BUY MAZDA6 S or JETTI GLI ?

[Woody_in_Minn]

I currently drive a 1997 Audi A4 1.8T that I have tweaked, and like a lot, but I miss the low end punch that you get from a v6 (or V8). I'm debating between a Mazda6 S (manual transmission) or a Jettti GLI (V6, manual tranmission).

I have driven both cars. They both move out pretty nice. I can probably get a Mazda6 for a few hundred over invoice, but get a Jetti for only a few hundred off sticker price. But VW has 1.9% intrest right now, so that makes the Jetti appealing. Also, I could probably get a Jettti used (2002 model) - but Mazda6 is only available new.

Any feedback would be helpful to compare these 2 cars. Has anyone got 0 to 60 mph times on these two cars? Comparitive slalomn times?

- Woody

 

[MikeyG_U2]

Sorry for intruding on the 6 boards... I recently traded in my VW GTI 1.8T (think Jetta GLI, minus two doors and the trunk) for a Mazdaspeed. The VW was more car for the money, featurewise, but the build quality was crappy. I never had any major problems, it was all little stuff. Window regulator's that broke and needed replacing, doors that rattled in their jams, crap like that. I only had it for two years and couldn't take it anymore. I got my MSP in January, two weeks later recieved a recall for almost all 1.8T's...

Basically, the VW was the first time I strayed from a Japanese manufacturer, and I won't do it again. I think you'll be happier with the 6, plus it looks much better than a Jetta (Jetta's are for chicks...)

 

[Antoine]

Mazda6 S hands down...Jettas are "played out"...plus the Mazda6 is a fresh design and a great car!

 

[mouseOfMars]

MikeyG_U2,

yeah..it is a tough call....but if you go with the GLI, you should be able to get it at invoice. no questions asked. VW's sales are off around 11%. If the dealer tries to say..MSRP...just walk.

I am sitting on the same fence as you. i've been thinking heavily between the 2 cars. i just like the GLI a little better. To me, it has an edge over the mazda 6....but then again...i spend a lot of time lurking around vwvortex.com...and there are just countless little issues (and some big ones) that scare me. Rattles, blown clutches at 25,000 miles, floods inside the cars, coil pack failures,
premature brake wear and warped rotors at 25K, etc. One of the only problems i heard on this board is the infamous P5 cold engine rattle that goes away after the car warms up.
But the GLI sure drives nice and oh the lure of the blue lighted dash. Yet the mazda doesn't require premium fuel and i think it has a higher torque rating. Oh yeah...and don't buy a VW used...you WANT to get the 4/50k warranty. In the long run...
i think that the mazda's cost of ownership will be SIGNIFICANTLY less.

...as a side note... i'm not terribly concerned about it being a chick car...that
just means more girls are gonna look my way!

So really i have nothing new to offer....just make out a list of the pros and cons and stick with that...

it's a tough decision...good luck.
...just my .02

 

[Woody_in_Minn]

After 2nd test drive...

Mouse,

I took a second test drive in the Mazda6 - this time with just me and the wife. We spent about 20 minutes test driving in a mix of suburban roads and highway. The VW may be a bit more torquey, but I found I could squeel the tires on the Mazda6 S too.

The Mazda was a hoot. The biggest impresssion that I came away with after the 2nd test drive is the car was more refined than what I remembered after the first test drive.

I probably am going to get the Mazda6 S, if I can sell my A4 for a decent price. (I already have a add online - carsoup.com.)

Actually one of the big things that is swaying me to the Mazda6, besides a lower price, is that there seem to be quite a few Jetti's on the road. So far, I've only seen a couple Mazda6's on the road. I do like to drive somethig different from the crowd. I do have to admit too that that Lapis Blue is a knock out on the Mazda6.

All I have to do now is sell the A4.

Thanks for the comments guys!

- Woody

 

[Dexter]

just out of curiousity, what was the recall on the 1.8t?
my friends 02 Jetta 1.8t had a shitload of problems...namely an engine fire... :wtf:

??

 

[mouseOfMars]

The vw 24valve VR6 engine and 1.8 turbo have a recall issued for coil packs (a piece tied into the spark plug wire thing) that burn up
and cause the car to run horribly, start bucking, and misfiring on the remaining cylinders...
essentially leaving the driver standard wherever the coil packs blow. There doesn't seem to be a coil pack issue with the
2.0 engine and the V6 found in the Passats

 

[mouseOfMars]

Woody,

Congrats on being able to make a decision! due to my indecision,
i'll probably never buy a new car and will just drive my 97 nissan sentra (w/ only 130k) into the ground...and instead just drool
at all the jettas and 6's that pass me!

 

[MikeyG_U2]

I recieved two notices from VW while I had my GTI 1.8T. One was for the ignition coils mentioned above. VW was replacing them as they failed,stating that the car would be slow, but driveable. The other letter was for front Window Regulators (a problem I did have to deal with) they had a metal piece that would break, and the windows would just fall into the door and not come up again until you got it fixed. On vwvortex you can find people who have had all windows replaced, sometimes multiple times. I was lucky, mine happened in the middle of summer, I would have been pissed if it had been raining or in the middle of a nice Chicago Winter. Other issues I had were mostly rattles and noises that started to creep in around 5,000 miles, before I even starting modding mine. Oh yeah, don't worry about the clutch thing, all of the early clutch failures were from people who had chipped their 1.8T's and were running way more HP and Torque than the clutch was designed for.

Aside from the BS reliability issues, I loved my VW. Especially the engine. That 1.8T was awesome with a chip. Imagine about 240lb-ft of torque from a 1.8 liter engine that gets nearly 30mpg. Only thing that beats it is a Turbo Diesel. If I could the Mazdaspeed car and suspension, but my old 1.8T motor, I'd be unstoppable....

 

[mouseOfMars]

MikeyG,


hmmm...sounds like a true love/hate relationship...
did you know about all the VW issues before you purchased? i think i am just in denial..."oh...all those problems won't happen
to me if i buy a Jetta GLI". And that seems to be the general
consensus on the vwvortex boards. Most people say..."oh
my vw has been perfect....*knocks on wood*".

...maybe i could just swap out all the orange gauges on the
6 for some blue ones and i'd be plenty happy

 

[MikeyG_U2]

I suspected the issues. I have always owned Japanese cars, but the car I really wanted, the 2000 Honda Civic Si, went out of production about 2 months before I was ready to purchase car. At the time the only other small sporty car option was the GTI. I read up on it, and everything I read was saying how far VW has come with reliability and build quality. So I tried it. They still have a ways to go. After 2 years I got sick of it, and there just happened to be multitude of small sporty cars to choose from. So I switched.

 

[MikeyG_U2]

The Red on Blue guages are awesome, but are not a decision-maker to me.

 

[Woody_in_Minn]

COIL PACK & CHIPPING

The Audi's have the same coil pack problem as was mentioned above.

As far as chipping - yes it is probably worth doing on the 1.8T, and you will get good perfmance and great gas mileage. I chipped my A4 1.8T with MTM stage one - that got me to about 190+ hp. But, it does not change the overall characteristic of the engine - which is that it is, like most (all?) 4 cylinder engines, a top-end power plant. Even with the chipping, you don't get much low end punch before you hit about 3,000 to 4,000 rpm. This is what I miss, and that is why I'm looking at the Mazda6 S, or Jetta V6. I wnat more punch off the line.

- Woody

 

[MikeyG_U2]

I think that having the power kick in around 3000 RPM is great for a 4 cylinder, that's what I love about turbocharged engines. My sister has Acura RSX -S and it's an nice powerful engine, but only if you're at 6000+ RPM, which isn't easy to get to. After chipping my GTI, 1st gear was almost unusable because of the massive low-end torque. The current 1.8T's make 215HP and about 240lb-ft of torque with a 1Bar chip. Most of that grunt comes early. I actually found that with the tiny turbo 1.8T turbo, it runs out of steam at high RPM's (unless you strap on a bigger turbo...) You'll always get more power down low with more cylinders, but a turbo makes a 4cylinder much more manageable driveable I think.

 

[onionring]

eh...get a wrx...u wont regret it haha..and high low end torque...+2004 just came out 227 hp boxer engine (better balance) ALL WHEEL DRIVE!! 1/4 miles in 13.9 stock and with 0% apr (which is wut i got donno if they still have it tho) if u willing to wait a few months...until the sti's come out in june u can get one at invoice for sure....but i already heard some ppl getting around invoice which is only about 700 more than mazda 6s....just my $.02

 

[mouseOfMars]

only problem with the WRX is that it is so ugly it makes my stomach turn. I'd rather have a little less 1/4 mile perfomance
and a little better aesthetic in the car i drive...so that leaves the subaru out.

 

[ping]

Check the new WRX, much nicer looking IMHO. Mitsu is coming out with a model a step just below the Evo ... and the new Protege looks great in pics in the mags, and sill have the Mazda6's big 4 banger as an option... but those are small compared to the GLI/6.

I had an old GLi (1990, minty-fresh, just sold it, now it's going to Waterfest), Dad has a VR6 Jetta, and I've had a 1.8T Passat. The quality thing doesn't bother me much, but the GLi tends to be spendy. VW's sales trend being down dowsn't change this being a high-end, lower-production model... dealers near me aren't discounting much.

I'm driving the Mazdaspeed Protege now, the "6" seemed too big a fit for me compared to the Prot or GLi, which are more a "medium" than a "large". The "6" drove well though...,. afraid I'm not helping with the decision as I was torn as well...

 

[tmht]

Another thing to consider is the Mazda6 is tuned to run on 87 octane while the Jetta GLI requires 91. Where I live that's a $.20/gal difference. Not to mention the fact that Jetta's have tiny trunks and no leg room in the back.