[RacingTiger03]

Is this on the GT only? I think (it's been a few months since I drove the 6Touring) but I was only getting 1 blink.

No sir! One of my favorite features on my sport!!!!!!!! It has to be turned on via the vehicle settings menu on the nav screen and the car must be ON or Running in Park. Look for lighting options I think and 3 blink turn signal or something. Turn it to ON. It takes a while to get use to but just a half push up on the turn signal stalk and release for a 3 blink signal. I drive all interstate and this feature is my best friend.. that and BSM and I would never hit another car (not that I have but y;know it's bound to happen).. but alas, my sport has no BSM LOL.

 

[JAmador]

No sir! One of my favorite features on my sport!!!!!!!! It has to be turned on via the vehicle settings menu on the nav screen and the car must be ON or Running in Park. Look for lighting options I think and 3 blink turn signal or something. Turn it to ON. It takes a while to get use to but just a half push up on the turn signal stalk and release for a 3 blink signal. I drive all interstate and this feature is my best friend.. that and BSM and I would never hit another car (not that I have but y;know it's bound to happen).. but alas, my sport has no BSM LOL.

Good to know.
I didn't have a salesperson with me on my test drive & didn't play with the settings much.

 

[Byakuya]

Someone requested an update so here's a quick ramble.

At 22,500 miles, the car is still as solid as a rock. The most fun I have is dropping into 4th gear while cruising on the highway to quickly get around people, this thing has a surprising amount of torque when doing 60, I love it. Still nothing like the V6, but very good considering I'm getting double the gas milage.

I've noticed a slightly rough idle recently, so I'm going to have @SonicNutrition check it out with me soon. Nothing bad, but I notice absolutely everything with my cars and like knowing what's going on.

I unfortunately hit some terrible potholes during the winter, one really bad on in particular one night when it was raining and I couldn't see anything Roads are ridiculous to drive on after that winter we had. I think I may have damaged/loosened a control arm or something because I notice a very slight increase in rough ride coming from the front passenger side wheel. I'll check it out when I have time.

I've got a few chips in the hood, on the bumper, and even a couple on the roof - This paint is rather thin and it would have been wise to get the paint protectant. *Sigh* but nothing a little touchup paint can't fix

But enough complaining about the minor bad things. This car is phenomenal, and I turn heads everywhere I go. I constantly have people asking me about the car, how do I like it, etc. When it's clean, it's blinding and I love it. The leather is still pristine, the interior still (relatively) flawless, accidents happen but nothing bad so far *knocks on wood* and overall I still wouldn't trade this car for anything.

With the summer tires back on and the cold starts gone, I'm up around 35.5mpgs again with 80% city driving - can't beat that. I'm still strictly using Shell gasoline, and as of February I started my 6 month cleanses. Every 6 months, I run a full tank of Shell V-Power to clean everything out. Next time I'll do it is end of July/August.

So that's my rant, take it or leave it. I'll be adding it to the OP of this thread

 

[Byakuya]

60,000 Miles - And Plenty More to Come:

Wow, 60k miles on this car already, how the time has flown. I figure I'll keep writing in here regardless if anyone reads because I want to keep a record of my ownership of this car, if it helps even a single person.

I think I'll sum up my pros and cons briefly for this milestone.


Cons:

• Until recently, I was still using the OEM Dunlop tires for summer. I upgraded to some Falkens, and even though they're a thinner 35mm sidewall on a larger 20" rim, they're MUCH quieter than the OEMs. I'm happy to say I'll never willingly buy Dunlops again unless they change their whole model.
• OEM rotors, though I rarely brake hard, were beginning to warp around 30k miles. They didn't get any worse, but didn't get any better either.
• I've got a rattle above the visor that annoys the crap out of me.
• On cold mornings, the rear window sounds like it's going to break into a thousand pieces because of how much it rattles. (Until it warms up).
• I've had a couple Mazda O-rings start to leak oil from the drain plug, no big deal, but annoying if you don't catch it.
• The paint and clear coat are perhaps the thinnest I've ever seen on a car. I strongly suggest getting OEM touch-up paint from Mazda.
• The way that rain runs down the rear fenders makes a dirty car look like it has terrible tiger stripes.
• I miss my MTX more every day.
• The sunglasses holder seems to need to be slightly deeper - some pairs don't fit at all.
• Since the update, the navigation has become usable once more, but it's still a very outdated system.
• Something about this car drives my tinnitus crazy at times. Must be a pressure thing.
• Voice-commands are useless.
• The turning radius is mediocre at best.
• Partially my fault, but my passenger-side bearing is showing a little wear. Pouring rain, late night, unfamiliar area, I hit a bad pothole and since then I've had a slight hum.

Pros:

• The handling with this car is exception for a sedan. Far exceeds any Honda or Toyota counterpart.
• Acceleration like this car has for a 2.5L 4-cylinder is quite remarkable if you think about it.
• Did I mention that I'm averaging 34.5mpgs with city driving and a roof rack?
• I replaced the pads and rotors at 55k miles, but could easily have gone another 20k miles. Was shocked to see how well they hung on despite the rotors being slightly warped.
• The Bi-xenons look excellent at night, do a wonderful job lighting up the road, and the high-beams are insane. I feel bad if there's anyone within a quarter mile in front of me on a highway so I don't turn them on.
• The directional headlights didn't seem like a necessary addition, but boy do I love having them on desolate NH roads at night.
• The leather seats are super comfy and have just the right amount of support.
• The leather steering wheel is holding up well and despite someone accidentally putting a couple scratches on the bottom of mine, it's doing perfect.
• The trunk is MASSIVE. I love being able to fit so much stuff in my car, it's wonderful.
• I get looks of admiration and wonder all the time, this car stands out so much.
• The heat gets REALLY hot, and the AC gets REALLY cold.
• I haven't put my heated seats past setting 1 because I can't imaging what making it hotter would do to my clothes haha.
• Super easy oil changes. Quick access and easy to reach.
• Tap-to-pass might be my favorite thing ever.
• Combine tap-to-pass with paddle-shifters? I'm quite happy when I decide to drive a little more seriously.
• Having a gas cap that I can hang on the gas door hinge is a simple but great addition.
• Almost 3 years and 4 New England winters and my OEM windshield wipers are still streak-free! *knocks on wood*

Well, that's all I can ramble off for now that I can think of. I love this car and I hope to have it for another 10 years if she can make it that long

Zoom-Zoom!

 

[valleyguy]

Great review, thanks.

Only comment, I find the voice commands work great for me.

Wish I got your mileage, been running 30 mpg. High of 38, low of 26.

 

[Byakuya]

Great review, thanks.

Only comment, I find the voice commands work great for me.

Wish I got your mileage, been running 30 mpg. High of 38, low of 26.

Maybe it's my Bostonian accent that the computer doesn't understand :lol:

Unless I speak incredibly slow and cohearently, the thing doesn't have a clue. The ONLY command that I use frequently is "Shuffle All" because I've found it's the only way to get my bluetooth audio to shuffle all my songs. Even then, if I don't speak slowly and clearly, it thinks I say things like "Phone, Call"

I eggshell the throttle as often as I can. I usually cruise around 62mph on highways because I'm in no hurry, and I predict traffic and roll at an average speed rather than everyone else who floors it until they have to slam on their brakes. Annoys the crap out of people behind you because you end up leaving a huge gap, but 99% of the time you eventually catch up to the rest of traffic but you've spent far less gas.

That being said, it's also a VERY effective way to diffuse traffic, but that's the programmer in me, and I'll leave that for another thread haha.

 

[Donkey Grundle]

I've had a couple Mazda O-rings start to leak oil from the drain plug, no big deal, but annoying if you don't catch it.

Any particular reason that you haven't gone to a Fumoto valve?

 

[solar365]

I think the turning radius is insanely good for a car with a 111" wheelbase.

 

[Byakuya]

Any particular reason that you haven't gone to a Fumoto valve?

I was given a handful (maybe 15) of the metal washers from Mazda, so I figure I'll use them all haha. Just swap them out each time regardless if they're leaking or not. QUite honestly, I hadn't looked into the Fumoto valve yet, but it might be worth it since I'm doing so much driving.

I think the turning radius is insanely good for a car with a 111" wheelbase.

Yeah good point. I just get in my wife's 3 and it feels like it's 1/4th the radius of my car.

Anything is a better turning radius than the 2004 6 though :lol:

 

[eran says]

I eggshell the throttle as often as I can. I usually cruise around 62mph on highways because I'm in no hurry, and I predict traffic and roll at an average speed rather than everyone else who floors it until they have to slam on their brakes.

Tough to get great gas mileage here in San Diego where everyone does 80mph all the time. If you go under 75 you end up with the car that was behind you in your passenger seat Haha.

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

 

[Byakuya]

Tough to get great gas mileage here in San Diego where everyone does 80mph all the time. If you go under 75 you end up with the car that was behind you in your passenger seat Haha.

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

Haha I'll trade you your fast drivers for our POS roads We can't go super fast even if we wanted to......except the Mass Pike - I've always said it's the only road in the country where 65mph means 85mph.

But I agree. I refuse to keep up with traffic during my commute because I think doing 65 in a 50 is fast enough. I don't pass a single car on my way home, but I'm perfectly okay watching everyone fly past at more than 20mph over the limit.

 

[Mz6GreyGhost]

I think the turning radius is insanely good for a car with a 111" wheelbase.

You think that's good? Try a 2nd-gen out for size...

 

[solar365]

Tough to get great gas mileage here in San Diego where everyone does 80mph all the time. If you go under 75 you end up with the car that was behind you in your passenger seat Haha.

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

Yeah and where I live in SD it is hilly and all the surface streets are posted 40-55 with all the traffic lights/intersections seemingly always at the bottom of a hill. Driving is a real drag race around here. I'm content with my mpgs given the circumstances and the large size of this car.

Also Buyakya, thanks for making e aware of being able to hang the gas cap on the filler door. I would never have noticed/figured that out without you saying anything.

 

[eran says]

Yeah and where I live in SD it is hilly and all the surface streets are posted 40-55 with all the traffic lights/intersections seemingly always at the bottom of a hill. Driving is a real drag race around here.

Man that's lucky. I am rarely anywhere in this SD where a surface street is higher than 40mph. I definitely have a tendency to put my foot down, but less so the older I get...

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

 

[Byakuya]

75,000 Miles...

Well, here I am again at another mile-marker for owning this car start-to-finish. 75k miles up and down the east coast, down to South Carolina's beautiful beaches, up into the wilderness of up-state Maine, NH and Vermont, as far west as Niagara Falls, and 1.5 hours to and from work 5 days a week..... I love this car more with every second I spend in it.

The biggest "repairs" thus far have been a chattering heat shield and a very slightly wobbly radiator; beyond this, the car has been stellar.

Heads still turn everywhere I go, people always looking curiously at what (not a Honda or Toyota) just drove past them. I even caught a Maseratti owner staring this car down while we were in traffic, only to notice me watching him and quickly avert his glance. I drive as spiritedly as I need to, in and out of heavy Boston traffic each day, and I'm still getting an average of 34mpgs and almost 600 miles per tank.

This car is unreal, and I don't dare think of the day I need to put it away for good - Let's hope I'm writing these into the hundreds of thousands

 

[Cyborg JSK]

Awesome review, makes me kinda wish I would have gotten a 3rd gen but I'm happy with the 2nd gen (and less debt). I also have the little tray/coinholder thing that's above the hood release. I don't know what it's there for and still haven't used it to this day.

 

[Byakuya]

Awesome review, makes me kinda wish I would have gotten a 3rd gen but I'm happy with the 2nd gen (and less debt). I also have the little tray/coinholder thing that's above the hood release. I don't know what it's there for and still haven't used it to this day.

It's actually specified by Mazda to be a loose change/bolt holder, and that's what most of us use it for anyways

Unfortunately on the 3rd gens, if you have the factory Navigation, that space is taken up and there's no use for it.

 

[my95tsi]

It's actually specified by Mazda to be a loose change/bolt holder, and that's what most of us use it for anyways



Unfortunately on the 3rd gens, if you have the factory Navigation, that space is taken up and there's no use for it.

I love my snowflake white pearl 6GT. It's a 2014 and picked it up 3 months ago with 18,000 miles for $22,500. The car is absolutely flawless inside and out, not a scratch on it. The features this car has is simply amazing. The adaptive cruise control is definitely one of my favorite features. I'm driving 2 hours up to Wisconsin this weekend so I'll be using this feature on my trip up there.


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

[Norskie]

Have read through your review, and just wanted to drop you a note to say it made me happy to know that it is still such a positive experience after the miles you have put on it. Just got my 17 soul red yesterday, and really enjoy the car. I usually keep a car for 2-3 years max, the exceptions in that past have been Miatas and Jaguars - if that sounds snooty, I bought the Jags used and cheap, and had great luck with them. - Although there was always a bit of worry about reliability. With this car and with the experience with Miatas I truly feel the quality and reliability will be great, and it drives well for a good size sedan with a 4 cylinder. And the design - have really loved the looks of it since this generation arrived. Thanks again for the write up - keep piling the miles on and let us know how it goes!

 

[resynch]

Nice review!