EVO IX MR VS Mazdaspeed 6

what do u guys think is better? EVO IX MR OR Mazdaspeed6?....

admit it ppl....how often do u go to the track or use the full potential of ur car?

the evo is "better", mazda even says on their web page that the speed6 isn't meant to compete with cars like the evo's and STI's, it's just a nice, luxurious, sporty, sedan. it looks to be a very nice car, i've been considering one.

ya, the Mazda 6 is much bigger and comes with a lot more luxurious appointments. Its meant to compete with the Maxima, BMW 330xi, and Charger, not the Evo

Yea the Evo IX MR will BLOW it out of the water w/it's first 2 gears...

your comparing apples to bannanas.

theres one serious problem that i have with the mazdaspeed 6. the awd system is very stupid. its very similar to the audi and vw's haldex system. the car is primarily a FWD and the ecu will send tq to the rear. this is why audi TT's handles like shit. i would rather get a true awd like from a evo, sti or from a GTR.

and i guess i can add another problem, the engine. it uses a direct injection system for the fuel. this is different from multiport injection. the direct injection sprays super high pressure fuel into the combustion chamber directly instead of in the intake runners to swirl with the air.

the reason why i'm not a fan of this is because when you get higher up in the rpm, the injectors can't keep with the load from the engine and will have a slight dead spot. ( not true for the audi RS4's system, but true for the mazda's ). now if you were to upgrade the turbo you would need more fuel and no aftermarket companies have developed these types of special injectors yet. but thats nothing that a new ecu tune with a aftermarket intake manifold that has auxilery injector ports can't fix. but why bother?

overall its junk.

I would not go so far as to call the Mazdaspeed "luxurious." Perhaps when compared to the Evo, it has a better interior, but it sounds to me like it is still very sub-par.

I see the Mazdaspeed6 as a middle of the road car. It isn't going to be as quick as a Evo or STi, but it is nicer. The optional leather interior and power seats make the MS6 a little more appealing for everyday driving (granted those options bring the cost up to around $32,000). When compared to other low $30,000 range cars like the Acura TL, BMW 325i, Audi A4 2.0t, and Lexus IS250, the MS6's interior is complete and utter garbage. It really doesn't even really compete well with the cheaper Accord EX, Jetta, and TSX in terms of interior quality.

So it isn't as quick as the STi or Evo, and it isn't as nice as the luxury makes, nor even the nicer everydar Honda Accords, but it does offer a good balance between the two. I could not see driving an STi or Evo daily, but the MS6 might be reasonable. It is also a good deal quicker then the traditional low $30,000 luxo-sports cars like the TL. It is a big trade-off between the two genres.

I do however see a big problem with the Mazdaspeed6, and that problem is named the Infiniti G35. The G35 Sedan has more power, a much nicer interior, and dare I say it will probably be alot more reliable. The G35 isn't as nice as the 3-series or the A4, but it is miles ahead of the Mazda. You can even get an optional AWD setup.

My conclusion- I'd get an Evo or an STi as a second car, but I think as a first car that lends itself more towards speed but makes for a good daily driver, the G35 is better then the MS6. The only reason I can really see for getting a MS6 is if you want the Turbo and AWD setup like the Evo, with a bit better interior.

or you can just get the subaru legacy 2.5 gt. better interior, better looking ,and just as fast but have a shit load of aftermarket potential.

soo...mazdaspeed6 = no point? ouch mazda

I wouldn't say it has no point. It's base price is $27,995. It's a few thousand cheaper than either the Infiniti G35 sedan or Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT sedan, and while it doesn't have as nice an interior as they do, it's almost certainly going to be just as fast (if not faster) as them. If you can't live without a high-quality leather interior and a smooth, quiet ride, you're not going to like the Mazdaspeed 6, but it still offers a solid amount of performance for less money than any of its reasonable competition, yet it's not as brutish as the STi or the Evo. I, too, see it as a very middle-of-the-road car, and a damn good one at that.

in the european market, it also serves as an alternative to cars like the Mondeo ST24 or volvo T5.

your comparing apples to bannanas.

theres one serious problem that i have with the mazdaspeed 6. the awd system is very stupid. its very similar to the audi and vw's haldex system. the car is primarily a FWD and the ecu will send tq to the rear. this is why audi TT's handles like shit. i would rather get a true awd like from a evo, sti or from a GTR.

and i guess i can add another problem, the engine. it uses a direct injection system for the fuel. this is different from multiport injection. the direct injection sprays super high pressure fuel into the combustion chamber directly instead of in the intake runners to swirl with the air.

the reason why i'm not a fan of this is because when you get higher up in the rpm, the injectors can't keep with the load from the engine and will have a slight dead spot. ( not true for the audi RS4's system, but true for the mazda's ). now if you were to upgrade the turbo you would need more fuel and no aftermarket companies have developed these types of special injectors yet. but thats nothing that a new ecu tune with a aftermarket intake manifold that has auxilery injector ports can't fix. but why bother?

overall its junk.

Not entirely true. The Audi TT handles like shit because of health and safety culture, I've driven a pre-safety scare (i.e. very early model) TT and it was a really good drive, reminded me somewhat of a Peugeot 205 GTi. That said however, the Hadlex is still much inferior to a Torsen style diff, it's more of a marketing tool than anything.

I'd still have the Mazda6 MPS over the Evo IX, I like the idea that I'm not buying a car from a comapny that are complete crooks and it's not going to get pinched within 5 minutes of seeing my car park. I'm over the whole modifying cars BS and frankly am usually happy enough with a few bolt ons for my daily drivers. If I wanted a track car, I'd do it properly and get a Caterham or an Atom or something.

Other reasons to choose the Mazda include the fact it's more comfortable, better looking, better equipped, better on fuel, more reliable, more practical and better built. You can get 80% of the Evo's performance and handling in a much more practical package and frankly, that appeals to me more.


The Subaru Legacy 3.0R is better buying than the MPS though.

Too bad the Subaru Legacy 3.0R or what you probably mean is the six speed manual Spec B is not sold in the US. But the 2.5GT which you can probably say the MSP6 is in direct competition to is.

Also please do not even go into stating that FWD biased AWD is not "true AWD" because guess what, the EVO has a front biased AWD system. Which is probably one of the reason it handles slightly better than the WRX on tight road circuits.

So when it comes down to the Legacy 2.5GT vs Mazdaspeed 6 this is what it comes down to.

Better fuel economy - Mazdaspeed 6
Plusher and more quality interior - Legacy 2.5GT
Better handling - Mazdaspeed 6
More Space (trunk and passenger) - Mazdaspeed 6
Better latteral acceration - Legacy 2.5GT
Cheaper at minimum package or trim - Legacy 2.5GT
Cheap at max package or trim - Mazdaspeed 6
More Aftermarket - obviously the Legacy 2.5GT (Even though that can change somewhat once the Focus ST comes out)

From what your saying, the Mazdapeed6 competes with the Acura TSX, Volvo S40 then. Because that is the Legacy's competition...theres at least one other car in that little 2nd lvl luxury/sporty sedan segment....C&D did a comparo on it

The Mazdaspeed 6 isn't meant to compete with the Evo and WRX, their just really to different for all their similarities...

From what your saying, the Mazdapeed6 competes with the Acura TSX, Volvo S40 then. Because that is the Legacy's competition...theres at least one other car in that little 2nd lvl luxury/sporty sedan segment....C&D did a comparo on it

The Mazdaspeed 6 isn't meant to compete with the Evo and WRX, their just really to different for all their similarities...


Ah, I remember the other car 'Twas an A4 1.8T. But you're right, the 6 and Evo are completely different cars, in that situatiton it's not a case of which car you want, but more a case of which class of car you want (If you get my gist, I'm too tired to make sense).

I never said an FWD-biased AWD system wasn't a real AWD system, it is, but a Hadlex type on the other hand is not, they may as well have just made the car FWD and saved a whole lot of weight if the car was going to be FWD 90% of the time anyway. But nooooo it looks so good on the sales brochure....

Well, AWD fundimentally means when power is deverted to the front and rear wheels, even if that means one side doesn't get power that often. So does that mean the Skyline GT-R migh as well be considered RWD since the AWD is a computer controlled system as well and is only truely applied once tire slip or any yaw is sensed? Here (http://www.autozine.org/technical_school/traction/tech_traction_4wd_21.htm) is a good comparison between them all. Each one has their pros and cons despite the fact that the pros of some impact the manufacturer end more.

and the GT-R also has the rare option to be called "one side-drive" in the right circumstances....

and in a slightly more relevent tangent.
how does the MPS6 compare to the RX-8?
do you think they're a bit too close to each other, not in terms of execution but in terms of results?
i mean, look at them basically: four door, four seat, decent boot, decent performance, decent cabin, pretty much identical prices.

The RX-8 is RWD, has more sporty focused rather than plush looking interior, is not a true 4 door, can't seat 5, has a Rotary engine which is smoother as well as cheaper to produce with what power it has but is less fuel efficient, however it is now cheaper than the MSP6.

Madza seemed to make the MSP6 to address all the issues those had with the RX-8 and it is their second attempt to tap into mid-higher end sedan market with a sporty rather than a more luxury or comfort focused sedan like the Millenia S.

Now it seems Mazda is considering putting the Kabura concept (http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=31&article_id=10554) (here is another video (http://reviews.cnet.com/Mazda_Kabura/4660-11443_7-6417744.html)) or something like it into productions to address the more budget minded half that weren't interested in the RX-8. So it seems that the RX-8 is going to be their flagship car, until or if an new RX-7 is made but for anyone who is not interested in it can vi for the two opposingly priced alternatives.

whoa vador, autozine is still around? i thought that website went down years ago, i use to frequent there all the time.

I suppose it still it still is. I bet the reason for it going online again if it did ever go off is not only from indivisual demand but also manufacturers have figured out the internet is a great way to promote, hype or even find out what potential consumers want in their models.

I also forgot to mention that Mazda is coming out with an MSP6 for SUV lovers or the CX-7. (http://www.motoring.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3053496&fSectionId=751&fSetId=381) Which is abviously designed to have a plusher interior and smoother ride as well as probably a higher price tag than its sedan cousin.

I also found an interesting quote from an article which shows that Mazda's AWD system ihas a bit more than your average Haldex system and is actually more akin to the EVO's

"The Active Torque Split system incorporates real-time input data on steering angle, yaw rate, lateral G force and engine status to determine road surface and driving conditions, then selects between Normal, Sports and Snow (slippery) modes to provide the most power and traction under all conditions. A torque-sensing limited-slip differential (borrowed from the Mazda RX-8 sports car) optimizes torque and ensures excellent power delivery when cornering or on slippery surfaces. To ensure consistent power delivery under all weather and driving conditions, the water-cooled Power Take Off center differential distributes torque to the rear axle."

It also has a throttle input sensor which means it is really only FWD until you step on the gas. And here is a graph that shows even a normal Haldex system of today reacts allot faster than it did before.
http://www.haldex-traction.com/technical_information/performance_info/enlarge/PreX%20graph%20large.gif

So this goes to show that the Mazdaspeed 6's AWD system is full-time, just don't expect to do any rally style slides on tarmac by decompressing the clutch and a flick of the steering wheel.:grinno: It is not that I dislike the Legacy GT, it is actually quite the opposite. I just don't want to see it triumph over the immediate competition just because of shere fandom. :D