[ocramida]

Hi everyone,
My impressions after trading in a 2016 Meteor Grey iGT with a Black and chocolate interior) for a 2018 Machine Grey Metallic 6 Signature with Chestnut interior. FYI, While I leased my 2016, I purchased the Sig (0% financing).

The good:

• Quick, quick, quick. Scary quick in some cases. Passing power is ridiculous. I’ve easily surpassed 100mph without much effort. By comparison my 2016 made it clear when I was beyond 80mph.
  
• With the right tires (I swapped the Falkens for Yoko Advan Sport A/S) no concerns around handling or take-offs from zero. Zero to minimal wheelspin off the line. Even with winters (Falken Eurowinters) this car grips well. I can feel it hunker down when I hit the accelerator.
  
• Ride is firm but comfortable. As with ALL the Mazda I’ve owned, this company knows how to calibrate a suspension.
  
• IMO Mazda’s “Jinba Ittai” mantra is more than marketing hyperbole. As has been the case with my other Mazdas, the 6 Sig is loosening up and I feel very much connected to the driving experience.
  
• I feel like Mazda did a nice job improving NVH, while retaining a very connect feeling. I also appreciate this quality on days when I’m tired and just want to get home or have a long road trip. Quiet enough, but still willing to make good noises and deliver excellent reflexes when you put your foot down.
  
• The upgraded Bose stereo is impressive. Not “audiophile perfect”, but a definite step up from the system in my 2016. I believe the addition of tweeters (i.e. going from a “two-way” to “three-way” driver set-up) in the door sails enabled Bose to keep each driver in its “comfort zone”, i.e. instead of asking the midrange driver in the dashboard and the bass driver in the door to reproduce higher frequencies (for effective cross-over blending) the woofer, mid and tweeter are able to stick in the frequency ranges with enough bandwidth for a cleaner cross-over and therefore retain linearity with less distortion. IMO all types of music from acoustic to orchestral to electronic sound great. Lower noise floor enables me to listen to orchestral without having to pump volume.
  
• While I do hear a slight buzz with certain music, higher build quality of interior and especially doors/cards no longer buzz/rattle like crazy with lower bass. My 2016 doors would buzz and rattle when I played any music with aggressive or low bass. Bass is noticeably tighter and more tuneful. FYI, this is with EQ set to flat in both cars.
  
• The lack of noises from interior materials (along with better NVH) contribute to a better musical experience. i.e. when I just feel like sitting back for a relaxing drive my tunes are more enjoyable, IMO more musical.
  
• Gorgeous Interior. Feels upscale and extremely well-screwed together.
  
• Nappa seats are breaking in nicely. Initial concerned about lateral support are no more. As the seat has broken in, the bolsters have conformed to my 6’2’ 190lb frame.
  
• Styling continues to impress me. Mazda sure knows how to design sheet metal. More people have mistaken my 6 for a Jaguar or Maserati. And the Machine Grey is just gorgeous.
  
• The styling by light approach really shows itself as daylight progresses to dusk, and as the position of the light source changes as the car drives along. I’m incredibly impressed with the way the exterior paint and the interior materials (e.g. Ultrasuede, Sen wood and Nappa leather) color shifts. Really makes the car feel premium and fresh.
  
• Love, love, love the way the dash vents cut into the door. Honestly this interior feels more “bespoke” and concept-car like, than something from a mass-manufacturer.
  
• Love Waze integration. Use it ALL the time. Map display looks more premium than MzConnect (Google maps are the most premium-looking IMO, but with less sophisticated Nav). I no longer feel like I’m forfeiting features compared to Audi’s MMI or BMW’s iDrive.
  
• Chassis is tight and feels more premium.
  
• Love the black headliner.
  
• Excellent heads-up display.
  
• Excellent look and feel to ALL switchgear (except maybe the turning and wiper stalks)
  
• Continue to love the MZ Connect knobs (one of the things I’ve loved about Skyactiv platform).

The not-so-good (many nitpicks)

• Not a fan of the door pocket LED accent. Half the time the passenger-side pocket LED comes across as annoying shadow out of the corner of my eye.
  
• Android Auto is buggy and not well integrated with third party music apps.
  
• Arguably this is more a knock-on Google and 3rd party integrators rather than Mazda, since all the bugs I’ve come across also occur using the Android Audio App on my mobile phone.
  
• Finding that I’m taking my eyes off the road more with AA than when I used MZ Connect. Mainly since AA isn’t doing what I’m asking of it! For instance, it won’t allow me to choose a different album via JetAudio player. While it allows me to select the UI element via the command knob, the request gets dropped when Google Assistant hands off to JetAudio.
  
• Google Assistant is also a mixed bag. I’m guessing phone to cloud communication is spotty enough at times to kill requests I make, e.g. send text.
  
• Engine may still be breaking-in, but the overall character of the engine seems to change depending on environment. No doubt this is a side-effect of it being a turbo engine.
  
• For instance, at times it feels N/A in the way it pulls and the way it sounds going to redline, while at other times, it sounds less sporty and more “agriculturally gruff” (FYI I’m using Shell 93 exclusively).
  
• I’ve also found that the Skyactiv tranny has moments where it does sound CVT-ish in the way it holds revs. I find this more apparent with the turbo (compared to my 2016 N/A 6).
  
• Sport or manual mode fixes the tranny CVT-ish behavior but not the periodic engine gruffness.
  
• Redline is a bit schizophrenic. At times cut-off comes in just under 6K, while at other times the engine revs to 6.1 or 6.2K. No doubt ECU doing some magic under certain situations. Or maybe it’s a function of break-in period? Never happened with the N/A engine.
  
• Manual downshifting, especially 4 to 3 is annoying since I feel like I should be able to downshift sooner (i.e. higher revs). No doubt a function of the lower redline compared to the N/A engine (I also did not check on gear ratios of the N/A compared to the Turbo. Are they the same?)
  
• Wish the steering wheel rim was thicker.
  
• I installed a Xuji cover on my 2016 that fattened the wheel perfectly. Not sure I’ll do that on the 2018 given the heating element probably isn’t strong enough to conduct heat through another layer of material. Also, may cheapen an otherwise more premium-looking wheel design compared to 2016.
  
• Digital gauges are a bit of a gimmick. Cool-looking to be sure, but wish they were a bit more configurable.
  
• Not a fan of the Tachometer style. Having zero rpm at 6-oclock and a 6K redline at 11-o’clock doesn’t give me the physiological excitement of going past 12-o’clock when ringing this engine’s neck. �� My 2016 tach (as well as 2018 GTRs and below have zero at 8-o’clock, which places 6K at 1-o’clock.
  
• Despite a more solid feeling chassis, the doors and handles could be a smidge more premium. I can see that Mazda has fixed this with the new Skyactiv 2 platform. The new Mazda3 uses new door handles with capacitive sensors instead of the black button.
  
• Hate the fact that Mazda locked down MZ Connect from any hacking. But given the negative optics that can come from cybersecurity scares, I can understand this decision.

Overall, I’m very happy with my 2018 Sig. While the gauges and some LED lighting are a bit of a mixed bag, the upgraded Sig interior materials and design more than makes up for the price difference from the GTR, IMO.

Before choosing the new 6, I drove the competition as well as higher-end options, including Audi, Alfa, Kia’s Stinger etc. I perform the same exhaustive research every time it’s time to buy a new car and every time (except for one Golf R in 2012) I’ve come back to Mazda. In fact, my better half was on board with an Alfa Romeo Guilia or Stinger, but after what seemed to be countless test drives I just couldn’t rationalize the added expense or intangible worries (e.g. reliability, dealer support, maintenance costs). I know I’m sounding like a broken record, but IMO this car possesses enough of the “premium” detail and “je ne sais quoi” found in more expensive European and Japanese marques that I no longer see the point of spending 20-30K more for those products.
IMO this new premium design direction Mazda is going in truly separates it from Honda, Toyota, Subaru and Nissan, while making it harder to rationalize the added cost of “luxury brands”. Add in the increased power, refinement, voluptuous design and Mazda’s ever improving quality and reliability just reinforces how much value the redesigned 6 brings to the table. Can’t really wait to see what the new generation of Skyactive 6 brings. But for now, I’m a very happy.
Will continue to update this review as the miles pile on. But I just see this well-engineered sedan just getting better with age.

 

[GTEyes]

It's fun to read someone else's take on the car. Thanks for posting!

The thing I like most about mine is how it is such a wonderful highway cruiser car. It's so nice to listen to the radio/music quietly and not have to crank it to hear it like I had to do in my '16 3. I'm still torn on the gruff engine note. Our old Honda Accord (2006) seems so smooth compared the Mazda's engine. I think it has to do with the firing order of the cylinders and how they are timed but my Mazda seems to have such a rough growl while the Accord is butter smooth.

Main "con" for me is this suspension noise issue they all (at least the 3 new 6s I've driven) have. They make this bouncing knock noise from the driver's side strut area that can not be identified by any Tech. that has looked at them. Unfortunately, Mazda Canada is washing their hands of it and saying it's normal which is pretty disappointing but they are also telling me there could be a TSB issued at some point down the road.

 

[ocramida]

Thanks

And yeah I also hear the suspension noise, but it isnt bad enough where it annoys me. I'm thinking it is a design defect/anomaly of the new struts with internal springs.

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk

 

[Motorsnwheels]

This write up is fantastic. I look forward to owning one and I feel the extra cost for the Signature is worth it. When I took the test drive it was in a Signature with about 5,000 miles on it (managers car) and I didn’t notice the suspension noise you guys mentioned. Maybe I just missed it as I focused on other things such as it’s smooth in town power and how quiet the cabin is.

 

[Mz6GreyGhost]

...I didn’t notice the suspension noise you guys mentioned. Maybe I just missed it as I focused on other things such as it’s smooth in town power and how quiet the cabin is.

The suspension noise has only been found on a few different cars, not all of them. My '18 doesn't make the noise, and the 2 others I've driven/rode in do not either.

 

[ocramida]

The suspension noise has only been found on a few different cars, not all of them. My '18 doesn't make the noise, and the 2 others I've driven/rode in do not either.

Yeah it sounds like a manufacturing/parts tolerance issue. I'm sticking to the new strut with internal spring as the root of the issue. IMO.

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk

 

[idrive]

Great review. Always preferred an owners review with some miles driven opposed to someone who takes the car out for the afternoon.

The suspension noise mentioned has not manifested itself with this car. Quiet and solid.

Still believe and feel the same as I did in the beginning when I said that for the money, this is the best car available right now.

 

[maigre]

Thanks for the impressions. Mine are similar, though not identical.

I have a '18 GTR with about 3200 miles on it. I also like the power and styling, enjoy the car quite a bit, look forward to my drives in it. But I also have nitpicks, kind of a lot of them, more than I'd prefer. Most of my complains come down to Mazda's corner cutting. The car has a tinniness to it that German cars don't tend to have. Even my 2010 Jetta TDI felt much more solidly built, for example. Things like door handles, the gas portal door, and the trunk lid feel painfully cheap. That I'm probably also going to have to pay $1000 for appropriate tires to be able to take better advantage of the car's much touted suspension and handling is frustrating. If they're selling this car as a driver's sedan with advanced tech features to optimize handling, then why cripple it with these Falken tires? (Probably because it costs less, obviously, as with so many of the details they chose to avoid.) The user interface and sluggish performance of the Mazda Connect screen and the suboptimal dashboard gauge composition are head scratching at times. I wish the seat memory presets also accounted for the mirrors. Why not have four way lumbar support in a car that's marketed as having improved, great seats? The reverse camera resolution is poor. I could probably list 20 things that seem beneath the level of attention to detail that a car that has an MSRP of $32590 should have.

I think my feelings about this car are more polarized than any other new car I've ever bought. There are lots of things I love about it and lots of things I'm disappointed by, though my eyes were open going in as I had enough time with the car to see a lot of its strengths and weaknesses.

I'm having better luck than ocramida with Android Auto, but I'm not using Jet Audio. Spotify, for the most part, behaves pretty well. I've been using VLC for stuff that's directly off my phone. It has limitations, but it's been fine. My biggest annoyance is with Google Maps. I don't like using navigation very often. But I do want the maps. I like to see the route on the map without having to listen to the instructions. I can do that in a browser or with the Google Maps phone app itself, but it seems that once I give the AA implementation of Maps an address, I'm getting full nav whether I want it or not. That's not a Mazda issue, though. I don't use the Mazda navigation much, but I appreciate the use of the HUD to give some of the nav information with it.

I love the HUD, actually. The first time I saw it, on a test drive a year or so ago, it struck me as marketing yet another thing nobody really needs. But I was wrong about that. It's a great tool, nicely implemented. There are plenty of things I love about the car. The tech safety features, the striking interior look, the ready, smooth power when I want it (except off the line), the fact that it's a turbo but runs great on regular, the heated and cooled seats, including heated back seats and USB ports in the back, something my family greatly appreciates.

 

[idrive]

Thanks for the impressions. Mine are similar, though not identical.

I have a '18 GTR with about 3200 miles on it. I also like the power and styling, enjoy the car quite a bit, look forward to my drives in it. But I also have nitpicks, kind of a lot of them, more than I'd prefer. Most of my complains come down to Mazda's corner cutting. The car has a tinniness to it that German cars don't tend to have. Even my 2010 Jetta TDI felt much more solidly built, for example. Things like door handles, the gas portal door, and the trunk lid feel painfully cheap. That I'm probably also going to have to pay $1000 for appropriate tires to be able to take better advantage of the car's much touted suspension and handling is frustrating. If they're selling this car as a driver's sedan with advanced tech features to optimize handling, then why cripple it with these Falken tires? (Probably because it costs less, obviously, as with so many of the details they chose to avoid.) The user interface and sluggish performance of the Mazda Connect screen and the suboptimal dashboard gauge composition are head scratching at times. I wish the seat memory presets also accounted for the mirrors. Why not have four way lumbar support in a car that's marketed as having improved, great seats? The reverse camera resolution is poor. I could probably list 20 things that seem beneath the level of attention to detail that a car that has an MSRP of $32590 should have.

Chances are those twenty things don't even exist on other cars selling for the same price. Not every feature can have the level of attention to detail and maintain a $30K sticker.

Feature for feature what I've noticed is you're getting as many of the newer "features" as cars selling for much more. Could some of them be better? Of course, anything - everything can be made (subjectively) better. Generally speaking, when asking for an item to be improved or added additional costs are normally incurred.

I truly believe the '18 "6" is very hard to beat when comparing features, engines, style and about anything else someone would like their car to be.

 

[maigre]

Chances are those twenty things don't even exist on other cars selling for the same price. Not every feature can have the level of attention to detail and maintain a $30K sticker.

Feature for feature what I've noticed is you're getting as many of the newer "features" as cars selling for much more. Could some of them be better? Of course, anything - everything can be made (subjectively) better. Generally speaking, when asking for an item to be improved or added additional costs are normally incurred.

I truly believe the '18 "6" is very hard to beat when comparing features, engines, style and about anything else someone would like their car to be.

I largely believe it too, in that I decided that this was the car I wanted after a long, exhaustive search. I can't think of another car that cost the $27K + T&L that I paid for it that I'd rather have at that price. I don't regret the purchase at all. As soon as I post this, I'm off on an hour drive that I look forward to. :laugh2:

And I agree that this 6 is full of features that few other cars have in its price range. The low mileage CPO '18 A4 Premium Plus I was looking at had less features, the used 3 series far less, even the Accord has less. But plenty of the things I could complain about aren't absent features, rather corner cutting things and cheap feel in the ones that are present. That said, I'm not here to dump on the 6. Quite the contrary. But it has its shortcomings and prospective buyers should be aware of the pros and cons.

Tradeoffs always.

 

[michael95350]

I'm just a few ticks shy of 5K on my 18 Touring model. I will agree with the steering wheel thickness. Does seem a bit shy. Also, your comment about the transmission. I am going to have mine checked on my first oil change, but I'm having issues when I lift off the accelerator (such as to coast around a corner) then lightly go back on the accelerator. It almost acts like it's slipping. The revs will start to build and then it's like the tranny will catch itself and kick down to the right gear.


Another small gripe I have is with the button quality, particularly on the steering wheel controls and the HVAC controls. They feel... cheap. Personally, I really miss the HVAC interface from my 2015. Especially being able to cycle the blender modes. Annoying that you can't back-cycle on the controls for the 18 model (for instance, when trying to go between defrost/floor and dash only vents).



As excited as I was about AA, I don't even use it. Too much of a hassle to access my USB port through my Otterbox to hook into the cord every... single... time. Plus, I really like the Raspberry Pi music player app I use for BT Audio. It is not compatible with AA.

 

[Cdn17Sport6MT]

Michael95350 - I think your car has an A/T ... The trans performance may relate to the pendulum-flywheel that was added to the'18 A/T cars that hav cylinder deactivation... to tame the on off roughness?

 

[Chazzy J]

@ocramida

A few things and I too live in MA. I'm heavily debating trying the Advans out in the Spring time, what do you think of them? I'm a very average driver, I don't do anything crazy, but I do commute over 75 miles each day. I was very pleased with the road noise in the '18 6 Signature, and I was pleased with the Falkens too. I've read and been told the Advans are specifically designed for ride comfort and quiet while still delivering good performance - and for the price point, they're hard to beat. What's been your experience?

Additionally, for the door pocket lights that distract your peripheral vision, I happened to take the door off for an accuator replacement at the beginning of the winter (I took the door panel off because I didn't want the dealership touching the suede and risk fingerprinting it). There's a wiring harness that connects directly into the door pocket. If you're so daring, your can pop the door panel (in warmer weather of course) and just disconnect the wiring harness. This should allow you to maintain the rest of the ambient lighting while having the door pockets off. Just a thought.

Last thing, back to the tires. Could you post a picture or two of the sidewall on the tire. I know not all 45 series sidewalls are designed equal, I just wanted to see how the design was on the Advan 45 series. Thanks!

 

[ocramida]

@ocramida

A few things and I too live in MA. I'm heavily debating trying the Advans out in the Spring time, what do you think of them? I'm a very average driver, I don't do anything crazy, but I do commute over 75 miles each day. I was very pleased with the road noise in the '18 6 Signature, and I was pleased with the Falkens too. I've read and been told the Advans are specifically designed for ride comfort and quiet while still delivering good performance - and for the price point, they're hard to beat. What's been your experience?

Additionally, for the door pocket lights that distract your peripheral vision, I happened to take the door off for an accuator replacement at the beginning of the winter (I took the door panel off because I didn't want the dealership touching the suede and risk fingerprinting it). There's a wiring harness that connects directly into the door pocket. If you're so daring, your can pop the door panel (in warmer weather of course) and just disconnect the wiring harness. This should allow you to maintain the rest of the ambient lighting while having the door pockets off. Just a thought.

Last thing, back to the tires. Could you post a picture or two of the sidewall on the tire. I know not all 45 series sidewalls are designed equal, I just wanted to see how the design was on the Advan 45 series. Thanks!

I actually liked the Yokos enough to buy them again. I also ran them on my 2016 after a set of Michelin Pilot AS3's. The michelins were expensive and wore out in 15K. They handled well but were a little too stiff IMO for daily driving. The Yokos ride and handle well. Not perfect but IMO a good match with the 6's personality. That said I was hearing a little resonance with the 2018 6 at speed that seem to be coming from the road surface. Maybe interactions withe the road surface and new suspension. But it wasnt there on my 2016. That went away when I move to the Falken Euro winters for the season. I'll have to see if the resonance comes back when i reinstall the yokos in the spring.

I can try to take picts of the yokos off the car if that helps.

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk

 

[GTEyes]

Funny you mention the actuator, I noticed mine have started making the same noise my 2016 Mazda3 did when the locks lock and unlock. So you removed the door panel so the dealer could replace the actuator?

@ocramida

A few things and I too live in MA. I'm heavily debating trying the Advans out in the Spring time, what do you think of them? I'm a very average driver, I don't do anything crazy, but I do commute over 75 miles each day. I was very pleased with the road noise in the '18 6 Signature, and I was pleased with the Falkens too. I've read and been told the Advans are specifically designed for ride comfort and quiet while still delivering good performance - and for the price point, they're hard to beat. What's been your experience?

Additionally, for the door pocket lights that distract your peripheral vision, I happened to take the door off for an accuator replacement at the beginning of the winter (I took the door panel off because I didn't want the dealership touching the suede and risk fingerprinting it). There's a wiring harness that connects directly into the door pocket. If you're so daring, your can pop the door panel (in warmer weather of course) and just disconnect the wiring harness. This should allow you to maintain the rest of the ambient lighting while having the door pockets off. Just a thought.

Last thing, back to the tires. Could you post a picture or two of the sidewall on the tire. I know not all 45 series sidewalls are designed equal, I just wanted to see how the design was on the Advan 45 series. Thanks!

 

[michael95350]

Michael95350 - I think your car an A/T ... The trans performance may relate to the pendulum-flywheel that was added to the'18 A/T cars that hav cylinder deactivation... to tame the on off roughness?

Hmm, didn't realize until now it had cylinder deactivation. Possible. Sure is annoying when coming off a curve though.

 

[Chazzy J]

I actually liked the Yokos enough to buy them again. I also ran them on my 2016 after a set of Michelin Pilot AS3's. The michelins were expensive and wore out in 15K. They handled well but were a little too stiff IMO for daily driving. The Yokos ride and handle well. Not perfect but IMO a good match with the 6's personality. That said I was hearing a little resonance with the 2018 6 at speed that seem to be coming from the road surface. Maybe interactions withe the road surface and new suspension. But it wasnt there on my 2016. That went away when I move to the Falken Euro winters for the season. I'll have to see if the resonance comes back when i reinstall the yokos in the spring.

I can try to take picts of the yokos off the car if that helps.

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Tapatalk

That's great to hear. Thanks so much for the reply. I will definitely be interested to know if the resonance comes back for your in the winter. I kept my Falkens to switch back and was just weighing the decision of the Advans. The Falkens were really good in my opinion. I really have nothing bad to say about them - again, I'm a lazy driver and rarely put the car to any kind of limits, so the Falkens are good for me. But those Advans sure did sound nice when I researched them.

I also like the sidewall design on the Falkens. They used a very big "cup" that makes the sidewall look more like a 40 series as opposed to a 45 series, and in my opinion, actually makes the wheels look slightly bigger at a distance - probably just me though.

No rush on the pics. I appreciate the help. Additionally, if you want the door pockets disconnected, just let me know. I can probably knock it inside of an hour for you. Not sure how close you are to the Westford, MA area, but I'm around there.

 

[GTEyes]

My 6 isn't doing it nearly as much as my 3 did so I am fine leaving it as is now. But if it gets worse, it's comforting to know that the replacement actuators should work well.

Yes sir. It's a systemic Mazda issue. I had all 4 replaced in my '16 Mazda 3. Noticed my '18 6 doing it within the first 5k miles on cooler days. Only had issues with the front two doors. It's definitely more pronounced in colder weather. Had both the front replaced and I haven't had a single issue since the winter started (had them replaced in October).

The Fiancee's '16 CX5 GT has the same issue, but very sporadically and only in very cold weather. She doesn't even notice it, thinks I'm crazy. My Service Manager friend says he does more frequently in the winter and it is systemic, but once they're replaced, he hasn't had anyone come back again.

I'm guessing these things just sit on the assembly line and wear down and get dusty - I really have no idea. But when replaced with a new OEM accuator, the sound never returns. It has to be an assembly line thing...

 

[theoreticaljerk]

(I also did not check on gear ratios of the N/A compared to the Turbo. Are they the same?)

The gearing is different between the NA and the Turbo. The Turbo is geared lower than my previous 2016 iGT as well as the current 2018 NAs.

 

[idrive]

I'm just a few ticks shy of 5K on my 18 Touring model. I will agree with the steering wheel thickness. Does seem a bit shy. Also, your comment about the transmission. I am going to have mine checked on my first oil change, but I'm having issues when I lift off the accelerator (such as to coast around a corner) then lightly go back on the accelerator. ***It almost acts like it's slipping. The revs will start to build and then it's like the tranny will catch itself and kick down to the right gear.


Another small gripe I have is with the button quality, particularly on the steering wheel controls and the HVAC controls. They feel... cheap. Personally, I really miss the HVAC interface from my 2015. Especially being able to cycle the blender modes. Annoying that you can't back-cycle on the controls for the 18 model (for instance, when trying to go between defrost/floor and dash only vents).

Steering wheel thickness is quite subjective but I would probably be happier with a slightly thicker wheel. I'd also imagine that with ten different people you'd get ten different responses, preferences.

***Re Trans: Sounds more like how a Torque Converter responds.

I'm very much an "Auto" guy regarding the HVAC system. Rarely use the buttons other than perhaps adjusting the temp up or dawn a few degrees or turning the heated or cooled seats on. Buttons for those seem adequate. Buttons on the steering wheel could be a little better...

The '18's have cylinder deactivation? I don't remember reading this, anywhere before. I can honestly say that if they do and I'd have known, I wouldn't have bought the car.