Just got my new car and driver today and was thumbing through when I ran across the new mazdaspeed 6. I saw where the 0-60 on it was 5.4 and the quarter mile was a flat 14 sec. That's just a little faster than the 8. Maybe I am missing something somewhere but did Mazda just make a vehicle faster than their flagship model?

 

forget about the numbers .. its all about the fun

 

Yes, it was never really a mystery that the MSP6 would be faster than the RX-8, get over it.

 

oh well, i'm over it

 

Here's another news flash... the Lancer EVO is faster than the Eclipse.

 

i see the evo as performance car though .. the ms6 not so much

 

Why do you say that? Its not a Mazdaspeed version just for the name.

 

i mean i see them follow suit with what subaru and mitsu are doing but their cars are fairly lean and really tuned up in every way

why did mazda have to do that with a midsize sedan .. not really to have a performance car like evo .. but to catch the trend and if anything compete with things like volvo 60r or audi s4

its like a family car on stereoids .. vs .. evo kick *** car for kids that would race than date and care about having a family

 

I personally test drove the Mazdaspeed 6. it has power to burn, eager responses, good control layout. Although... the psychotic-vauum-cleaner exhaust note, low-rent interior, firm ride... overall, it's long on push, short on polish.

 

Paging Mugatu

 

Oh yeah, to add... the oppressive wind noise is great, and the primitive shifter is REAL smooth.

The MS6 is definitly competent and quick, but not quite ready for prime time

 

i think they are trying to have a performance car like Evo, i dont think the bigger platform matters that much in terms of the performance gap. I think the main thing is that EVO and STI has been around for more than a decade, their current state is the result of years of experience and revisions and racing data. You cant just easily jump in a market segment and build something thats on par with those 2 cars when you have very little experience in that type of cars. So its only natural that the MS6 falls behind in the performance category. Its really pretty good for a first time effort, maybe mazda will eventually catch up if they continue to deveope this car.

 

Naw, can you see a MS6 in the WRC? Besides it's extremely stiff suspension...

06 EVO MR - Curb Weight: 3285 lbs
06 WRX STI - Curb Weight: 3351 lbs.
06 - MS 6 - Curb Weight: 3589 lbs.

Not much of a difference, but it doesn't feel like an EVO or STI.

 

Seems like you're a Car and Driver subscriber.

To answer the original question - yes, the MS 6 is faster than the RX-8.
I still want to keep my car and would not trade it for a (brand new) 6.

 

RX-8 is so much fun. I don't think I could let it go.

 

Tamas, haha yep

 

That's so lame Bart, if you actually drove it at least use your own words.

 

Well, besides the stiff suspension - it really all adds up to what C&R said. The gearbox feels nice, and it feels like an EVO inside.

 

What the ****? C&D manage 5.4 seconds with the Mazdaspeed 6? So it really can compete with the IS350 after all. ****! This means that now I owe crossbow an apology for for refusing to believe him for so many months.

Forgive me crossbow

 

Jerky, you're getting scarier each day with those smilies

 

I doubt your going to seem many of them. I know they're still fairly new but I haven't seen one yet. And I live in a heavily populated area. I thought it would be faster than the 8. You guys are saying car and driver got 5.5sec 0-60mph? Thats not what its says here---> C&D Test Drive. Maybe they did another test drive? But the date is Jan2006.

 

lol i knew I remember reading that somewhere

 

Should also be noted that M/Ts time when tested against the Legacy GT Spec B (5.2s to 60) was closer to 6 seconds. The MS6 is a nice piece but I think I'd take a Legacy GT if I was in the market for a low $30Ks awdriver.

 

Uh, no it does not!

 

That was just a rehash of info we already knew. Go here