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Vansquish · 10-10-2003, 02:42 AM

....and the more in-depth answer to the question is that my dad was the chief-program engineer (i.e. the manager of the 6 program for the US...before Mazda took over and redid the entire program and built a different car, but used much of the structure and specs that my dad put into the program...one of those specs is that it had to be as stiff as a BMW 5 series)

It has a double-cone clutch, which increases the contact patch of the clutch plates, to promote better engagements, though it takes a bit of time to get used to...but has one of the finest gearboxes I've driven. With the optional sport package that we have equipped to our Dark Blue Metallic vehicle, the 17" wheels and tires and suspension...well....we have these "cloverleaf" entrance/exit ramps from highways here in the US...on one of those with a posted 25mph speed limit, I easily maintained 70mph. I've also seen upwards of 130mph in breaks in traffic on the highway past 3 in the morning (luckily there weren't any deer hehehehe).

Aside from being an excellent country/B-road racer, it's also a very comfortable tourer. I covered the 300-odd miles from Detroit to Chicago at roughly 85-90mph steady cruise with exellent sound quality from the Bose stereo...it was a little bit too...easy tog o that fast...we brought my dad's Radar Detector for a little extra protection from the coppers hehee.

Anyway, in short, it's a really excellent vehicle for the kind of money you'd pay for one. I'd wager it's better than the Mondeo ST220 too, but having not really driven one, I couldn't tell you from personal experience.

I also went to the Mazda Rev-It Up Challenge autocrossed a few lightly modded 6's...they were excellent...predictable and really a bundle of fun on the course.

10-10-2003, 02:42 AM	#9
Vansquish Regular User Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA/ Bloomington, IN, USA Posts: 2,624	....and the more in-depth answer to the question is that my dad was the chief-program engineer (i.e. the manager of the 6 program for the US...before Mazda took over and redid the entire program and built a different car, but used much of the structure and specs that my dad put into the program...one of those specs is that it had to be as stiff as a BMW 5 series) It has a double-cone clutch, which increases the contact patch of the clutch plates, to promote better engagements, though it takes a bit of time to get used to...but has one of the finest gearboxes I've driven. With the optional sport package that we have equipped to our Dark Blue Metallic vehicle, the 17" wheels and tires and suspension...well....we have these "cloverleaf" entrance/exit ramps from highways here in the US...on one of those with a posted 25mph speed limit, I easily maintained 70mph. I've also seen upwards of 130mph in breaks in traffic on the highway past 3 in the morning (luckily there weren't any deer hehehehe). Aside from being an excellent country/B-road racer, it's also a very comfortable tourer. I covered the 300-odd miles from Detroit to Chicago at roughly 85-90mph steady cruise with exellent sound quality from the Bose stereo...it was a little bit too...easy tog o that fast...we brought my dad's Radar Detector for a little extra protection from the coppers hehee. Anyway, in short, it's a really excellent vehicle for the kind of money you'd pay for one. I'd wager it's better than the Mondeo ST220 too, but having not really driven one, I couldn't tell you from personal experience. I also went to the Mazda Rev-It Up Challenge autocrossed a few lightly modded 6's...they were excellent...predictable and really a bundle of fun on the course. __________________ me-- "Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't. Sometimes I feel like the moon is made of cheese" my Hindibonics-speaking Indian roommate--"Dawgs, do you have any idea how much bacteria that would take?"