I said I'd likely buy one; why I did not
Written: Nov 17 '03 (Updated Jun 20 '05)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Performance, handling, refinement, room, comfort, styling
Cons: Shifter, seats (especially cloth), loose around the elbows, ultimately just didn't turn me on
The Bottom Line: The most enjoyable family sedan under $25,000. But it leaves me wanting a bit more zoom zoom.
|
|
|
| mkaresh's Full Review: 2004 Mazda Mazda6 |
A year ago I drove the four-cylinder Mazda 6i with a manual and the six-cylinder 6s with an automatic. The car I really wanted to drive, a five-speed 6s, was not available. These ended up being in short supply throughout the year, an odd situation as Mazda had a bit of trouble getting rid of other configurations. I finally got around to driving a manual 6s a couple of months ago. I was less impressed than my earlier drives and glowing reviews in the car mags led me to expect, so I decided to drive the car again before reviewing it. Then I found myself about to buy a Protege5. Should I instead wait for the five-door version of the 6, due in the spring of 2004? I asked my salesperson for a test drive in a five-speed 6s to confirm that I was doing the right thing. Here, finally, is my evaluation of the Mazda 6 with V6 and five-speed:
Mazda6 Reliability
Want better reliability information? Want to really know what difference it will make if you buy a Mazda6 rather than something else? It's coming in the form of "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats. From these you might learn that your first choice, compared to your second choice, is likely to make 2.7 extra trips to the shop in its first five years. You might decide its advantages compensate for this, or you might not. Either way, you'll be able to make a much better informed decision.
To gain access to this information you have a choice: sign up to help provide the data now or pay $24.95 later. For the details, visit my website, www.truedelta.com.
Styling
The 6 possesses a taut, wedge shape that, while pleasant, takes few risks aside from the sill extensions and spoiler of the optional sport package. Unlike the Altima, it will not attract approving looks from everyone and their mother. (My mother, who doesn’t notice much in the realm of automobiles, not only noticed the Altima but found it so striking that she asked me about the car.) Unlike the current Honda Accord, it will also not attract controversy. Elsewhere the 6 (“Attenza” in Japan) is adorned with trendy clear-lens taillights. Mazda’s US arm decided these have had their day, so we get red lenses. Good enough. “Tasteful” and “subtly sporty” about sums it up. Nothing to die for or be disgusted by here.
Inside the good taste continues. Even the red instrument lighting and metallic-look plastic that covers the center stack and center console do not seem out of place. Unlike the Altima’s interior, the theme is cohesive and no detail left me wondering, “What were they thinking?” Overall, “subtly sporty” again.
Material quality is clearly superior to that in the Altima, and roughly equal that in the Accord. The Toyota Camry and VW Passat arguably use superior materials, but those cars are a few grand more expensive.
All is not perfect, though. The rounded shape and small size of the front seat cushions connotes economy, though the leather is a vast improvement over the standard cloth. Let me make this clearer: I WOULD NOT BUY THIS CAR WITH THE CLOTH. The armrests on the doors are lightly padded and a bit narrow. Since I like to drive with my left elbow planted on this armrest, a wider, better padded armrest would be welcome. Overall, the doors have the overly light feel common in moderately-priced Japanese sedans.
Accommodations
Functionally, the front seats are far superior to the spongy units found in the Altima—a moderate degree of lateral support is present. A bit more would be welcome, but no other seat in this class of car serves the enthusiast better. Comfort is good, but nothing special.
The driving position is excellent. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes. A high seat and low cowl (base of windshield) yield great visibility forward and good visibility in other directions. The lack of rear seat headrests helps here.
In this safety conscious age, why no rear headrests? I suspect to enable another nifty feature, spring-loaded rear seat sections that pop forward when released. At any rate, owing to the raked beltline (base of side windows) the rear seat’s seatback is fairly tall.
Rear seat room and comfort are about equal the current Accord, which is to say good but not as good as those in the Altima and Camry. The cushion is a bit low to fully support the thighs of an adult male, while the seat back felt a bit too reclined to me.
The trunk is about average in size for this class. The hinges are the non-intrusive type. As I’ve mentioned, the rear seat folds, but it does not quite fold flat. Storage compartments inside the car are average for the class.
On the Road
After driving the Protege5, with its rough idling four-cylinder, the V6 in the 6 felt wonderfully smooth. It revs quickly and smoothly, and sounds about as good as any engine in this class in the process. Compared to earlier iterations of Ford’s Duratec V6, it is nearly silent at idle and much more refined throughout its range. The sixes in the Altima and Accord are more powerful, and the latter is more refined still, but with a manual transmission the 6 is plenty quick. At any rate, you cannot get a manual in the V6 Accord.
My largest disappointment with the 6 surrounds the shifter. With longish throws and a loose feel, it does not befit a performance sedan. I have the same complaints about the shifter in the Altima, but that does not make the 6’s any better. Why is it so hard to design a great-feeling shifter? This is not new technology. Honda does it regularly. Can’t other manufacturers simple tear down a six-speed Acura CL Type-S and do whatever Honda did with the shifter in that car? As it stands, the shifter in the 6s thoroughly detracted from my enjoyment in driving the car. I felt deprived of a primary connection with it. I was less critical of what is likely the same shifter in the four-cylinder 6i last year, but that was likely because the four-cylinder feels pedestrian in this car, so this shifter suited it. (I hope the 2.3-liter four feels better in the upcoming Mazda 3.)
Handling is the 6’s forte. The steering is about as light as it can be before I’d think it too light, but is quick, precise, and communicative. Easily the best steering in a mid-size front-drive sedan with the possible exception of the Acura TSX. Thankfully, I felt none of the sags and surges in assist that mar many variable assist systems. Torque steer was also absent. If the difference in interior quality and seating had not already knocked the Altima out of my consideration set, this steering would have. Nissan desperately needs to study this car, as the Altima currently suffers from major torque steer and generally unsatisfying steering.
For a front-drive car the 6 has a very well balanced, confidence-inspiring chassis. Between this and the steering, driving the car quickly becomes intuitive. Yet my second test drive of the 5-speed 6s confirmed my earlier impressions: I did not enjoy driving this car as much as I expected to. The shifter was one reason. Another was that the very refinement of the car eliminates some of the tactile feedback that can make even normal driving fun. Finally, I suspect that for me the 6 is simply too large a car. The amount of shoulder room keeps me from feeling one with the car. It clearly conveys that there is much more car here than I need, that this is first and foremost a family sedan. It creates distance. All in all, for me even the relatively compact (for a midsize sedan) 6 is a half-size too large. The TSX does better here, though it also sadly favors refinement over excitement.
That past, I’ll check off the remaining boxes. The 6 rides better than the Altima 3.5, and is never downright harsh, but does not ride nearly as smoothly as the Accord or Camry. In terms of road and wind noise the ranking is similar. For an enthusiast who needs a family sedan for under $25,000 the 6 is the best bet. Its minor deficiencies in ride quality and noise suppression are more than compensated for by its superior handling.
Pricing
For quick, up-to-date pricing, and especially user-specified price comparisons, check out the website I created: www.truedelta.com. Why yet another vehicle pricing website? Well, I personally lacked the patience to keep using the others. They were too slow and required too much effort, especially when trying to compare prices. So I taught myself some programming and created a site where there is no need to dig through option packages, prerequisites, and the like one by one -- the TrueDelta algorithm figures these out for you in one swift pass.
Overall the price for the Mazda6 is very reasonable for what the car offers. Fix the seats and the shifter and it would easily earn my unqualified recommendation. As it stands, however, I recommend also taking a look at the TSX, and maybe the G35 as well if your budget allows it. For myself, I decided to save another ten grand and buy the smaller, spunkier Protegé5 at a fire sale price.
For 2003 Mazda extended the standard warranty from three to four years, perhaps to match VW. The mileage is still 50,000. Better than the Japanese competition's 3/36 warranties. Of course, given Mazda's good reputation for reliability, they don't need the strong warranty as much as VW, but it still helps.
Last Words
For much of the past year I suspected that if my Ford Contour SE died I’d buy a Mazda6. Then the Contour did give me trouble, but I bought the Protege5 instead. What happened?
It’s a matter of priorities. My top priority is driving enjoyment. As I’ve argued in many of my reviews, many supposedly driver-oriented cars lately are so refined and so capable that they’re not all that fun to drive around town. To put it another way, if you drive them hard enough to make them fun you’ll soon find yourself with a stack of tickets. I’ve also found many of these cars a bit loose around the elbows. My solution: buy a smaller, less refined, truly driver-oriented car: the Protege5. Admittedly saving roughly ten grand didn’t hurt. But I honestly enjoy driving the P5 more than I ever would have enjoyed the 6 or its direct competitors.
The P5 offers nearly as much rear seat room as the larger cars. Three child seats fit in the back with about an inch to spare on each side—which is to say better than they ever fit in my Contour. What the P5 does not offer is a smooth, quiet ride or serious thrust. If you need these, then the Mazda6 is among the best, especially once price is considered. The closest competitor is the Acura TSX. Between the two I cannot make a clear recommendation. The Acura TL and Infiniti G35 are more clearly better cars all-around, but they also cost a lot more money.
My four-star rating applies to the car I drove. With the automatic I’d likely give the car another star, as that eliminates the shifter problem and also somehow makes the moderately bolstered seats and roomy interior more fitting. The 6i I’d now give three or four stars. I’d require another test drive to determine whether I can truly recommend the midsize Mazda with the four-cylinder engine.
To learn more about my reliability research and sign up to participate in it, visit www.truedelta.com.
My reviews of related vehicles:
Mazda6 (manual four-cylinder and automatic V6)
Acura TL
Acura TSX
Audi A4
BMW 325
Chevrolet Malibu
Dodge Stratus R/T
Honda Accord
Infiniti G35
Lexus IS 300
Mazda RX-8
Nissan Altima [2003]
Nissan Maxima
Pontiac Grand Prix
Saab 9-3
Saturn L-Series
Toyota Camry
VW Jetta GLI
VW Passat
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 25,900
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.