Welcome to the forums! You have good taste in cars being that you're contemplating getting the MS6. It's a bit of a sleeper and not many people know that it even exist. There isn't anything that visually sets it greatly apart from the regular 6 except the triple decker hood. I still believe a hood scoop would have done more for the car's personality as well as performance. The fact that the new MS3 resorted to one is proof enough my logic was correct. I guess the MS6 is greatly overshadowed by the far more popular MS3 and rightfully so. MS6 was a hard sell for it's price at the time that it debuted. It was wedged between premium sport sedans like the A4 and 3 Series BMW and all out AWD track machines line the EVO and STi. The problem was that in either comparison the MS6, despite it's many accolades, comes out on the losing end. Don't get me wrong, the MS6 is a barnstormer but doesn't do any one thing particularly well. It's does not have the luxury, toys and refinement of the Audi and BMW or Lexus IS350 and Mazda made it clear they in no way meant to enter the death match the EVO and STi have been locked into for more than a decade. There is no excuse for the poor gas milage and daunting engine management (even after the "helpful" reflash). The transmission is a joke. The shifter is floppy and you'll miss 3rd gear under heavy acceleration unless you really concentrate. I suspect the mushy rear engine mount causes the shift linkage to become misaligned when the engine is under heavy load. The drivetrain binds and fights your every effort at smooth shifting from gears 1-3. Why is 6th gear so high??? I would gladly give up being able to aggressively pass cars on the highway without having to downshift to 5th if it meant another 5 mpg. The MS6 was a great effort on the part of Mazda, who barley made it past in the 90's due to the simpleton designs of their cars and low tech engines. Thank Ford (or Ford's deep pockets) for the turn around. Let's hope Mazda can make it on their own now that Ford has removed the training wheels. To answer your question, "is it worth it?". No. There are other sport sedans that have greater aftermarket support, build quality, luxury appointments and will stand out from the crowd. The sad part is that the MS6's greatest rival was parked next to it at the dealer showroom. Get a MS3 instead.
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