2014 Mazda 6 prices/specs announced...

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Ok went and saw it: (few pics and 3 short HD videos below this description)

(Sadly the car was in a very small area, and the iphone's widest angle is not very wide, so it's a bit too close up)

It was a Meteor Gray SPORT with 17" wheels, cloth seats, no power seats.
Impressions:

Car looks GREAT! It looks better than Camry, Fusion, Accord and Passat EASILY.
Visibility from inside was pretty good, although i didn't think so when I looked at the car from outside first. Very good window areas.
Fit and finish looked very good ; tight gaps.
17" wheels and tires don't fill the wheel well fully, but still looked nice - bit of a gap - might be too much for some people. (really wish i could have seen the 19" wheels of a touring / GT)
Interior materials felt VERY high quality, especially the top of the dash and the area in front of the passenger seat.
Very minimlaistic and simple lay out which I liked a lot.
rotary knobs, switches and buttons felt very solid. not cheap at all.
VERY FEW shiny bits - the bit around the shift lever was shiny but should be easy to somehow darken it.
Arm rests were well padded but a bit skinny.
Steering wheel (leather covered) felt nice and thick.
Very simple and nice instrument cluster - (could not get a good video or photo of it when illuminated)
This one had tan cloth seats and they felt WELL BOLSTERED and very comfortable.
Even with only manual height and seat back adjustment, found a perfect driving position (at least stationary) easily. (Can't wait to see how the leatherette feels on a Touring...)
Doors felt solid and closed with a satisfying 'Thunk'.

The sales guy was pretty knowledgable about the car and knew more things than I expected - he expects they will allow test driving pretty soon, but didn't know when the car can actually be custom 'spec'd and ordered, etc. He also didn't know what the Touring tech Package will cost (Which will be what we'd get IF we decided 100% on this car: Touring Trim+Tech pkg)








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I love it. May very well be my next car in the coming years.
It just needs a set of fog lamps. I really like the lower bumper air splitter.
Whole car looks good. Means business, minimal fluff thats so commonplace in this class.
 
I like it.
I'd black out the chrome trim from headlamp to headlamp though.
19s seem excessive for sure, too!

diesel hatch or wagon would be awesome - lets hope one makes it eventually
 
The nav system looks like an aftermarket add-on. Not a fan of the appearance. How easy is it to access the controls while driving without having to lean forward and take your eyes off the road?
 
Accessing controls was very easy from a sitting position while pretending to drive (no test drive allowed until mid-late January) at least, but a test drive will show best.

Yeah the nav doesn't look very hot, it's a tom tom based one I think - but it;s not bad looking at all, just looks plain-ish. Couldn't play with as this trim didn't have nav, but the basic audio system and rear view camera (standard on all auto models) texting etc still uses that screen I think.

Most nav, stereo and text functions will be voice based (Audio texting is standard on all trims) so fiddling with controls will be a minimum I hope.

The rotary controls for the AC/heat/defrost were easily reachable from driving position and felt very solid. I didn't feel like I have to lean forward and I don't have very long arms. However I do sit closer to the wheel than most people I think
 
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Originally Posted By: surfstar
I like it.
I'd black out the chrome trim from headlamp to headlamp though.
19s seem excessive for sure, too!

diesel hatch or wagon would be awesome - lets hope one makes it eventually


Yep That chrome is not too bad in the front, actually with other colors it may not stand out that much, BUT it's continuation on the REAR is what I don't like - THAT has to be blacked out, but again these are not critical issues.

Anything other than basic Sport trim gets 19"s - unless one downgrades later...I agree that's a bit weird to be a standard size in any trim.

There will be no wagons in the US unless they change their announced plans - only diesel will be the sedan. (in sept)
 
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Originally Posted By: bustednutz
I love it. May very well be my next car in the coming years.
It just needs a set of fog lamps. I really like the lower bumper air splitter.
Whole car looks good. Means business, minimal fluff thats so commonplace in this class.


Yep it looks great for a 4 door - and I normally don't like most 4 door cars...This one looks very good.

Yep I agree - I do NOT like EMPTY fog housings. If no fogs then take off the freaking housing too!
Fogs are a dealer installed accessory in ALL trims except the top of line GT, so we'll see...that might be the only thing we might get, depending on how much it costs, OR perhaps I can haggle for it when the time comes.....but it's not essential. (car will be wifey's - she won't care, but the empty housing will bug me)
 
They did the same thing on the 3. You have these gaudy spot where the fogs should go. Without them, I think it looks cheap. With them, it is much better. I'd have to get fogs on a 3 if I bought one. They finally made them standard on the Grand Touring.
 
I'm nitpicking, but I don't get why thy still use a rod to keep the hood up. It also seems to be on the wrong side seeing most people are right handed and it's close to the oil filler hole, windshield fluid reservoir, radiator cap, and coolant reservoir. It wouldn't be in the way if it was propped on a person's right hand side. Using pneumatic struts would be nicer.
 
Yep I didn't like the rod, having gotten used to the struts on the Bimmer and the Tbird, but like you said, it's nitpicking..
 
This car speaks to me like Audi's of the 90s used to . I can see why the Germans and other Europeans have a soft spot for Mazda products they come closest to having the air of a European brand.

I too like the "all business" attitude of this car, it looks fairly discrete, and subtle. It doesn't scream "look at me".

The interior is excellent and the seats look like a clone of Audi seats from earlier cars, which is NOT a bad thing at all. They were firm, comfortable, and durable, even the cloth looks like an Audi product.

It is too bad that they won't consider bringing the wagon or the hatch back to the USA. But having a 5 speed option is what will really make this a contender for my next vehicle. Only the Fusion or Accord come close.
 
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
But having a 5 speed option is what will really make this a contender for my next vehicle.


What are you talking about?
The car only come in 6 speeds, either manual (Sport Trim only, no options like Bluetooth), or 6 speed auto (all 3 trim levels).

BC.
 
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
This car speaks to me like Audi's of the 90s used to . I can see why the Germans and other Europeans have a soft spot for Mazda products they come closest to having the air of a European brand.

I too like the "all business" attitude of this car, it looks fairly discrete, and subtle. It doesn't scream "look at me".

The interior is excellent and the seats look like a clone of Audi seats from earlier cars, which is NOT a bad thing at all. They were firm, comfortable, and durable, even the cloth looks like an Audi product.

It is too bad that they won't consider bringing the wagon or the hatch back to the USA. But having a 5 speed option is what will really make this a contender for my next vehicle. Only the Fusion or Accord come close.


That's what I thought also as soon as I sat in it. The touring (leatherette, which we are after) and GT (leather) should even more refined and classy. I was really shocked and how good the dash top area felt - it felt soft/rubbery but very firm at the same time-very nice.
To most people the dash/cockpit layout will seem 'old fashioned' but for us, that's a HUGE plus, it reminded me of my E46 interior/dash.

I also like that the black area just above the AC/heater knobs is just plain black when there's nothing on - not a bunch of display windows - when stuff is on, it will be displayed in white characters (time, heat settings, etc)
(This can be seen on the very bottom pic I posted) - this adds to non-cluttered look a lot. Also like that the steering wheel buttons are black and not silver.
 
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Originally Posted By: Bladecutter
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
But having a 5 speed option is what will really make this a contender for my next vehicle.


What are you talking about?
The car only come in 6 speeds, either manual (Sport Trim only, no options like Bluetooth), or 6 speed auto (all 3 trim levels).

BC.


Mazda's info on the availability of MT is conflicting: on 2 different locations on the website; one shows that MT is only available for Sport (base) trim, BUT another downloadable pdf spec sheet shows MT also available for the Touring (mid level) Trim...

Hopefully they'll sort this out when the car actually is available to be sold/ordered after 2nd Jan.
 
That particular color is not very flattering to me, would look better with bigger wheels.

I'll have to check a diesel out when they arrive, currently hoping for a Golf MK7 with ~188HP TDI and 7 speed DSG.

Nice to see someone else entering the USA small diesel market.

I think manual transmission availability in the middle trim would be a good move.

I mostly like the interior, there is something about the area around the touch screen that I am not thrilled with...
 
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
Mazda's info on the availability of MT is conflicting: on 2 different locations on the website; one shows that MT is only available for Sport (base) trim, BUT another downloadable pdf spec sheet shows MT also available for the Touring (mid level) Trim...

Hopefully they'll sort this out when the car actually is available to be sold/ordered after 2nd Jan.


I fully expect Mazda to do to the Mazda 6 what they did to the CX-5 in the US market - only offer the manual transmission on the basic model, and not allow higher end options to be installable, like Bluetooth, and the navigation system.

They might even go as far as limiting the color choices on the manual transmission model, just like they did the CX-5. If you wanted a manual, you have to choose between Black, silver and grey. You want one of the nice blues, red, or white, you have to pay more for the automatic. They only did this in the US market. If you go to Canada, Mexico, UK, Denmark, Japan, Australia, or Holland, you can get a manual transmission CX-5 in any color you want, that they offer.

And it doesn't make any sense to restrict the color choice in the US market, because the body of the vehicle is painted before the engine and transmission are mounted in the car. No reason to do that, except to force people who want to buy those colors to pay way more for the car.

So, I would bet restrictions on the manual transmission Mazda 6 here in the US, and only on the Sport trim.

BC.
 
And maybe so they don't bring a bunch of cars over here that won't sell. Automatics outsells manuals here, especially in the mid-size segment. Why take the chance of importing something that will probably sit on the lot until someone comes along to buy it at a huge discount.
 
Looks nice...that diesel is definitely a winner from what I'm reading. Like Honda, Mazda needs to pay a little more attention to sound attenuation which is a complaint in most of their models. Right or wrong, people associate quiet with quality (notice how many people comment on how quiet a vehicle is?). Honda is finally getting it...their new vehicles are significantly quieter than their older models.
 
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