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Mazda6 Wagon
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Plenty of choices.
We have a 4WD Matrix (well under $20K), and we like it. But the cargo area is quite small. It is billed as a "Corolla wagon" but it's not the same car.
I also prefer 4 cylinders, but I'm not going to rule out the V6 before I see what kind of gas mileage it will deliver. The V6 in my father's Buick will deliver 35+ mpg on the highway, so you're not necessarily sacrificing much in the way of fuel economy with a V6 these days.
There is a 2WD base Matrix available.
I guess the "thrills" part is what scares you, but there's also the economy part. Cheaper cars, better gas mileage.
Before I get hammered, I will say that I'm well aware of all the neat new automatics out there, and my current car is automatic. But I enjoy driving a stick too.
I actually sat inside of one at the New York Auto Show, in APRIL 2002! Back then it seemed fresh and even cutting edge.
Now they are saying May or June 2004?
By then the 2005 Legacy wagon will be out, with both H6 (250hp or so) and 2.5 Turbo (up to 280hp) engines available and AWD standard.
Both will trump FWD and 220hp. Be prepared for rebates.
-juice
I'm 21 and my first car was a stick, I now drive an AT and am planning to go back to manual as soon as I get my new Mz3! You're right though, none of my friends know how to drive manual and too many kids these days are receiving cars that their parents should be driving... as in luxury cars.
I agree about the new Freestar/Windstar, they've made too little a change way too late, how sad that a new model probably isn't even on the radar of prospective new minivan buyers.
The Mazda6 family on the other hand... should be differentiated from the Mazda3 (other than engine and size) as both are pretty well matched on performance. MazdaUSA doesn't know what it's missing out on with not adding AWD.
Does anyone know if the Mz6 wagon and hatch will at least have Xenons and NAV to match what the Mz3 offers? I'd think Mz6 buyers deserve at least those options.
Either way, Mazda sold 6,100 or so Mazda6's in November and their sales are increasing!
http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=4221
F-150 are assembled in:
Cuautitlan, Mexico
Kansas City, MO
Norfolk, VA
Oakville, ON
Valencia, Venezuela
As for me, I have just about decided that if I have to wait that long, I may as well buy a 2005 Subaru Outback with the H6 engine or a 2005 Legacy with the Turbo 4...
more to follow as I get it
Mazda may have lost me to an 05 Outback or Legacy, though, as they seem to be coming out in the same timeframe. We will just have to see!
The build configs for the first month or so will be automatic with just premium audio OR automatic with luxury pkg, moonroof, side bags/curtains and prem audio. The third combo is automatic, sport pkg and premium audio.
one new color that is not included in the sedan....squall blue pearl
and for those of you who have been looking for height adjustable rear seat headrests you got it in the wagon.
Other mfgs have managed to get cars to market in a much more timely manner and without all the early restrictions and bizzarre option bundling. The competition is not standing still either. Casually waiting 18-months from a car's introducton to finally get variants to market is wasting a huge portion of a car design's useful life on the market.
IMHO, something is seriously wrong at Mazda when they can't get to market in a more timely manner and be better able to build what customers want. I understand that they're a small player with limited resources, but small should make you more nimble, not less. I can't think of an instance of such a great car being let down by such indifferent marketing, packaging, and channel problems.
- Mark
agree 1000%.
Example...if they release all 3 versions of the 6 at once, the car mags and etc will review one version and make blanket statements about the other.....if each model is a focused launch they will get complete exposure for each model. This is important for a small car company who can not spend $200+ million per model launch like some larger asian companies spend....Mazda spent $130 million to launch the MZ6 sedan and it was more than mazda has ever spent before, by far. Toyota and Honda keeps that much in the petty cash box. Its hard to dance with elephants when your a mouse.
if each were to sell 10,000 units and for two years to not have then is 40,000 lost sales.
that's good?
Subaru managed to ship both a sedan and wagon WRX at launch and both have been successful. Mazda shipped three models in Euro markets within a few months. And with many, many more engine combos. Even if you accept that Mazda needed to stagger the launch, why couldn't they at least have managed a 12-month delay? How could it possibly take 18-months to get this car to market?
Maybe Mazda should have ONLY had the hatch and wagon. Then there would be no pesky competition from Honda and Toyota!
- Mark
way too pokey. no skin off my back, lost sales for them. I can buy something else.
I'm also willing to speculate that since Mazda was mid-revolution when the 6 was released - as the RX-8 and Mz3 were still to arrive on the scene - they didn't want to put all their eggs (at the time) in one basket. Should all three models collectively fail to meet sales expectations, who knows what would have happened. The bigwigs at Ford would certainly have not been happy. It's a pessimist's POV, but that's how the business world runs... Just a theory...
That said, I'd say Mazda misjudged the market. Sales have been close to what they were expecting, but it's not to infer that total Mz6 sales figures would have been any different if all 3 models were on sale (we'll find out soon enough tho). Nonetheless, the new Legacy has the 6 wagon cornered.
We'll see in April or so...
Somehow, I doubt now that I will even seriously consider the Mazda6 wagon. A year ago, I would have BOUGHT one.
What made it so great a year ago and so bad now that its off the list?
maybe I'm reading you wrong...but i get the impression you want to "punish" mazda for staggering their product launches. (all three were NEVER planned to come out at the same time).
Mazda still has the potential to include AWD on the 6-line which would put it back in my line of sight for a new car. It's all a matter of when they'd be willing to throw that option into the line-up along with aggressive packaging options (hopefully available on 6s-manuals). Since sales have been increasing over the past year they'll decide to be a bit more "liberal" with their cars!
In the meantime, I have my sights set on the Mz3 hatch.
During these 18-months, the car has aged. The competitiion has newer designs out now or on the immediate horizon with later designs, more current features, and more up-to-date styling. The Subaru is one such car and photos of the new Passat are now widely splashed across the net. As well, while the segment Mazda is specifically in isn't terribly crowded (mid-sized FWD wagons/hatches for around $24K), it is being encroached upon from all angles - hybrid technology, crossover SUVs, sportier hatches, etc. - and people do shop across these segments. And Mazda doesn't have the luxury of a design life of 8 years or more like BMW, MB, Volvo, and even VW to some extent. The Japanese cars sell on having the latest and most current technology and styling.
We're already seeing some of the limitations of the 6's design period of several years back right now. The features people want right now are fancy electronics (GPS, satellite radio, On-Star, voice activation, etc.), big HP, and AWD. The Mazda is weak on features like these. A couple years in the car business can mean having the right mix of features on a car for the time it sells. Even having the right colors available can be important.
Like it or not, the car business is very fast-paced. Mazda is not with this car. Many people tend to buy cars when they see something new on the market that excites them with the latest/greatest. They also buy within the context of seeing what is upcoming in case they want to wait for a new feature or generation of cars. In these respect, the Mazda 6 wagon, while it certainly will be a fine auto, is already a bit stale.
Mazda can freshen the car with new options, a power boost, and a very cutting-edge sporting hatch, maybe something like the old MX6. But all reports are that this is not what is coming - we're just getting wagon and hatch versions of the existing sedan, which is selling somewhat poorly in the US to begin with.
This may not matter to many buyers and it may not matter to you. But don't for a moment think that it doesn't matter to the market in general. Time to market is EVERYTHING.
- Mark
When the 6 was first annouced the sedan was supposed to ship in the fall of 2002 with the wagon and hatch the next spring/summer. The sedan was delayed a couple months coming out of the box and there was no word on the wagon/hatch - many of us deferred decisions expecting summer 2003 at the latest. Around spring we finally got semi-official word that late-2003/early-2004 was more probable, and recently it has become spring 2004 with limited options for the first month or two.
This sounds like delays to me. Perhaps it was a matter of mis-communication, but it is a poor way to introduce cars.
- Mark
One thing that does appeal to me about the Mazda is that it is made in the USA. Having been a victim of this recession, I would like to support American industry more.
b. I doubt it will go for 32k except when totally, fully loaded.
c. I suspect someone (maybe lots of someones) is going to be SHOCKED at how expensively Mazda prices BOTH the hatch and the wagon.
Also, subie_wrx, you prolly didn't have problems with your 3-series because you sold it off under warranty, and quite new. While BMW HAS mastered the art of making vehicles that are immense fun to drive and own during the warranty, they've also got the whole breeak-down-within-months-of-warranty-expiration down pat, from all accounts. That, combined with the excessive premium one poays on that Teutonic piece of perfection (for 4 years, at least) made ME shy away from buying one.