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2004 Mazda6 - A Powerful Persuader
Mazda's new midsize sedan has to be one of the most important new entries in the automotive sector. Why? It not only represents the future of a Japanese brand that continually struggles among its peers for recognition, and therefore sales, but puts its company more on the mark mostly due to standout styling.
And there's nothing particularly wrong with that. After all, most of us first become attracted to the significant other in our lives from appearances, why not the cars we drive. The 626 that the 6 replaces is about as uninspired from a design standpoint as a car ever was. Its textbook blandness only caused true Mazda devotees to sit up and take notice, where the Mazda6 is pulling would be buyers away from traditionally more popular Japanese and domestic brands.
But after the initial wow factor is over, is there enough substance behind the style to keep us enamored. Yes and, maybe not depending on your priorities. Let me explain. If you're looking for a sporty driving experience the Mazda delivers, that is unless you've first driven a Nissan Altima or Honda Accord. Its not that the 6 isn't fun to drive, its handling is quite good, if a little on the soft side, and steering very responsive, most likely due to its engine-rpm-sensing variable power assist rack-and-pinion system. Its sophisticated 4 sensor, 3-channel ABS equipped 4-wheel disc brakes, assisted further by electronic brake force distribution (EBFD), engage with verve too.
Even its 160 hp 2.3-L 4-cylinder base powerplant is relatively quick. Its 155 lb-ft of torque is adequate for the class, as is the top 3.0-L V6 engine's 192 lb-ft of torque. The latter has an enticing exhaust note too, as all 220-hp charge to speed.
If the midsize segment of the car market wasn't so incredibly strong this Mazda6 would be awe inspiring. But driving next to a slightly lighter weight 1,456 kg (3,210 lb) 245-hp Nissan Altima SE with 246 lb-ft of torque, or even a tad heavier 1,521 kg (3,353 lb) 240-hp Honda Accord EX V6 with 211 lb-ft of torque, the 1,471 kg (3,243 lb) Mazda6 GT-V6 feels a little lethargic. The same can be said for its power to weight ratio in base trim, with the 175-hp Altima at least. On the good side, Mazda seems to have exorcised the torque steer gremlins out of the steering box, translating into excellent stability through the corners at both low and high speeds.
But what's going on with the shifter? While a Mazda spokesman apologetically explained that the reason its manual actuation was switched to the polar opposite of all other sequential automatics in the world, pulling backward to move up through the gears and pressing forward to gear down, is due to a safety issue. Supposedly if you leave your hand on the lever while driving, like so many people do, and an emergency happens, Mazda says you're most likely to pull back and cause the car to gear down, if using the more popular shift pattern, which could induce a loss of traction in slippery conditions. But I found the opposite true. Normally panicked drivers depress the brakes, which would cause a forward movement on the gearshift lever, resulting in exactly what Mazda doesn't want to occur. Since I have no scientific information to back up my theory I can't say for sure, but Mazda hasn't put forth any studies on the matter that I have been able to find either.
Just the same, due to driving at least fifty other cars with the reverse pattern this year alone, I kept rowing the shifter the wrong way up or down the gears, a constant frustration that caused me to leave it in drive most of the time. I even spoke to a friend who just purchased a Mazda6 with the sequential automatic shifter, thinking that maybe if not used to driving with this type of transmission in the first place and having not experienced as many alternative shifters as I have it might not be as much of a problem. To some extent this was true, but he still said that he didn't find the pattern intuitive. So Mazda, either BMW, Audi, Acura, Infiniti, and everyone else are wrong, or you've got the automotive equivalent of the Beta video tape. My guess is that it will go the way of the doomed electronic device, conforming to the status quo so that a consumers first impression of the shifter, which usually only happens once on the all important test drive, is a good one. Fortunately Mazda offers a 5-speed manual shifter on all 6 models, the best choice if sport is a high priority.
While the shifter was obviously my Mazda6 pet peeve, the rest of the interior is quite well executed. The overall design is attractive, with the requisite metallic interior bits and soft touch plastics. I like the thin horizontal LED display at the top of the center stack. It doesn't take up much room but still presents the important information for all eyes to see - imperative if your right hand partner likes to adjust audio and temperature controls. The large opaque plastic dials that surround the HVAC knobs are especially stylish - kudos to Mazda for attention to detail. The top-line in-dash 6-disc Bose audio system, by the way, is stellar.
The GT's steering wheel, with its audio and climate control switches in perfect placement for thumb control without removing the hands from their optimal positions, is a very nice piece of work. My only complaint is a minor one. The rib of stitching that crosses the top of the thumb indents chafed my thumbs after a long period of driving. I may only have noticed this because I just drove the Acura TSX, a car the Mazda6 has been compared to for more reasons than just styling. The steering wheel in the Acura is just about perfect.
With the Acura in mind the Mazda isn't quite as refined as some of its competitors either. I'd put it on par with the Nissan Altima, but it doesn't quite measure up to the TSX or Honda Accord for that matter, the former targeted directly at the top-tier 6. The Toyota Camry is more refined too, but I don't think it is a direct competitor for the sportier Mazda.
I won't delve into packages and prices during this road test as I covered it recently in an exhaustive preview, but will say it has a great deal of competition in both its $24,295 base GS model and $34,105, fully loaded GT-V6. In the lower end the aforementioned Honda Accord starts $495 lower at $23,800 while delivering slightly more torque and identical horsepower. The more powerful Altima 2.5 S begins at an even lower $23,798. In the mid $30K range a bevy of lower end premium brands, like the Acura, are available. While Audi's A4, BMW's 320i and Saab's 9-3 don't offer quite as many features as the Mazda6, many will go with less to access the cachet these brands bring.
But still, even though there are others in its class that outperform it, that offer more refinement and greater comfort, and have better reputations for reliability, I keep getting lured back simply by good looks alone. The Mazda6 is a classically elegant automobile that should age very well, important for resale. And really, it performs well enough for most, offers enough refinement and should stay out of the garage more often than not. Appearance is a powerful persuader. |
发表于 2004-8-19 01:08
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