[Bill_k]

It must depend on which channels you're viewing, because I currently see Mazda TV commercials pretty regularly on a daily basis. They include some which focus on the CX-5, but also others that include the new 6 Signature showing not only its sleek exterior but the top grade interior. They are very classy commercials in my view, and end with the statements "Mazda, spread your wings... Feel Alive."

 

[Get Inline]

It must depend on which channels you're viewing, because I currently see Mazda TV commercials pretty regularly on a daily basis. They include some which focus on the CX-5, but also others that include the new 6 Signature showing not only its sleek exterior but the top grade interior. They are very classy commercials in my view, and end with the statements "Mazda, spread your wings... Feel Alive."

Mazda doesn't have a strong enough brand image - a perception of strong quality and reliability just yet. + the average consumer doesn't care for driving feel or enjoyment. If the car doesn't have heated/cooled seats, android auto, built in massage function, a HUD that shows you your speed directly above the speedometer and a bunch of other stupid features people would rather just buy some soulless garbage from KIA or Chevy if they aren't looking for the mainstream accord/camry

 

[GWL]

Tuned it how though? I've never driven one, but from what I can tell there is too much tire spin off the line. Mazda's mistake for cost cutting and using the same 225 width tire firestones, and not very good ones at that. They knew the general consumer of the turbo engine just wants a quieter ride and good torque to pass whenever they need it, and a well tuned FWD car is totally fine for that

In my opinion, I think Mazda played it smart by not opting to offer an AWD option on the 2.5T model. This would add weight to a car that has already gained a rather considerable amount of weight over the older NA model, so the added weight of the AWD model would be too much. Mazda should have offered a 245 width performance tire and LSD with thicker sway bars and stiffer lower suspension as some sort of sport option. This would make the front wheels handle the 310ft/lb of torque far better and help 0-60 times since the tires will have minimal slip.

The best solution would have been to just put this engine into a RWD car though. 310ft/lb is just too much for a FWD car. I don't know how Mazda did it, but they did, and it honestly seems to work quite well. The fact that it doesn't have crazy amounts of HP in the top end and a good stable chassis is what helps keep the car reasonable.

As for the NA version, I agree. out in the real world, torque is your friend. Torque is the physical spinning force which moves the engine, and HP is the ability to hold that power as the RPM's increase to redline. Another important aspect is when the torque peaks. The 2.5L peaks at 3250RPM which is quite good for a 4 cylinder and this really helps the car feel sufficient during daily driving. To me, the NA engine would feel perfectly suited to the 6 with an OV 91 octane tune.

The 2.5T would have been better having 310 HP/ 250 lbs/ft, I understand the way it is for the CX-9 (4300 pound SUV) and Mazda didn't want to modify for the 6.


2018 WRX STI for example has a 2.0T AWD with 324 HP/ 319 lbs/ft, 4 door sedan like the 6 and 0-60 in 4.8 seconds, 0-100 mph in 11.5 seconds, 1/4 mile in 13.2 seconds


https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/subaru-wrx-sti-rar-powerful-first-drive

 

[Get Inline]

The 2.5T would have been better having 310 HP/ 250 lbs/ft, I understand the way it is for the CX-9 (4300 pound SUV) and Mazda didn't want to modify for the 6.


2018 WRX STI for example has a 2.0T AWD with 324 HP/ 319 lbs/ft, 4 door sedan like the 6 and 0-60 in 4.8 seconds, 0-100 mph in 11.5 seconds, 1/4 mile in 13.2 seconds


https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/subaru-wrx-sti-rar-powerful-first-drive

That wouldn't make any sense for the sort of consumer Mazda is going for. Like i explained above, torque is your friend for lower RPM driving. in high RPM's and very hard driving you want HP, for any sort of daily driving, in order for the car to feel responsive and punchy you want good torque. This also helps efficiency as you don't need to rev the engine very hard to access this power. the WRX is in a completely different category from the 6 all together - it targets buyers that want a more linear powerband for high revs. The 6 is just designed around the average consumer to have gobs of torque from low RPM.

Ideally you want both to be balanced properly for a nice linear powerband, but I would choose more torque over more HP. What Mazda did is smart for the consumer they are targeting. With a more aggressive ECU tune, that should get you what you want.

 

[tango]

When I bought my 6 I never left home looking for one. I kinda just stumbled into it with a "hmm...what do we have here...not bad..." I went back home and started to research and found the following articles (click images for the jump):

2009 Mazda 6: Best Seats Ever? I Didn't Notice



2009 Mazda 6 i Grand Touring: Suspension Walkaround



I have a really finicky back and so seats are very important to me. So this comment struck a chord with me and I actually went back to test drive it again to confirm if the seats were in fact that comfortable. And they were. I routinely drive for 350 miles for 5.5 hours in one go without so much as wiggling in the chair. The first time my mom drove in the 6 she said "you know...these seats are really very comfortable" without any prompting from me, so there is consensus.

The article about the suspension was of particular interest to me. I have owned cars before that had double wishbone suspension and I must honestly say that this is the perfect suspension for me. It irritates me that the 3G 6 has struts up front, but having driven several (thanks to my local Mazda dealer who never hesitates to give me a brand new loaner car when I go in for routine servicing - most recently I had a 2018 2.5t Signature with 25 miles on the clock), it isn't too bad. The suspension on this car (a definite Mazda trait) is awesome. Second to none.

Other things such as the sound from the stereo were used to help me make my decision. The Bose audio is very good and came in a close second to the Infinity system in the Kia Optima I also drove. For reference, I had Ed Sheeran - I See Fire (Kygo Mix) on my phone and used it to test how easily I could connect to Bluetooth as well as the quality and quantity of the system. I did that at all the dealers I went to and four of them...including the guy at the Mazda dealer...requested the name of that song from me!

I was always aware of Mazdas and had driven several over the years and I was impressed every time. But I was never a real fan until I bought this one. I took a chance on it even though I had heard bad things about the 1G 6 and the 626s before it. I don't think advertisement (or lack thereof) is the problem why they don't sell in high numbers. Tesla spends exactly ZERO on advertisement and they are outselling every damn body. I think Mazda is selling exactly the numbers they want to sell. I read an article that said even if Mazda could sell 300,000 6s per year, they couldn't build that many anyway. They simply do not have the capacity to do so. And that's fine. I don't want to see them everywhere either. I'm fine with coming across one occasionally and wondering "Why did she choose the 6?"

 

[Motorsnwheels]

I haven’t bought a 6 yet but am getting close. The reason the Mazda6 won me over was for several reasons. My first car was a 2002 Mazda Millenia and it was a great car. Since then I haven’t owned another Mazda but when the 2015 came out I ran to the dealer. I have always been a car guy and I appreciate that Mazda puts some attention towards us. To me sales numbers and advertising doesn’t mean much. I actually like that Mazda is a smaller company, I feel like it drives them to have the attention to detail and quality we all appreciate. After they announced the signature trim and turbo motor my interest peaked once again and after driving it I appreciated just how great the car was for the money. It doesn’t need to be super fast, or super sporty or ultra lux it just needs to be a solid, nice ride with good looks. It has all that and more, I can’t really describe just how great the car feels when I drive it but it’s great. I can’t wait to own one.

 

[BrianU]

The looks inside and out, the interior quality, the "Audi" like control knob, the right amount of tech (Blind spot warning & rear cross path) in the Touring, the "Honda" like manual transmission, the highway fuel mileage and the "zoom zoom" handling.

 

[rotary1]

I like the 6 because I consider it a sleek sleeper.

 

[JBLUR]

Coming from an Lexus is250. I really wanted something with a little more roomy feel inside and the 6 is a mid-size car but it doesn't feel big at all in my opinion when driving. I was driving more for work so Fuel economy was a big factor and at the price point the looks were unbeatable and still provides plenty of customization options which checked all the major boxes for me.

 

[bsandesh]

I couldn't care less about zoom zooming. This is the first car I've owned that had a 0 to 60 of less than 10 seconds. To me it's the fastest car out there.

For me it was between this, the Camry, or the Accord. I had to have a Japanese (read: reliable, which excludes Nissan) car.

The Accord was ok, but gripping the steering wheel was downright unpleasant. It just digs into your hands, and made me wonder if anyone at Honda actually tried holding the steering wheel before making them that way.

The Camry was better, but my dad's old 2003 Camry has more comfortable seats than the newer ones. The new 2018 Camry is just obnoxious; the turn signals make this cheesy "ding ding" noise instead of clicks. Also any time you pressed a button that it didn't like it would obnoxiously start beeping at you like "oh you pressed the Back button and you're already as far back as you can go, you must be an idiot! Here's the idiot alarm so you know you're an idiot". Also, the 8 speed transmission couldn't figure out what gear it wanted to be in and would repeatedly shift, even multiple times a second.

The older Camrys (2012-2017) were better, but not the most comfortable. The interior felt cheap, with flimsy plastics and creaky compartment hinges. They also get abysmal gas mileage.

The Mazda 6 was initially a last resort on my list of cars, but when I finally tried one, I was blown away. Besides being the best looking car of the three by a wide margin, the interior looks amazing. Everything feels and looks well thought-out and downright luxurious. While Toyota and Honda have to save their nicest designs for their premium brand cars, Mazda puts it all in the flagship 6. The seats are like nothing I've ever sat in before. It's like they hug you. They keep you in an upright position and it's actually comfortable! In most cars I tend to slouch on longer trips, but not so on the 6.

Anyway I could go on about this, but suffice it to say, I'm very impressed with what this car offers and can't comprehend why so few people are buying them. The Camry sells 10 times as many units per year, and the accord sells around 7 or 8 times as many. Blows my mind. But whatever, the car wouldn't be as nice if everyone else also had one.

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A recent owner of a Touring Mazda6 2018 White Mica.I a traded a 2016 Camry XLE V6 with about 40K miles.I completely agree with your point about 2012-2017 Camry.Not to bad mouth any company but, the interior started creaking at 25K-30K miles..This was a top of the line with MSRP $35K, I would have lived with the creaking interior just because the V6 engine was awesome even though the mileage was abysmal.Then something inside engine compartment also started making noise.Took it to service, but since warranty was expired they told me I would be charged $60 per hour to diagnose the problem with 1-2 days of work.I even put a set of brand new tire to see if the problem will go away but it did not.I finally had it last week , I test drove the Mazda 6, really loved it.To be honest, Mazda 6 was never in my radar 3 years back when I bought the Camry and even now.I just got lucky because a new dealership moved to my area few months back and I saw the 2018 Mazda6 Touring being offered with all sorts of tech updates with 23K price range.Its been with me for a week, I got 32.3 MPG Avg on my first tank of gas. Today's 32 mile commute I got 40 mpg( Couldn't believe it).I let the most of the drive to be controlled by Mazda adaptive cruise control, may be that is the reason to get better mpgs, but I cannot complain.I always had Toyota or a Honda before this ,my first Mazda, reading about Mazda as a company and I really like how they are pushing boundaries, underdog. So far loving it, but I do not know how it will hold up after 35K miles or after 3-4 years though.

 

[GeoNikon]

For the last 10 years my daily driver has been a Nissan Frontier pickup. It's been (and still is) a reliable vehicle. We pull a pop-up camper, I loaded it with gear and kids when our sons were in Boy Scouts, is handy when it snows, and it hauls my photography gear wherever I go.



I've always been a fan of Mazda from afar, but I've never owned one before. I wanted a mid-size sedan under $35k that was fun to drive, had solid performance, modern tech, and looked sharp. I also have a kind of strange requirement that one of my photography gear bags fits in the trunk. You should have seen some of the sales reps when I said the first thing I want to look at is the trunk and I stuck my gear bag in!



I drove Accord, Camry, Altima, Optima, a few CPO BMW 3-series, and the 6. The 2019 Altima was nice but CVT is a non-starter for me. Optima was also nice but by the time it was optioned where I wanted it, was too much money.



I struggled with the Camry, I just can't get over the hump with the new styling. To me it's like they're slapping a bunch of aftermarket pieces to make it look more aggressive. The black trim pieces outside of the taillights make me think a piece of trim is loose. I wasn't crazy with the interior.


The CPO BMWs were very nice cars, though to stay in my price range it was tough to find something in my price range that was recent enough without a ton of miles on it. Maintenance costs down the road were also a concern, and some of the tech I expected wasn't always present.


I drove the new Accord, which was solid but didn't blow me away. Honda makes nice vehicles but everywhere you turn there's another Accord. I drove the turbo with the 10 speed. Nice car, but it seemed like it was always shifting. The interior is nice, the exterior is ok. Funny, the more I looked at the Accord the less I like the exterior styling.


Which brings me to the 6, which I actually drove before the Accord. The first one I sat in was a Grand Touring Reserve. I was blown away by the quality, detail, and workmanship of the interior. I've always been a fan of the latest generation 6 and the tweaks for 2018 are incredible. On the test drive, performance was crisp, handling excellent, the heads-up blew me away. I felt like I was in a luxury vehicle. It had everything I wanted - performance, looks, current tech (nav, great stereo, CarPlay/AA), comfortable interior, and at a price I could afford. I also drove a Signature, again a very nice car.


Last Friday I decided to save a few thousand and came home a new Grand Touring Reserve in Soul Red Metallic. After driving a few hundred miles the first week I am thrilled with my choice. The car is beautiful inside and out. We pulled in the driveway yesterday and our neighbor's jaw literally dropped. I'm already looking forward to summertime cruises through the back roads of the Adirondacks.



This is my first Mazda. I know it's only been a week and I'm still in honeymoon mode, but I dig this car. I'm looking forward to driving this vehicle more than any new car I've owned and having a ride that everyone else is also driving. I'm also looking forward to participating in the forums. In the few days I've been a member it's obvious many Mazda owners are passionate about their cars, and about driving.

 

[northzone]

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So far loving it, but I do not know how it will hold up after 35K miles or after 3-4 years though.

I have found my 6 to be very reliable and low on the maintenance costs. After 5 1/2 years and over 213k km (132K miles) there have only been 3 none maintenance repairs my 6 has had is a valve cover gasket (under warranty) both rear calipers (warranty) and the Adaptive Cruise Module twice. Once under warranty (new model issues) and the second time at around 165K km cause unknown. My driving is primarily freeways and highways so the cruise is used around 90% of those KMs. Still happy with my purchase and still enjoying the comfort of the seats, the feel in the corners and the fun factor of the car. The great mileage is an added bonus although it was carefully considered in the total cost of ownership. Fully expecting to be over 330K km (200K miles) before handing it down to my daughter.


PS. Brakes (front/rear replaced once), Struts & shocks (replaced once), tires (both summers and winters replaced once) Spark plugs (replaced twice) are all maintenance items

 

[idrive]

FWIW, as a general update our 2018 signature just turned 10K miles. Will be 1 year old in next month (April)

Other than having the CP/AA installed at the dealer it has never been to the dealer for anything as I change the oil myself. Oil was changed at 3K miles and just now at 10K. Using a full synthetic I am completely confident a 7K interval for oil changes is perfect.

The car is rock solid. Has never missed a beat. Averaging close to 28mpg. Everything is operating as advertised.

At this point I don't think we could be more satisfied in every way possible than we are.

Very easy for us to explain, "Why the 6"?

Power
Comfort
Looks
Dependability
Value
Quality

 

[GTEyes]

The interior was the major selling feature for me. Also, here in Canada, we get an unlimited mile warranty, so it's the years that are the basis for coverage. That was also the major deciding factor. No one else does that, so it's great for people like myself who put so many miles on their cars.



I am just about to crest 55000 kms (33,000 or so miles). Car still works well but I am running into some issues which I am sure others are tired of hearing about. My car has been to dealer over 13 times to try and diagnosis a few things. I've had my sway bar replaced, clock spring in the steering column replaced (the new one is starting to do the same high pitched squeak noise the original was doing) and no one can identify a noise in the front strut (but everyone hears it, which is important to note). Strut has also been replaced.



Overall, I'm not 100% happy with my purchase as my previous '16 Mazda 3 GT didn't have any issues for the 2 years I owned it so I was a bit disappointed when this new car started giving me trouble the minute it left the lot. I am hoping it's just because I bought the car so early in production.



I agree with the same characteristics as idrive listed. The car does seem like very good value, has oodles of power, is very nice looking, dependable and is the most comfortable highway car I've ever owned. I can't wait for the nice weather to return so I can get her washed up and ready for summer.


Enjoy your new ride!

 

[TechZeke]

I am just about to crest 55000 kms (33,000 or so miles). Car still works well but I am running into some issues which I am sure others are tired of hearing about. My car has been to dealer over 13 times to try and diagnosis a few things. I've had my sway bar replaced, clock spring in the steering column replaced (the new one is starting to do the same high pitched squeak noise the original was doing) and no one can identify a noise in the front strut (but everyone hears it, which is important to note). Strut has also been replaced.

Overall, I'm not 100% happy with my purchase as my previous '16 Mazda 3 GT didn't have any issues for the 2 years I owned it so I was a bit disappointed when this new car started giving me trouble the minute it left the lot. I am hoping it's just because I bought the car so early in production.

Unfortunately, there is luck involved when it comes to cars. My parents both own 2017 Pacifica Minivans(Mother in California, Father in North Texas). My father bought one of the first vans to arrive at the dealer in May 2016, so he has a very early build. He hasn't had to take it to the dealer for any issues. My mother on the other hand, bought hers in September 2016 and had numerous issues. Most of which we found out were because of a defective/incorrectly installed fuse that caused all of the electronics to run at partial voltage and drain the battery. It runs great now that it's been fixed.

10,000 miles in with my 6 and no issues so far, even with horrible Texas roads. Not even a squeak or rattle.

Hopefully things get sorted out for you, because you may have gotten a "friday afternoon" car like my mother.

 

[GTEyes]

Unfortunately, there is luck involved when it comes to cars. My parents both own 2017 Pacifica Minivans(Mother in California, Father in North Texas). My father bought one of the first vans to arrive at the dealer in May 2016, so he has a very early build. He hasn't had to take it to the dealer for any issues. My mother on the other hand, bought hers in September 2016 and had numerous issues. Most of which we found out were because of a defective/incorrectly installed fuse that caused all of the electronics to run at partial voltage and drain the battery. It runs great now that it's been fixed.

10,000 miles in with my 6 and no issues so far, even with horrible Texas roads. Not even a squeak or rattle.

Hopefully things get sorted out for you, because you may have gotten a "friday afternoon" car like my mother.

Unfortunately, I don't know if that will happen while I own the car. Mazda won't replace the strut again because it's a non-serviceable part (which I understand)...so unless they find out what it is exactly from someone else finding out what's wrong, they are not doing anything more to my car to fix or find the issue. I've tried some fixes myself and I am convinced it's inside the strut and a engineering issue. I guess that's a downside to buying a car that doesn't sell in great numbers..these issues are inherently rare because the cars are rare as well (I've seen two 2018 Mazda 6's over the last year). Mazda can't be bothered because they are concentrating on more important vehicles for them like CX-5s and the like.



As for the other parts they've replaced, sway bar has been silent since they replaced that...and the replacement clock spring is starting to squeak as well so that still isn't sorted out.


I don't want to hijack this thread, and to be honest I've pretty much just given up because these issues were consuming me for awhile. I am just driving it and paying it off, which is a really disappointing experience for the amount of money I spent on this car.

 

[shokoman]

Interesting. Thank you very much

 

[Babs]

Best looking,best interior ....for me best in classe btw
2019 Mazda 6 signature is 3580lbs Now(3560lbs for 2018 model) why?because of the New limited sleep DIFFERENTIAL.

https://www.mazdausa.com/shopping-tools/compare-vehicles/cx-9

 

[oblivioncth]

I have the 2016 6, am more than happy with it in nearly every respect (was really thrilled that shortly after buying after looking at the 6 for a couple years and being annoyed there was no Android Auto that a retrofit kit recently became available that I promptly installed). My only real complaint is that its pickup past 40 is a little weak compared to my previous V6 hyundai (its not bad in sport mode, but then worse mileage), though imagine the turbo and now the possible straight 6 cyl. would solve that problem. I was in the market for lightly used cars so the 18 wasn't an option for me anyway but I'm glad to hear that there might be a real nice option for me when I need a replacment eventually.

I don't care to have bragging rights either and I'm not expecting anything close to the pickup of a 6 figures car, but just prefer to have something with a bit more kick.

 

[Brightshen]

F
This is my first Mazda. I know it's only been a week and I'm still in honeymoon mode, but I dig this car. I'm looking forward to driving this vehicle more than any new car I've owned and having a ride that everyone else is also driving. I'm also looking forward to participating in the forums. In the few days I've been a member it's obvious many Mazda owners are passionate about their cars, and about driving.

I'm going on 7mos with my 17' GT. The honeymoon hasn't stopped yet. It only has 6k miles on it, 4K were mine and I love my car! Plenty of those miles were just driving around for fun. I can't walk away without a look back to admire it. Sometimes I'll just go sit in it because it's so f'ing comfortable, I'll open up the moonroof, turn on some music and just relax. :smile2: