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2004 Mazda
6 Wagon
The Good:
Smooth, quiet and slick. Suspension is firm with little body sway. Clean
interior design. Easy fold rear seats and loads of storage. Great looking
wheels.
The Bad:
Slippery leather seats. Cheap plastic trim feel. May be too sporty a look
for many moms.
Excitement is the keyword from Mazda these days. The automaker is putting
fun back in the drivers seat with the RX-8 and three new Mazda 6 models not
to mention the new 3. This review puts the station wagon back in the pack
after a long hiatus. The new term for station wagon, ‘sport wagon’, hints
at what automakers are trying to do this year. We want to drive something
fun, with room for luggage and all at a price we can afford. Mazda is
hearing this call.
The initial walk around the exterior reveals sharp exterior
styling; a sleek and extended design with narrow, long windows. Body panels
are low to the ground and aerodynamic front and rear bumpers add to the
sports car look. The all-important headlights and tail lights are also
crafted well. The front end has four beams in each headlight, however xenon
beams are not offered as a option. What is curious is that the overall
shape is something that you have seen before and for us it just didn’t
create the same level of excitement as the sedan or hatchback versions.
The interior was well appointed with black leather trimmed seats
and silver plastic accents. The leather felt more like leatherette and was
not luxurious and smooth to the touch. The seats did have slightly larger
side and back bolters to hold you in place but that wasn’t enough as the
seat’s leather was just to slippery. A great trait of the Mazda 6 is the
easy entry and exit. The door openings are wide up front and the height of
the entry is also quite good so your head does not bump the top of the car
while getting in. Most instrument panel switches are within good reach
though not as ergonomic as a German vehicle.
The instrument cluster is clear and illuminated nicely in a red
tone but lacks that wow feeling. Easy to use and illuminated stereo controls
are mounted on the steering wheel along with cruise control settings. The
central console offers a red digital display of the time, audio setting,
climate control status, and outside temperature. Below this are three large
circular vents that aren’t very aesthetically pleasing to the eye. They
look more like giant black holes ready to suck you in if you get near.
Other than this, the design of the central dash is good with large dials for
volume, radio and temperature controls. The silver plastic trim is fresh and
clean but makes the overall car appear cheaper than it should appear. Our
vehicle came with the optional Bose Audio Package. This comes with the
built-in 6-disc CD changer and four door mounted Bose speakers along with
two tweeter speakers and one subwoofer. The sound quality was good with
distortion-free sound and deep bass.
The interior is full of useful features like bottle and can holders
in the door storage areas. Cup holders in the console up front were large
enough but had a cheap hard plastic cover that did not look very nice. One
great feature is the easy fold down rear seat. With a push of a button on
the seatback or via levers on the sides of the rear cargo area the seats
individually fold down creating a large cargo area. Seats up front are a
bit flat and not curved downward to help keep you in place and this was
especially evident in the front passenger seat, which was not very
adjustable at all. Because it did not have height adjustment, we felt too
high and the lack of grab handles on the doors makes it easy to slip around
in heavy cornering. In the rear there is a retractable cargo barrier net
and cargo cover for the trunk. The cargo barrier net protects you against
getting hit by loose items in the truck and the cargo cover gives you
privacy from snooping bystanders. The 6 also comes standard with automatic
climate control, power windows and locks, and tilt & telescopic steering
wheel.
A Problem area is the cheap feeling in most parts. Control stalks
around the steering wheel and the sunroof’s exposed metal parts just did not
feel very good. The steering wheel is also a bit too thin for a car that
stresses its’ sportiness! Another problem was that the electroluminescent
gauges become very dim as soon as we turn on the lights. An interior light
sensor would be great to keep things a bit brighter during dusk. Many of
the parts feel like they came off of a 1990 parts bin and this should
definitely change as Mazda has done in the 3.
While most items are standard on the 6, a luxury package offers
leather seats and power adjustments for the driver along with
electroluminescent dials. The low cost sport package adds fog lights, side
sill extensions, a liftgate spoiler, larger bumper fascias, and chrome
exhaust tips. Many of these items can also be added one by one for a
individual vehicle. And we do suggest the factory options as the build
quality is very good and parts fit quite tightly.
Our 6 Wagon featured a five-speed manual coupled to a V6 engine
that produced 220 horsepower. The five speed manual transmission comes
standard on all models. Although we would never order one in this manner
considering the heavy New England traffic, it did add to the sporty feeling
of the 6. The shift points are close and the gate is smooth and quick. The
clutch pedal feel is very soft and it is quite easy to attain smooth shifts
in the 6. Many younger buyers will like having a manual transmission in a
sports wagon.
Pushing the gas accelerates the engine quickly with strong pull.
The 3.0L DOHC 24-valve V6 engine was more responsive at higher revs.
Something we discovered is that most of the power comes on after 4000 rpm
and you must be in the right gear most of the time or power is not
available. The feeling of a large wagon is eliminated quite quickly.
There
is very little bounce as the suspension is tuned quite tightly.
Sway and roll is very low thanks to the independent front and rear
suspension that feature stabilizer bars on each end. We did think
that road feeling was a bit too high for an every day vehicle.
The ride quality is not as smooth as in German counterparts on bumpy
roads. However interior sound deadening is quite good.
There is hardly any noise at all but for the engine when you want to
hear it, which is the way it should be. Stopping power comes from
the 4-wheel disc brakes that did a good job stopping the 6 from high
speeds. They are not superb but adequate for the price tag on
this vehicle. Both ABS and traction control come as standard
equipment, while side airbags are optional.
Overall the
Mazda 6 is a good performer in all categories. Although the car
is very sporty for a wagon, it will not lure buyers who want a bit of
luxury as well. Perhaps more technology like Xenon lights,
Navigation system, better steering feel and better brakes would attract
more people to this wagon. The interior should also be available
with a luxurious touch such as glossy wood and softer leather.
The level of fun and quality achieved in the mazda 3 should have been
brought to the new 6 lineup as well. We could not complain about the build quality in the Mazda 3 but here we want more insulation and higher quality parts.
The Mazda web site is very good and shows you many of the vehicles
strong points. We suggest you take a look at the flash version by
clicking here. At a low price of $22,745 the Mazda offers a lot for the
money, and now with 0% financing there is no reason not to go to the
showroom.
View
Measurements and Technical Specs on the Mazda 6 in pdf format. |
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