Byprodrive

iTrader: (1)

That centrol control **** is difficult to navigate with but once you program all your radio stations you can navigate around without taking your eyes off the road.

All the Mazda's handling is very good & makes them fun to drive. ZOOM-ZOOM

mmarshall

That was the decade where the Japanese really socked it to the domestics. But the import-restrictions of the period, particularly in the early 1980s, made Japanese vehicles hard to get, and allowed dealerships to treat people like s***. I was lucky...I bought my first Mazda GLC at very close to list (slightly above)...but that was still significantly better than the average Toyota or Honda deal.

And the Toyotas and Hondas weren't necessarily bulletproof, either. The 80-vintage Toyota trucks had a severe rust problem along the belt-line, where the beds were welded on, and some of the Honda Accords severely rusted out their front fenders. In addition, the carburetors on most vehicles back then were set so lean that engines would sometimes barely run at all while warming up. The advent of electronic fuel injection and computerized ignition was probably the best automotive advance of my lifetime.


Yep.....welcome to Hondaville, and the world of Jerk-O-Matic salespeople. That was the 1980s.

Yeah....they can be addicting. And cloth seats tend to grip you......you don't slide around in them like smooth leather or leatherette.

nicedude

Hopefully rwd with an inline 6 engine as an option. Something like that Lexus collaboration rumor.

Thanks for the review, OP.

mmarshall

Glad you enjoyed it. It was certainly a pleasant car to drive.

As far as an in-line 6, I don't think Mazda has ever done one, although they once did the big 929 on a RWD sedan platform.

FrankReynoldsCPA

I've been finding it odd that the company whose tagline was once "zoom zoom" is lagging behind the competition in power....as in they're not even trying.

geko29

Because Zoom Zoom is more about driving dynamics, rather than outright power. Think about the Miata. It makes well under 200hp, and is one of the slowest modern sports car in production in a straight line. But if you fit (I unfortunately don't), it's one of the most rewarding to drive, and pretty darn fast around a track. They apply that same concept through most of their products. The CX-5, to take their most popular example, is underpowered compared to most of its competitors, especially before they introduced the turbo engine in the last year or two. But it's more fun to drive than pretty much all of them.

I would expect the Mazda 6 to be in this same vein, though Honda has stepped up its game with the latest Accord, especially the sport model with the 6MT.

mmarshall

They did produce, some years ago, a limited-production run of turbo MazdaSpeed 3s, Miatas, and 6s (the Mazdaspeed6 also had AWD). But, I agree, huge levels of power has never been their forte. The early-90s-vintage RX-7 sports car had a reputation for zip and responsiveness, but that was as much (or more) a factor of very light weight, an almost complete lack of sound insulation, and some flimsy parts, even in the underpinnings which often got bent and ended repair or replacement. And rotary engines have little if any torque at low speeds...you have to (smoothly) rev them to practically motorcycle-levels to get max performance.