mazda 6 are they solid cars?

[T2urtle]

By solid i would refer to be reliable as a accord/camry...

GF should start looking for a better/replacement car and i really wanted a wagon/hatch for her. She dislikes my idea of a forester, matrix and etc.

We came to an agreement that the mazda 6 hatch is great. It looks like a normal car but its a hatch! Looking to find more info on them. As of right now, the only thing set in stone if we get one would be HATCH and AUTO. 4 or 6 cylinder is up for grabs, i'm leaning into a 4, better gas and looks simple to repair. I think the 2.3 is a mazda motor and not a ford. I'm not sure bout the 3.0, kinda interested to know if they are belt or chain driven.

I dont think they are huge problem cars. See lots on the road, dont know a 6 owner personally. They are cheaper then the comparable camry/accord but then again camry/accords are always in demand and priced a bit more then say a altima/ american sedan/ mazda 6

Car is mainly needed for DD and the hatch is nice for when we need to load up the car with stuff.

 

[JCH13]

The 2.3L engine is a Mazda MZR engine, when you put it into a Ford it's called a Duratec 23, don't worry about it.

I believe they have a belt-driven valve train.

Upkeep might be a little higher with a Mazda6 compared to an Accord or Camry, but consumer reports has the 2005 Mazda6 rated at 4/5, or "good," and the 2004 and 2006 models at 3/5. If you get an auto, drive it a bit hard to check for rough shifts, that's listed as a possible problem. Also make sure to have the cooling system inspected and see if the water pump was ever replaced.

 

[T2urtle]

every car will have its share of problems, i'm just mainly looking out and making sure i dont screw myself over.

Like those 99-03 accord/ TL with the auto tranny failure that honda has no fix for.

Or like mid 90's Non-turbo subaru 2.5 motors with the headgaskets.


I saw a DIY for water pump replacement on a 3.0... i'm not used to seeing water pumps that aren't timing belt driven. This water pump was on the driver side where it meets the trans. Just looked weird being able to do a pump w/o messing with belt/chains.

 

[Lotheron]

I have an 07 Mazda 6s 5 Speed. I love it, very minor issues (BCM needed replaced) in 4 years and 44K miles. While I have been getting the new car bug, I can't really justify it at the moment, and every time I open the throttle, I'm reminded how much I love this car.

 

[imagoon]

The 2.3L engine is a Mazda MZR engine, when you put it into a Ford it's called a Duratec 23, don't worry about it.

I believe they have a belt-driven valve train.

Upkeep might be a little higher with a Mazda6 compared to an Accord or Camry, but consumer reports has the 2005 Mazda6 rated at 4/5, or "good," and the 2004 and 2006 models at 3/5. If you get an auto, drive it a bit hard to check for rough shifts, that's listed as a possible problem. Also make sure to have the cooling system inspected and see if the water pump was ever replaced.

MZR is chain drive. However there was batch in the 2006 vins that had the chain tensioner fail. The batch was fairly small but replacement is a big project.

 

[exar333]

I had a 2003 Sedan; the drivetrain was excellent and I had no issues at all the entire time I owned the vehicle from around 30,000 miles to almost 100,000 miles. These cars are prone to rust damage (unfortunately) so be careful if you live in areas that salt during the winter.

 

[jlee]

My roommate has an 07 4cyl auto and he likes it.

 

[T2urtle]

chicago...=(

kinda looked around... I= 4 cylinder and s= v6, is there something that means hatch? For a while i thought the sports one had the hatch because the first 2 i saw were sport with hatches. Seems like this hatch options is kinda rare.

 

[JCH13]

chicago...=(

kinda looked around... I= 4 cylinder and s= v6, is there something that means hatch? For a while i thought the sports one had the hatch because the first 2 i saw were sport with hatches. Seems like this hatch options is kinda rare.

The Mazda6 Hatch was only made from 2004-2006.

Could get a Mazda3 hatch, or a Mazdaspeed3 ^_^

 

[punjabiplaya]

+1 for speed3
did you mean the 6 wagon?

 

[T2urtle]

i love hatches... like i said problem is this would be a DD for the GF. She hates the look of wagons. The 6 is something that doesn't look like a hatch, main reason why we like it. speed3 is manual trans... out the picture plus we dont need all power.

 

[T2urtle]

+1 for speed3
did you mean the 6 wagon?

no wagon... those are horrible compared to a forester/matrix.

the 6 hatch looks exactly like a sedan but it has a rear wiper and obviously its a hatch rather then a normal trunk.

 

[JCH13]

+1 for speed3
did you mean the 6 wagon?

Hatch... wagon... let's just call it a 5-door :hmm:

T2urtle: you always need the power :awe:

The regular MZ3 5-door is still nice, I think you even have more options than the MS3 (like a sun roof) give it a test drive.

 

[Arkaign]

The Duratec/MZR 2.0/2.3 and especially the 2.5 are great great motors, very reliable, and all chain-driven. The Mazda6 used the 2.3, and now the 2.5 variant of this. It's very capable and a good equal to the competition.

On the other hand, the 3.0 V6 that was used in the Mazda6 is an ancient design, has barely more power than the 4-banger, gets terrible fuel economy, and is just generally outclassed in every way by the competition. The new 3.7L V6 totally fixes this, it's a truly vast improvement. It's the same basis for the '11 Mustang V6 w/300+hp, although the variants in the Mazda6 are slightly less potently tuned. Great power and fuel economy.

Cliffs :

Mazda6 is good car.
2.3L i4 is nice.
2.5L i4 is awesome.
3.0L V6 is crap.
3.7L V6 is fantastic.

 

[RedRooster]

no wagon... those are horrible compared to a forester/matrix.

the 6 hatch looks exactly like a sedan but it has a rear wiper and obviously its a hatch rather then a normal trunk.

But it doesn't have the actual verstility of a hatch, cuz you have that lift over and there's no convenient flat floor and high roof. The beauty of a hatch or wagon, which I'm assuming you're looking for, is being able to shove a large box or furniture through the large low opening in the back and have clearance. That back window on the 6 hatch kinda kills that. I tried moving an OLD 32" tv in a friends, might as well just have put it in the back seat of a sedan.

 

[punjabiplaya]

so this thing then?
I didn't even know it existed

 

[T2urtle]

^ link broken


http://www.canadiandriver.com/2004/07/28/test-drive-2004-mazda6-sport-gt.htm

the RED car in this is what i speak of.

Yea the wagon form and the hatch are both 5 door but i speak/care only for the hatch of this.

 

[exar333]

The Duratec/MZR 2.0/2.3 and especially the 2.5 are great great motors, very reliable, and all chain-driven. The Mazda6 used the 2.3, and now the 2.5 variant of this. It's very capable and a good equal to the competition.

On the other hand, the 3.0 V6 that was used in the Mazda6 is an ancient design, has barely more power than the 4-banger, gets terrible fuel economy, and is just generally outclassed in every way by the competition. The new 3.7L V6 totally fixes this, it's a truly vast improvement. It's the same basis for the '11 Mustang V6 w/300+hp, although the variants in the Mazda6 are slightly less potently tuned. Great power and fuel economy.

Cliffs :

Mazda6 is good car.
2.3L i4 is nice.
2.5L i4 is awesome.
3.0L V6 is crap.
3.7L V6 is fantastic.

I think you are a little off here. FWIW the V6 fuel economy was only 10-15% less than then i4. If anything, the fuel economy of i4 was not that impressive. Your right that the V6 didn't have a ton of power (210hp IIRC?) but the engine was very reliable. It was timing-chain driven and could take a beating.

 

[Lotheron]

I think you are a little off here. FWIW the V6 fuel economy was only 10-15% less than then i4. If anything, the fuel economy of i4 was not that impressive. Your right that the V6 didn't have a ton of power (210hp IIRC?) but the engine was very reliable. It was timing-chain driven and could take a beating.

This is very true.

I have the 3.0 liter and I will knock the pants off any of the 2.3/2.5MZRs. I get about 25-27MPG avg while flogging it.

It rev so smooth to 7000RPM too..

 

[Chrono]

After a few recommendations from people on here, I've narrowed my own decision on getting a brand new 2010 mazda6 i sport. Currently discounted to 14k, after TTL it comes out to 15500 or so. I'm going to get the automatic with the 2.5 liter engine... I test drove one a week and a half ago and color me impressed. I currently drive an EVO X but wanted to downgrade but still wanted to have fun... so Mazda6 is what I liked most.

 

[Arkaign]

This is very true.

I have the 3.0 liter and I will knock the pants off any of the 2.3/2.5MZRs. I get about 25-27MPG avg while flogging it.

It rev so smooth to 7000RPM too..

Fueleconomy.gov shows 25mpg highway and 20mpg combined. I guess I have a bad opinion of them as I repeatedly dusted an '07 Auto V6 in my lowly nearly-stock Focus (with the 2.0!!). I don't mind poor fuel economy, but I'd at least like to see the performance be there. The 3.0 V6 is from the ollllllllllld Contour/Mondeo design, and was utterly outclassed by the competition V6s from Honda, Toyota, and Nissan.

 

[Arkaign]

After a few recommendations from people on here, I've narrowed my own decision on getting a brand new 2010 mazda6 i sport. Currently discounted to 14k, after TTL it comes out to 15500 or so. I'm going to get the automatic with the 2.5 liter engine... I test drove one a week and a half ago and color me impressed. I currently drive an EVO X but wanted to downgrade but still wanted to have fun... so Mazda6 is what I liked most.

That's awesome. The 2.5 is a sweet motor, they managed to add both power AND fuel economy with that revision, great stuff. I've driven the Fusion and Mazda3 with the 2.5, and they were both great, I imagine that vehicle with the same motor will be just as good.

 

[Chrono]

That's awesome. The 2.5 is a sweet motor, they managed to add both power AND fuel economy with that revision, great stuff. I've driven the Fusion and Mazda3 with the 2.5, and they were both great, I imagine that vehicle with the same motor will be just as good.

Yeah it's a sweet car. I think you have a mazda6 correct? I can't wait til I swing by the dealership this coming Sunday. Truecar.com had a great price I just couldn't turn down.

 

[Arkaign]

Yeah it's a sweet car. I think you have a mazda6 correct? I can't wait til I swing by the dealership this coming Sunday. Truecar.com had a great price I just couldn't turn down.

I don't have a 6, I've got a Focus 5spd Coupe, does have the MZR/Duratec 2.0L i4 in it, it's been a perfect car for me, over 50k miles of zero problems and invariably good performance/fuel economy. I expect you will be very pleased with the Mazda6, it's a solid car, and the 2.5L i4 is as good as anything out there.

 

[Atty]

I know a few people with Mazda 6's, all girls, so the problems I list might be put off to poor ownership. One of them had her dash die on her, first the rev counter stopped working and then next the speedo. Little pieces of her trim were coming off too, plastic pieces snapping, etc. The other has had better luck with hers for the most part except some poor paint wear and tear (Central Florida area, car is 4 years old.)