Another Personal Car: 2003 Mazda 6 V6 sport

[graywolf624]

Well, I guess everyone can tell from the title I didn't really get to test drive anything new this weekend. The weather was crap having snowed the other day, so a sports car was out. I actually considered test driving a new hummer h3, then changed my mind. Why you ask? They have an offroad track at the dealership that is closed due to the weather. I'm hoping I can get a test drive cultimating with the track.. Time will tell.

I also have a second set of test drives I am working on for a car I am purchasing for a family member. This will sound like an incredible ape of Top gear, but I am currently searching for a under 1000 dollar pickup so you will eventually see a review of what 1000 dollars will buy. More on that to come.

Finally, GM decided not to offer 0 percent on Vettes for the current sale. As a result I am in a holding pattern temporarily. Time will tell what happens on that too. Seems like theres alot of that this week, I blame it on the snow. Anyway, on with the review.

So some background, I bought a new 2003 Mazda 6 back in August of 2003. The car has the V6 out of the ford focus with modifications done by Mazda to differentiate it. Total bhp is 220 with 190 torque. The car has a unique intake and variable valve timing/ intake. The car is black and has almost every option, as I was looking for a luxury/grand turer at the time.
I actually almost bought a low option car for the same price, but when my ordered car arrived at the dealership someone hit it on the lot. I insisted on the car they had on the lot with all options or my cash back. And here we are today.

So I guess to start with the looks. When I bought this car the look with the sports package, which I have, was unlike anything else stock on the road. In the interim since it appears everyone and their mother has aped the styling. I also have learned to loath certain aspects of the look. The tall rear wing not only bisects my rear view but seems to attract ricers that want a race. It tends to look tacky, but without it the car looks like its missing something on the trunk. Newer years have a more tasteful flat spoiler which I would suggest if you are considering one.

The car also has large panel gaps, especially between hood and fenders. I first noticed these most after I had an accident in mine. I intially though it was shoddy worksmanship on the part of my shop, till I checked out a few new ones on the lots. The gaps were the same.

I also have the 17" Rims. I didn't purchase these because I wanted large wheels, I went this way because the 16" wheels are ugly and because it was on the car I purchased. In fact, I would tell you straight away the optional sports package, another option on the car, is a waste. It comes with the 17" wheels, the spoiler, integrated tail lights, fake exhaust tips, an led speedo, and faux alluminum/carbon fiber accents. In otherwords everything you need to look like your out of your local burger king parking lot at 11 pm on a Saturday night. In retrospect I would opt out of these options and had I paid extra for them I just would have purchased aftermarket wheels.

The uplevel Bose stereo is also a bit shakey in quality. Its better then your typical blose, but it still leaves some to be desired. It really bothers me that the upmarket unit in my 7 year old TA is light years better then this unit. Still it does deliver decent noise and has steeringwheel mounted controls. At this point I cant live without the steeringwheel mounted controls. So I guess you could say to do it again I would have no where near the options.

In fact, some discussion around the mazda 6 boards indicate that the V6 itself is only slightly faster then the 4 cylinder, kind of depressing for the extra cost and poor gas mileage. I personally have never driven the 4 cylinder, but the v6 is not utterly unredeemable. The car is quite rev happy with the vvt/i, get the car above 3000 rpms and the engine really opens up. Its a gas to run it in the correct range, and does have decent amount of pep for a family car. It'll spin the rubber and make a decent (for a v6) sound while doing it.

Speaking of rubber, those optional 17" michelin pilots handle fantastic in the dry weather, but heaven help you if you live in the snow belt. I've felt better snow traction from drag radials.

The optional heated seats and climate control w/ polen filter are extremely effective. I would recommend them for people who live in colder climates. However please note the rear mirror heaters are just about useless. The moon roof is also a useful feature, though when open it does produce quite a large amount of wind noise at highway speeds.

So now that I've completely ripped the cars options your wondering, so why the hell did you purchase this car. Well, first theres the fun of that v6. Cross into the 3000 rpm range and similar to a turbo you get a sudden burst of speed. It's a lot of fun for a car in this category.

What category you ask? Well something that can carry 5 people and fit alot of gear. This car has alot of space with the rear seats folded down. I once crammed a single mattress (just barely) behind me in the car. You could probably place 2 or 3 dead guys in the trunk if you were trying out for the mob, while simultaneously driving around your 4 closest hitmen.. oops I mean friends. This makes the car extremely versatile.

The leather seats, I unfortunately must say, are not as comfortable as they initally feel over the long drive. They cause me emmense pain on long drives. The optional lumbar pump on the seats is absolutely useless. The seats do hold you in spirited driving, but they just don't do much for your back.

Nor does the ride. The car definitly takes notice of the bumps. It doesn't follow them mind you. But with the 17" you can feel every bump through the steering wheel and your back side. Its great for feedback, but its not fun for long drives.

So what of the handling. Well theres decent feel from the steering wheel. The car holds the road quite well. There is a tendancy to understeer if you really boot it, but the limits are quite high for a family car.

The car is also flickable. Not Solstice or Miata style, but it does feel lighter then its 3300 lb girth. There is an extremely small dead zone in the steering wheel. Not large enough to notice unless your paying real close attention, but just enough to help stability at speed. The car runs fairly well on the highway at speed except for a tendancy to be blown around by the wind.

The interior itself has worn well, despite all the fake accents and your typical cheap plastic japanese dash. The car has overall worn well over time. There have only been a handful of visits to mazda service and your regular oil/ filter change combination over the last 40000 miles. It has been one of the cheapest cars I've ever run in this respect.

I guess my conclusion about this car, ignoring the garish useless options that you should only live with if you didn't actually pay for them like myself, is the car is a compromise. It handles well, stores alot, is fast, reliable, and fun to drive. If it weren't for the seats and the stiff ride, 2 things you may avoid with different options, I would say this car is above average at all things in this price range. It isn't stellar in one area, but what do you expect for a car in this price range.

Anyway, I swear this will be the last personal car review for a long while. Not the least of which because I'm out of personal cars. Anyway, till next week.