2014 Mazda6 - General Discussion
- Thread starter CodeRedR51
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- Beeblebrox_237
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- mustafur
First gen Mazda 3.
I owned a 2009 Toyota Corolla Sedan at the time of me last Driving it and the Corolla definitely was more composed around corners and I can't say it was anything impressive.
Not to mention the Ford focus on which it is based on somehow blows it out of the ball park handling and steering wise, its as if Mazda Ruined the car then tried to make the interior look like an RX-8 to make up for it.
I have managed to own a Few Cars since then, My 2006 Audi A3 2.0T for example was much better, idk i've owned plenty of Euro cars mostly from the big 3 German manufactures and they are several million miles away from decent handling, the Mazda 3 I drove was severely under steering on roundabouts as if it was a VXR Vectra on full throttle.
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Keef
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Lift off oversteer is a typical FWD thing but has nothing to do with the balance while actually in throttle, the Mazda 3 has terrible balance and gives up basically instantly with any decent turn angle on the throttle.
I Buy and sell cars and have been doing it for a couple of years now so it's easy to make comparisons like this.
Ford Focus(Euro version) is significantly superior dynamically to the Mazda in every measurable way.
- 2,705
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Funny, my 2005 Mazda 3 will easily lift-throttle oversteer, even at fairly low speeds. And that is with stock everything. I feel it's handling dynamics are quite good, especially for a FWD econobox...
Anyway I'd be down for a 6 Coupe, especially if it came in Mazdaspeed flavors...
Anyway I'd be down for a 6 Coupe, especially if it came in Mazdaspeed flavors...
Keef
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Understeer is also a FWD trait. You can only demand so much from the tires, especially when they're skinny all seasons. I'll maintain that the 3i I drove has been one of the best handling front-drive cars I've ever driven, despite the tires. It's all in the technique. If you can't make a car dance on bad tires you probably shouldn't be pushing it on good ones.
Driving dynamics aside, I'm not a fan of the steering "feel" anyway because its electronically assisted. I haven't met an electric steering system I like yet.
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I would say its more or less coming down to the US having zero options on decent FWD cars, honestly it's terrible and compared to European Rivals its a 3 out of 10 car.
Having access to some of the best roads in the country within 30 mins from me I drive on mountain road's all the time I think I have a fair idea of what is decent handling and what isn't.
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The '12 Accord was indeed a barge. The ones before it were soft but drove nicely. That Accord (08-14, if I recall) was bigger and heavier. We drove it in '09, and it was damn scary... not enough chassis or tire for the power. The steering on those Accords, however, was butter smooth.
The new one, they've stiffened up and improved the suspension geometry to make up for losing the double wishbones. Still understeers... not enough tire... but it drives pretty well. Unfortunately, the new electric rack isn't as good as the 6's. (which isn't as good as the first-gen 6... but that's hydraulic, so oh well).
I have no idea how the Altima drove in previous gens. Last one we got was the U12 Bluebird. But this current Altima is softer and less precise than the Accord... but it has more grip.
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I never got the first-generation Mazda3. Coming from the Protege, it did feel like an improvement, but the early electric steering was not great, and how well it drives depends on the variant and wheel and tire package. The Focus is indeed more imrpessive, even on the cruddiest wheels you can get on it. (even if chassis rigidity was an issue). The only time I've felt the Mazda3 was really great was with the 17" or bigger wheels and the stiffer suspension on the bigger engined models. Lower end models, the suspension damping was simply inadequate.
@mustafur : you actually got modern Corollas there? I've driven most of them from 93 up to 2014... 2009 would be the previous model... which was stiff, and thus stable... ish... but it lacked suspension damping and had bugger-all steering feel. Good for putting a decent time down on a flat, un-bumpy track, but I'd take a Mazda3 over that, any day. Simply more fun, if not any faster in an objective sense.
The goofy-grin facelift was a better car... the steering felt better, the suspension felt tighter... but the one we got was ungodly stiff.
The new 3 is much better than any before it. I'd say it's just as good as the Focus. Then again, the Focus finally has electric steering (the new gen has both electric and hydraulic racks... have tried both... the hydraulic is better by leaps and bounds), which takes away some of the magic. Still have issues with how the 3' steering communicates on the bigger wheel-tire packages. It seems better on the smaller-tired cars.
Stilll... it's not as engaging a package as the Mazda6.
The new one, they've stiffened up and improved the suspension geometry to make up for losing the double wishbones. Still understeers... not enough tire... but it drives pretty well. Unfortunately, the new electric rack isn't as good as the 6's. (which isn't as good as the first-gen 6... but that's hydraulic, so oh well).
I have no idea how the Altima drove in previous gens. Last one we got was the U12 Bluebird. But this current Altima is softer and less precise than the Accord... but it has more grip.
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I never got the first-generation Mazda3. Coming from the Protege, it did feel like an improvement, but the early electric steering was not great, and how well it drives depends on the variant and wheel and tire package. The Focus is indeed more imrpessive, even on the cruddiest wheels you can get on it. (even if chassis rigidity was an issue). The only time I've felt the Mazda3 was really great was with the 17" or bigger wheels and the stiffer suspension on the bigger engined models. Lower end models, the suspension damping was simply inadequate.
@mustafur : you actually got modern Corollas there? I've driven most of them from 93 up to 2014... 2009 would be the previous model... which was stiff, and thus stable... ish... but it lacked suspension damping and had bugger-all steering feel. Good for putting a decent time down on a flat, un-bumpy track, but I'd take a Mazda3 over that, any day. Simply more fun, if not any faster in an objective sense.
The goofy-grin facelift was a better car... the steering felt better, the suspension felt tighter... but the one we got was ungodly stiff.
The new 3 is much better than any before it. I'd say it's just as good as the Focus. Then again, the Focus finally has electric steering (the new gen has both electric and hydraulic racks... have tried both... the hydraulic is better by leaps and bounds), which takes away some of the magic. Still have issues with how the 3' steering communicates on the bigger wheel-tire packages. It seems better on the smaller-tired cars.
Stilll... it's not as engaging a package as the Mazda6.
CodeRedR51
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It's fun with the V6, but I wouldn't call it a sports car. A pleasant change over the "Teana" we used to get in Asia before this. (same car, sucky soft suspension and plush interior)
The Accord slaloms much better, but it lacks mechanical grip at the front end. A problem the Mazda6 has, as well, actually.
The Accord slaloms much better, but it lacks mechanical grip at the front end. A problem the Mazda6 has, as well, actually.
CodeRedR51
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I didn't say it's a sports car, I just said the current car isn't bad and the 2016 car should be quite good based on my experience.
It's just it gets a lot of love from the American press and enthusiasts, so I was hoping for a bit more.
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I've got a Mazda 6 Tourer on test at the moment - and we own a previous gen model that we're going to back-to-back next week.
We just came back from testing it in Wales. Four up with a labrador in the boot it handled the sort of roads that make up the evo triangle so well that I had to stop to let my back seat passenger barf. The electric PAS is the best non-supercar system I've used - wouldn't even know it's not hydraulic.
We just came back from testing it in Wales. Four up with a labrador in the boot it handled the sort of roads that make up the evo triangle so well that I had to stop to let my back seat passenger barf. The electric PAS is the best non-supercar system I've used - wouldn't even know it's not hydraulic.
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My Dad had a late model first-generation Altima SE, and to this day, he loves to talk about how much fun it was to drive. I remember the car being kinda small, and I remember not liking it as much as Grandpa's Maximas that he got every-other-year. My step mom had an early third-gen Altima, and that was a pretty okay car to drive. The ride wasn't good, but it wasn't bad either. The steering was quick, and I remember thinking it was spooky light compared to the '95 Camry my Mom had. Still, that damn 2.5L QR25 is a hell of an engine, even when it was bolted to a four-speed automatic.
The new Altima though? Its a weird car. Capable chassis, but doesn't entirely inspire confidence. Still, a pleasant car to drive everyday. As much as I thought I'd hate it, I actually liked it quite a bit. A coupe version of the modern car would be great, but probably makes zero financial sense for Nissan.
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Keef
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I think it's actually more aggressive. The headlights get a bit squintier, the chrome blade around the grille is much more pronounced, and the blade theme is applied above the foglights as well. Besides that, it has barely changed. The grille openings all appear to be the same but the slats in the upper grille are different.
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They're chroming more things as well.
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Wait a minute. They have AWD models of the Mazda6?
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http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2016-mazda-6-sedan-official-photos-and-info-news
New Mazda 6 details and pictures.
New Mazda 6 details and pictures.
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I'm not really getting why people are complaining about the Mazda6's screen size. I mean, it's a whole lot better than this:
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