Gomez

Taking an MPS 6 for an extended test drive next week, got it for a day. Anyone else had a spin in one? What did you think?

I'm not trading the RX-8, BTW.....I'm looking to retire my XR8.

timbo

I think you'll find it a suitable replacement for the XR8, especially if you have family transport considerations. A driving experience dominated by torque...but you may find the fact that it doesn't start to happen until around 3000rpm a little disconcerting. It handles pretty well, although compared to the RX-8 you tend to feel like you're sitting on (as opposed to in) it.

I had about 90 minutes in one -- and it was wet I'd be interested in your thoughts on road noise, cos I thought (like all Mazdas) it was too noisy, but that may have been the wet (quieter than the 8, though )

Nocty

I took one for a run when it was the other car on my list of what to buy. Compared to the RX8, it felt like it had more power, but handling wise not as "fun". The style of the RX was what finally pushed me towards it, but at almost $12k cheaper to buy, the MPS6 was a close contender.

Revolver

I've taken one for a quick spin. Have to agree with Timbo - prefer the more linear feel of the 8 and although I think the 6 looks nice for a mid-size sedan/hatch, the 8 kills it for looks and ownership pride.

As for replacing your XR8, have you tried the XR6 Turbo? - hoo boy - they're fun. A friend has one.

capncrunch

A friend of mine has recently bought one. Have had a bit of a ride in it though he was still breaking it in, so not too much redlining happening

Be nice if the RX8 had exhaust tips that size though instead of the pea shooters we're stuck with.

Gomez

Well, today was the day. I lived with an MPS 6 for 90 kilometres of mixed city/freeway driving in light drizzle/clear sky on wet/dry roads....yes, I live in Melbourne.

It was a silver leather pack. I'm not a silver fan, and I hate leather.....but even overlooking these major defects the car was a disappointment. The first flaw I noticed was the odd clutch pedal feel. It had a mind of it's own, this pedal. Sometimes it would fail to fully return and stick down an inch.....very strange.

The seat was an all singing, all dancing multi-memory jobbie that just didn't hug you like the 8 seat does. It felt like a firm leather covered futon.

The sales guy told me the boot has no drop down rear seat or pass-thru because Mazda has braced the area behind the rear seat for extra shell rigidity. Maybe they did, but the end result is that the boot is a lot less accommodating.

The tyres squealed like a 5 year old who has just gotten her first Barbie....mildly aggressive cornering (with DSC on!!) made me feel like a child abuser.

The crazy mixed up kid that designed the faux silver brushed metal look plastic gloss interior finish needs rootin'.

The wheels are too busy, they'd be a ***** to clean.

The compression ratio on the thing is pretty high (9.5:1), but the engine braking is non-existent. Even backing off whilst in second did not result in any appreciative level of deceleration. This was the one driving characteristic that really irked me. I love cruising about town and using the gearbox in the RX-8 as the brake.....can't do this in the MPS 6.

Top gear acceleration at 100kph is non-existent, a result of turbo lag I s'pose.

Cup holders in the doors, good idea. Interior trim, too plasticky.

Telescopic steering wheel, great. Aircond controls, too stiff.

Trip computer is nice, the passenger will enjoy playing with it. Sunroof works well, lets in heaps of wind noise.

The engine. Well I reckon your money buys an engine with a car thrown in to sweeten the deal. It pulls well from three grand and revs quickly. If the trip computer is to be believed, it's possible to do 700k's on a full sixty litre tank. This engine will suit the CX-7 nicely, IMO.

Summing up......., driving this car today made me realise just how smart I was in February 2004 when I drove out the door in my RX-8.

Now I think I know how those FD RX-7 drivers feel......can't imagine a day when they'll build a car as good as the one I'm currently driving.

Cheers,
Gomez.

xxup

Gasp - this is important to me too... I can never understand the squealing brake compaints as I only use my brakes to hold the car on a hill while I wait for the lights!

You forgot to mention that those big exhaust pipes at the back are fake and the real pipe seems to be smaller than the 8..

Good review..

Thanks

Gomez

I think it was Mario Andretti who once said...." You'd be surprised at how many Formula 1 drivers think brakes are for stopping".........

kiwimeat

I've only taken a 6 MPS "round the block" at a dealers but I agree with most of the above.

Styling is horrid. Tacky and cheap. Stupid inserts on lower part of doors, the incredibly tacky and worst faux exhaust ever, wheels are ugly. Interior is not much better.

The RX-8 has class, the 6 MPS has very little, almost close to none. Given the relatively narrow price differential between the two in Luxury Editions, the 6 MPS should have been much more impressive.

Not quite sure what target buyer Mazda were aiming at ... certainly missed me.

In the meantime Mazda, can we please have either the Mazda 5 (Premacy/MPV replacement) or a turbo diesel 6 Wagon.

Left me completely underwhelmed.

Revolver

Thankyou 'Mez for a clear, concise and wonderfully funny review.

I think you should start an Aussie version of Top Gear immediately.

<sits back to wait for Taka's inevitable 'Stig' application>

timbo

Good review. Those wheels: I remember walking up to it and thinking "those wheels....I cannot live with those wheels and the amount of brake dust they'd accumulate". Whoever spec'd those 'needs rootin' as you say.

Didn't notice the engine braking issue so much, which is strange as I tend to use the gears to brake. Nor the clutch, which may have been an issue with that car.

But the main thing is the overall feeling you get stepping out of the car, and back into the 8, and thinking: "this is a great car!" Same with the BMW 130i that I tested recently, where you can add "...and it's 20 grand cheaper."

The only other comment concerns your reference to the FD RX-7. Great car, too....but how do those that own them scratch themselves? It's tight in there!

Gomez

Dunno, I've never sat in one. Or any RX-7 for that matter. All I know is that the guys who own them are passionate as hell about them.....

Noddy

I drove the MPS last week as a loaner while the 8 was in service, so it was just an around-town commute.

The interior is not as swish as the 8 - it's just a tweaked 6. The styling is not as svelte as the 8 - it's just a tweaked 6. Really that's what most of it comes down to - it's just a tweaked 6.

The torque was a pleasure compared to the 8 as it makes tootling around town much easier and effectively gives it better response than the 8 (I think).

But the clutch is a mongrel! I could not live with it long term. The effective response area for it seemed like millimetres, versus the lovely progressive thing in the 8. So whilst it may indeed be a porsche-equivalent clutch to handle the torque and power, it was a bugger to pedal around town.

It feels pretty boxy from the drivers seat, but that might be a function of the way mazda restyled the new 6 rather than being an MPS-specific issue. The detailing inside is a bit tacky - I think someone in marketing said "we can't just give them normal plastic" but didn't overly worry whether the alternative was any better.

I do think the trip computer is useful (though not something to be played with moment-by-moment) and why it was not included for the 8 is beyond me, and the aircon was as effective as the one in the 8 isn't.

What's the market for it though? It's not impressive enough to be what a rex driver goes for when they grow out of the boy-racer scene, and it doesn't feel nice enough inside to nab many people away from a Liberty B4.

Noddy's-2c-worth-no-gst-included

Gomez

I know why there is no trip computer in the 8. They don't want you to have a fuel consumption readout....

timbo

So...wotcha gunna try next? (you watch, XR6 turbo, I reckon )

Revolver

Why not the Typhoon???

Actually, the XR6T is probably better buying...

Gomez

Mindreader!!

I was lining up for an XR6T or XR8 in BA form before I bought the RX-8. I test drove both of them.......then the RX-8 won COTY and I went into the dealer to see what all the fuss was about.

I will probably try a BF XR6T at some stage. I gather Ford have sorted quite a few of the quality issues that were apparent on the BA. The new gearboxes are a great leap forward, too.

The V8's don't have the extensive aftermarket support that the turbo's have, so the V8 is out of the running.

Revolver

Ahem, cough cough, he's not a mindreader - he's a copycat!

timbo

Oh, that's why you bought the Mazda...I thought it was dyslexia!

Gomez

apologies, so he is...