CD Article: 2006 Mazdaspeed6

[CD_Editor]

You may discuss our cover story of the day in this thread....
Test Drive:

The 274 horsepower Mazdaspeed6 is a bargain for $35,995, says Editor, Greg Wilson.  "Acceleration is awesome", and "the brakes are phenomenal", he reports, "..but it's no BMW or Audi.  The seat-of-the-pants driving experience is very different," he says.  Second Opinion by Laurance Yap.    More...

[genetik_freak]

I don't know how much of a "bargain" this is when you can get a Hemi Charger for the same price.  Still a great car though!

[mdxtasy]

Is a HEMI Charger going to keep up with a 5.5sec 0-60?  A 4.3sec romp from 80-120?  How about 35m stopping distance from 100kph?  How about AWD?  It's a true sports sedan....speed, steering, and stopping....the ss has all 3 s's covered.  At the price it's going for, a 35K runner like this is hands down a winner in my eyes.  The only thing coming close is the WRX....but it's smaller and not as family friendly. 

[genetik_freak]

Sure all those may be true but still, it's a Hemi....c'mon. 

[Demosthenes X]

The Charger R/T and the Speed6 are not, imo, cars that a lot of people would be cross-shopping.  Certainlty a few, but they have differences enough to define their own groups of customers...  I think the Charger appeals more to "buy American" types who like big cars with big engines...  the Speed6 is geared more towards tuners who are growing up (slowly) - the same market as the G35 sedan.

That said, the Speed6 can hold its own against the Charger, imo.  AWD, significantly lighter, better numbers, and you can bet on better fuel economy.

Of note: there is a red Mazdaspeed Protege in town that I see almost every morning...  here's hoping he's upgrading to the Speed6. 

[mdxtasy]

Sure all those may be true but still, it's a Hemi....c'mon. 

Sorry...I'd be hopping into a Mazdaspeed6 well before any HEMI.  What about the SRT8?  Nope....still take the Mazda.  6spd manual, AWD, it's a perfect balance for the kid in the family. 

An S60R and S4 would have me jump off the Mazda bandwagon.....possibly the Legacy GT would as well but there aren't too many cars out there with this performance at that price.  I'm not all that fond of the looks....

[genetik_freak]

Are you saying that you'd give up a 6.1L, 425hp, gass guzzling monster V8 Hemi for a Mazda?   

[mdxtasy]

Are you saying that you'd give up a 6.1L, 425hp, gass guzzling monster V8 Hemi for a Mazda?   

YES.
Slushbox....2 ton curb weight...for a slick turbocharged sedan with a 6spd manual and AWD?  Without a doubt.  HP means little to me....it's got to be fun to drive vehicle that is engaging to the driver.  Stop on the gas straight line acceleration may get you giddy for a few seconds...but it rarely puts the driver through the paces. 

[genetik_freak]

Well guess you made your point... 

[mdxtasy]

Well guess you made your point... 

I'm going to assume you're on the other side of the fence?

[Traum]

Are you saying that you'd give up a 6.1L, 425hp, gass guzzling monster V8 Hemi for a Mazda?   

And look who would be smiling at the pump when it comes time to gas her up.

Going back to the article itself, it seems as though the ride in town is a little harsh though. The suspension and the clutch conspires against the driver in town, and steering feel is a little numb. Not a good sign for those who will use it as their daily driver.

-Rick

[tpl]

Looks good.   Still a fwd car tho'  I wonder if the computer could be chnaged to make it  more rws oriented?  or whether the strength of the rear diff and shafts are only up to 1/2 the total output.

I dont think I would buy one, in that market I'd still buy a WRX STI   but it does look good and I expect to see as many around as Mazda can make

[widefire]

Is it a typo at the bottom of the page where it sais built in Flatrock Michigan?

I hope so, because my car comes from that plant I can't say that the finition and build quality is on par with the cars I used to have that comes directly from Japan.

Isn't the Speed6 built in Japan?

[Bullet Blue]

"Still a fwd car tho' "

It's AWD.

[mdxtasy]

"Still a fwd car tho' "

It's AWD.

I think tpl is referring to the fact that it's computer controlled....on demand AWD.  Not a fixed true 4 wheeler.

[johngenx]

The Charger R/T and the Speed6 are not, imo, cars that a lot of people would be cross-shopping.

I agree.  I would consider the Mazda and wouldn't even bother visiting a Dodge showroom, much less buy one.  Subaru finally has competition for the WRX!  Wouldn't it be SWEET if they dropped the price of the STi to $39K to compete?  Sure, it's a dream, but...

[lavalwolf]

Do not understand why CD or everyone else is using the WRX in this comparo. Maybe purely based on acceleration times, but the more logical choice is the Legacy GT. Priced very competitively to the Mazda and just slightly slower 0-60. The biggest weakness with the Legacy GT is the tires that come with the car.

[mark]

Is it a typo at the bottom of the page where it sais built in Flatrock Michigan?

I hope so, because my car comes from that plant I can't say that the finition and build quality is on par with the cars I used to have that comes directly from Japan.

Isn't the Speed6 built in Japan?

I had also always heard that the Speed6 is built in Japan.  I believe the Michigan reference is a typo.

[Snowman]

A good article on the MPS6 but I was disappointed to see no reference to the handling abilities. There is no mention of the MPS6’s understeering characteristics and the abrupt change to oversteer when the torque split AWD system transfers 50% of the power to the rear wheels.

The MPS6’s awd system is an expensive way to deal with torque steer. Other than that it is a great car and a bargain for a family person who wants some fun in their driving experience.

I drove the DC HEMI 300, Magnum, and Charger and the MPS6 is far superior in all areas. The only positive attribute of the HEMI siblings is the fact they are RWD. But offering no MT is criminal in the enthusiast world.

When making comparisons to Subaru’s AWD system the Mazda version falls way short. Both the WRX and Legacy GT are far more agile and predictable when pushed to the limits. The Legacy GT loses out in a few areas with the lack of a 6-speed, HID’s, sound system, driver controls, and styling…depending on personal tastes.

The WRX may compete in pricing but that is it. The Legacy GT is the MPS6’s main competition and I suspect the MPS6 will win the sales battle as more people will not use handling and reliability as their main criteria. Everybody knows my opinion on this issue.

The Mazdaspeed 6 is built in Japan.

[a4_tom]

I see Speed6 more of a competitor to LGT and G35X than Hemis even Germans with AWD (A4 2.0TQ, 325Xi and C280 4Matic), given its for those grown-up tuners.