Question for Current Owners / Technophiles about the new Mazda6

G

Ginzuu

Member
:
1998 Camry <300 K Miles...>
Got the pleasure of test driving a sport AT a couple of weeks ago and it confirmed my suspicions.... I am in love with this car and I want one badly..... BUT I hope I can get some answers to my nagging little questions I have about this car and Mazda in general.

As a preface I have to explain a few things. I am currently driving a 1998 Camry with about 300K miles on her atm, I live 86 miles from my job....
I have been doing my own mechanical work most of my life, but have never owned a new vehicle, so I am a bit apprehensive of a few things in this car, maybe you guys can allay my fears :)

Can this car achieve the highway MPG that it claims... 38 sounds lofty to me?

Does the FI system use Piezo injectors and if so how durable / dependable are they?

Am real interested in the Diesel but I understand it uses the common rail injection system, my fear is that it may suffer the same High Pressure Fuel Pump failure of the Volkswagon TDI, anyone have any reports of failure from say overseas, where it has been out for a while?

I've been a Toyota / Nissan driver most of my life, how durable / dependable are Mazda in general <as I will blow through my warranty in like one year....>



I know with the amount of mileage I drive<52K a year> I should buy a Prius and keep on truckin, but my god this new six is so classy looking <Sexy I say> and fun to drive, might I add. But the Prius is so godawful plain.....


I have been researching this car but I am failing to find the info I need to be comfortable with a new car purchase, help a guy out please?
 
This car's technologies are so new, your guess is as good as anyone's. A bit of reliability data is available from CX-5 owners, but longevity wise, only time will tell.

If you are patient, get the 2nd year model. Mazda reliability is quite good, and made in Japan may also help.
 
Ginzuu said:
Got the pleasure of test driving a sport AT a couple of weeks ago and it confirmed my suspicions.... I am in love with this car and I want one badly..... BUT I hope I can get some answers to my nagging little questions I have about this car and Mazda in general.

As a preface I have to explain a few things. I am currently driving a 1998 Camry with about 300K miles on her atm, I live 86 miles from my job....
I have been doing my own mechanical work most of my life, but have never owned a new vehicle, so I am a bit apprehensive of a few things in this car, maybe you guys can allay my fears :)

Can this car achieve the highway MPG that it claims... 38 sounds lofty to me?

Lofty indeed, but I do believe it is achievable, based a year's worth and >17K miles experience with my CX-5. Even with the ATX, our road trips in the CX-5 have seen mileage into the mid 30's. I believe the lighter and more aerodynamic MZ6 can perform even better. It will really come down to your driving habits and road conditions.

Does the FI system use Piezo injectors and if so how durable / dependable are they?

The S-G does not use Piezo technology. The Skyactiv diesel does. I haven't heard yet of any issues with this fueling system in the foreign markets.

Am real interested in the Diesel but I understand it uses the common rail injection system, my fear is that it may suffer the same High Pressure Fuel Pump failure of the Volkswagon TDI, anyone have any reports of failure from say overseas, where it has been out for a while?

Haven't heard of issues here either. However, it may be premature yet, because it is my understanding that a significant cause for the TDI issues was due to lower lubricity content of American refined diesel fuels. I think we can assume, though, that Mazda will have learned from this, and will hopefully iron out any potentional issues, or amend their design, if necessary, before the diesel launches stateside. With the launch delay, I think it is safe to assume this may be one of the issues they are currently researching.

I've been a Toyota / Nissan driver most of my life, how durable / dependable are Mazda in general <as I will blow through my warranty in like one year....>

I have owned three Mazdas. I believe they are above average in terms of reliability. Now that the RX-8 and Tribute are discontunied, their dependability ratings will should continue to increase. The CX-5 track record is solid, and I think should signal a continued trend of reliability for their future designs/models. The new MZ6 will be my next vehicle, replacing my Mazdaspeed6.

I know with the amount of mileage I drive<52K a year> I should buy a Prius and keep on truckin, but my god this new six is so classy looking <Sexy I say> and fun to drive, might I add. But the Prius is so godawful plain.....

I'm with you there...I have been researching this car but I am failing to find the info I need to be comfortable with a new car purchase, help a guy out please?

I think, being a first year model, there is nearly always the potential of suffering through potential "bugs" that crop up in new consumer tech goods. I accepted this possibility when I purchased my CX-5 in March 2012, when they first started rolling off of the car carriers. It has so far worked out well for me, with no major issues to speak of. Considering the 6 is based heavily on the CX-5 platform, and they share quite a few design elements, I think it is safe to assume new MZ6 buyers can anticipate good things.
Click to expand...
 
On winter blend the 6 is getting me 30mpg around town with little to no highway driving. I think it will definitely achieve 38mpg or even more depending on how you drive. Have not tested it out on the highway yet.
 
For the fuel economy, my first two tanks return 31mpg, about 50/50 city and highway. Though you probably won't call Dallas road condition "city", I do drive 75+ on highway. There are a few emergency accelerations. I guess it will getting better in the next few tanks.
 
My drive is 186 mile round trip every day with probably 90% highway drone, sounds doable then, thanks guys for the answers, keep em coming :)
 
With your commute that's all highway and your interest in the diesel, the advantage of the Prius begins to fade quickly. While no convential gas or diesel can match a good hybrid system in city driving, the marginal benefit on the highway shrinks rapidly and diesel starts to shine.

While fuel economy ratings in the UK are unrealistically high compared to our EPA ratings, the Mazda6 with the high output diesel we'll be getting is rated at 4.8 l/100km combined, which is more efficient than the VW Passat with our market's diesel (5.2 l/100km). While there's no way to directly translate those numbers into EPA ratings, I think it's fair to assume that the Mazda6 diesel will be listed as getting better mileage than the Passat's 31 city/43 hwy.

With 90% highway driving, I'd say that would pretty effectively narrow the gap... particularly when you factor in how MPG differences have dimishing returns at higher numbers and how much more enjoyable highway cruising is with torrents of diesel torque in play.
 
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A diesel powertrain would be ideal for those long highway commutes. Aside from the added torque, tractor-trailers have stuck with diesel for decades and, even while perusing cars for sale equipped with a diesel motor, it's common to see many easily in the 200K to 300K range in terms of mileage. Diesel engines are meant to just keep on running. If you were doing mostly city driving, although it pains me to say this as I don't believe hybrid technology is the answer (and all hybrid cars out there are overweight bricks that aren't fun to drive), you'd be better served by a hybrid powertrain (the city mileage is typically equal to or higher than the highway ratings). Although the sedan is coming later this year, I pray that a diesel 6 wagon makes it to our shores! A diesel CX-5 would definitely make a lot of sense as well. Perhaps, a TDI or GTD fighter as a diesel 3? I could only hope.
 
must admit I'd buy the wagon without a second thought, it looks way better than the sedan even :)
 
I'm holding out on the diesel, personally. :)

Gio26NJ said:
On winter blend the 6 is getting me 30mpg around town with little to no highway driving. I think it will definitely achieve 38mpg or even more depending on how you drive. Have not tested it out on the highway yet.
Click to expand...

You're in Jersey, so not sure on exact dates, but you should be getting into blend down season soon.
We are knee deep into summer blend down in Texas. XD
 
I love the sound of diesel and what it can get mileage wise but I see there are still many things that need to be perfected in that engine. Scared to take the risk.

Yeah, I can't wait for this winter blend stuff to go away. Never knew such a thing existed until I joined these forums :D used to buy my gas from HESS all the time now I get from Shell, Exxon only might try Sunoco as well, heck if they sponsor Nascar it's got to be good additives, no?
 
I bought my car last Friday and I filled up for the first time last night. I drive about 80 on the FWY and I've driven this car all weekend. At 418 miles with 1/8 of a tank left. I spent $58 for a full tank at 16.5 gallons and the LED screen said 501 miles to empty...I almost cried. For the last 10 years I've been driving my 2004 5.3 V8 Silverado at 12 MPG with a 26 gallon tank, I was spending $100 avg. every 3-4 days. The 6 is excellent in MPG. Once I calm down from the new car high, I'll ease on the gas and really get the most MPG in this car. It's also so much fun!
 
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Sounds strange. For two tanks, when the fuel warning light illuminates and 50 miles to empty by the computer, I can only put 14 gallons to the tank till full. The spec sheet shows 16 gallon max, I don't think you can ever put that much into your tank.


Monkee said:
I bought my car last Friday and I filled up for the first time last night. I drive about 80 on the FWY and I've driven this car all weekend. At 418 miles with 1/8 of a tank left. I spent $58 for a full tank at 16.5 gallons and the LED screen said 501 miles to empty...I almost cried. For the last 10 years I've been driving my 2004 5.3 V8 Silverado at 12 MPG with a 26 gallon tank, I was spending $100 avg. every 3-4 days. The 6 is excellent in MPG. Once I calm down from the new car high, I'll ease on the gas and really get the most MPG in this car. It's also so much fun!
Click to expand...
 
My new '14 '6' is the Grand Touring with about 50/50 on the first 850 miles. 125 of those miles were into a direct 25 - 35 mph head wind this past week. The combined 2 tank avg is 32+. My around town is about 4 miles each way which doesn't give a good warm up. This is my 1st Mazda. I wish it were a little quieter on the tire noise. I started a thread asking for anyone that has used sound deadener on a '14. No response at this time.
 
I also truly want the wagon, but I heard that ots not gonna happen here unfortunatly. Im looking to get a new car in a year or two to replace my wifes 04 acura tl, and its inbetween the 6, infiniti q50 (only if there lease prices are similar to the g37x at 300/month with 2500 down.) a passat or jetta, i reallly want a wagon, and they dont make passat wagons :(
 
Ginzuu said:
Got the pleasure of test driving a sport AT a couple of weeks ago and it confirmed my suspicions.... I am in love with this car and I want one badly..... BUT I hope I can get some answers to my nagging little questions I have about this car and Mazda in general.

As a preface I have to explain a few things. I am currently driving a 1998 Camry with about 300K miles on her atm, I live 86 miles from my job....
I have been doing my own mechanical work most of my life, but have never owned a new vehicle, so I am a bit apprehensive of a few things in this car, maybe you guys can allay my fears :)

Can this car achieve the highway MPG that it claims... 38 sounds lofty to me?

Does the FI system use Piezo injectors and if so how durable / dependable are they?

Am real interested in the Diesel but I understand it uses the common rail injection system, my fear is that it may suffer the same High Pressure Fuel Pump failure of the Volkswagon TDI, anyone have any reports of failure from say overseas, where it has been out for a while?

I've been a Toyota / Nissan driver most of my life, how durable / dependable are Mazda in general <as I will blow through my warranty in like one year....>



I know with the amount of mileage I drive<52K a year> I should buy a Prius and keep on truckin, but my god this new six is so classy looking <Sexy I say> and fun to drive, might I add. But the Prius is so godawful plain.....


I have been researching this car but I am failing to find the info I need to be comfortable with a new car purchase, help a guy out please?
Click to expand...

Late to chime in, but here are some facts for the OP.

1. 33MPG street and highway - I commute in heavily traffic congested areas
2. I sometimes drive spirited
3. I suggest getting the touring if possible - you get more features for lil bit more $$$
4. CX5 has been out, if im not mistaken they share more than a few parts. No major issues or recalls on the CX5
5. Mazda won the KBB lowest cost of ownership award - I don't think Mazda changed quality since winning the award

Which Prius do you have?
 
my last fill up on an all hwy stint across AZ was 39.7 mpg w/ cruise control set to 65-75. the computer was showing a total range for that trip/tank of 623 miles :) 87 octane.
 
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