Hi All,
A local dealer is letting me take an extended test drive (all day) in a 2004 Mazda6 Wagon. I stopped in at the dealer the other day because I wanted to pick up some info on the wagon and he happened to have a pretty good looking black wagon with leather seats etc. It must have just arrived because it they still need to clean it out and wash it.
I'm looking at this car because I have a 2002 WRX Wagon and two kids. The back seat is pretty cramped and premium gas ain't cheap. Other than that I love the car.
My commute starts with a bumper to bumper drive for about 20-30min and then I turn onto Hwy 17 (reverse commute) a twisty road over the Santa Cruz mountains. It's a 50mph road and I usually limit myself to 60 because there are a lot of cops and stupid driver. Passing power is a must because semis crawl up the road at 30mph. If you up on one in an uphill corner you either power around it or get stuck looking for a gap for the next 5-10min. Once you hit the summit you have a gut dropping decent with a lot of sweeping corners (bit slippery in the wet) with some funky asphalt in a few of them.
I have no illusions that the 6 wagon will accelerate as fast as or stick to the road (all-wheel drive) as well as the WRX but I used to make the same commute in a 97 Honda Civic and it was down right scary. I also had a Protoge5 for a while before my WRX. It was an OK car and handled worlds better than the Civic but in the end it just didn't have the power to comfortably drive over 17. I want to know what people think of their V6 wagons (or sedans) in terms of up hill passing power and handling. Specifically how would you rate this with an automatic? All of my past cars have had sticks but with all the time I spend in bad traffic (California Bay Area) I'm thinking an auto with manumatic shifting might be a reasonable compromise.
Lastly, have you guys heard anything bad (or good) about the reliablity of 2004 v6 wagons and has anyone moded the suspension or engine of a 04 wagon with any success.
Sorry this is so long but I really like my WRX and yet I don't really use it to its true potential because of traffic, time, and concerns about mileage every time I put my foot down and the turbo kicks in.
I'll post a review of my test drive in a couple days.
A local dealer is letting me take an extended test drive (all day) in a 2004 Mazda6 Wagon. I stopped in at the dealer the other day because I wanted to pick up some info on the wagon and he happened to have a pretty good looking black wagon with leather seats etc. It must have just arrived because it they still need to clean it out and wash it.
I'm looking at this car because I have a 2002 WRX Wagon and two kids. The back seat is pretty cramped and premium gas ain't cheap. Other than that I love the car.
My commute starts with a bumper to bumper drive for about 20-30min and then I turn onto Hwy 17 (reverse commute) a twisty road over the Santa Cruz mountains. It's a 50mph road and I usually limit myself to 60 because there are a lot of cops and stupid driver. Passing power is a must because semis crawl up the road at 30mph. If you up on one in an uphill corner you either power around it or get stuck looking for a gap for the next 5-10min. Once you hit the summit you have a gut dropping decent with a lot of sweeping corners (bit slippery in the wet) with some funky asphalt in a few of them.
I have no illusions that the 6 wagon will accelerate as fast as or stick to the road (all-wheel drive) as well as the WRX but I used to make the same commute in a 97 Honda Civic and it was down right scary. I also had a Protoge5 for a while before my WRX. It was an OK car and handled worlds better than the Civic but in the end it just didn't have the power to comfortably drive over 17. I want to know what people think of their V6 wagons (or sedans) in terms of up hill passing power and handling. Specifically how would you rate this with an automatic? All of my past cars have had sticks but with all the time I spend in bad traffic (California Bay Area) I'm thinking an auto with manumatic shifting might be a reasonable compromise.
Lastly, have you guys heard anything bad (or good) about the reliablity of 2004 v6 wagons and has anyone moded the suspension or engine of a 04 wagon with any success.
Sorry this is so long but I really like my WRX and yet I don't really use it to its true potential because of traffic, time, and concerns about mileage every time I put my foot down and the turbo kicks in.
I'll post a review of my test drive in a couple days.