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View Full Version : Drove the Mazdaspeed 6 ... pretty nice !!


AF
02-10-2006, 12:37 PM
This is some qucik impressions of the Mazdaspeed6

The suspension is 10 times better than the Mazda 6, it is much flatter around the curves, much tighter, much less body roll and much better grip. The regular '6 bouces around too much and the Mazdaspeed has eliminated this. On the highway I didn't notice any engine buzzing like the magazines said and the ride was nice and not too rough.

The view from the drivers seat is a little strange since the hood is a little on the high side in comparison to the regular '6' otherwise the car inside is pretty much the same except for a little bit of updating.

The power is very good ... I love the way the turbo kicks in though after 5500 rpm the power becomes strangely flat ... I actually had to do a few runs up to redline with the gears because it felt kinda weird and I wasn't sure if the car was suffering some power loss.

Here you are getting a nice quick rush of power in each of the gears and than it hits around 5500 rpm (maybe a little higher) and it feels like the boost went down 2 notches and the car is not pulling nearly as quick as it was. I don't like this as I like a car to pull strongly to redline and I don't like shifting THAT early to keep it in the pwoer range

Gearbox is very nice and snicks away gears compared to the bulkly feel of the regualr '6'

Steering feel was less boosted than the Mazda 6, the Speed has better feel and is tighter plus the steering wheel is a little thicker.

Overall this car is 1 to 2 notches above the regular '6' though it is a lot more money ...

IndyMike
02-10-2006, 12:55 PM
Overall this car is 1 to 2 notches above the regular '6' though it is a lot more money ...
How much more is the 'Speed6' than the garden variety? Would the difference be compelling enough for you if you were considering the 6 to opt for the Speed6?

TD
02-10-2006, 03:25 PM
I thought it was VERY impressive when I drove it. Reasonably priced too, considering the hardware you get for the money.

AF
02-10-2006, 08:16 PM
How much more is the 'Speed6' than the garden variety? Would the difference be compelling enough for you if you were considering the 6 to opt for the Speed6?

They want around $30k for the Speed 6 ... I only paid $22,500 for a fully loaded Mazda 6s (6 cyl) leather, sunroof, heated seats, etc ...

Is it worth the extra $$ ... it is hard to say but if I didn't already have a Mazda 6 I would go for the Mazdaspeed6 eventhough the price is considerably higher.

lemming
02-11-2006, 11:32 AM
They want around $30k for the Speed 6 ... I only paid $22,500 for a fully loaded Mazda 6s (6 cyl) leather, sunroof, heated seats, etc ...

Is it worth the extra $$ ... it is hard to say but if I didn't already have a Mazda 6 I would go for the Mazdaspeed6 eventhough the price is considerably higher.

there's a lot of good engineering in the mazdaspeed 6. i'd trade-in my standard mazda 6 in a heartbeat for the mazdaspeed version.

IndyMike
02-11-2006, 11:46 AM
They want around $30k for the Speed 6 ... I only paid $22,500 for a fully loaded Mazda 6s (6 cyl) leather, sunroof, heated seats, etc ...

Is it worth the extra $$ ... it is hard to say but if I didn't already have a Mazda 6 I would go for the Mazdaspeed6 eventhough the price is considerably higher.
Sorry about that, Alan. Last I remember you had an RX-8 and an Audi (A6?) in the stable, but you gotta admit even for someone that follows you regularly it's hard to keep up. :D

Oh, by the way this is IndyMike from the 'Fest posting here under my new handle. I was officially inducted here at 'Mudgeons a couple of weeks ago.

AF
02-11-2006, 12:34 PM
Sorry about that, Alan. Last I remember you had an RX-8 and an Audi (A6?) in the stable, but you gotta admit even for someone that follows you regularly it's hard to keep up. :D

Oh, by the way this is IndyMike from the 'Fest posting here under my new handle. I was officially inducted here at 'Mudgeons a couple of weeks ago.

Hey Mike ... great to hear from you !!!

I got rid of the RX8 almost a year ago ... your right about my daily driver ... it is an 05 A6 with the 8 cyl., it's about 7 months old.

What do you have now ?

IndyMike
02-11-2006, 03:50 PM
Hey Mike ... great to hear from you !!!

I got rid of the RX8 almost a year ago ... your right about my daily driver ... it is an 05 A6 with the 8 cyl., it's about 7 months old.

What do you have now ?
Well, I got rid of the Steel Grey/Tanin vert you might remember I had and replaced it with an '04 Imola/Natural brown 330i ZHP.

Never owned an Audi before, but I'm leaning toward an A3 to replace our daily mule '01 Escape. Really just hoping and wishing they offer the 2.0 with Quattro before I have to pull the trigger.

So what's your weekend/fun car now that the RX8 is history?