Mazda 6 5-speed

T

TopShiz

Member
Hi everyone! Test drove a Mazda 6 today, Base 4 cylinder with 5-speed manual, and had a question for everyone. I felt that the the Mazda 6 with the 4 cylinder & 5-speed was underpowered. Does anyone else who has driven one feel the same way or am I imagining things? Even when I floored it the car didn't have much pickup until it was between 3,500 and 4,000 RPM. Is the power to weight ratio bad? How much does the Mazda 6 weigh? I was strongly considering buying the 6 but now I'm not so sure. The 6's styling, braking, and handling (I took a 180 degree curved on-ramp at 80 MPH with ease!) is awesome. The only thing that disappointed me was the power. I feel that the Protege's 2 liter has more pickup. Am I wrong? Any thoughts would be great. Thanks.:)
 
the 6 cylinder. 220 hp and 5 spd is your answer. i love mine :) test drive one. if u liked the 4 cyl. u'll prolly drive home with the 6 cylinder.
 
V6 Mazda 6

The 220 HP V6 Mazda 6 would be great but there is no way I could afford it. I got a really good price on the Base Mazda 6 (4 cylinder 5-speed) and the Protege ES with 5-speed (can't beat 0% financing). Don't know which to buy now that I've test driven both. The Protege is loaded (spoiler, sunroof, 6 CD changer, etc.) and has quite a bit of pickup compared to the Base 6 which is pretty base (doesn't even have real rims, just hubcaps, no spoiler, etc.). The styling of the 6 is much better than the Protege and it's roomier. I'm leaning towards the Protege but it's still a toss up. Any suggestions? :confused:
 
My two cents - wait a few, get together a bigger down payment which would offset the increased cost of the six cylinder and buy that car. Good things are worth waiting for and you will not regret your choice. If you're gonna go for the Mazda6, go all the way and do yourself some justice. Wait a month or two, sock away the cash, haggle with the sales rep, and you will soon see that the difference in costs can be greatly reduced.
 
the mazda 6 4 banger must be underpowered at 160hp.....but all specs I have seen on the rumored mazdaspeed 6 put it on a 4 cylinder platform.....

with the MS-6 allegedly checking in at 280hp, that weak lil 4 cylinder must be a pretty solid starting point for building a high performance car.
 
I'd go with the waiting scheme and the 6 cyl too. If you can't do that, though, I've always been happier with a high trim lower model than a stripped out higher model. You can tell when you're getting the stripped down car.
 
Last edited:
TopShiz said:
Hi everyone! Test drove a Mazda 6 today, Base 4 cylinder with 5-speed manual, and had a question for everyone. I felt that the the Mazda 6 with the 4 cylinder & 5-speed was underpowered. Does anyone else who has driven one feel the same way or am I imagining things? Even when I floored it the car didn't have much pickup until it was between 3,500 and 4,000 RPM. Is the power to weight ratio bad? How much does the Mazda 6 weigh? I was strongly considering buying the 6 but now I'm not so sure. The 6's styling, braking, and handling (I took a 180 degree curved on-ramp at 80 MPH with ease!) is awesome. The only thing that disappointed me was the power. I feel that the Protege's 2 liter has more pickup. Am I wrong? Any thoughts would be great. Thanks.:)
Click to expand...

You said it didn't have much pickup before 3500 RPM. Well that's about how it is. It has variable valve timing (S-VT) that allows it to have a more aggressive cam profile above 3500 RPM. With the exception of the break in period, if you're not driving it above that, then you're not driving it properly (as far as a sports sedan is concerned). Seriously, if you prefer lots of low end grunt, you should look at a larger displacement engine with lots of torque.
 
I know that it seems slower than the Protege but according to all the road tests it is actually .2 seconds, or so, quicker to 60 MPH. The Protege seems faster than it is because most of its power is down low in the rev band while the Mazda 6i has most of its power in the higher end of the rev band. As kenoka says if you keep it in the higher revs it responds better. A Miata is the same way. If you really want a torquey engine you will have to get the V6 which I did, get the Protege which seems to fit your driving style better or look elsewhere. We just got our Mazda 6s but we love it.
 
some cars 'feel' slower when in fact it's actually accelerating faster than the other cars.

usually a car with better suspension setup and stiffer chassis will do that.

Proteges do FEEL fast, but in most of the track tests against comparable opponents (eg stock Civics and Corollas and Focus, etc.) they are mid-pack in straight acceleration times.

I would also agree with others in saying that you should save up a little bit and go for the V6 if more grunt is what you're looking for.
 
also, having a quieter cabin will also make the car 'feel' slower than it actually is going. When I'm in my mom's Camry if I don't look at the speedo I could be flying down I-95 at 85mph thinking it's only 70mph, because it's so damn quiet in the cabin.
 
project626 said:
Maybe it's me, but Mazda Corp. has always been underpowered when compared to the others cars in it's class. The Mazda6 is a pretty good car but compare it to the Camry, Accord and Altima it is underpowered. But, only by a mere 20HP. which is nothing.
Click to expand...

ahh...but don't forget "Torque"... ;) If I had my druthers, I'd take the Mazda6s w/ the Altima's motor :D
 
Please log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Skyactiv Hypermiling Thread
Replies
5
Views
1K
AL Cx5
A
B
    • Like
Sold the Mazda6
Replies
11
Views
961
Buzzman12
B
B
    • Like
    • Love
2019 Mazda6 Signature - 12,000 mile review
Replies
9
Views
6K
Snorting2.5
S

Latest posts

Back