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Sedans Mazda6 Article Comments - 2009 Mazda 6 First Drive and Full Test
229 messages, Last post on Aug 25, 2008 at 6:33 AM
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First Drive: 2009 Mazda 6 - First Impressions: With most of its major flaws fixed, the 2009 Mazda 6 is easily one of the most impressive sedans in the midsize class. (more)
Full Test: 2009 Mazda 6 s Grand Touring - Bottom Line: Manages to keep some of the zoom-zoom athleticism despite pandering to the Accord/Camry market.(more)
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Replying to: mz6greyghost (Aug 13, 2008 3:37 am) Heck, even the previous 6 was chosen as an Editor's choice the last time they had editor's choice. This was when the 1st gen 6 was already considered fairly outdated by all other publications. To have this lackluster, waffling review is an eyeopener to me. If any publication were to post a gushing review, it would be Edmunds. And every other review that you have read was a 1st drive with limited time behind the wheel. As the article even so proudly proclaims, this is the world's first full test of this vehicle (by a publication). With the 1st gen 6, there was no question who had the "sportiest" midsize sedan. The fact that you are asking him to go drive one and then come to conclusion about that... well, that's a telling statement. |
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I have a '05 Mazda 3 Sport, coming up for lease renewal in about 6 months. I love the car except for the AC unit. Summer is too hot and Winter & Rainy days are foggy. It is absolutely incapable of cooling the interiors even in mildly hot days, not to talk about the foggy winter days. I am reading quite a lot of good stuff about Mazda 6 but when I go in for a test drive, if the AC peformance is not satisfactory, I am out! All the sportiness, styling is a waste if the passengers sitting inside are suffocating! 
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Replying to: blackadder5639 (Aug 13, 2008 10:05 am)
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Replying to: leowin (Aug 13, 2008 7:23 pm) |
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Replying to: networkguy (Aug 14, 2008 6:01 am) It's just that I was hoping for something mid-sized AND sporty, with a manual, without having to step up a BMW! A used 2007 Mazda 6 V6 manual is beginning to sound very appealling.....or maybe just holding on to my 2002 Protege5. I do understand what Mazda are attempting with the 2009+ Mazda 6, and understand that the increase in size was kinda "inevitable". But I think they could and should have pulled it off while remaining sportier than the Altima! Instead they've created what is a great car but a bad Mazda! |
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Replying to: blackadder5639 (Aug 13, 2008 9:58 am)
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Replying to: blackadder5639 (Aug 14, 2008 10:16 am)
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Replying to: exit123 (Aug 14, 2008 11:21 am) http://www.congressionalmazda.com/new-inventory/vehicle-details.htm?vehicleId=5f- 336e084046381e012e43f15762cdb3&useHistory=true Was going to buy an 09 but decided the 08 was too good a deal to pass up and figured why get a first year car. Had some issues with my 07 335i, which was a first year model. |
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From the review it seems as though the biggest thing holding the car back is the tire choice. I'm sure if the car was outfitted with performance summer tires the handling and braking would have been much better. I'm sure that would make the car more than sportier enough for the target audience. This is not a track car, this is a sporty family car and from the review it succeeds as such. The interior seems very nice, but I don't like the exterior dimensions growing. This is a terrible trend, and thankfully Nissan had enough sense not to do that with their new Maxima. Just like my new 2009 Sonata Limited V6, which I think is the shortest car in the class, yet has the most interior room and the biggest trunk. That's how you build a proper midsize sedan. Maximize interior space and shrink exterior dimensions, making the car more nimble, lighter, and to my eyes better looking. Also, people quit crying about the lack of manual transmission. I have said this before, but your crys are falling on deaf ears. Nobody wants a manual anymore (especially not on a family sedan) except for maybe 10% of the driving population. Selling cars is about the bottom line, and it really doesn't pay to appease such a small percentage of the population to have to build a separate transmission. It's a losing proposition for the manufacture and for the dealership, as manual transmission cars sit on dealer lots collecting dust. Honda tried this experiment with the previous model Accord and it sold poorly, and therefore won't be offered for the new model except for the coupe and the four cylinder. Automatics get the same or better gas mileage than manual transmissions, so the gas mileage argument is no longer valid. With today's highly congested roads filled with poor drivers, nobody wants a manual transmission, so you better learn to like automatics because pretty soon that's all you'll have.
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Replying to: dgs4 (Aug 16, 2008 8:23 pm) "This is not a track car, this is a sporty family car and from the review it succeeds as such....." Nobody here has said they expect it to be a track car. What I've said is that I expect it to be sportier than all its competition (Altima, Accord, Malibu, Sonata, Camry, etc.). The prev. gen set a standard and the one has failed to meet it. Remember that the prev. gen. wasn't a track car either. Does that make the 2009 Mazda 6 a bad car? No! I think it's a great car. But so are the Accord and Altima. Now, I'll have to choose one of the three. If it had retained the sportiness advantage, trust me, I wouldn't be looking at the Altima and Accord. "From the review it seems as though the biggest thing holding the car back is the tire choice. " Not necessarily. I doubt the prev. gen. had performance tires, but it maintained the sportiness leadership very comfortably. And I doubt the Altima has performance tires either. Mazda has softened this car, period. "Also, people quit crying about the lack of manual transmission........It's a losing proposition for the manufacture and for the dealership, as manual transmission cars sit on dealer lots collecting dust......" Did you hear anyone "cry" when Honda dropped the Accord V6? No, because Honda are not aiming for enthusiasts. But Mazda is, and to omit the V6 manual is a big mistake. Arguing that Mazda shouldn't have a V6 manual because most people don't want it is like arguing that the 3- and 5-series should no longer emphasize the sportiness aspect because most buyers only care for the badge, speed and prestige. Both arguments are backed by facts but are terrible all the same. BMW would have no image if it stopped offering manual transmissions and obsessing about 50-50 weight distribution and other sportiness issues. By satisfying that "10% of the population", Mazda keep that Zoom-Zoom image alive and entices other potential customers......just like BMW is doing. Look, the bottom line is this. The prev. gen. Mazda 6 was a great Mazda and a decent family car. This new one is a decent (perhaps mediocre) Mazda and a great family car.....this is a mistake IMO because the Mazda 6 now has nothing extra going for it. It should strive to be both a great Mazda and a great family car. Check this out: Honda Accord: great car......legendary Honda reliability and value retention. Nissan Altima: great car and great styling.......sportiness leader, and has fancy CVTs. 2009 Mazda 6: great car and great styling.......but nothing else! (It's class leading performance is blunted by class lagging fuel economy....up to 4 mpg behind the class leaders' V6s. The 4-cyl is not outstanding in any way and the manual fuel economy is disappointing.)
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