New Mazda 6i

[mikep]

Picked it up last night. White, black leather interior, power everything. I opted for the 6i vs. the 6s (16 valve 4 banger vs. 24 valve 6) mostly for fuel economy but having driven both, am plenty satisfied with the 6i's performance. I also drove an SVT Focus and feel the 6i is every bit as fun to drive as the SVT and a heckuva lot more comfortable.

5w-20 is the spec'd motor oil and as luck would have it, there is a fresh case of Havoline 5w-20 in my garage. I've been told the oil filter is a canister, drop in type but haven't even checked yet since it was dark by the time I got home last night.

As luck would have it, there is a winter storm warning in effect today with 6-10 inches of snow expected. The rest of the week calls for mixed sleet/rain/snow off and on. Guess I'll get a good idea how well those low profile 17" tires do in the snow(my guess is pretty darn bad). If you see a guy in a white Mazda doing 360s on rt. 80 east through Sussex and Morris county, NJ, give me a wave.

 

[shortyb]

Nice car, my boss just bought one a month ago. He got the V-6 and is loaded too. Very fun to drive "spiritedly". I'm teaching driver training this week and wanted to borrow it for some, uh, "comparison tests"

. He said no obviously.

One thing worth considering for your location, get some 15" steel wheels and dedicated snow tires. Wide, low profile tires would definately add to the entertainment value but not at the expense of pulling your new car off the guiderail

. Plus it would save those nice, shiny alloys the brutality of salt, sand, and other fun stuff that gets put on the roads for wintertime. Not too expensive, have a set for my pickup (somewhat comparable in size) and they were $378, mounted, balanced and shipped to my door.

Have fun with the car

.

 

[Drew99GT]

Did you opt for the manual tranny?

 

[mikep]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Drew99GT:
Did you opt for the manual tranny?

---

Sadly, I sort of had to get the auto

. Those few times a year when my wife has to rely on my car for transportation, or if I wanted to take her SUV on a weekend fishing/hunting trip, would require an auto as she cannot drive a manual trannny (more like refuses to even try). I've heard and read rave reviews about how smooth and precise the 6 and 3 manual tranny is but no matter how good and how much more fun it would make the car, it isn't worth the grief I would get. Trust me, been down this road before.

Shortyb...I was planning on getting a winter wheel/tire package from my local STS dealer but certainly wasn't planning on having to get it this soon

. Is it O.K. to go from a 17" OE wheel to a 15"? I was thinking of going to a 16" wheel and slightly taller tire. I wonder how the speedo and ECM would be affected by a drop in two inches wheel diameter?

Now if it would only stop snowing I could take the car out for some break in miles!

 

[shortyb]

mikep-as long as a 15" wheel will clear the brake caliper you should be fine. The taller and narrower the tire is, the better it will "cut" through the snow and not want to ride on top of it. Think bicycle tire. As long as the overall diameter is the same or very close, it will not throw off the speedo/ecu/abs. Here is a calculator to help match up tire sizes. http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

 

[mikep]

quote:

---

Originally posted by shortyb:
mikep-as long as a 15" wheel will clear the brake caliper you should be fine. The taller and narrower the tire is, the better it will "cut" through the snow and not want to ride on top of it. Think bicycle tire. As long as the overall diameter is the same or very close, it will not throw off the speedo/ecu/abs. Here is a calculator to help match up tire sizes. http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

---

Thanks for the info.

 

[rjundi]

I noticed you mentioned you tried the SVT focus. Why not the Mazda 3 hatchback with the same motor as your Mazda 6. I'm interested in both cars and wonder if you did try the Mazda3, I'm looking to replace my car.

 

[mikep]

quote:

---

Originally posted by rjundi:
I noticed you mentioned you tried the SVT focus. Why not the Mazda 3 hatchback with the same motor as your Mazda 6. I'm interested in both cars and wonder if you did try the Mazda3, I'm looking to replace my car.

---

Oh yes, I sure did try the Mazda3 hatchback. In fact, I went back to the dealer 3 spearate times to drive them both before deciding on the 6.

The 3 is an absolute blast to drive...even with the auto. With a manual, it would be even better. The handling of the Mazda3 is so responsive that it immediately puts a big grin on your face the first time you hurl it into some turns (and I did exactly that

). The 6 is no slouch mind you but with a couple hundred extra pounds and a bit more around the middle, it doesn't quite match the 3 in the excitement category. At least that's my personal impression.

Ultimately, the extra passenger room and ride comfort and the fact that I was getting more car for my dollar lead me to purchase the 6 over the 3. I can purchase a Mazda on the S-Plan which is a preset discounted price. The dealer would not sell a 3 on the s-plan since they are incredibly hot commodities at the moment. They are getting full sticker price for a 3 whereas there is a 1500.00 rebate currently on the 6. Between the S-Plan and the rebate, I was able to buy a 6i with leather for the cost of a 3s with cloth and a manual trans.

If rear seat passenger space is not a concern I'd go with the 3s hatchback. Drive them both more than once and for more than just a few minutes. Try them around town on twisty roads and on a freeway to get an idea how they feel in all types of driving. I had both the 3s and 6i out for 30 minutes 3 separate times. I thought they were going to start charging me rental fees

.

Either way you'll be happy I'm sure.

Mikep

 

[rjundi]

Thanks for the feedback. I tried the Mazda6 and enjoyed it however it had an Automatic which I did not like. I will however try both, it does seem you can acquire the 6 cheaper than a 3 currently. Thankfully Mazda produces 4 passenger cars that Honda and Toyota just can match in terms of fun to drive and to boot they appear reliable according to Consumer Reports.