??? There's a 400lbs+ weight difference between an EVO and a RalliArt. Mazdaspeed6 will probably gain as much weight.

 

You all are missing the point here, First Off.. the R32 is not in the same market.

second The EVO and STI are RALLY CARS! turbo AWD for Off road Handling and performance (high tourqe & horsepower in a 2.0 liter engine accept the US spec STI)!!! Cars that are made today w/ AWD are mainly for saftey reasons, now they just slap on a turbo...boom horse power, does NOT mean it will pull the same numbers!!!

WRX's and Evo's have been made for years, these companies have the experiance with rally cars.

Mazdaspeed 6 is designed for on-road use... otherwise you would see them in SCCA Rallyor WRC

 

When I meant "compete", I meant compete in the car sales market, and not in any rally competition. There aren't many production turboed, AWD sedans in the market.

 

I think it's nice, definately SOFT though! Nice car though, I say 30k - 0-60 6.2 sec - 14.1 1/4 mile - 69.5 slalom- The car will compete with the Infinity G35x sedan, Legacy gt, Audi 1.8t quattro, Volvo S40 awd, BMW 325xi (price).

Along with the Evo and STi/WRX, there are, including Mazadaspeed 6, six AWD turbocharged sedans available in the US! There are several other AWD sedans, but they are normaly aspirated.

 

And don't be mistaken, Audi was one of the First RALLY companies to win Rally events, they just don't have a team these days (retired on top) Audi's can be in the Same Class as Evo's and STI's because they have the numbers and there even better in handeling (best AWD system)

 

looks good to me!

 

Nice engine, the 6 has. GDI is what Mitsubishi would call it. Interesting how direct injection can cool down cylinder walls by 10% and bump up the compression ratio. I wonder where Mazda put the injectors? Not port injected anymore, maybe it's right by the sparkplugs? I'll do more research on GDI.

 

My opinion is that it could be a perfect sleeper. No one will truly know what the performance potential is with aftermarket mods and leather seats and navigation are just options for those who want luxury with performance. Look at some EVOs that were offered in leather. Probably was due to consumer request. The EVO was sent here for every intention of being a powerful AWD road ready rally car. No real options for luxury was planned. Not every consumer wants the hardcore rough riding suspension and recaro seats etc, but something more sophisticated as we are all getting older (29). You can get a happy medium. Why do we upgrade suspensions on our car? So it can handle differently right. Or maybe the ride is too rough. Either way I would assume with the suspension thats available today, it would be smoother and handles better, and definitely not harder but we do it just because. The EVO suspension and all other components was designed a certain way but we change it anyway. The fact that it has larger displacement makes it attractive to. There are many EVO owners that want the 2.3 stroker (as myself)or want to build something similar. I think we might be overlooking a sleeping giant. It might not take as much money to get this motor breathing fire. I am not hott on Mazda nor Mitsu at the moment and I really not attracted to the body style. The interior looks superior though. I would classify this in our class even though it is a performance/luxury car. It still has AWD 4 banger turbo i think from what I read, and 4 doors. Cant get any closer than that. Just my .02.

 

I'd buy that for a dollar!! (Robocop)

I like it.. I've driven a 6 before and found that it's built nicely.. This just adds a little to the package.. I'd use one as my daily grind, but NEVER replace it with my EVO... I give it a thumbs up, unless it's priced over 36 grand....

 

Mazda is definitely coming up with some nicer cars in the last few years, gearing more towards the enthusiast that has a family and can compromise. like everyone else has said already, this would be a great daily car, but i do not see there being a TRUE enthusiast niche for this- there are better new cars to extract performance from than this, namely our beloved evolution.

Hopefully Mazda will ride this new lineup and keep a bread and butter powerplant, start platforming like crazy, and then make the money to unleash a true enthusiasts dream.

The future looks good for Mazda right now. Luckily, I am living right now, and have the greatest machine allowed on US soil for under $30K.

 

i think it will take some of the in betweeners away from the evo but it wont live up to those power numbers and the price will be up there especially with nav

 

There's no way this will compete with the EVO/STI performance-wise.

Anyone want to bet they've already overstated the horsepower on this thing?


Cabo

 

Its a "wife" kind of car.

 

Looks like a good daily driver... I highly doubt it can hang with the STi or Evo on the track but still should have pretty decent get up and go and deffinately a nice interior. I would say its probably more of a competitor with BMW 330i but mazda is for sure doing better

 

Moving to Other Cars.