The Start of the Boring Sports Sedan : Gotian test drives the Mazdaspeed6

[Gotian]

Well Mazda has done a great job marketing the Mazda 6 and they have sold plenty and it's almost to the point that you see as many as you do jettas and corollas, though it's not up to the most common civic yet. But what about the mazdaspeed6? It was marketed for a few months when it came out but then Mazda stopped, and just as quickly it was forgotten, left to collect dust on dealer lots with no where to go and no one to want them, like the last puppy in the box, watching all it's siblings get a happy owner. I mean with 274bhp and 280tq you cant go wrong, right?.....Right?

So after I bought my RX-8 The dealer told me that I could test a Speed6 so he took us out to test them, first thing he asked, what color. I said it didnt matter and he opened one up and turned it on only to find the battery dead. We go to another one, same thing. We tried 4 more, but again dead. He went to get the jumper and the jumper pack was dead. I asked him "how long do these stay on the lot" He told me like this, "they don't sell, they are too over priced and for the money people buy Evos and STi's, and I dont blame them, I'd buy an STi over this too. People come to mazda and when they want a sports car they Buy an RX-8 like you did, They want a sedan they buy a regular 6 or 3 so this one gets left out." He told me to come back on friday and then I could test one. So I did.

On friday he had the battery charged and redy for me to drive. It was raining that day so I got to really test the AWD system. When I was taking it off the lot I was already having a hard time. The clutch popped back at you, you needed to fight it in order to release it slowly and get going. after about 5 minutes I got used to the clutch so it wasnt so bad. Next I got used to the shifter which was fairly easy and I liked how it was position, towards the driver. The model we had tested was the base model which was comfortable even with the cloth interior. It came with a bose stereo system which sounded very nice.

As we continued on the drive I decided to push it a bit more to test out the spooling capabilities of the turbo, It was good, there was plenty of low end especially if you needed to pass in traffic, I tried it out in every gear starting at 2k and punching the gas to see how quickly power was delivered, I wasnt suprised to see how quick the rpms rose, especially since they use the same turbo as my jetta which is designed for quick response.

We finally got to a straight where I could test out the acceleration. I put it in first and launch at about 3500, I take it to red line and notice something weird, I brushed it off and did it again in 2nd taking it to redline, the acceleration was very nice with plenty of torque pushing you through, well until you get to a little after 5k, which is where I noticed something was happening. The car's redline begins at 7k and ends at 8k and fuel cut is 7200, now with that in mind let me explain what happened, at 5k the turbo shut off, why the hell would you have the turbo shut off! It's like hitting dual fuel cut!, I had all that power and boom it's gone just as quickly as I had it. I just couldnt believe it, that's why these cars dont sell, that's why they have all that power but dont have the performance of the evo and sti, that's why with all that power they run 15's. I thought, oh well, maybe the handling would save this car for me, uh.....no.

Now mazda has made a name for themselves when it comes to suspension and handling, I've always told people, you want handling and a great suspension from stock and that is affordable go to mazda, you want power go somewhere else. Well on the Speed6 the suspension is there, on every bump, on every turn, on every curb, the only problem is the speed6 is a cow, and you feel it. So after all that it was time to take it in, I had enough to know the life expectancy on this car.

Pros :
It has great low end power, very comfotable for those long trips or rush hour traffic, nice stereo and great handling. Also good potential if the after market ever gets to it.

Cons :
I've seen snails changes lanes with more ease than the speed6. Turbo shutting off before redline (WTF is that!?) Performance suffers too much to carry the Mazdaspeed name. Base price 28k and can run up to 37k or 38k depending on the options. It isnt nearly as fast, as manuverable, or even as practacle as the RX-8 or even my Jetta

Verdict : As I said earlier, with the money you could buy an evo or sti. I wouldnt buy it and I'm glad I didnt, though I was considering it at the time they released them. Wait for the mazdaspeed 3 cause unless Mazda changes the Speed6 it wont last much longer. They really shouldve made it a V6 and cut back on a few things like the stereo system and the spoiler, I'm sure they couldve made it v6 turbo with the same price they have on it now.

[-Jayson-]

ehh i doubt the mazdaspeed3 will be any better, it uses the exact same engine/turbo, just detuned a bit.

[TheStang00]

well thats one car ive considered for my next one, ill probably test drive it whenever i buy another car, which will be a long time anyway.... i never heard that thing with the turbo though. thats weird, its a shame because its a good engine. maybe they will fix it next year, you never know. i mean if its not selling something is obviously going to change.

[clawhammer]

Maybe the engine wasn't warmed up or maybe it was even able to detect that the engine wasn't fully broken in yet

[Gotian]

Originally Posted by clawhammer

Maybe the engine wasn't warmed up or maybe it was even able to detect that the engine wasn't fully broken in yet

it was warmed up, and it wouldnt shut off the turbo if it wasnt broken in, no car does that cause then it would shut off the engine and not just the turbo, especially since after you shift the turbo kicked right back in till 5k

[GForce957]

MT tested the mazaspeed 3 to a 5.8, maybe that will turn out to be a nicer srt-4

[RSturbo]

i could have bought a 2006 mazdaspeed 6 with 46 miles for $22,000 that was the grandtouring model. they said it ran like high 13's and 0-60 in the 5's.
but it sounds like it was a dogg. glad i didn't buy it.

i dont think the turbo shut off. the power just drops off after 5k. remeber it wasn't made to compete with the evo or sti. it was made for a different group of people that wanted a family car with a little kick.

[Gotian]

Originally Posted by RSturbo

i could have bought a 2006 mazdaspeed 6 with 46 miles for $22,000 that was the grandtouring model. they said it ran like high 13's and 0-60 in the 5's.
but it sounds like it was a dogg. glad i didn't buy it.

i dont think the turbo shut off. the power just drops off after 5k. remeber it wasn't made to compete with the evo or sti. it was made for a different group of people that wanted a family car with a little kick.

i used that turbo everyday in the jetta and believe me, it shut off in the 6 and you feel it.

[Polygon]

Originally Posted by -Jayson-

ehh i doubt the mazdaspeed3 will be any better, it uses the exact same engine/turbo, just detuned a bit.

There is an article in my current issue of SCC. I'll read it and let you know what they thought.

Also, that was a pretty good article. Too bad they had to go and do something stupid like that and ruin a perfectly good car.

[Gotian]

Originally Posted by Polygon

Also, that was a pretty good article. Too bad they had to go and do something stupid like that and ruin a perfectly good car.

Cool you liked my Review! Props to me!

[CassiesMan]

In the current SCC, they love the Mazdaspeed3. Don't know if they ever did anything on the 6 though.

[TheStang00]

Originally Posted by CassiesMan

In the current SCC, they love the Mazdaspeed3. Don't know if they ever did anything on the 6 though.

i have a mag with a mazdaspeed6 review, i forget if its R&T or C&D tho

[Gotian]

it was c & d that did the review, they liked it but it was too over priced

[2000LS1Z28]

I said it didnt matter and he opened one up and turned it on only to find the battery dead. We go to another one, same thing. We tried 4 more, but again dead.

Talk about long term durability.

[Gotian]

those cars had been sitting there for more than 5 months