Great News!

"KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time" (kngt)
02/01/2019 at 10:46 • Filed to: mazda, mazda 6, mazda6, mazda usa, Mazda3

Motortrend interviewed Mazda’s US CEO and some of his comments are encouraging-

Excerpt:

“Is the manual transmission still alive and well at Mazda?

Of course. We couple it with all-wheel drive on the new Mazda3 to provide the best driving experience. (I haven’t seen any news about this but is it confirmation?)

Will you expand AWD across the lineup in the U.S.?

My intention is yes. It is much safer in all road conditions and is fun to drive.

That means adding it to the Mazda6 in the future, but not the MX-5?

Yes, everything but the MX-5. Probably Miata we’ll keep rear-wheel drive. All-wheel drive doesn’t make sense.

Do you still see a place for cars today?

Absolutely. I understand people moving from sedan to crossover, but is the sedan market disappearing completely? I don’t think so. The customer who loves driving loves sedans.

Are there still plans to offer the Mazda6 with a diesel here?

We have been working on that, because we do have a very good diesel engine with the CX-5. We have to go through the same validation process.”

Read the full interview: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Also related, Road & Track spoke to Mazda engineers asking about bringing the Speed nameplate back: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Great news for me because finally Mazda 6 2.5 Turbo+AWD!

Honestly, if they did that it’s my next car. I’ll take one in Soul Red please. C’MON MAZDA!

DISCUSSION (44)

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time
02/01/2019 at 10:47

Also, great news as Kinja seems to be fixed...for now

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time
02/01/2019 at 10:55

A manual AWD Mazda3 hatch would be cool if they didn’t make it look like complete shit.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time
02/01/2019 at 10:59

New Mazdaspeed6 please

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
02/01/2019 at 11:01

We can keep dreaming but from this interview and others they pretty much say “ No Mazda speed anything ever any more. Please stop asking”

Textured Soy Protein > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time
02/01/2019 at 11:02

New Mazdas have been generally very nice but I can’t get behind the new 3. The twist beam rear suspension is an insulting cost-cutting measure on a car they’re trying to move upmarket. The sedan looks fine, the hatch looks interesting and is a more useful form factor, but depending on the angle you look from interesting turns into just odd, and you can’t see out the back.

On paper at least, an Elantra GT Sport or now N-Line is a much more appealing hatchback to me. But I’d have to drive them to make that determination for sure, of course.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time
02/01/2019 at 11:06

They don’t have to call it that. 2.5 turbo AWD and a manual trans would be enough

boredalways > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time
02/01/2019 at 11:07

Aftermarket will fix that for us

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > Textured Soy Protein
02/01/2019 at 11:07

The twist beam rear suspension is an insulting cost-cutting measure on a car they’re trying to move upmarket.

Or so it seems on paper. But read/watch the reviews and the comments in the post

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/motortrend-says-ignoring-the-carryover-powertrain-t-1832097783?utm_medium=sharefromsite&utm_source=default_copy&utm_campaign=top

The hatch’s visibility is downright bad, agreed and pricing has gone up a lot as well even if they’ve added features and 2.5 is standard. That and no AWD+Manual combo yet and these are valid complaints. But I trust Mazda to know how to make a car ride and handle, having driven some of the newest ones at least.

No disputing that an Elantra GT sport is the value leader, especially even with the “sporty” N line it’s pretty affordable. But I am willing to bet it wont drive as well or be as refined as the Mazda3 even if it has a twist beam suspension.

nerd_racing > Textured Soy Protein
02/01/2019 at 11:08

A properly tuned twist beam rear suspension will handle just as well as an independent suspension, weigh less, and have less components to wear over time. I don’t understand all of this hate for a pretty elegant solution.

boredalways > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time
02/01/2019 at 11:09

Have they made these cars accessible for drivers over 6 feet?

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > boredalways
02/01/2019 at 11:10

Over 6 feet is a broad range. If you’re 6.3 or something should be fine as a driver, if you’re 6.9 best get a truck.

For Sweden > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time
02/01/2019 at 11:12

Mazda is the new Subaru

C hange my mind.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > For Sweden
02/01/2019 at 11:14

Kinja'd!!!

Textured Soy Protein > nerd_racing
02/01/2019 at 11:18

I’d have to drive it, but just the fact that it’s there on the car bugs me.

Mazda has been good lately at making mainstream cars feel more premium but you can notice the cost-cutting . For e xample on my wife’s mid-trim CX-5 Touring, you notice the little things that remind you it’s not actually a luxury car, like the harder plastics on the console and doors as you go lower down in the car, or the prop rod to hold up the hood. Which is all well and good, as our car cost a lot less than something from a luxury brand.

B ut Mazda is selling the new 3 for a lot more than the old one, and its competitors, most of which have more sophisticated (on paper) rear suspensions.

Textured Soy Protein > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time
02/01/2019 at 11:37

I could be wrong, but I just think the new 3 is a miss relative to its segment. It only gets the 2.5 liter motor with mediocre fuel economy, and it’s expensive.

You see new CX-5s all the fuck over the place here in DC, including my garage. But there’s a clear value proposition for the CX-5. In the big-selling compact/medium CUV space, there are well-defined niches.

CR-V: B est practicality, space efficiency & mileage, but it feels like you’re driving a bigger car than it is, and Honda offers shite for lease deals (unless you want a base model).

RAV4: I t’s a Toyota. It’s fine. It’s maybe 15% less good than the CR-V but it’s competent. I f you want a Toyota shaped like a compact CUV, this is your choice.

Forester: Same as RAV4, but for Subaru devotees, especially those who believe in the power of Subaru’s awd system to triumph over Subaru’s dogshit OE tires they put on everything.

Rogue: Surprisingly roomy, and COME ON DOWN SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY FOR WILD N CRAZY DEALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (just don’t expect anything but base models or maybe a sunroof to be on our lot!)

Tucson: Like the Rogue, but smaller, better equipped, and a little less CRAZY EDDIE with the promotion.

CX-5: More premium feeling than the others and actually sorta kinda engaging to drive. Less roomy but manageable. F or non-driving enthusiasts like my wife , it just feels more manageable to drive in occasionally-overwhelmingly crowded areas. Mileage sucks especially if you never get on the highway. Talking like 20-21 mpg. At least it runs on regular.

In theory you could say the same thing about the 3 as the CX-5. But unlike the CX-5 which can get more expensive than its peers if you load it up, the 3 is just more expensive than its peers in general, and its peers crush it in mileage and back seat room .

Sure, it’s nice that the 3 dashboard is wrapped in a genuine sheet of leather ette with real stitching on the edges, and it’s better to drive. But compared to compact CUV shoppers, I feel like compact sedan/hatch shoppers are less likely to want to give up the mileage and surprisingly roomy back seats of cars like the Civic or Impreza.

boredalways > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time
02/01/2019 at 11:46

I'm 6'2" with big, clumsy feets.

nerd_racing > Textured Soy Protein
02/01/2019 at 12:15

They are selling it for more because the previous gen had a base model option with the 2.0L Skyactive at the lower price point. They skipped that engine option with this gen and made the 2.5L the base. So that explains some of it. I have a 2.0L base hatch now and it is kind of a dog, but I get 40 mpg highway so I don’t mind.

I’m reserving my judgment on the twist beam vs. irs comparison for when I can actually test drive one. I am shooting for spring to make that comparison. I want to do it on equivalent tires. I do know my Mazda2 that I had with the twist beam would out pace an NA miata stock for stock around a track.

GuerrillaWheels > Textured Soy Protein
02/01/2019 at 12:34

This article is really eye opening. It sounds like that twist beam is part of a whole is greater than the sum of its part deal.

“The new car has a simple torsion beam rear suspension where previous 3 had a multilink independent setup. According to Coleman, the torsion beam isn’t a downgrade... “In the macro scale, there’s an advantage to multilink,” Coleman told me. “But in terms of precise control [...] it just gets too hard to make that clean input that we’re looking for.” The last-gen 3's rear suspension had seven bushings per side, Coleman explained; the new torsion beam setup has just one. Fewer bushings means fewer squirming motions, and therefore, fewer competing forces being transmitted to the passengers. Another benefit: The torsion-beam setup minimizes compliance-steer, eliminating rear wheel toe-in under cornering loads. The new 3's rear suspension may be a simple design, but it helps the car get settled more quickly in turns, with fewer mid-corner adjustments needed.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/a26087521/2019-mazda-3-sedan-first-drive-review/

Textured Soy Protein > nerd_racing
02/01/2019 at 12:55

Being fast on a track isn’t really what the majority of compact car shoppers are concerned with. It’s how the car drives around town.

The new 3 is more expensive in general, not just because the 2.5 is the base engine now. All the trims are getting more expensive even those that already had the 2.5.

I happen to think the 2.5 is the wrong motor for the segment. The 2018 3 2.5 auto makes 184 hp and is rated at 26/30/35 mpg, which is all well and good, except...

Civic - 2.0 - 158 hp - 31/34/40 mpg
Civic - 1.5 turbo - 180 hp - 31/34/40 mpg
Civic Si - 1.5 turbo - 205 hp - 28/32/38 mpg on premium
Elantra - 2.0 - 147 hp - 28/32/37 mpg
Elantra - 1.4 turbo - 128 hp - 32/35/40 mpg
Elantra - 1.6 turbo - 201 hp - 26/29/33
Forte - 2.0 - 147 hp - 30/34/40 mpg
Sentra - 1.8 - 124 hp - 29/32/37 mpg
Sentra - 1.6 turbo - 188 hp - 27/29/33 on premium
Impreza - 2.0 - 152 hp - 28/31/36 mpg
Corolla hatchback (cuz the new sedan ain’t out yet) - 2.0 - 168 hp - 30/33/38 mpg
Golf - 1.4 turbo - 147 hp - 29/32/37 mpg
GTI - 2.0 turbo - 225 hp - 25/27/31 mpg on premium
Jetta - 1.4 turbo - 147 hp - 30/34/39 mpg

Most of these cars with the exception of the Civic turbo give up a lot of power to the 2.5 in the 3, but they smoke it in mileage.

Sure, you do get some more grunt from the 3, but it’s also got an outdated 6-speed transmission when the others are all 7+ gears or CVT or DCTs. It’s in an oddball middle ground between all the regular stuff clustered around 150-ish hp (excepting the Civic turbo) and the sporty cars like the Civic Si and GTI which run on premium.

Maybe that middle ground is a niche where Mazda can make some sales, but it’s just weird and I don’t know if Mazda will make up the volume they want to hit. The top level trims of any of these cars aren’t what are selling in big numbers.

DLu > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time
02/01/2019 at 12:57

I have a 2018 Mazda3 manual hatch, 2.5L. IMO AWD is sorely needed. I upgraded from the low rolling resistance OEM to Pilot A/ S 3, which helped. But powering out of a corner or getting up a tight onramp will cause some torque steer or understeer. Without powering the rear wheels, the 180-plus lb-ft torque of the 2.5L is already too much .

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > boredalways
02/01/2019 at 13:19

I’m 6'3 and easily fit our CX-3

Jesse > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time
02/01/2019 at 13:21

Needs more power. If they give it a 2.5 SkyactiveX it should offer a much better performance experience but thus far only the 2.0 X has been mentioned and at 190hp and 170 torque, there simply isn’t much of argument to be made for it with cheap gas prices seemingly here to stay. Cmon Mazda, bring back the zoom zoom

Chariotoflove > nerd_racing
02/01/2019 at 13:26

This is the correct take.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > DLu
02/01/2019 at 13:34

Even the top of the line signature mazda6 gets mediocre tires in the name of quietness. I am sure UHP all seasons plus AWD will transform that car’s performance and handling if it can put down and modulate all that torque better.

Nick Has an Exocet > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time
02/01/2019 at 13:45

Holy bleepballs, did a car company CEO just say the words “fun to drive?”. I love Mazda.

Textured Soy Protein > GuerrillaWheels
02/01/2019 at 14:07

It could very well be the best twist beam ever, but I’m skeptical until I drive one.

Party-vi > DLu
02/01/2019 at 14:10

I haven’t experienced understeer in my 6 unless I’m really hustling around corners - hell I want more torque!

GuerrillaWheels > Textured Soy Protein
02/01/2019 at 14:17

They make a really good case for it. Read the whole article. They say it handles much better than previous generations.

nerd_racing > Textured Soy Protein
02/01/2019 at 14:28

Look at your numbers, I do agree they might be giving up some mpg share of the market. Having lived with the 2.0L from the previous gen, I’d take 5 mpg less for the extra grunt, especially now that I set it up with a small hitch for moving yard debris and other small things.

It will be interesting for sure to see how this whole thing shakes out. I really feel like Mazda has an entry level gap in their lineup now. It would be perfectly filled with a Mazda 2.

nerd_racing > DLu
02/01/2019 at 14:29

well shoot, I’ll trade you for my 2.0L 6 MT 2015 hatch. It will do some wheel spin, but never really torque steers.

dogisbadob > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time
02/01/2019 at 14:43

The original Mazdaspeed 3 had a huge impact on the modern hot hatch segment! Definitely influential, so that made it surprising when they killed it.

The Focus ST is just a MS3 with a sunroof

A Mazdaspeed 2 would’ve been awesome as fuck

One big mistake they made was only offering the 6 wagon with the V6.

They may have a tough time trying to g o premium. Mazda can’t command prices higher than Honda and Toyota.

boredalways > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
02/01/2019 at 14:57

CX-3 doesn't equal 6

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > boredalways
02/01/2019 at 15:08

I drove a 6 before, no issues

Textured Soy Protein > nerd_racing
02/01/2019 at 15:44

The concern I would have if I were the folks at Mazda is, what’s the reason for someone to buy a 3?

I feel like especially in the US, most people who buy compact cars buy them for reasons other than their size. Things like cost, mileage , etc. They want a brand new car and that’s what they can afford.

While some compact car shoppers step up to sport compact cars ( GTI, WRX, Si, ST, N, etc.) I’d wager a lot more of them step up to midsize cars or crossovers.

Would some of them stay in the compact size for a 3, which is still a compact with a bit more power, better handling, and luxury feel, for more money? Or would they rather have a bigger vehicle?

The other area of opportunity for Mazda in general is conquests of would-be luxury shoppers when they realize, hey I can get most of what I want at Mazda and save some coin.

My dad, who bought a Volvo XC60 a year ago (IN CASH, DOLLA DOLLA BILL Y’ ALL) , was actually looking at the CX-5, but he wanted more power. If the turbo CX-5 had been out when he was shopping, who knows, maybe he would’ve bought one.

But I think Mazda’s crossovers and midsize sedans have a better chance at making those luxury conquests than the 3 does. Small/medium luxury CUV shoppers’ boxes are still ticked by a CX-5. Or subcompact CUV shoppers might decide to get something less dinky but not a premium brand.

Meanwhile I feel like most subcompact sedan luxury cars, at least in the US, people buy those because it’s the cheapest way to get a badge. Sure, you can get 90% of the goodness of an A3 in a Mazda 3, but if the size of the A3 was never really the reason to buy an A3 in the first place, would those customers stay with a cheaper car of the same size, or get a bigger, better-equipped car at the same price? Because for the base price of a stripper low-end A3, you can get a 6 GT Reserve.

I dunno, maybe I’m being too pessimistic about this and Mazda sells a ton of them.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > For Sweden
02/01/2019 at 20:16

Do they need a 5-20 IV drip?

not for canada - australian in disguise > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time
02/01/2019 at 20:55

Hot take: There’s no reason to have a manual transmission over an automatic in a modern day non performance midsize car.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > not for canada - australian in disguise
02/01/2019 at 21:28

I personally don’t care for a daily driver given my commute. But, if they’re doing Mazdaspeed anything in the future it better damn come with a manual option.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time
02/01/2019 at 22:36

I submitted my review on the Mazda Mazda Mazda Mazda 6 today. LS/ST it s a great car but Mazda makes lots of stupid mistakes .

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars
02/01/2019 at 22:42

Hmmmm. Interesting. Wonder what those “ lots of stupid mistakes are” .

When will it be published? By the way have you driven the new 2019 Accord specifically the 2.0t and the V6 Camry ? how will you compare that to this?

wafflesnfalafel > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time
02/01/2019 at 22:58

N ew 3 hatch, Sport, 6spd manual, 2.5 turbo, cloth seats (no fake leather ), FWD with LSD, no sunroof. Silver. $27,65 0. Grand Touring with leather and Sunroof at $31,650. DO IT.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time
02/01/2019 at 23:01

I have driven the V6 Camry but not the Accord. The V6 Camry was great, I think the Mazda Mazda6 drives better, but it forgets what your temp settings were, the radio control is stupid, and when you back up gives you the front facing parking view even though you are backing up and need the rear facing cameras. . They are stupid things but I have had enough cars to now just how stupid they are.

DLu > Party-vi
02/03/2019 at 21:43

IMO that’s the kicker — if you only need 100% of the torque occasionally, and get torque steer, would you really be better off with more torque and only use 75% of it?

DLu > nerd_racing
02/03/2019 at 22:14

Too bad they won’t let you get AWD with the 6MT! :(

I went from an R3 to a 340i, thinking the 2017 F30 with M Sport pack would have decent handling. The steering turned out to be complete $%^&. I got rid of it after a year of trying to learn to like it. T he Mazda3 actually gives me more joy,

My point is, Mazda makes cars that are very special in today’s increasingly numb cars, so I am not giving it up easy. :)

nerd_racing > DLu
02/05/2019 at 07:19

All hope is not lost yet, t here are still rumblings that Mazda will offer a 6MT AWD variant.