously), but from what we both saw, my wife and I both think the new dash looks too busy with the redesigned console and nav controls. Too many buttons! Everything else looked pretty much the same.
That's it. Take it as you will...
The MZ6 is pretty much a volume product so decent deals can be had if the consumer follows your advice and does a little homework....Step one of the homework is to find a quality retailer... This can make or break the whole process.
My local dealership called me saying that they received a 2006 model. I'll check it out in the next 2 days and report back.
Looked to be decent quality. I wasn't able to get into the car, since the dealer was closed, but the quality looked slightly better than the '03-'05 model seats. The interior plastics looked pretty good as well.
Is there any fear of the 1st year problems, considering that this is a freshening of a current model? Just curious.
Most of the other MZ6 boards have been up in arms about the outside revisions. The sport grill slats were wider than the previous grill, with less empty area. The lower grill now resembles the squared-off MZ3 chin, as did the circular fog lights--now popping out of their compartment. The side sills do not flare out on the bottom as on the last edition. The blackened taillights--clear with a black backing--were very sharp and are worth swapping out on the old models. The exterior does look less aggressive than the last versions, but I liked the additions (aside from the grill).
The interior was similar to the outgoing 6, with a few anticipated additions. The center unit is no longer a single silver faceplate, now covered in flat and piano-finished black. The volume and search knobs are smaller and protrude out more. The quality was a leap ahead in my opinion.
The cloth was another story. In contrast with the corduroy/mouse fur of old, this was almost the lesser of two evils. The side bolsters, surrounding covering and headrest were solid black. The inner cushion was a checkerboard pattern (as was the door inserts). This material was less like cloth and more like the non-leather gym shoes at Payless Shoe Stores (slightly smooth, but with a little grip). It has the potential to show dirt easily (even in the back lot, there was some surface dirt) and the longevity is questionable--though probably better than the fraying of old. The Mazda 3 cloth is still leagues better, which was disappointing.
I didn't get to drive it or check out the engine (which is the same, but with revised hp/torque numbers), but I'll do that in a few weeks when a 6i comes in. Overall, the 6 is still a looker--perhaps softer on the eyes, but still sharper than a Camry or Accord. Unfortunately, the cloth versus leather argument is no contest: leather all the way.
I think the new style wheels were only the 18" wheels. I've heard the only 17" style they've got is the current '03-'05 style, which are a zillion times better looking, as well as much more practical...
Interesting observation about the cloth interior. I wonder why they just don't spend a few more bucks and get a better-quality cloth for the seats. I'd gladly pay an extra $50 to get better material than what they're peddling now. I'd stick with the leather...