2008 Mazda 6

2008 Mazda 6

So it’s finally happened… you’ve started to grow up, you now have a steady job, perhaps you got married and you have a child on the way. Your spouse suddenly tells you that your two-seater sports car is just too impractical, and words about minivans spring up. You suggest that your significant other should be the one that gets stuck with the embarrassment mobile, then an argument breaks out but fortunately in the end a truce forms and it’s time to buy a mid-sized sedan. The two immediate choices are of course America’s two best selling cars, the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord, but for some reason most people stop there and gloss over something that could be even better.

There are plenty of great choices in the mid-sized market now. Nissan’s new Altima is excellent, Hyundai’s Sonata isn’t bad especially for the price, Saturn’s European sourced Aura is worth a look, and then we get to Ford. You may remember awhile ago, that Ford ran one of those funky tests where they invited normal people off the road to do a comparison drive between their Fusion, the Camry, and the Accord around a makeshift track to see which one brought a smile to their face; and in the end everyone said that the Fusion was easily the most fun of the bunch, but of course most people weren’t aware of why. If you talk to a Ford salesman they’ll tell you the Fusion is a great handling car because it runs off of the Ford CD3 platform, some random purposely unintelligible technical babble, and then move on to tell you that Ford is awesome. What they won’t tell you is that this incredible platform was designed by Mazda, and it’s been used in the 6 for years.

The current Mazda 6 is going to be replaced completely before the year is up by the new model, but does that mean you should wait on a car purchase, or look elsewhere? That’s what I’m going to try and answer for you right now but the short answer is run to the Mazda dealership right now. The 6 is an excellent car, and since the new model is coming in, there should be some ridiculous deals you can pull off on the remaining 2008 6’s.

Positives: When the 6 first came out in 2002, there was one major issue with this car that has been solved in its final iteration. The styling in my opinion was brilliantly done if you had the aero kit on the car; but without it, the car looked like it was walking around in its underwear and seriously looked like it was missing something. With the recent facelift done on the car though, it now looks just fine with just the rear spoiler on the trunk lid. So now, with or without all the body kitting this is a very sporty looking car, which is nice.

Despite being owned by Ford, who tend to use ridiculously cheap trim on their cars, the Mazda 6 has an attractive, well put together, quality interior. All of the plastic bits have a nice, soft, quality feel, and everything is easy on the eyes. The interior is certainly nice but things on a whole aren’t quite up to Toyota/Honda standards. The only major thing I can use to prove this is the cloth used to upholster the seats. Since this was a 2008 6, the car was obviously still fairly new, but the weird dimpled surface on the seats were already looking worn.

The basic layout of the dashboard is fairly easy to understand and operate, but things do change slightly depending on options. For instance, the AC setup on more basic models is very ergonomic and can be operated by people who’ve never seen a car before; but, if you opt for climate control you may need to take a couple of minutes to look things over. No matter what options you choose though, the gauges and other displays in the 6 are very easy to read and light up red at night, which is easier on your eyes. In all the 6 isn’t a bad place to be.

I would spend time talking about ride comfort, cabin space, highway noise levels, trunk space, and other tedious things like that which aren’t bad in the 6, but they’re not very important when you talk about the 6; because, no matter what, the Camry and Accord will beat it in all these boring categories. The important bit is how this car drives.

I only had to drive ten yards to realize I was driving something special. The fat leather wrapped steering wheel gave my arms a physically pleasurable sensation every time any form of turn appeared. The steering wheel provides loads of feedback and the entire car really does feel like a sports car. The throttle response is excellent; the brake feel is excellent; and the car feels a lot smaller and lighter than it really is which is something only proper sports cars tend to pull off.

I drove the “i” model while in south Florida and there admittedly weren’t many turns, but I did find some turn circles to go around at reckless speeds. The 6 does indeed provide loads of grip and even when the tires start to let go a bit, nothing seems all that alarming and you still feel you’re in absolute control. Through normal city driving, the 6 will never get pushed past its limits and it will actually make mundane trips to the supermarket and job commuting more exciting compared to its competitors.

For a car of this size, the 2.3 liter engine and the 156 hp it produces seems a little weak, and it kind of is. This car is by no means quick, but you wouldn’t believe that if you drove it yourself. This 2.3 liter engine is easily one of the best four cylinder engines I’ve ever seen. The VVT system on it guarantees power everywhere across the rev range and it genuinely feels quick. You never get the sense that the car is struggling, and power always feels abundant.

If you opt for the 3 liter V6 6s, things are a bit different. You’re now dealing with 212 hp instead of 156, so the car is rightfully faster. If you get a 6s in manual it can get from 0-60 in less than seven seconds which is certainly quick enough for most people. The automatic version will be a bit slower even if you use the manual mode, but I drove it around and I certainly wasn’t complaining. There are faster mid sized sedans around even if you compare the 2008 6 to cars from the same generation, but trust me the 6s will be more than quick enough if you’re a parent. Also, since the 6 isn’t channeling a ridiculous amount of power to the front wheels, there really isn’t any torque steer, which makes this car feel even more balanced, and more sports car like.

The exhaust note of the V6 is noticeably more exciting, although there is a proviso. If you’re just dithering about town at low speeds the exhaust sounds sort of hallow and numb; in fact, at low speeds the four cylinder engine sounds better. However, once you start flooring the gas pedal things start to change. Running at high revs, the engine delivers a nice powerful roar which can send a tingle up your back… especially if you’ve gotten used to driving around in a Camry.

Now thankfully I did drive the 6s in New Mexico rather than Florida. Other than the engine, the car is essentially the same, but since the location was different there is more to write about on handling terms. I had the pleasure of driving the 6s around Sandia Mountain, and I have to say the 6 really comes alive there. I was of course bogged down by fellow tourists, so I wasn’t able to fully unleash the 6’s potential but I still loved every minute of it. Some people refer to the 6 as a poor man’s BMW in terms of handling, and out in the mountains I can completely agree with that statement; this car is just fantastic when the roads get twisty.

Negatives: There are of course one or two issues with the 6; the first of which I mentioned above. If you’re in the market for a mid-size sedan because you’re seeking space, comfort, quietness, and all sorts of other old man desires, the 6 loses hands down to the Camry. So if those things are high on your priority list, the 6 isn’t for you.

The other issue is relevant towards everyone and it involves the V6 engine. If you’ve opened a consumer reports magazine over the past few years you’ll notice that they wrote down some evil things about the 6 because it isn’t all that reliable. The thing they kind of hint at but sometimes don’t state outright though is that the 6 is actually perfectly reliable… if you get the 6i with the Mazda designed 2.3 I4. If you get the 6s with the Ford derived V6 though, you will be making quite a few more stops to see your local dealer…

Conclusion: So what we have here is a sort of undersized mid-sized sedan that isn’t as comfortable as its main rivals; but, in terms of fun it runs rings around the opposition. Personally I would buy the 6 over any other mid-sized sedan, even the almost identical but cheaper Ford Fusion (This is because even Ford will admit the 6 is better put together). The 6 lets you know that even if a baby’s on the way you can still have a fun car… and that alone makes this car something special.

I have driven the new 6, which is a brilliant drive, but as of now I don’t see myself brushing aside the old 6 and buying a new one. The new one is much larger, more comfortable, quieter, more powerful, and so on since Mazda really wants loyal Camry and Accord buyers to have a change of heart; but because of this, the 6 loses a lot of its original raw sports car charm which has already won over loads of customers. Sure the new 6 is definitely more refined and more grown up, but let’s face it; I’m sure we all wish we never had to grow up!

Summary:

The Good: It’s a mid-sized sedan that drives like a sports car

The Bad: Not as big or as comfortable as the competitors

Verdict: Unless you hate driving with a passion, why buy anything else?

Random Stats:

Engine: (6i) 2.3 liter I4, 156 hp, 154 lb-ft torque (6s) 3 liter V6, 212 hp, 197 lb-ft torque

EPA Fuel Estimates: (6i) 21/29 (6s) 18/25

2005 Mazda 3i

2005 Mazda 3 4Speed Auto follow up

If you’re a car bore like me, you may have noticed that the Mazda 3 used in the 4Speed Auto pilot, was not the latest Mazda 3 nor was it the Mazda 3s with the larger engine. There were reasons for that of course. First of which was the size of the budget we were dealing with and our lack of connections with Mazda. This meant that we couldn’t afford to go and buy a new Mazda 3s or get one loaned to us by Mazda to test, so we phoned around to some friends and one happened to have a Mazda 3i he was willing to put in our hands to test. More importantly it wasn’t imperative to get a new 2008 Mazda 3, because pretty much any Mazda 3 in good condition would get the job done. You’ll realize why if you truly are a car bore who can spot the exterior differences between the new face lifted 3 and the older ones, since you will also know that mechanically there is absolutely no difference between the cars. In addition, since we were primarily testing handling, having the less powerful model seemed even more relevant.

If you’ve read my review on the Mazda 3s, you should know that I am a huge fan of the 3. In fact I have to admit that I had a bias towards the 3 going into the handling face off between it and the Mustang, but why wouldn’t you? The 3 has handling credentials the Mustang simply lacks: light weight, sport tuned suspension, better suspension technology, a chassis that wasn’t around before I was born… in fact the only thing going against it is the fact that it has front wheel drive.

Needless to say I couldn’t wait for my turn to drive around the mountains in the Mazda 3, especially since all the other times I drove one I was driving around the city. After I was done with my stint in the Mustang and got into the 3, everything I loved about the 3 flooded back into my mind: the near Toyota quality of the interior trim, the small diameter three spoke steering wheel, the fact that even though this is such a weak car there was still a manual mode on the automatic transmission, all of it reminded me that I was going to be in for some fun.

There was a long straight between the point where Jesse and I switched cars and the really twisty bits around Chinook pass and here I felt the only bit of disappointment I would feel from the 3i. The 3i is a slow car, there’s no positive way to look at it because it is what it is. The 3s runs around with only a handful more power, but the 2.3 liter engine in it is clearly superior in every other way as well. I never once felt a lack of power when driving a 3s and always thought it to be a quick car, but in the 3i, especially after climbing out of the relatively powerful Mustang, I completely understood why a lot of people spend the extra couple thousand dollars for the s. After only two gentle bends though, all the love that I had for the Mustang and its power shifted towards the 3 and I started driving like a fearless teenager, something I’ve never really done before.

The 3 went around tight bends with hardly any roll and just gripped hard to the road. There was never a tense moment, and never once did I complain about anything while going around a tight turn. The steering wheel fed loads of information to my fingertips and really gave me the confidence to go faster and faster through the following corners. The car always felt stable and felt like it could take on any corner. In fact there was never a time when the car gave me any indication that it couldn’t handle going a million miles an hour around any turn… and the great thing was that it could in fact go a million around any turn! What’s more, the pedal feel was excellent, and the brakes, which I admit seemed unnecessary for a lot of the turns, never faded and never once felt like they were powerless to stop the car (which happened a few times in the Mustang). It was genuinely the most fun I’ve ever had driving a car.

If you watched the pilot episode and wondered why there was a lot more rear footage of the Mustang through the twisty bits compared to the 3, it was because the Mustang simply could not keep up when it was behind the 3. I’m sure many people who wind up reading this might argue that the Mustang was never created for the purpose of high speed cornering, but we were actually running this test to prove that fact to those who think otherwise.

I loved the 3 before we got to Mount Rainier, but I loved it even more after being able to unleash its full potential. It is genuinely an amazing little car, especially when you stop to consider that this is a small, fuel efficient, and practical four door sedan that can easily carry a family of four and a load of camping gear in the back. For the 3’s price and the class that it’s competing in, I have to say that Mazda has created a masterpiece for the mountain roads.

However, since we weren’t exactly comparing apples to apples, I’m not sure if I should be astonished by the 3’s performance or just really disappointed in the Mustang. I know the Mustang is in the “pony car” class and isn’t meant to be a canyon carver but it should be so much better than it is simply because we aren’t in the 60’s anymore. Also, since the new Dodge Challenger (the non SRT-8 ones) and the new Chevy Camaro are going on sale soon and with proper suspension, Ford is really going to have to work harder for when they release the next generation Mustang. This is especially true since the Mustang will no longer be able to sell off its looks alone because the next generation of retro styled pony cars all look gorgeous. Putting the Mustang and it’s brethren aside though, I really must stress that if you have a little under 20k to spend on a car, please, please go and at least test drive the Mazda 3!

Summary:

The Good: Just about everything

The Bad: Very slow, especially with an automatic

Verdict: If you have the extra money get the more powerful s; but if you don’t, you still are getting one heck of a car

Random Stats:

Engine: 2 liter I4, 148 hp, 135 lb-ft torque

EPA Fuel Estimates: 28/35

Observed: 34 MPG

Show link: http://www.youtube.com/user/4speedauto

4Speed Auto 2008 V6 Ford Mustang follow up

2008 Ford Mustang V6

For as long as I can remember, I never liked the Ford Mustang. Ever since I was born (in the mid-80s), Mustangs have been awful looking cars powered by engines lifted out of pickup trucks, and they only ever made sense on roads where a steering wheel was optional. Sure the V8 Mustangs were reasonably quick cars, but the V6 models, despite having enormous engine displacements, always had less power than a toddler on a bicycle. To make matters worse, what made even SVT Cobras unable to float my boat is the fact that, despite loving straight line speed, my passion lies with cornering ability and overall agility and the Mustang has always been absolute krap when the steering wheel becomes necessary. Ever wonder why Mustangs have been pretty much absent from motor sport?

However, when the latest generation of the Mustang came out with those sleek retro looks, I wanted to like the Mustang because it looked astonishing. I felt that yes Ford kept that ridiculous suspension relic called the live axle, but maybe they engineered around it to make the car good this time, in the same way Porsche has made the absurd rear engine thing work brilliantly. Then my chance to find out fully occurred when we were doing the Mustang vs. Mazda 3 segment on Mount Rainier for 4Speed Auto…

When I first picked up the Mustang from the dark parking garage of SeaTac airport, I was certain that the Mustang would indeed be krap so I wasn’t exactly filled with anticipation, but as I got close to the freshly washed red car I stopped and thought “these really are gorgeous cars.” I was then filled with mild excitement and jumped in… then disappointment settled back in. The interior of the Mustang looked very retro cool, but wow… where the heck does Ford get these plastic slabs from to make their interiors? The inside of the Mustang is nothing but cheap, scratchy plastics that you’d normally find on Rubbermaid storage bins, only stiffer. The door trim was the worst, because it was JUST one solid piece of beige plastic and it looked horrid. I was instantly reminded of James May’s quote from when he drove a Proton Gen II on Top Gear, “I would gladly trade my Lotus developed suspension for some Toyota developed door trim.” The only nice bit of trim was the automatic gear shifter. It was a proper chunky old school piece of equipment, but honestly other than that the interior quality was appalling.

Seeing how it was going to be a long drive from Seattle to Mount Rainier where we would be filming for the show, I decided to sit down and load up the CD changer; and well, it was a bit trickier to figure out than all the other cars I’ve ever driven because none of the buttons are where you’d think they’d be. In fact as I drove out of the parking garage and tried to do the usual adjust the air con while you drive business, I found I was doing it all wrong. I usually praise Toyotas for having unrivaled ergonomics in their cars where even if it’s your first time in the car you can work all the controls blind folded, but the Mustang is the exact opposite. I had to pull over and put some actual thought into figuring out how to get the AC to where I wanted it! Sure you can call me an idiot, especially if you’ve owned a Ford your whole life and you’re used to these controls, but honestly they are at least 2 times more complicated than they should be on any car. Then there was the light switch, which on any other non Ford car is on the left stalk… but in this case it was on a dial well off to the left of the steering column… I've seen that before but why? Its a rubbish place to put it.

If you’re yelling at your monitor right now saying “Stop complaining about the interior, is this car any good to drive?” you’re in luck because that’s what I intend to do now. For once, Ford has put in a decent amount of power into the V6. Despite this car weighing about as much as an oil tanker, the 210 hp, torque monster V6 really makes this car move. I had no complaints about the acceleration other than wishing I had the GT which is obviously even quicker. At slow speeds the engine makes a faux V8 rumble which is rather aurally pleasing, but once the revs build up the sound is then replaced by the sounds of a rather large bloke regurgitating his lunch in a tunnel. Maybe it’s not as bad as that comparison makes it sound, but it is a bit of a let down.

On the way to Mount Rainier we drove down quite a long stretch of highway and this is where the Mustang shines. The suspension on the Mustang is reasonably soft so it ironed out the terrible road surfaces of Washington’s highways, and the rest of the car was fairly quiet. Then when a car in front of you is driving slower than a canoe, you just stomp on the gas pedal and the car gives you a nice kick of power to overtake it with no trouble at all. So unsurprisingly, the Mustang is an excellent highway cruiser.

When the 4Speed Auto convoy finally made it to Mount Rainier, I was in for a little surprise. I found the Mustang to be quite good around the mountain bits, and I was rather enjoying myself, but there was a good reason for that. First of which, being that the previous car I was in, was a Land Rover Discovery… so basically anything after that will seem agile. The next reason has a short story behind it. I was on the radio talking to my friends driving in front of me saying that the Mustang is doing pretty well so far and handling just fine. I wasn’t getting scared in the tight turns or anything. Then it struck me, the car leading us all was our camera car… an old early 90’s Toyota Pickup with large off road tires! If the pickup was doing just fine I’d hope the Mustang would be as well.

My opinion didn’t change too greatly after we started doing runs without the camera cars, probably because I was still driving at roughly the same speeds, but after I had my stint in the Mazda 3 (you will be able to read about that later) though my outlook on the Mustang completely changed. I started realizing just how heavy and bulky this car really is. Proper sports cars tend to hide their weight but the Mustang strutted about like a fat lady with a broken corset. This wasn’t helped by the fact that the enormously heavy engine was mounted in front of the front axle making the weight balance all wrong too. If I attempted to recreate cornering speeds that were achievable in the Mazda, the car would just under steer and make you think that you were going to fall off the next cliff. Sure, hardcore muscle car enthusiasts with lots of track experience will tell you that with a Mustang you can stomp on the throttle and cure that under steer with a bucketful of over steer… I’d be happy to try that on a wide track, but on narrow two lane roads overlooking mountain cliffs, I think I’ll pass.

The final offense was the steering feel and the brakes. While the Mustang offers up a heavy steering wheel, I’d really like to know why there isn’t a strong feeling that it’s connected to the front tires. I couldn’t tell where the car’s limit lies and that usually resulted in fairly tense tire skidding moments, or with taking corners at speeds family carrying minivans drove at. And to make things worse, the brakes on the Mustang seem to be something that Ford decided to save money on… personally brakes are something where I’d like to see money spent. While the 3 (and our camera cars for that matter) got through the trip with no brake issues, the Mustang’s brakes started fading as the day went on until they seem to have caught fire and started releasing a hilariously bad smell. Also with the brakes completely cooked I realized something about this particular Mustang… it had no ABS on it, so the front wheels started locking up under hard braking. That’s certainly a problem you can solve by paying a bit more money at the dealership, but how did a powerful car with such bad brakes wind up on the market with ABS as an option?

So overall I wound up not liking the Mustang other than the straight line speed, which admittedly can be matched or beaten by any mid-size sedan with a V6. However despite my negativity and hate, I kind of get this car. If you live in a place like south Florida or somewhere else where the roads are straighter than Hugh Hefner, the Mustang starts to make some sense. The Mustang can be purchased for less than a burger when Ford has one of their crazy sales, and for this small amount of money you can blast down the road in a gorgeous car with a smile on your face.

I still hold that the V6 Mustang isn’t powerful enough to be an actual muscle car, especially when V6 Altimas and Accords can leave it in the dust, and if Ford isn’t doing something crazy like employee pricing, it starts to be a little not worth it; but, I can definitely see the temptation. If you do in fact live somewhere where the roads are one dimensional and you can’t afford the GT, I think this is definitely a car you should look at; however, if you plan on taking the car to or plan on moving to a place where you need to use a steering wheel at all you’d be an idiot for getting this car. Seriously, if you want cheap sport yet still desire straight line speed, save up a few more bucks and buy a Civic Si, a Mazdaspeed 3, a VW GTI, or something else.

Summary:

The Good: Cheap, good looking, and reasonably quick

The Bad: Really cheap in the bad way, has really bad brakes, and can be out handled by compact sedans

Verdict: Not bad if you live in a world without sharp turns

Random Stats:

Engine: 4.0 liter V6 210 hp, 240 lb-ft torque

EPA Fuel Estimates: 17/26

Observed: 24 MPG which we all thought was quite good

Quote of the trip: Random 7 year old kid: “Who brings a Mustang to the mountains?”

Show link: http://www.youtube.com/user/4speedauto