The installer mounted the warning pod discreetly behind the instrument pod fascia. It's a stylish and sporty sedan, and a little more work from the home office could make the Mazda 6 a real jewel. All of us liked the feel of the steering wheel and its easy-to-use radio and cruise-control buttons. Less-aggressive tires and more sound-deadening material would have helped the problem. Some maddening pitches sing out, depending on the mix of pavement to the tires on the highway. In rapid fire, the Mazda 6 was in Canada, then Vermont, then Florida, and finally across the country to Arizona to the winter digs of Patrick Bedard. There are indeed seat heaters.
Check the Web site for locations. They also have a directional tread design to improve traction on wet and slushy roads. So, work on the road noise and ergonomics, Mazda. Our Mazda dealer also replaced the engine's air filter, even though the manual recommends changing it much later, at 37,500 miles. The large cup holders in the door panels drew huzzahs for their ability to hold big bottles and super-size pops. This sporty demeanor may have contributed to our spirited driving of the 6. It ripped to 60 mph in a quick 6.
We can recommend these tires. Lucky editors and staffers are free to take these long-term cars on extended trips, and we started racking up big odo numbers almost immediately. Noise aside, the Mazda's catlike reflexes and Velcro grip made it fun to drive. The stiff suspension and the low-profile tires turned cracks in the road into canyons; taut handling for the driver turned into a jarring ride for passengers. The longer stopping distance and lower skidpad number were perhaps due to middle-aged tires, but we're stumped over the slip in straight-line performance. Great pick-up speed when you need it as well. As is our ritual practice, when the odo achieved 40,000 miles, we returned this long-term car to the track to see how its performance may have changed.
. It covered the quarter-mile in 15. Although most of them are quite capable, they are often unexciting to look at and mediocre performers to boot. Its reputation gets a huge lift owing to its low maintenance. Just one little problem: They don't work; they give off no heat. If you live in an area with heavy lidar use, the DefuserPlus should help keep you one step ahead of the cops.
The replacement was the , which we previewed and then road-tested in 2002. Within two weeks of its arrival, we ran the 6 out to the track for its first performance tests. With the passage of 10 months here, it lost some of its zoom-zoom. Proof of that is the time it took to accumulate 40,000 miles—just 10 months, whereas most of our long-haulers need 12 to 14 months to do that, and sometimes longer. The Mazda 6 s is a car with a lot of spirit, but winter driving was a less-hair-raising experience with these tires. That's more than enough warning and extra distance in which to slow down. They were hard to find, and the amount of heat they generated was widely debated.
Plus, the knobs protrude very little and are nearly impossible to grasp with gloves on. On dry roads, the Blizzaks sang a little louder than the all-season Michelins, but the enhanced stability and control far outweighed the aural annoyance. However, I don't agree with Spence—my buns are telling me the heaters work. As for the zoom-zoom fun part, it is indeed a trip. The owner's manual calls for the first service at 7500 miles.
You have to turn the temperature up to 78 or 79 degrees to get the cabin warm, even in 50-degree ambient temp. So the only question that remained was, how would it stack up over the long haul, 40,000 miles' worth? It included a long list of inspections and the routine oil and oil-filter changes and tire rotation. They seemed to work fine for some drivers, they seemed to work poorly for others, and at least one editor said he could feel nothing probably our insensitive managing editor. The 0-to-60-mph time slowed from 6. The Blizzaks have zigzag sipes and independent tread blocks to chew up the snow. Great on the highway, with enough performance to tackle the Colorado passes.
Seat-heater control location on front of center console is absurd. Over the course of 40,000 miles, our silver bullet was so well-behaved that it did not require a single unscheduled visit to the dealer for any kind of problem—and that is a really good thing, although we did have to add a quart of oil at 13,000 miles. But the ride quality was less than a joy, particularly for rear-seat passengers. We typically find that many cars perform better at 40K, possibly because the slightly worn-in engine produces less friction and puts more power to the ground. The quarter's trap speed, however, didn't budge from 93 mph.
During a whiteout-snowstorm drive to Michigan's frozen Upper Peninsula, the Mazda 6 was slowed, but not stopped. Braking from 70 mph worsened by 12 feet, to 190 feet, and skidpad grip decreased by 0. One of K40's local dealers here in Ann Arbor, Mr. Our shiny silver Mazda 6, however, had boy-racer cladding and a rear wing that tended to stick out in a crowd. I have more picks than nits. Seems willing to tolerate all demands without a whimper. Here's the bottom line: The Mazda 6 s turned out to be a popular car with the staff of Car and Driver.
Seats measure up well for long-haul comfort, and ride quality is better than I expected it to be. Stopping from 70 mph required only 178 feet. Living in the refrigerated section of the U. For once, the advertising wasn't sugar-coating the reality: it was zoom-zoom and then some. The staff praised the 6's ability to pass easily and its agility in traffic and on twisty roads. The sportiness of its tightly stretched skin gave it a muscular look, and its straight-line performance and over-the-road agility were quite impressive—good enough to earn the 6 s a spot on our annual 10Best Cars list for 2003.