TripleZoom: Road Test- 2006 Mazdaspeed6

[mikeyb]

Ever since the advent of the Zoom-Zoom advertising campaign, Mazda set its sights on letting the automotive world know that it has no interest in offering boring cars. As such, the entire lineup of Mazda vehicles tries to sparkle just a little brighter in the eyes of enthusiasts compared to its Japanese rivals. Further proof that Mazda takes this whole Zoom-Zoom thing seriously is the existence of in-house performance division, Mazdaspeed.

Mazdaspeed is to Mazda what AMG is to Mercedes - at least thats the pitch weve been given. The Mazdaspeed Miata was the first effort from the fledgling Mazda tuner, and while we loved that particular Miatas extra power and more aggressive attitude, the overall execution was a bit unpolished and rough, and frankly a good distance from anything that might be associated with the letters A, M and G.

For 2006 Mazdaspeed has released its sophomore effort, the Mazdaspeed6. A quick drive in this pumped-up 6 and its soon clear that the abbreviated MSP moniker is now to be taken seriously... Full Story

 

[jflo]

that's pretty sad, they say that the Mazdaspeed Miata was the first, instead of the Protege which was actually the first car that was badged as a Mazdaspeed vehicle.

 

[Spooled]

Reverse is easy on the car; I don't know what they are talking about. It's like a German car, though (far far left and up).

 

[cheapmiata1600]

Comparing mazdaspeed to AMG is like comparing ford to a top fuel car or something. Has mazda EVER made a car with more than 300 hp?

Mazdaspeed, in my opinion, totally misses the mark as far as factory performance outfits go. The mazdaspeed miata should've been a great car, instead they killed it with a bad undersized turbo and giant wheels. The MSP should've been an SRT4 killer, but they used a stock engine with a tiny turbo and glass LSD. Where the **** is the mazdaspeed RX8? The MS6, while a good effort, wouldn't get my money over the legacy GT. Underpowered cars with good handling might be what the japs want, but give me something with horsepressure in america.

 

[Katya4me]

that's pretty sad, they say that the Mazdaspeed Miata was the first, instead of the Protege which was actually the first car that was badged as a Mazdaspeed vehicle.

I mentioned that:
http://forums.triplezoom.com/zerothread?id=2361618

 

[1552]

Hey guys!

As the author of that tripleZoom Mazdaspeed6 review, I'd like to apologize for making such an obvious error regarding the omission of the first Mazdaspeed project - the Mazdaspeed Protege. I offer no excuse other than I just completely forgot about it and failed to do the proper research before submitting my final draft.

Obviously, had I visited this site before writing that review, such a mistake could have been avoided.

Thanks for not tearing me apart over there

 

[Chiguy_2002]

No love for the MSP makes me sad.

that's pretty sad, they say that the Mazdaspeed Miata was the first, instead of the Protege which was actually the first car that was badged as a Mazdaspeed vehicle.

 

[Spooled]

Hey guys!

As the author of that tripleZoom Mazdaspeed6 review, I'd like to apologize for making such an obvious error regarding the omission of the first Mazdaspeed project - the Mazdaspeed Protege. I offer no excuse other than I just completely forgot about it and failed to do the proper research before submitting my final draft.

Obviously, had I visited this site before writing that review, such a mistake could have been avoided.

Thanks for not tearing me apart over there

Mistakes happen. It wouldn't be the first time that someone forgot that the MSP existed. My dealership's service department forgets all the time

"You car came stock with a limited slip differential? Is that same as a rear end?"

 

[Roywhitep5]

its okay, the msp was kind of eh... easy to forget

 

[Rainman]

Comparing mazdaspeed to AMG is like comparing ford to a top fuel car or something. Has mazda EVER made a car with more than 300 hp?

Mazdaspeed, in my opinion, totally misses the mark as far as factory performance outfits go. The mazdaspeed miata should've been a great car, instead they killed it with a bad undersized turbo and giant wheels. The MSP should've been an SRT4 killer, but they used a stock engine with a tiny turbo and glass LSD. Where the **** is the mazdaspeed RX8? The MS6, while a good effort, wouldn't get my money over the legacy GT. Underpowered cars with good handling might be what the japs want, but give me something with horsepressure in america.

Had a Legacy GT on order when I got the MS6 instead. Ordered it not having driven it, but having driven the Legacy GT, the STi, and the Volvo S40 T5 AWD (yeah, I know, not bright to order a car without having driven it, but I did like my MSP).

Waiting out for the MS6 over the Legacy GT was the right decision. The Legacy GT is a great car, with just enough refinement over the STi that I can drive my wife and kids in with out them complaining about the ride or the noise. The MS6, however, is way, way more car. It is such a beast in ANY gear that it just creams the Legacy GT. The power is there on demand. The handling, although not MSP-like, is more than adequate for a car this size. The interior is WAY more upscale than the Legacy GT is quite frankly, is more comparable with that of the Audi, the Volvo, or the BMW 3 series if it is outfitted with the Grand Touring leather package.

To each his own, but I have driven the cars that you mention and the MS6 wins the comparison hands down.

R

 

[jflo]

Hey guys!

As the author of that tripleZoom Mazdaspeed6 review, I'd like to apologize for making such an obvious error regarding the omission of the first Mazdaspeed project - the Mazdaspeed Protege. I offer no excuse other than I just completely forgot about it and failed to do the proper research before submitting my final draft.

Obviously, had I visited this site before writing that review, such a mistake could have been avoided.

Thanks for not tearing me apart over there

haha it's okay...most people don't even know what the hell the car is in the first place, and people are forgetful

I mentioned that:
http://forums.triplezoom.com/zerothread?id=2361618

haha neat, and the author actually came on here

 

[BlueMonsta]

yeah, cant believe the author came on here.
nice to see an author that takes an extra step for the articles he/she writes

 

[meGrimlock]

the exhaust ports on the bumper is something you expect to see on an MDX, kindof a dissapointment on a mazda sedan. but c'mon, you cant beat the overall styling with a stick. lexus wishes their IS can be that hot, honda has to put an a-spec kit on their european accord to come close, the legacy gt is a beauty, but it doesnt say "i arrived at my destination using 15 psi of boost."

 

[Rogue]

Mazdaspeed, in my opinion, totally misses the mark as far as factory performance outfits go. The mazdaspeed miata should've been a great car, instead they killed it with a bad undersized turbo and giant wheels. The MSP should've been an SRT4 killer, but they used a stock engine with a tiny turbo and glass LSD.

I was laying in bed thinking about this this morning. The reason they probably made the MS Miata only 170hp is because they already had the new MX-5 hp numbers in mind. Why put out a car that will be faster than the car replacing it next year? Same thing goes for the MS Protege. They already had plans for releasing the 3. If they put out the MSP with high hp numbers, who would want to buy their new car that's slower than the car it's replacing?

does that make sense?

 

[Antoine]

What do you expect from a VWVORTEX owned MAZDA site...

 

[1552]

What do you expect from a VWVORTEX owned MAZDA site...

Heh, I'll admit I have a pretty deep history with VAG products, but my Mazda roots also run pretty deep - I've owned an RX-2, an RX-3, and even an RX-4 wagon that I loved dearly All the more reason my errors in that MS6 article are pretty lame, right?

In regards to the MS6, I must admit I didn't really like the car the first time I drove it. Not much going on below 3k rpm, steering a bit overboosted and lacking in feedback, a notchy and somewhat vague gearshift (at least on my test car), an obvious two or three-hundred pounds to carry around... But then I realized why the manufacturers let folks like myself keep these cars for a full week rather than just one day

The car is impressively quick and has very high handling limits. What makes it truly endearing is how easily it lets you explore those limits, but without having to pretend you're Colin McRae. Everything works together as a complete package and there really are no glaring deficiencies, outside a disappointing lack of lateral support from the front seats.

Spending time with the MS6 afforded me the chance to really get a feel for what its true purpose is. Mazdaspeed went far out of its way to give this car a more grown up feel than any STi or EVO could ever hope to achieve. That being said, there's still something "special" about this car that comes across more viscerally than the feeling you get from a Legacy GT. One can scoff at AMG or Audi S-car references all they want, but from a big-picture perspective, Mazdaspeed has really done a good job in mimicking the same approach.

 

[Rogue]

well said (2thumbs)

 

[meGrimlock]

I was laying in bed thinking about this this morning. The reason they probably made the MS Miata only 170hp is because they already had the new MX-5 hp numbers in mind. Why put out a car that will be faster than the car replacing it next year? Same thing goes for the MS Protege. They already had plans for releasing the 3. If they put out the MSP with high hp numbers, who would want to buy their new car that's slower than the car it's replacing?

does that make sense?

i think thats part of the reason mazda keeps putting out new limited-edition trims without touching the power. to many people's dismay, they upgrade the leather and other luxuries but skim on the horses under the hood. many car companies pull the same trick because they dont want self competition. its all about marketing placement.
[oops! i repeated myself w/o checking my older posts, sorry!]

 

[FlyinMSP]

About the MS6, I don't understand the wheel/tire combo they used. IMO, on a car like that, it would have been better to go for a 225 sized tire on a 7.5" rim width, maybe even a 235 ...

 

[Mikey444]

I dont care what any article says, I like all Mazda speed cars. Zoom Zoom...