meGrimlock

http://www.topgear.com/drives/C6/C1/...sts/10/01.html
initial road tests looks like they're not too fond of the 6 MPS over in the UK
==================
Mazda6 MPS

The design concept for the MPS was created for the Paris motor show back in 2002. To put it into some sort of context, that's the year before we re-invaded Iraq and the now seemingly ancient levy of congestion charging hit the capital.

So Mazda's performance flagship has been in the offing for so long that any real sense of excitement had all but petered out by the time it finally pitched up.

To make matters worse, the basic Mazda6 is so dated now, that extra grunt and some cosmetic sleight of hand is unlikely to be enough to revive it. And then there's the issue of the MPS's place in a fast moving market.

The first thing punters are going to want to know is how it stacks up against established Japanese all-wheel drives like the Subaru Impreza WRX and Mitsubishi Evo. And while it may better the jaw-dropping tackiness of the banzai collective for marginally less money, it's never going to touch these cars for dynamic ability or their folklore desirability.

What the MPS seems to be striving for is some sort of middle ground. Comparatively understated styling, and a manageable turbocharged power hike will boost performance while ensuring that it all remains fundamentally approachable.

From the right angle, the MPS does look pretty good too. The castellated bonnet and flared arches hint at some real purpose, as do a bolt-on boot spoiler and outsized twin exhausts. Closer inspection reveals two small exhausts in a dummy housing, though, and inside it's a similarly disingenuous 11th-hour effort at 'sporty styling'.

So it's a dubious first impression, and one not made any less so on the move. The 256bhp 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine never really has the upper hand over the car's 1,665kg weight.

Fully loaded and four-wheel drive, the MPS is a heavy car with a consequential lack of sprightliness that leaves it a long way short of a lithe and agile Impreza. In fact, the standard 2.3 Sport is much more like it. Think Golf GTI versus Golf R32. More driven wheels and more power don't always give more fun.

So what you're left with is a moderately fast and half-decent-looking saloon that needs to offset its lack of ability with strong quality and refinement. But it's noisy, feels cheap and, at £23,950, it's an insignificant leap up to the R32 where you get all that in spades.

Matt Master

Roddimus Prime

screw them... they drink tea and eat crumpets. We drink whiskey and eat raw squirrel meat.

besides ours gets 274bhp and 280tq.

kargoboy

Hmmm, that's too bad. Actually, the Brits usually have pretty good taste in automobiles.
Not to mention they make great music. The last three CDs I've bought were all Brit bands that get NO attention over here: Hard-Fi, Arctic Monkeys and the Go! Team.

ghettopro

not our fault they lack taste in vehicles.

I like what Rod said. that sums it up pretty good.

meGrimlock

top gear's pretty biased and they haven't been to keen on the majority of mazdas. sounds a little bit like the mixed reaction the mazdaspeed6 is getting in the states.

Roddimus Prime

I think the weight is the ONLY reason why it's not more popular here. With 400lbs less weeight and it would EASILY hang with the evo's and sti's. However, the evo/sti are based on COMPACT sedans. The 6 is a midsize so it's naturally heavier.

meGrimlock

not talking performance wise--personally i think it fares well against the evo/sti and gives an added refinement a "boy racer" wont find in their car. but stacked up against heavy artillery like the Legacy GT, A4, TSX, it falls short of expectations. its a nice compromise, and there are few cars that match up to it in such a compromise. i kinda wish there were a few more interior upgrades but i still think they are awesome machines and i wouldnt mind owning one in years to come when they are in the pre-owned market.

Roddimus Prime

a modded MS6 is going to anhilate the competition once people learn how to work with this new DISI engine.

previous recip engines have fuel in the C.C. for 170* of crank rotation....this new one.... 15*.. SO much less prone to detonation. It also coems with forged rods so I'm expecting big things after seeing Juan's 508WHP pulls with just forged rods.

David

They drink whiskey too. And the Engine there has the same. They do rate horse power a little different there.

David

Yes and the other reson they do not like it is because it's a saloon (ie sedan), if it was a hatchback they might like it more.