Protege5online

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.

TheMAN

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

Lamsock

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...

jlanger

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.

kc5zom

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.

kc5zom

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.

UCSBgeek

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.

Kincaid

Yes the MazdaSpeed will be 6 speed.

jlanger

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?

cjb200

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

DebaryJoe

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.

douggie

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.

NegatiZE

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.

kc5zom

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

UCSBgeek

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