audi a4 vs ms6

[y2kc0wb0y]

As a former Audi owner, I can tell you this car.

Has nothing on this car.

I loved both cars but the Audi broke and broke and broke and broke. The MS6 has been VERY reliable after 11,000 miles of ownership. Both cars were purchased with about the same used miles on them and both car were certified. My boss and co-worker both have new Audi's and both go are starting to go to the shop for lovin'...I tried to tell them.

 

[coyfish]

Man that teal color looks terrible.

 

[Skywlkr]

I'll add my .02 cents for anyone who cars. My office is loaded with VW Audi die hard fans. Everyone one of them has had issues with their VW or Audi after 50k. The electrical systems are notorious for having problems and being expensive to dianose and fix.
My buddy has an A4, which is chipped, and he says my MS6 is more powerfully anyday.

As for the AWD. yes Audi is know for its Quattro and there is no denying that, but Mazda is not new to the AWD either. You have to remember that Ford now owns them as well as Volvo. Volvo has had AWD for years and that research and technology has been shared into the Mazda line of cars.

As for the comment about needing snow tires on the MS6, that is true, but not because of the AWD, but because it comes with summer sport tires. The same is true of the Audi if you have an S4 or a sport package with the sport tires. Snow tires are not needed due to the AWD, but because of the tires. You could use an all season tire all year round instead if you wished.

 

[NCZ13]

I'll add my .02 cents for anyone who cars. My office is loaded with VW Audi die hard fans. Everyone one of them has had issues with their VW or Audi after 50k. The electrical systems are notorious for having problems and being expensive to dianose and fix.
My buddy has an A4, which is chipped, and he says my MS6 is more powerfully anyday.

As for the AWD. yes Audi is know for its Quattro and there is no denying that, but Mazda is not new to the AWD either. You have to remember that Ford now owns them as well as Volvo. Volvo has had AWD for years and that research and technology has been shared into the Mazda line of cars.

As for the comment about needing snow tires on the MS6, that is true, but not because of the AWD, but because it comes with summer sport tires. The same is true of the Audi if you have an S4 or a sport package with the sport tires. Snow tires are not needed due to the AWD, but because of the tires. You could use an all season tire all year round instead if you wished.

for owns 33% which is hardly enough to be called ownership.

not to mention ford is selling back their shares.

 

[zoomdarylzoom]

Hey, turbospartan, if you buy a SP6 you will love it. For the money it is a great performing car with decent quality and materials. We just bought a '09 Audi A4 2.0T for my wife to drive. Yes, the A4 is more refined and has better quality materials, but it also cost $15K more than I paid for the SP6 (new) so they were never meant to be competitors. There is also no denying the Quattro AWD system is more sophisticated than the AWD in the SP6, but the SP6 works great for the winter and performance driving that I do.

Bottom line, go test drive a SP6 and I think you may be impressed with the car you get for the money.

 

[OCIE]

B6 A4 W/80k

hey all.... just wanted some opinions on the MS6.

right now, I have a 2004 a4 USP (ultra sport package).... I love the way the car looks, and handles but.....

It is not very fast at all. This isn't super important to me, but damn this thing is slow. Sometimes I have trucks passing me. I could put a chip in it (stage 1 = $500 gets you to about 215 chp, 1+ is same but add injectors for another $300, and you get to 235 chp).


2nd problem is.... im coming up on 50k miles. Nothing has gone terribly wrong with my car so far.... the only issue i've had is that the driver's window regulator is going out, so I need to replace that (2-3 hour DIY or $300 at stealership). But, as it has been noted here, the reliability of audi is in question. Supposedly they are pretty good if you stay on top of things... regular maintenance, preventative maintenance, etc..... but there is always the chance that that one thing could happen and BAM - you have to pay $2k for a new _____.

Also - I'm almost at 50k miles, and the recommended Timing Belt service is anywhere from 60k to 80k.... and that in itself costs around $1k to do (at independent shop it can be as low as $800, stealership as high as $1300).


What I wanted to know is.... besides me searching around this forum (which I have)... what can any of you say regarding the similarities between the 2 vehicles?


I've seen a couple of MS6's within an hour drive of me for sale, all around $19k with anywhere between 20-40k miles....


let the debate begin....

Hello fellow audi a4 owner, I have a B6 A4 w/ 80k and was looking at MS6 my self. So let me tell you a little about my car; I have full suspension kit sways included, giac 1+ chip, injectors, test pipe,full exhaust etc. my advice to you is if you are looking for reliabilty don't mod the car, unless you want to pay for all the suport items, like hp clutch for example. audi's are good car but require a lot of attention. Also your right about one thing, timing at 80k and everything else you can imagine. I've had enough! love the car though but its got to go. BTW people I have had good time behind the wheel of both cars, and the quattro sys. is best in the world hands down. The differance however between the two cars is that the MS6 is very specific in its objective, its a sport car w/ 4 doors. The audi is touring sedan for the masses, and has to be modded to bring out its sports nature. When that is done it is a truely fine tuner/ sport sedan. your choice if you want power and prestige you must pay! APR stage III is the way to go, they have a step by step film on there website. btw I'm going to wait for the pontiac g8 gxp(laugh)

 

[coyfish]

Don't mean to argue but the speed 6 is not a "sports car with 4 doors." Its market is the accord v6, maxima 3.5 v6, camry v6, etc. Its meant to be a car balanced between power, comfort, handling, and looks. The goal is to be balanced. Evo's and STI's goals are much different than the mps6's.

 

[OCIE]

I think not!

Don't mean to argue but the speed 6 is not a "sports car with 4 doors." Its market is the accord v6, maxima 3.5 v6, camry v6, etc. Its meant to be a car balanced between power, comfort, handling, and looks. The goal is to be balanced. Evo's and STI's goals are much different than the mps6's.

It's not an arguement, but there is a v6 mazda 6 to compete with the aforementioned vehicles. The speed6 was built with a different objective in mind. The veh. is 4cyl. turbo with direct injection, a susp. tuned for performance more than comfort and manual transmission only... this car my friend is not built for the masses like the cars you mentioned.

 

[Myriad]

Performance aside, the mazda 6 (whichever trim level you go with) is a mid sized family sedan. The speed version was generally offered as a build for those who needed a mid sized family sedan, but still wanted some fun. If the engine setup had the car targeted at a whole different class of cars then one could say the pontiac g8 gxp is meant to take on corvettes... and that's just absurd.

 

[speedy ms6]

yeah i've heard a couple people say the ms6 was made to compete with accord and camry and other cars like that. From what I heard they were aiming it at bmw 3 series, 4-motion passats, A4's with quatro. And I think it was also marketed as a more refined evo or sti. Even though it doesn't come close to them in performance.

 

[coyfish]

Performance aside, the mazda 6 (whichever trim level you go with) is a mid sized family sedan. The speed version was generally offered as a build for those who needed a mid sized family sedan, but still wanted some fun. If the engine setup had the car targeted at a whole different class of cars then one could say the pontiac g8 gxp is meant to take on corvettes... and that's just absurd.

Exactly . The speed 6 was in the market against other "beefed up" family sedans and as an alternative to the audi A4 / other small luxury line cars. Was never meant to compete against real 4 door sports cars (like sti /evo). Its more of a more refined alternative. You cant say the speed 6 was meant to be a sports car unless your willing to make the same claim for an accord v6. I do agree that the only manual option refines the market. I guess they wanted to keep the theme of manual for their limited edition speeds.

Didnt want to argue but I couldn't let that pass undisputed (boobs2)

 

[blacketik]

Here is a small comparason about 8 awd car : http://autonetfr.feedroom.com/?fr_story=7fe9b68579200e1a8d1970981ba00edf0ba5847f

It's in french but give you an good idea about the best awd system (4 best of 8) :

4) lexus is 250
3) infinity g35x
2) speed6
1) audi a4 quattro

Like the peaple say, the more surprising car of the day was the speed6, but the audi a4 v6 win in overall

Yes Quattro was a little better, but the awd system from mazda is not bad, it's praticly as good as the Quattro.

 

[xxcosixprendaxx]

I would be careful on your decision. I had an a4 ultrasport, loved it. Last month it was totaled, and i picked up the mazdaspeed 6. At first i liked it, now im starting to hate it, i just want my audi back... nothing can replace the feeling you get when your driving an audi like that. The added power is nice in the ms6, but im not sure if im going to be happy in this car

Maybe this forum will be able to change my mind on how i feel about the ms6, im sure a few mods and ill be a little happier

 

[enjoy_]

I would be careful on your decision. I had an a4 ultrasport, loved it. Last month it was totaled, and i picked up the mazdaspeed 6. At first i liked it, now im starting to hate it, i just want my audi back... nothing can replace the feeling you get when your driving an audi like that. The added power is nice in the ms6, but im not sure if im going to be happy in this car

Maybe this forum will be able to change my mind on how i feel about the ms6, im sure a few mods and ill be a little happier

a couple of mods. and you wont look back. trust me

 

[coyfish]

I dont understand why people care about the best AWD system. I drove a subaru wrx before my speed and yeah the awd was better , but its not like I go rallying in the thing. Unless you plan on racing at the tracks or the likes then why does it matter so much ??? When im turning at an intersection going 15 miles per hour . . . the last thing I care about is AWD.

The speed 6 is a medium size sedan like an accord or camry. AWD is a nice component but its not what the car was designed for.

Everyone has a right to their opinion and I don't want to come across as being insulting or rude in this post but why dont you like the speed 6 ? Sometimes it just seems that people forget that this is not a high end car. What you get in the speed 6 is very unique. Its not extremly fast, doesn't handle like an evo, or have all the luxuries of an audi, but it has what none of those cars have . . . . balance (with a bit of zoom).

Perhaps I am a little bias because I test drove a new 08 audo A4 with AWD and honestly, I hated it. The interior was nice but overall I thought the car was boring, plain, slow, and I didn't like the feel while driving it. For 35 grand I thought I could do better. Audi's are not known for there reliability so I just didn't know what i was paying for exactly.

Anyway as you can probably tell I am very happy with my mazda and I hope everyone else feels the same way.

 

[OJ Bartley]

The added power is nice in the ms6, but im not sure if im going to be happy in this car

Maybe this forum will be able to change my mind on how i feel about the ms6, im sure a few mods and ill be a little happier

What are the things that bug you about the Speed6? Let us know where it falls short in your eyes, and I'm sure someone can recommend a good place to start to improve.

 

[xxcosixprendaxx]

I think im really just having buyers remorse. Dont get me wrong its a really nice car, and a really really fun car. The dealership just gave me a lot of problems.... leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. Today (after over a month owning the car) i finally got my plates after them losing my title, and the dealership refused to fix a big rust area on the trunk they hid from me. So i think more or less it is the dealership that is making me mad, and im taking it out on my new car.

As for what i dont like, the biggest thing is the suspension, i would like more response and less body movement... not sure what exactly will get me the perfect feel i want..... so suggestions on what anyone else has done would be great. I also dont like the cheap look of things, like the taillights and exhaust. My plan is to look around at exhaust systems and tint the tails. I guess its just making the car my own i need to work on.

 

[coyfish]

Yeah dealers can be a pain. You really think this car looks cheap? Looks like a bentley compared to an american made car or altima / camry. I agree with the exhaust tips but lots of cars have those fake tips.

Anyway the car is not light, but adding some springs and sway bars will reduce roll greatly. If money is no problem than you could always go all out and get new coilovers. Those will put you down at least 1 grand though. Springs / sway bars pretty cheap. Ive got Cobb springs on mine. I got the springs mainly for looks though. I dont take mine to the race track or anything involving lots of handling / turns / etc. But I can definately tell the car feels "tighter" in all aspects. Sacrificed the floaty ride of the stock springs though. A bit rough at times.

 

[Myriad]

I'm certain these forums will help you make this car your own. There are so many great mods that don't cost much and make a world of difference. If you have a 06 speed6 (Mazdaspeed6 vehicles with VINs lower than JM1GG****7*107613) then you really should contact a mazdaspeed dealership about having the clutch TSB done, it really cleans up the shifts and costs you nothing. A new rear motor mount costs around $100 depending on which one you go with and makes the car feel more how it should. A new intake opens up a major factory restriction on the car and smooths out the powerband. In regards to the suspension, it all depends on what feel you are looking for. There are very few springs made exclusively for the speed6 and most (if not all) are linear, which tend to be a little more on the harsh side. Popular opinion is springs for the v6 mazda 6 will work fine, but leave the rear end feeling a little soft. I have driven a speed6 with eibach pro-kit springs designed for the v6 which are progressive. They were comfortable for normal driving yet responded well under more spirited conditions and I didn't feel any of the rear end "wallow" some people complain about with the v6 springs. Sway bars are always a good idea to counter body roll and up the sport feel of this car. After that, you can go almost any direction you want to dial in a speed6 so it meets or exceeds your needs and desires.

I'm not even going to touch the appearance or material quality concerns since those are very low on my list of priorities (as it comes to my car).

Given a little time and some help from these forums I'm sure you will come to love your car. A great place to start is to imagine a giant rock falling from the sky and flattening the dealership that's left you feeling a bit down over this whole deal (lol2).

 

[xxcosixprendaxx]

The falling rock idea totally made my day, haha. Now every time i drive past it im going to picture that.

I think my first step after a few cosmetics is some suspension research to find what i want. Sway bars are a priority right now.... and thanks for all the input and ideas, it all helps me feel better about this car. Hearing people tell me how jealous they are of it lately doesn't hurt either.