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Mazda announced today the new Mazda6 will go on sale this summer. As with the Accord, the U.S. version will be market-specific. In PR-speak Mazda's new whip was "designed and engineered for the needs, wants and desires of the North American customer." The American variant's base engine will be a new 2.5-liter four-banger with an available 3.7-liter V6. The four comes with a a six-speed manual or 5-speed automatic. Going for the six will get you a six-speed Sport AT automatic with manual-shift mode. There will be three trim levels: Sport, Touring or Grand Touring. Prices for each are yet to be announced, but we're assured all three will come with "Zoom-Zoom" "in large doses." How quantifiable is that?
37 Comments on “’09 Mazda6 On Sale This Summer...”
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Mazda’s been on a roll for the last 6 years and the new 6 looks to amplify that charge. The new styling is a bit….’off’ in my eyes but it’s still very handsome in that zoom-zoom sense. I can see a hint of RX-8 in the front fenders…a nice touch.
Shame the wagon’s not returning. You can’t get a V6 in the Mazda5 and I have no interest in the CUVs.
Red stick, I’ve never found the 2.3 Four lacking in power, refinement, or fuel economy. AND, you CAN get a 5-speed manual in the Mazda5.
But…Oh, to have the Mazdaspeed3 DISI engine 6- speed, or the CX-7/auto trans combination…
A couple of more pics from mazdausa.com
@red stick: the wagon was not well received and rebates were humungous; the hatchback isn’t returning, either. It’s the usual wagon problem in the US – the potential buyers seem to be TTAC readers and hardly anyone else. In the meantime, there’s always the Kia Rondo V6 – oomph without handling.
Perhaps the Mazda5 will get the 2.5l engine for 2009, although I get relatively low mileage (21-24mpg) on my ’07/4AT given my lead foot.
I like it.
Kudos to mazda for the 6 speed automatic too.
The hatch was the one I was considering, but in PA, the 2.3 was saddled with the PZEV “option”, which dropped the 2.3’s HP by 10. 143HP isn’t enough for a car of this weight. (The 3.0 V6’s mileage is not too good).
Now they drop in the 2.5, and take away the hatch, pffft!
That’s nice looking. I’m really glad they didn’t screw up the styling with the US version.
I am pretty irritated that it’s sedan-only, as the 6 hatch has always been a favorite of mine, and the second-gen version looks great. I’d also really like a manual-trans 6 wagon, but they stopped selling those in ’06. …Guess I’ll save some money and buy used.
Starlight, considering the type of vehicle I do not consider your mileage low.
We also have the ’07 M5/4-speed Auto, and around town it gets 23–25, highway is 29.5 to 32 mpg.
A 300-mile trip, much of it at 80 mph yielded 30 on the dot.
FYI…there have been at least 3 Engine Control Updates(I check mine every time I update the Mazda System) so you might want to check with your dealer about the state of yours.
Just thought I’d chime in about the 6wagon. I picked up a 2005 w/ 34K miles last night. It was the only stick shift within 200 miles of here! So far I love it. If the 09 had a wagon w/ 5MT or 6MT option, I would have rocked that SO HARD! Ah well. Perhaps a mid-cycle refresh will see extra variants (like they did w/ the 1st generation).
Glad to see Mazda is committed to stick shifts if nothing else.
Choose between a 6-speed manual or 5-speed Sport AT with manual-shift mode on the 4-cylinder, or a 6-speed Sport AT with manual-shift mode for the V6.
Little error up top there: there’s no manual trans. with the V-6. Meh… I suppose if the 4 is burly enough, it would be alright, but it’s kind of a bummer that you can no longer get the V6/6 speed combo.
No hatch? GAH!
The reason I bought my Mazda6 was BECAUSE of the hatch.
So does this mean the only decent midsized hatch is the Prius?
3.7L V6? So much for the Lincoln MKS having a unique motor that makes it worth that $35k+ asking price.
@Terry: I did get a ECU update last week, we’ll see if that helps. I’ll have to practice drafting in the slow lane on the highway, too.
Don’t think I would want to sit in the back seat.
the wagon version of the new Mazda6 is so beautiful. its a crime that we won’t see it here in the US.
Mazda may say they dropped the wagon because it wasn’t selling, but now that Mazda has a proper stable of CUVs and SUVs (like all the other manufacturers), they don’t want wagons (or hatchbacks) cutting into the sales of those vehicles.
so much for the market providing adequate choice to consumers.
foolish
Little error up top there: there’s no manual trans. with the V-6. Meh… I suppose if the 4 is burly enough, it would be alright, but it’s kind of a bummer that you can no longer get the V6/6 speed combo.
Corrected. Thanks for catching that. I guess I shouldn’t try writing these things at 6 AM or before I’ve had at least two cups of coffee.
I was looking at pictures online earlier this week on this car and there are pictures of a wagon and hatchback model out there. Does that mean they just aren’t selling them here in the US? Is that how this car was “designed and engineered for the needs, wants and desires of the North American customer”?
You can’t get the V6-manual combo?! This was the biggest differentiator between “zoom zoom”, “soul of a sports car” 6 and everybody else. Though I think Nissan still offers this on the V6 Altima.
This is a gaffe on Mazda’s part.
Weakness. Now that the article has been corrected, I’m bummed out. The V6-6MT combo was very important! This now leaves only the Altima to rock it. Hopefully Honda will add an Accord sedan variant w/ the V6-6MT like they did last generation at the mid-cycle refresh.
Boooo Mazda….boooo
They need an AWD option.
The pics I saw of the wagon were really nice. Mazda guys, if you are reading this, there would be buyers of that slick wagon. Especially if you give those buyers the choice of engine and transmission. Model one for economy, the other for sport and you’d be golden.
-GBG
http://www.autoclay.blogspot
i was under the impression that the new 6 wagon would be released in the USA… – perhaps later in the year? or next year as an ’10??
I really like what I see. The sloping rear roofline does make you wonder about rear seat head room though. Rear sort of has an Accord Coupe look to it. I currently own a 2006 Mazdaspeed6 and have loved every minute of it. I could have forgiven Mazda for dropping the Speed version of the new model if the V6 was available with a 6MT and AWD. Unless they come out with that, I think I may be moving along for my next vehicle.
After reading a few comments, just a brief note on our North American Mazda6. The new wagon, hatch and sedan that are already on sale in Europe, Japan are based on the Ford Mondeo platform (D4 if I am not mistaken, possibly D3). Our Americanized version (read larger for our fat arses) is based on a modified CD3 platform that also underpinned the current Mazda6, MKX, Edge, CX-9, Fusion Triplets. Really a totally different car than the version the rest of the world gets though they look roughly the same. So, since the North American is a totally different car, probably lower volume, it is unlikely that Mazda will spring for the development costs to develope variants such as Wagon, Hatch, Speed for our Mazda6 when the Sedan really accounts for the lion’s share of demand.
We can dream though. I hope a 6MT is in the works for the V6 model. Then all will be right with the world.
I guess I am as confused as some others here. Okay, the pics that Mazda is releasing show a hatch and wagon alongside the US sedan, looking similar to the US sedan (unless my eyes are not getting the subtle size and style distinctions). Is it possible that those are (eventual, next year or two) US bound hatches and wagons? Why would they put Euro vehicles in US press release pics? Are they taunting us????
How difficult would grafting a hatch onto the sedan really be? I mean c’mon it was one of the reasons that this car was so distinct in a sea of Camcords. (Camcordimas? Camcordimabusions?)
For me, however, I guess it is all moot until they stick that hybrid from the upcoming hybrid Fusion into this bad boy. I know zoom zoom and all, but it’s a changing world. Gimme a hybrid 6 hatch and my Prius will be headed for the Used lot.
Ugh, they killed the hatch and the wagon? The wagon I can see; I have maybe one of two Mazda6 wagons in the entire Sacramento area. I had hoped without having any realistic expectation that they’d bring over the ’09 wagon, as the euro version is quite a lovely car. Oh well. Guess I’m not buying another 6 to replace my current one.
For those who want the sedan, it’s a very nice-looking car. One thing I hope they improved this time around is the fuel economy. When my 6 wagon gets almost the same mpg as a Buick Enclave, you know there’s a problem.
“designed and engineered for the needs, wants and desires of the North American customer.”
means no wagon and no hatch. Why would I want this instead of a Accord, Passat, or Legacy? For me, there is no longer a compelling reason to consider the Mazda .
I just checked out the galleries on other sites, and I guess all the pics of hatches and wagons were Euro pics. :(
I rented a Mazda6 wagon for two weeks in Italy in 2006. Absolutely unsurpassed driving conditions. Beautiful winding Tuscan roads. 200 kph on the Autostrada. Incredible scenery in the Italian Riviera. Motto bene.
Except for the car. The Mazda6 has to be the single most overrated vehicle in the automotive universe (the Audi A4 is a close second; what is it about these single digit cars?). This is one seriously dull platform. Tons of body roll, little road feel, you name it.
At one point, my buddy and I swapped cars, and I had a Renault Megane for the morning. What a difference! Unfortunately, he demanded his car back after lunch and I couldn’t blame him.
I’m not sure where the enthusiasm for this thing comes from. Zoom zoom mind control? I’ve rented Hertz’s big two, the Impala and Camry, tons of times in the past couple of years, and each drives at least as well as the 6. Which is marginally OK at best.
All right Mazda enthusiasts, flame away. (By the way, I agree with the on-line horde that the Mazda3 is a great driver).
Still p.o.-ed at Mazda. Now I guess I wait til next year to see whether the new 3 hatch can get a decent side impact crash rating. Is the U.S. Mazda 3 going to be on the new architecture, or is Mazda going to continue to go backward and use the U.S. Ford Escort platform?
I’m not getting why Mazda is increasing both the physical size of the car and the V6 engine size?
The reason you considered a Mazda6 to begin with was because it was a touch smaller than either a Camry or Accord that promised sportiness and agility. Now that they’ve dropped both the hatchback and wagon versions of this car, what’s the compelling reason for buying one?
I’m truly at a loss that the hatchback version of the Mazda6 was such a poor seller that Mazda is pulling the plug on it.
NoSub,
I agree with you. I own a Mazda3, and my dad loves to drive that car. So when time came around for him to buy a new car, I suggested a Mazda6 for him. He’s in his 50’s, and I felt that it fits him better. Driving it, I immediately noticed that it’s a lot more detached than my 3. It’s definitely not completely numb, but there’s definitely that veil of pseudo-luxury between you and the car.
I would disagree about your comparison with the Impala and Camry, though. I rented an Impala and it’s simply one of the least enjoyable cars I’ve ever driven. Obviously, it’s not my type of vehicle, but that thing is a heavy, slow, clumsy, sleep-inducing boat. Possibly the weakest-feeling V6 in the world. The Camry is a lot better, but compared to the 6, the steering is crap, and the transmission is downright annoying.
NoSubstitute- Is there much of a difference between the 6 and any other car that size? I can’t imagine the Accord/Camry/Malibu would be much better.
I like the current Mazda6 because the Mazda3 is too cramped for me.
I’ve never seen a wagon or hatchback 6 outside of a dealer.
I think the Accord V6 drives extremely well. Haven’t tried the new one however. I agree that the 6 is a little overrated in terms of enthusiasts appeal however, at least the version I rented.
I certainly like the looks of the new 6, and would consider a hybrid even if the MPG were 1/2 way between the Prius and Camry Hybrid – IF the car would tow 1500 pounds.
For those who say they never saw a hatch outside a dealer, that was the point.
The only way you can tell from the outside is the hatch has a wiper on the rear window.
AS I put it: “The cargo room of the station wagon, but the dignity of the sedan”
The wiper, and usually a slightly thicker C-pillar because of the slightly less steep angle of the rear window. Though maybe not on the 6, the looks of it are pretty forgettable so i can’t remember.
What? No more wagon/hatch or V6-manual tranny options anymore?
As some others have already said, what exactly is the compelling reason to buy this car anymore?
Pass.