Who else has experienced the 6?
 

Well I just test drove the 6.... and thought we could all share our experiences.... what a great car!

Well i test drove a white fully loaded with sport package.... v6, 5 speed, no sun roof, no leather, bose audio.... very nice looking, minus the damn grill... thats the only complaint i have THE GRILL, but they said they could get the sport grill in for me though.

but to start it out the car is BEAUTIFUL in person... every color.... the interior rules, i love the way they did the radio and such, sure it probably ruins the upgradability...but screw it! the stock stereo is pretty damn good! The sub hits pretty hard, good highs (not enough but i can change that), good mids... not bad even if ive never been a big bose fan!

all the controls are perfectly located imo, and the storage is awesome... lots of bins, and tons of trunk space! kick ass

on the road the exhaust growls! sounds beautiful inside the car... it pulls VERY hard to redline, where more power is just waiting the next gear up. Shifting is effortless with a great throw on the shifter and good clutch feel!

the ride is comfortable and driving in daily traffic would be a joy with low noise levels. the suspension RULES! loves to be tossed around, took the curves much nicer than my p5 and many other cars ive driven!

Overall all i could say is WOW, i kept saying holy shit and going THIS FUCKING RULES!

MAZDA DID IT RIGHT, this is probably the most perfect car they have put out recently in my opinion.

One complaint through out the whole car: The Grill, Big woop! we can change that...


So now im thinking of buying one EEK....


What about you guys?

well considering i just spent another grand on my pr i don't think ii'll be getting a 6 any time soon......maybe 5 years down the road if i can aford it....

yea i really dont know either... but trading in both my cars id have about 18k they said... or something. So it wouldnt be too much more. but i dont know if i want to have a car payment again.

I too have driven a 6. Yellow and "fully" loaded. Great car. Nice everything from the engine to handling to interior and exterior. I loved it. I would buy one but Im really wanting something with some ass to it. 25K is not a bad price at all for the car fully loaded like the one I drove.

HOWEVER...

I have been bitten by the Mitsubishi bug bad and plan on getting an EVO.

Jeremy

the evo bug is definately the bug to be bitten by lately.... i like that and all but the 6 is sweet too

I liked the autostick and the suspension. The autostick is one of the best ones I have ever seen, very little shift lag (except from first). They didn't have any manuals when I went. It was a V6 /w sport package, loaded to the gills with every option but the autodimming mirror. Its on my list but I'm a little nervous to buy one with as many stupid issues as I've had with my Pro. Plus the new Mustang concepts are looking pretty good, especially with an independent rear suspension. Might have to go back to the dark side.

I've got a 6 on the way in May.

http://www.idgca.com/car/myatenza2.jpg

Similar to this [a few photoshopped mods] but still pondering the black, white or sonic blue. lol. As was said these are all great colors.

I havn't drivin one yet, most likly because i dont think there in canada yet. but i have been watching it for along time. the only think i dont like is all i want is a F**kin sunroof and the only way to get one is to get fully loaded. and if the mazda3 takes the 2.3l motor im sure that it will be able to take the v6 thats in the mazda6. personaly im gona wait to see what the final verdict with the new protege/3 is.

yea kincaid all the colors are beautiful! really if i were to buy one id be hard pressed to decide... but i think white would be it.... i love white cars, and that one is slick.... to this day i wish both my other cars were white.

if i were to get one first thing id get was that grill.... i hate the US grill

BTW: i got a mazda fuel magazine while i was there... very cool!

I love my mazda...lol, now put that 2.3 liter in the Protege! 160hp... droool

Yeah. But my question would be whether they would keep the 160HP output when they put it in the 3. I don't think Mazda will do another situation where the smaller car has as powerful (or in the case of the 626 more powerful) engine as the more expensive one. But maybe the 160HP will be optional or something.

The 2.3L will be optional. The base engine will be a 2.0L version of that same engine. Rumored power (from here) is 145hp for the base and 165 for the 2.3L.

BTW, sorry for going off topic :) .

I sat in one in the showroom!! It sure was comfy. Had the leather seats, probably every option available. (Said 26 or 27k). The dark gray (Steel Gray Metallic) paint was PRETTY. The interior design is simplistic, in a good way.

I've driven one. The 160hp version.

The 160hp is kinda loud when pushing it, but it does it's job pretty well in acceleration. My dealer actually asked be to step on it on the onramp and test out the handling! Man, I was going 70 on the onramp that turned left then right! Had to let go of the gas when i got on the interstate :) it was as stable as a train on rails!

I'll defintely test drive the V6 next time. :)

But overall, i must say that the 6 is a very nice car. Although it's not made in Japan like the P5, but the built qualtiy is great. Hehe, I think there's a high chance of me getting it as my next car :)

Where is the Mazda6 made?

Flatrock. MI.

I test drove one the other day. Nice nice car. Im trying to get my mom to trade in the van & get one. But the only thing I dont like about it is Mazda isnt offering any incentives on it. No cash back, no 0% interest, nothing. And the dealers arent budging on the price at all. You pay what you see on the sticker. They know they've got a good car & dont want to give anything on it.

it's a brand new car, what makes you think they will?

the wagon and hatchback are coming out later this year... more choices then... and maybe a stiffer suspension

I sat in one, too. Everything seems great, except for two things: You can't get the black interior without the sport package, and I though the cloth seats were very hard and uncomfortable. The leather, on the other hand, was excellent. Very comfy and supportive. I wouldn't even consider one of these without the leather.

As far as incentives, don't expect them for a while. For a good example- Nissan is just now starting to offer low financing and lease rates on the Altima. That's the problem with hot cars...

:rolleyes:

I test drove an 6i a few weeks ago, the dealer had his keys mislabled and thoght it was the v6, anyway we drove it around the chosen course, handled really well on the off ramp and curvy road, I thought the speed was good but not too impressive, the 5spd was roughly similar to the aceleration that I get from my tour, maybe a bit better. The dealer had me go to a dead stop from 50mph. Damn that thing can stop on a dime, no fade, no squealing, nothing, and it didn't have ABS! Anyway we get back to the dealer pop the hood and find out it's a 4banger! Dealer was rather shocked as he thought it was the V6. Anyway I'll be goign back in a couple of months to check out a v6 5spd to see what they're like, sat in a couple of the auto versions they had in teh showroom. They were quite nice. I especially like the autmatic climate control. The car's fit and finish were great the seams made my contour's look like canyons. Great little touches like heated mirrors, in trunk releases for the rear seats etc. Hopefully won't make the mistakes ford did by decontenting the good stuff, we'll see.

Plus: Great handling
great fit and finish to the car, the seams match perfectly, there are wrappings aroudn all the hoses, all the i were dotted and t's were crossed on this one.
Great braking
4 banger puts out good power and the base i is a really good value.
I love the optional lip spoiler

minus: stereo combined with heating controls URGGGH!
big feeling shifter (too bad they couldn't get the 6spd out of the miata mmmm)
option choices are rather limited, ie you can't get the 17 wheels unless you get the sport package etc.
no under hood light
deals aren't coming down the pipeline for a while as the car will be a good seller.

Anyway if you like the mazda thing and are lookign for a midsize I'd seriously check it out. Even the base i is cheaper then a fully loaded p5 and will go faster! Anyway I ;iked it adn this car will replace my tour eventually. Either in 4 or 6 cylinder versions will be determined.

I just know those bastards could cram a six-speed in there. I bet they do when the Accord coupe with the six-speed comes out.

How do you get that it will be a 2.0L? Seems like a lot of trouble to go to when you could just tune the 2.3L for fuel economy and kill a lot of power without having to mod internals, or have a second engine altogether.

I bet the "Mazdaspeed" version will have a 6-speed ;)

BTW, the Miata 6-speed couldn't be used -- in fact I am guessing that they can use very little from their "parts bin," as the car is very different than any previous models.

Yes the MazdaSpeed will be 6 speed.

yeah I realize that the miata 6spd won't work but it sure is a nice feelind and shifting tranny wish they could develop something similar in the other mazda products. The Getrag in the focus SVT isn't too bad wonder if that'd work?

A 2.0L version of the engine is already in production, it's just not available in N. America yet. In fact, there's four or five versions of this engine available throughout the world ranging from 1.8L to 2.3L. Here's an article about them that came out last year

Just drove a base 6i today and I'm impressed. The 2.3l four had a lot more power than I expected it too. The salesman also encouraged me to toss into a few corners. This car had the sport auto and after experimenting with it a little bit, I found it to be fun for some sporty zooming. I don't think it had any other options besides the auto tranny, and was listed for 19,900. Very well equiped for that price. Might end up in my driveway as the wife's new car.

Can't wait to see that motor in the new Mazda3. The 6 weighs 3097 lbs and the 2.3 moves it pretty well.

Yeah, the 1st thing i said to myself is that it'll be a bi@ch to change to aftermarket head units...

Another minus is that the rpms are still kind of high when cruising around 70-75 mph. I guess it's a Mazda thing.

I test drove a base Mazda6i back in November, I think. What a great car. The interior was great. Doors are SOLID. Steering was perfect. Ride was quiet, firm, but not harsh. Handled GREAT.

I WANT THIS CAR.
http://www.morrownet.net/negatize/images/08.JPG

I just hope that plastic doesn't scratch as easily as the silver trim in our cars.

I remember when I configured a 6i on the website with all the safety features I liked (ABS, side airbags, etc) it said that configuration was limited and wouldn't be available until Feb 2003. I'm just too much of a 4-cyl kind of guy to go to the 6s :P

Dad and I went to an Autoshow last weekend and we sat in a silver 5 spd w/ all the options and a grey w/ only an auto. My dad loved the grey and he really wants one now which would be his third grey Mazda (89 323, 92 Pro). We also sat in a Altima 2.5S which is just about the same price for an i with auto. He was so pumped about the Mazda that he didn't care too much for the Altima. My mom however thought the Altima looked really elegant for the price more so than the 6 loking sporty for the price. She'd still buy the 6 though. For my dad though I'm not sure. Having room for rear seat occupants is a definite bright spot and the Altima also puts out 175 hp. But the 6 interior and I bet the driving dynamics are better. He's counting on input from me as part of his descision which also now includes the new Accord Sedan. :confused: Oh well I don't care, he promised me if I don't bug him for a HS graduation present he'll get me a 99/00 Audi A4 1.8T in about 18 months. But if I get the smaller Audi maybe him getting the bigger Altima would be better.

You'll probably be able to buy them at MSRP soon enough, it you can't already. They're selling like crap, less than 2500 in January in the US. Maybe this will teach Mazda dealers you CAN'T sell a Mazda above MSRP, unless it's an RX-8 maybe.

Link

Yeah. I've been in and out of my dealership the last few weeks and some of the ones I thought would have sold are still sitting around. I talked to them about getting a 6s and they are still being jerks about the price (MSRP, nothing less).

They are pulling the same crap they pulled with the Protege5 when it first came out. Stupid of them because while the 6 is a good car it is not a revolutionary vehicle in its segment (like the Protege5 still is). They are going to have to calm down and accept the buyers they can find because everyone else is paying MSRP for an Accord.

Find a new dealer, I only paid about $600 over invoice in Dec for my 6s. Others over on the Mazda6 forum (Mazda6Club.com) only paid several hundred over invoice.

I think Mazda6 is more revolutionary than Pro 5 ever was.
Pro5 could be revolutionary if we (North American market) would have got it in 1999 along with 3-rd gen. Protege, not like many times we were last behind Japan/Europe even Mexico gets more of quality european cars than we do (Peugeot, Mondeo, AudiA3)
Mazda6 have potential to be called revolutionary.
All due to fantastic suspension/steering set-up, modern engine interior/exterior design, great safety test results (europe) and very good price.
Pro5 with old 2.0l engine, and vibration (rattle) friendly interior,
and medicare safety/collision ratings can't be called revolutionary.
Pro5 is where it is because it's handling/steering (it's so hard to buy a great handling mid-size, mid-priced car in US) and very good looking exterior design.
I really like my Pro5 but it's already outdated, Mazda3 can erase all weak spots from Protege image... if Mazda will make right moves with it.
Very exciting

where did you get "medicare" crash rating? last time I checked the 3rd gen pro has 5 star front/rear crash ratings

Not to mention the Protege5 is available with side airbags.

The Mazda6 has a head curtain option as well. But what you would expect from a car in a different price bracket.

EDIT: And of course your right on the 5 stars front and rear info.

i drive these all day.. and park them too! ive driven every variant and i can say that they are nice but im not sure about reliability, if you look under the hood all you see is plastic, no room to work which means you have to take stuff off to work on other stuff, plus the engine is ford (same as tribute).

The tributes in the lot never start, even brand new, with 2 booster packs (battery w/ some juice + big booster + small booster) they barely start i hate them, some have come in with some emissions problems, leaking hoses, etc.

The M6 is made in north america with ford parts, you decide for yourself if you want to buy it

Hasn't this been discussed lots? The I4 is a totally new Mazda engine. The V6 uses the Duratec block only. A quote from Motor Trend on the the Mazda 6s says 'although the engine is sourced from Ford it's designed and tuned by Mazda. And that's a good thing.'

Ford doesn't own Mazda. It has 33.3% of the shares meaning it has controlling interest.

You forgot to mention the MPV as well, which shares basically the same 3.0L Duratec as the Tribute and has nearly impeccable reliability. And don't forget the tons of other vehicles that don't start. If the lot attendants would start the vehicles at least once per week instead of letting them sit forever, the batteries wouldn't die out so quickly. Or, if they are going to sit, they shouldn't go through PDI. Dead vehicles on a dealership lot is not a cause for alarm and certainly not a reliability concern. It is normal for the use they get... they never get to fully charge.