Mazda 3 or Mazda 6?

[Tronix102]

I am in this HUGE debate on what car to purchase in the next few months. I have been going over everything and this is what I have come up with.

Mazda 3 s sport or the Mazda 6 i grand touring. I don't want the v6 mainly because I want good gas mileage.

I believe these two cars have the same engine 2.3l, correct me if I'm wrong.

So my question is, what one should I be looking at more or should I just test drive them both? I do like all the luxury items that comes with the 6 but I also don't want it to be a slow car with the same engine as the 3 and the 3 is less weight. what would you do in this situation?

 

[winty87]

IMO I would go for the 3 sedan because I like the looks of the sedan over the hatch. When I sat in the 3 the shifter felt great and the clutch feel was close to what I'm used to in my MP3 and I loved it. The seats were very comfy and had a nice bucket feel to them. The only gripe on the 3 was that my knee hit center dash where the CD player but it also does that in my MP3 so nothing a little getting used to wont fix.

The 6 on the other hand I really dont think I'll buy a 6 unless its the speed. I didnt think the seats were great at all. They didnt really cup me like the seats in the 3 or my MP3 and the shifter felt a bit funky and the car is a bit too big for me. I like the nimbleness of smaller cars compared to a bigger 4 door sedan. and I really never found a seat position I liked whereas in the 3 or my MP3 it took 2 moves of the seat to feel right at home.

 

[Rotus8]

Definately test drive both. Costs nothing. If possible, whichever seems better to you, go rent one for a weekend; costs $100 and could save you from having to live with the result if it turns out to be unsatisfactory. Use the rental for something typical like a nice drive in the country, with real world carrying stuff, etc. It's probably the second most expensive purchase you will ever make, worth a little investment in due diligence.

 

[Olestra]

The 6 offers nice options like you said and so if options are important to you, then the 6 is a great choice. Some people would say that the 6 is a more refined, mature vehicle and the 3 is sporty and young. Both cars are excellent, IMO.

As for weight, you're right the 6 is heavier but I'm not sure if 80-100 kgs are going to make a huge difference? If you don't want a slow car, then get the v6 engine, otherwise I would just worry about which car you feel better in and which options you want. 3s hatch has has some pretty nice options already and I had the same debate before I bought my 3. In the end, the 3 costs less even fully loaded. One big difference I can see it the 6 will have TCS.

 

[Akaveli]

get the 33333333333

 

[Tronix102]

I been researching for about 5 hours today and pretty much am leaning to the 3 at this point. I read that the 6 is much slower, and is going to be replaced in 2008 anyways with something else. Do you think the s Grand Touring 3 is a good choice? I read through it all and basicly has EVERYTHING the mazda 6 has for about the same price, leather heated seats, HID, auto climate, blah blah blah hehehe. But yes, its all about the test drive. I was also trying to build the 3 on the website but there was no option for 17 inch wheels and the pdf file says its an option...can anyone verify this for me?

 

[jomoyo069]

you gotta throw some d's on that b****

 

[nate0123]

I been researching for about 5 hours today and pretty much am leaning to the 3 at this point. I read that the 6 is much slower, and is going to be replaced in 2008 anyways with something else. Do you think the s Grand Touring 3 is a good choice? I read through it all and basicly has EVERYTHING the mazda 6 has for about the same price, leather heated seats, HID, auto climate, blah blah blah hehehe. But yes, its all about the test drive. I was also trying to build the 3 on the website but there was no option for 17 inch wheels and the pdf file says its an option...can anyone verify this for me?

the 17" wheels are standard on the 3S-GT

 

[Tronix102]

ah ok ... has the breaking in issue been resolved for the 3?

 

[dread]

yep on cars built after january 07

 

[clicknext]

The only reason for having the 6 in my opinion is the size of the interior if you prefer it bigger. Some think the interior is more refined than the 3, but I think the two are actually pretty close. Remember that the 6 is built in the US and the 3 is built in Japan, not that it really matters. For a midsize sedan, the 6 is a very nimble car. Just test drive both as everyone says!

 

[Tronix102]

thanks for all the input