Test Drove a 2014 Mazda 6 with manual trans today.

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jigen

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Yup. I am that guy.

Just to know a little bit about me, I never cared much for the looks of Mazdas but all the pics and videos I've been seeing on the new Mazda 6 are just gorgeous.

A dealer about 14 miles from me finally got in a base model with the 6-speed manual trans. I had some free time today to check it out so off I went...

The pictures don't lie. This is one gorgeous car. Everything on the outside of this car looks great. All the lines work into each other. Everything is just very sharp. A nice touch with the "base" Mazda 6 is that it carries over almost all the exterior touches the higher trims have. It still has nice wheels and the chrome touches found around the windows and on the dash. This really might be one of the best looking newer sedans I've seen in a while.

They were having a slow day and thankfully the salesman just let me go and take it for a spin by myself. I went off for a good 5 miles or so. The steering, clutch engagement, shifter... really fantastic. I was loving how this thing drove. It turned nice, felt big but light, everything felt very evenly weighted.

The 2.5L skyactive felt nice. It was very smooth, quiet, and gave off good power. It didn't have the fun factor as say the engine in my Tiguan, but it handled better and gets 25/37mpg. Pretty good trade off in my opinion.

This thing was selling for $19,995. Frickin' steal of a car for that amount in my opinion. I want one, lol.
 
I agree!! out of cars ive driven its the best 4 cylinder ive driven. responsive and quick considering the weight of the car. ive driven the altima, malibu and camry. mazda 6 my fav for engine responsiveness and fun to drive. malibu 2nd. all based on the 4 cylinder engines though.
 
I love to read that Mazda hasn't mainstreamed it into an appliance to sell more cars.

I might just have to replace my 6 with a 6 at that price.
 
The price is absolutely crazy for how much car you get. I heard the 6 can shoot up to the 35k range, but why? So much stuff comes equipped on the Sport model.

I was inspecting the 30k Mazda 6 in the showroom too, not much differences aside from the seats. The only con I might say is I wasn't thrilled about the seats. The cloth in my VW seems like it will hold up better over time.

The dealer offers free scheduled synthetic oil changes for the lifetime of you have the car too! Not bad if they are filling this puppy up with Mazda 0w-20 every 6 months for free!
 
I agree it is top on my list right now, I wish the more expensive models could have the 17 wheels instead of 19... I can't imagine the road noise and bumps with those things
 
We really like our 2010, and I am interested to see the 2014 in person. Also very intriuged about the diesel. We normally keep our cars 8-10 years, but if the 2010 ends up being my older son's college car, then the 2015 or 2016 model would be a logical replacement.
 
I looked at the Mazda's a month ago since my Mazda3 got totaled.

Test drove another 3 (6 was out of my price bracket) and like it. In the end I went with a Subaru Impreza wagon. I'm still liking the Subaru and aren't regretting not buying another Mazda.

BSW
 
You mention that the base Mazda 6 with manual transmission is selling for 19,995?

I just checked out the official Mazda website the base price MSRP is 20,880 include the destination fee and base price is 21,675!.
 
I agree it's a good-looking car.

I really like Mazda. I've never owned one, but the Mazda 3 was one of the top contenders during my last car purchase. I've very much regretted choosing the Sonata over the 3, Fusion, Sentra, Versa and others. The Sonata has been quite unreliable and the manual trans/clutch leave a lot to be desired once you get used to them, but that's a story for another thread.

The only thing Mazda has done in recent years that really made me mad was put the stupid smiling face on some cars. IMO, they turned the 3 into a girl's car with this front end.
01_mazda3_live_la_opt.jpg


I'm sure we all know the Mazda 6 in question, but here's a pic I pulled online.
mazda6top11.jpg
 
Sounds like a nice car.

My huge qualm with this car and other makers is only offering a base model with 6 speed manual. Not sure if Mazda does this but other car makers put in cheaper seats with less comfort/support in lower end to help cost cut.

I noticed the same thing with a test drive of a $20k Passat manual. I then tried a $26k TDI manual which was upgraded and seats were noticeably different to me.
 
Mazda does the manual on base model only on the CX-5 too
frown.gif
. I haven't drove one of these, but I did drive a CX-5 and a 3 - I can say that the Mazdas just drive nice.

The 5 speed manual in my Focus is for people who can't afford the auto; it's juts not a great transmission. The 6 speed in the Mazda is perfect ... short , positive shifts, and the gearing is perfect!

And Mazda's suspension setup, even on their base models, is near perfect!

If I had to buy a mid size, THIS would be it.
 
Originally Posted By: michaelluscher
DIESEL WAGON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WITH A 6 SPEED.

*needs to sit down for a minute*

Yes, I read Jalopnik...........

19.gif



It would be nice if any manual was offered with a Wagon besides current Jetta. Wagons are slow selling and then a manual even more. I know I own one of 273 Silver Subaru Turbo Legacy Wagon's produced with manual transmission.(1000 made in all colors).
 
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
You mention that the base Mazda 6 with manual transmission is selling for 19,995?

I just checked out the official Mazda website the base price MSRP is 20,880 include the destination fee and base price is 21,675!.


May have been discounted(w/rebates) by the selling dealer. You know, that one stock# advertised in the local paper.

Or, maybe the selling dealer just got in several at that price($20,880-$21,675) and discounted them all, priced to sell!

This pricing get the cars out on the local roads and attracts the public better than the cars just sitting in the dealer lots
 
For some reason it reminds me of a Jaguar.

I have owned a Mazda Protege 5 and drove several others- My feeling is that they are underrated brand. They use quality material, they are mostly true driver's cars (handling and gearing seem perfect)
 
We got our base model with automatic for $18,900, im sure they were making room for the 14's with this price but they had 8 base models on the lot for us to select from, all at the same price. $19,995 sounds about right for the 2014 base model. Great value for the money.. I would like to add that I really dislike dealerships, however the dealer we bought this car from was Penske owned and it was the best car buying experience weve had, im not sure if all Penske dealers are run so well or just this one. I thought it should be mentioned because im not sure it will ever happen again, as this was a first..;/
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Cant wait for the diesel.


I can wait if they're having the same crankcase fuel dilution issues as they are in Australia.
 
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