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Absolutely! The Volvo version of the Mazda3 had to create different steel firmness plus a re-shaped engine in order to achieve an S80-comparable crash test result that does a pretty good job avoiding the driver's leg being crushed. While in the beginning portion of a head-on crash, RX-8's mid-mount short block isn't even being touched.
But even S40's side protection is far from the best!
creakid1 "Volvo S40" Oct 10, 2004 4:24pm
The Mazda6 is a fine vehicle as well - near the top of its class - but I don't consider it a homerun. More like a stand-up triple. The addition of the 5-door and the wagon to the model range helps, as will the upcoming Mazdaspeed version due next spring - but it simply isn't quite good enough to break through to the truly top tier of the most competitive segment in automobiledom.
So, based on what I know about Mazda's upcoming product, and bearing in mind that I live in Canada with our surprisingly different taste in cars, here's a little advice to Mazda to keep the heat on the competition.
1) Evolve Mazdaspeed into a something similar to BMW's M division. In other words, make a Mazdaspeed version of just about everything you make and make them available all the time. This one model at a time thing, with ridiculously limited production runs misses the boat. With the rise of Japanese tuner cars, Mazda has the opportunity to corner the market on no-compromise performance vehicles that are still tasteful and covered by a manufacturers warranty.
So built the Mazdaspeed 6 and keep building them. Keep building the Mazdaspeed Miata. Build and AWD 240HP Mazdaspeed 3. And finally, do something wild with the Tribute, which would help differentiate it from its twin brother, the Escape and make it stand out in another increasingly competitive segement, the compact SUV.
2) Move quickly to update the Mazda6 and fix the things that keep it from selling in bigger numbers. I.e. get on your hands and knees and beg for an allotment of the new Duratec 3.5 and do a number on it like you did on the Duratec 3.0 (I know Mazda, big V6's equal torque steer and less than ideal handling, but sometimes you have to give the people what they want even when they want something they shouldn't - plus you can always offer an AWD model if you can make your silly AWD system work with a V6 engine)
Also, update the interior right away. The base cloth upholstery is bush and too many people dislike the centre console. You get an A+ for the Mazda3 interior Mazda, so we know you can do it.
Also - and I hate to give you this advice Mazda because I DO NOT LIKE big cars, but stretch out the Mazda6 platform and make the car bigger. The back seat is simply too cramped for the North American market. Do the engine fix and the interior fix for 2006 and the bigger platform for 2007.
3) Now that you are bringing the Mazda5 to Canada and the US (Good move Mazda - and brave too! Hats off) build an MPV that is big enough for North American tastes. That means - you guessed it - stretching the Mazda6 platform and once again going to big daddy at Ford and begging and pleading for that Duratec 35. I only hope that you can continue to work your magic and still make the ting fun to drive. The MPV is a really great package, just make it bigger and get rid of the goddam column shifter.
4) Completely ignore all of the crazies out there that tell you to put a rotary engine or - give me a break - a V6 in the Miata. The new corporate 2.3L will do just fine in the 2006 re-design. What you do need to do is return the car to its more purist roots, not try and compete with the Audi TT's and BMW Z3's of the world. Light, simple, tossable. That's the formula.
5) I understand that the 2006 Tribute will be built entirely in Japan for the North American market. Not many others know this yet, I think, but I believe this information to be pretty reliable. Good news.
Here, Mazda is what you need to do with the Tribute. Build it on the Mazda6 platform, vastly improve the quality of the interior, make it even a little more biased towards performance, and - like I said above - make a wild, Mazdaspeed edition.
6) Your upcoming luxury SUV will be based on the Aviator. My only advice on this one - since I don't know very much about it - is to move heaven and earth to differentiate the exterior and interior design as much as you possibly can from the Ford. I don't think people will care if the mechanics are essentially the same (Ford makes good trucks and SUVs) but it has to look and feel like a Mazda.
7) The Mazda3 is a truly great car. All you need to do in the short term is to pair the 2.3L engine with a five speed automatic transmission. That should improve highway comfort and help take care of fuel economy concerns.
Other than that, my only advice is to find a way to do more with this platform. Its too good not to be used more. I know that Mazda5 is coming, but how about a nifty coupe or even a convertible on this platform.
8) Ahhh, the RX-8 and the Renesis. Its finicky, but its good. Use your wizardry to find a way to put some extra ponies into the thing. If you could get it up to 275-280 HP, the horsepower freaks would have little or nothing to complain about. What about that electric turbo thingy we keep hearing about. That sounds cool. Oh yah, build the RX-7.
Some general advice
1) Bite the bullet and make all the safety stuff standard in all of your cars, especially in the US where the whining about this is incessant.
2) Mazda, its time to either build or source a truly decent five speed automatic transmission for your cars, minivan and SUVs. Too many complaints about what you have in your vehicles now.
3) The AWD thing is getting big. You've got two great platforms that are AWD compatible. Don't be afraid to jump on this. Up here in Canada, it would make people very happy.
4) Continue to focus on improving the interior quality and design in your products. Good start, keep it up.
That's about all I can think of for now. Keep up the good work.
WHY Mazda has let its pickup offering languish for TEN YEARS now. I purchased a B2300 SE pickup, brand-new, in 1994. Without going into all the gory details, let's just say this wasn't just a strike-out (to use the previous poster's terminology); it never even made it to the plate. It was lemon-law fodder. Sure, the trucks have been improved since then, but not by much; they're still rebadged Rangers with different grilles. But Mazda doesn't even hide the Ford name under the hood -- everything is stamped with the blue oval and all the accessories have "Motorcraft" labels. With the mid-sized pickup category (which the Mazdas/Rangers are, really) one of the top vehicle markets in the U.S., why has Mazda done NOTHING to improve its offering, continuing to offer an entry that's a decade old?
(For that matter, has anyone ever wondered, with Honda being the brand leader it is, why it's never offered a pickup? It'd likely kill Toyota and Nissan, riding on its name alone ...)
Regarding crash tests ...
I have the "after" photo, on another site, of my 1992 Protege LX that I personally "crash-tested" during a torrential thunderstorm back in August 1992:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bqr4ak/detail?.dir=a4ca&.dnm=2a- - - d2.jpg
Rammed into the back of a (get this) Volvo station wagon (aka "brick wall") at a traffic light. My speed? 45. His? 0. Lemme tell ya, the Protege may not have the best zero-to-60 time, but 45-to-zero is REAL FAST!!!
To get serious, that car, equipped only with those damned motorized "passive restraint" belts of the early 90s and NO air bags, stopped all 240 pounds of yours truly from 45 with nary a scratch (just a seat-belt-induced bruised sternum, which kept me from sleeping on my tum-tum for two weeks). Note how well the car took the crash even though it almost completely missed the higher rear bumper of the Volvo, diving under the Volvo and catching the force of the collision through the grille and engine. Even so, the car crumpled exactly as designed, the engine dived under the car, the firewall was not compromised, and the doors were completely free to open and close. (Heh, you can even see the imprint of the Volvo's license plate and trunk knob in my hood.)
I was so impressed, I took my insurance check and went right back to my dealer and got another one. That one gave me 83,000 trouble-free miles, and now I'm on a 2000 Protege ES with 83,300 trouble-free miles. My wife's 2002 Protege5 has 39,000 trouble-free miles on it. I'm so "eat up" with these cars, I've already made plans for my next step: My 2005 Winning Blue Mazda3 hatch will enter the family in April or May.
Let's just not meet by accident -- but if we do, I feel VERY confident about these cars -- from personal experience! How many of you can put down the NHTSA data and speak from that?
Meade
In reality, the current Ranger/B series trucks are compacts. The Dakota defined the mid-size category and now the Toyota Tacoma is moving up into that size. The Ranger/B Series models are the best selling compact trucks in North America but the Mazda version represents such a small slice of the pie that it isn't worth it for Mazda to engineer it themselves. They have a successful platform to tweak - put the money elsewhere. Personally, I'm suprised that Ford has let the Ranger go so long without updating it.
Meade
The Fusion is for American tastes, which is what you're asking for so I'm not sure why Mazda should be forced to make the car bigger for interior room and the 3.5 where in markets like Europe they probably don't want bigger sized cars like us. The Mazda6 is a world car so we just get what they make for all markets. The Fusion and Mercury version will be made with the US in mind. By taking Mazda in that direction you're simply getting a reskinned Fusion. If it's about handling then Ford can simply make a "sport" version with different suspension. Mazda needs to be different else it'll be like Mercury.
The new corporate 2.3L will do just fine in the 2006 re-design.
I think the Miata is just getting the 2.0 and one of the smaller engines, at least that's what I've read.
Here, Mazda is what you need to do with the Tribute. Build it on the Mazda6 platform, vastly improve the quality of the interior, make it even a little more biased towards performance, and - like I said above - make a wild, Mazdaspeed edition.
Would we really need a Mazdaspeed Tribute? If they can put the 3.5 in it then wouldn't that be enough? And I'm sure AWD would be available on normal versions so I just don't see why a Mazdaspeed version is needed.
From what I saw and from what the Manager of Mazda told me, they are exactly the same. The only difference is the they raised the price of the 2005 model.
1. Make the 3 have standard ABS/SAB. VW has been doing it for years on cheaper cars. The 3 is a DIRECT competitor to Jetta in style and size and price, except they skimp on the safety items. Big no-no.
2. Make the 3s offer more than black as an interior color. Not everyone wants black with red or blue stuff in the seats. Some of us are 31, not 21 . The beige in the 3i is sweet! Move it up to the 3s and offer heated seats!
3. Gut the 6 interior and start over with nice fabrics and at least Honda level console materials. Silver spray paint is NOT the look.
4. If they haven't already, add ADJUSTABLE rear headrests to the 6 sedan.
5. Do not make the add-on body work standard on the 6 hatch and wagon. Again, some people prefer the basic shape of the car to the Pontiac look Even Pontiac got rid of that look finally!
6. Don't mess with the Miata at all. Why a new platform? Everyone with an NA or NB Miata, hang on to them! Gonna be worth money soon I fear
7. On the 3, put the Euro grill (the 3i grill in the US) on the 3s models. Looks classier.
8. Dump the minivans and SUVS altogether. Would be nice to have a CAR company in the U.S. Would add prestige and substance since Porsche sold out.
9. Totally rework the dealer organization. Get rid of typical Mazda (and Nissan) sales staff with gold chains that are smoking outside as you pull up to look at a car.
10. Quality control! Seriously. No more releasing cars that rust, have weak A/C, mis-machines engine blocks/thrust bearing issues, and poor quality pads/rotors.
And finally, DON'T change the steering feel on any one of the cars, period, ever!
Mazda: future in the US? where members are talking about 'what' Mazda needs to do...
creakid1 "Ford Focus 2005 release date" Oct 20, 2004 4:32am
#52 was deleted due to linking to another forum.
I've heard that one of the few changes in the 2005 is a differently-positioned footrest for the driver's left foot. Can anybody comment?
I understand your post Justin about the rust and weak a/c in the 03 6 and 04 3 respectively but all cars have first year bugs. I will never buy a first year car ever again. I have never heard of Mazda's having bad rotors or bearing issue's. All cars have problems. Each one is not built equally unfortunately. I;m sure Mazda will correct the weak a/c problems with the 05 3's. I see plenty of 1-2 year old cars on used car lots. I'm sure these respective manufacturers could not fix those cars therefore people traded those cars for something else. It happens.
On another issue will Mazda offer standard ABs for 05's 3 since they are doing it on the Mazda 6I?
As for availability, my nearest dealer is advertising 68 '04 Mazda3's in stock, and has marked them all down $1200 (they are a no-haggle dealer).
Thats strange Mazda would make ABS standard for the 6 but not the 3.
Comparably equipped, it is far easier to get a Corolla LE, a Civic LX or EX, or an Elantra and get a better price, based on following the ads in our area [Portland OR]. Our local Mazda dealers have too many cars with Sports Pkgs and manual transmissions, which drive the MSRPs up and marketability down.
We had a 3i for a rental nearly a week, while our car was being repaired, and I was very impressed with the car's performance and handling, less impressed with the interior quality and road noise. We also had a current-gen Corolla for about 8 months before buying our current car, and overall, if the price were equal, I'd probably opt for the Corolla. [Quieter ride, better reliability, more room inside, higher resale.] If there were a $1000-$2000 price advantage favoring the 3, then I think you'd see sales ramp up. As it is, all of the people who really saw this car as something special over the competition have already bought it - now you have to make conquest sales, and that is not easy without a price advantage.
My favorite is the 5-door, but the decision to equip these cars with "sports pkgs" and their pricing make them marginally uncompetitive - an '05 Accord LX automatic with std head bags and ABS can be had in any competitive market for around $19k or less. Compare that to real transaction prices on an "upscale" 3.
As I said, we liked the car, but if I wanted to buy one equipped the way I'd wanted, there were fewer than half a dozen cars available in Washington and Oregon, and all of them had MSRPs pushing $17k [trying to get the safety package without the dumb sports pkg], and half of them in wierd colors that I couldn't live with.
Just one take on why the car hasn't "taken off"...
As far as comparing a 3 to a Corolla like you said if they were the same price. I don't get why you would say that Mazda needs to take 2K off the price tag. The 3 is one of the leaders in the compact class. Mazda is not Kia here. I understand your point the Corolla has more interior room than the 3 and the quiter ride. As far as better reliability the old Protege's have been as reliable as past Corolla's were. Resale value: if you keep a car 5 years its pretty much a wash. All cars depreciate 50% of their original value within 5 years unless you are talking about a BMW 3 Series or a Lexus RX300: those 2 cars hold their value pretty well.
Finally, I see your point with the Accord in terms of pricing with the Mazda 3.
In terms of comparing the 3 with the competition the Civic is old compared to the 3. I do hope the next Civic is styled a little better and has a better interior than the current one has. The 01-05 Civic was not the success that the 92-95 or 96-00 Civic's were.
By no means am I trying to bash anybody I am just trying to bring up points.
I forgot about the Scion TC too. Toyota saw Mazda probably stealing youth buyers. In the 90's Honda stole alot of youth from Toyota so knowing Toyota and how they study the market they wren't going to let one of their Japanese rivals(Mazda)steal another Generation(Y) like Honda stole the Generation(X) buyer away from them.
With thr last 2 posts yes the option packages are bad. I;ll agree with you guys there. That is one thing that Mazda has always been bad at: the whole option package thing.
Our original intention was to p/u a stripped $26k-MSRP RX-8 auto w/ high-profile tires & non-sport suspension so it'll ride like a limo while handles at least as well as the Mazda3, TSX & 325i sedan.
Well, it turned out that this week the stripped RX-8 only got about $5k discount, & only the loaded ones got $7k discount. So we picked the lowest-price loaded RX-8 auto w/ MSRP of $29300 including DSC, LSD, HID, Bose & the rear-headroom-friendly external moonroof. The sport suspension, 18" wheels & larger brakes are included, too. I especially love the wide rear glass for passing ease (yeh!), although you need to at least semi-recline that high-back passenger seat in order to clear such view. & despite low seating height, even short drivers can see both fenders like an old Corvette! Such price, $22k+, is like a Mazda3 w/ all the upgrades!
The engine is even more "TSX-ish" than TSX -- smooth to rev, weak low end, & wastes lots of premium gas.
This Touring-package RX-8 includes the sport package, so it handles like a real race car w/ that mid-mount light-weight rotary, while seems to ride just a tad more comfortably in everyday driving than the TSX's taut-&-abrupt ride motions. But it might be a different story when encountering very deep undulations due to TSX's possible longer suspension travel.
The TSX has a much higher handling limit than the 16"-wheel 325i sedan & probably not too far from the RX-8's level, but the constant-weight steering doesn't inspire confidence like the more communicative 325i/Mazda3/RX-8, so the car was almost never charged hard around corners. Therefore all that ride sacrifice is wasted.
Finally, the TSX's tough 360-watt stereo's quantity bass only thumps you uncomfortably, while the less powerful RX-8's Bose 300-watt stereo entertains you intelligently w/ a quality bass that sounds beautifully!
Our conclusion is that if there's one car we'd rather get rid off, it's the TSX, which only excels in the interior finishing quality.
Sure, Honda impresses superficially, but Mazda's the one that gives you real pleasure!
We are seeing some folks who are waiting for the big year end rebates that don't appear to be coming.
The big year-end rebates are here--on other Mazdas. With current discounts and rebates, I could buy a new Mazda6 5-door for less than a Mazda3 5-door. I suppose some people would rather go with the smaller car, but if it were me I'd go for the Mazda6.
You answered your own question. Some people prefer the smaller car. I just helped a friend, a lawyer, get a car. We looked at everything and in the end she liked the Mazda3s the most. We're talking Infiniti, to BMW to MB to Toyota, etc. She picked the M3 with manual and a few extras SAB/SAC/ABS, etc.
Why? She loved the room, the style, the price and the performance. For 17-18k it was in her eyes a steal. She took one look at the 6 hatch/wagon and said they were soccer mom cars. Shrug.
John
Reasons for my lurking about? DHL box truck vs. 2000 VW Jetta and was (hint: the truck won) in the market for a new car.
When I bought the VW, I went purely on the WoW factor. Now, I've found it again in the new 5dr 3 that I just signed the paperwork on.
I searched many cars in the price range and found them all lacking in...something, including the '05 Jetta.
After renting and driving a 3i for the past week (highly recommend this approach over the 15 minute test-drive if you can afford it or if insurance is paying for it), I can honestly say that this car has blown my doors off and personally, I like the fact that you don't see many out there.
The best feature is the manual transmission. The gearbox is like shifting through butter and the clutch is ultra-forgiving. The Toyota Matrix I test-drove this weekend was no comparison and the Mazda3 won, hands down.
You, in Joisey, keep an eye out. There will be one more joining the ranks shortly. Wayne ticked me off and I walked. Headed northwest and found a dealership that better suited me.
I see tons of BMWs, Lexus and Mercedes where I live/work. The dealership I purchased from had very few 3 5drs & none with manual. There was a manual 3 brought in from Long Island being delivered when I pulled in. Whereas at the aforementioned Wayne dealership, they still had '04's.
I am still a bit concerned about the snow. Has anyone driven their 3 in the snow? Apologies if the has been covered.
I'm so excited!!
Yours sincerely,
exVW
http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=101204
Also, don't forget that a car that has no incentives are ripe for other profitable aspects of the sale. Its not uncommon to sell a car at invoice and make it all up and more with stuff like accessories, finance revenue, warranties, deer whistles, paint sealant, vin etch, etc....We have one dealer in our area that advertises hot cars below invoice but when you get there you find all kinda of required 'extra's' you must buy to 'qualify' for the low price....Also, Mazda just finished a big dealer incentive program that had some rather lofty objectives. The MZ3 counted but didnt pay the incentive. Many dealers were not close to the number and ran price leaders with the MZ3 to hit some numbers. I have no problem losing a few thousand in potential gross profit to hit a $50K bonus.
The mazda3 are i model sedans with auto and power package. most are white with tan interior.
And yes, this was a 3i with power and automatic...silver, though, with paint that had already been badly abused by the local Enterprise car wash [extremely bad hard water etching everywhere - nothing a good detail shop couldn't handle, but at a steep price].
Response to post 7874(audi 8q):
I don't know if you caught my posts from 1-2 weeks ago from this board but I was saying how Wayne Mazda in Wayne, NJ had a 1,155 dollar dealer discounts on 3's. There was no factory rebate though. On the 6 they had a 2900 dollar dealer disount coupled with the 1500 dollar factory rebate. On the 6 wagon I spotted this last Friday they had a 4,000 dollar factory rebate on the 6 wagon.
Response to post 7873(jrct 9454)
Mazda has had a problem for this last deacde with buyer loyalty. I think part of it has to do with Mazda constantly changing its target audience. In the early 90's Mazda was a sporty alternative to Toyota. In the mid 90's is when Mazda decided to be a direct competitor to Honda and Toyota and that nearly killed Mazda. I agree with the article with the customer service that has been a long time problem at Mazda. I think the recent scores that Autopacific had Mazda is definatly on the right track though towards building a soild cusomer base. Customer Service has to improve fast though.
I guess then that my local Mazda dealer doesn't want to sell any of their Mazda3's, because in their ad they offer every single one of them at $1200 off. Also, I know this dealer and they play it straight, their sales reps are not on commission and in fact give the buyer extras with every car (discounts on gas, coupons for free body work etc.). Amazing but true.
Ya got my attention...
Where, pray tell, is such a shining xample of salesmanship and availability? DO I need to sell my soul?
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That car was also front-wheel drive and I never had any problems in the snow. Any opinions on the Mazda3? Thanks.