I would say at leas from the VW perspective (beings that I just traded in my 06 GTI for my EVO) that it was a great car in terms of being pretty great across the board. It was a fun car it was quick and the interior was nice the ride great. I beat my buddies stock EVO with a bad catalytic converter on the highway....lol but I really did like the car the payments were good too. But I have always been and will always be a mitsubishi fan so now here I am only this time its an EVO and not a GSX

 

i strongly considered the r32 and the ms3 before going evo. both this cars had more then appropriate performance for the street, looked great and better finish than the evo. overall better cars arguably.

but, as with most of you here, i went evo for its purity (a nice way of saying lack of refinement) and raw performance. many, many consumers do not want this when paying the amount that is asked of a new evo.

 

While I despise fanbois I'm going to have to disagree with a few things here... The MS6 has been a pretty big flop for Mazda. It does not compare faborably to cars like the Legacy GT and A4, which are more what it was meant to compete with. Sales have been very slow. Plus there were all sorts of tuning issues with the car for months after release (do a search for boost cut on a Mazda 6 forum). However, when you consider that the sport trim was/is going for 22-23k and GT trim for around 25k new it's a damn nice car for the price. In fact for that price I'd take one over a WRX every day of the week, and I'm a former WRX owner that rather enjoyed his ownership experience.

Just some other random thoughts to others in this thread... The MS6 can run around 14 flat and trap nearly 100 mph, the 14.8 that R&T got was because of the boost cut issues I mentioned above. I think others have have done a pretty good job pointing out why someone would buy one of the other cars mentioned in this thread over an Evo. It's simple, if performance for your buck matters more than anything to you then it doesn't get much better than the Evo. If you just want good performance but highly value amenties and ride comfort it doesn't get much worse than the Evo.

 

i had a ms6 for 3 weeks and sold. the power is all low end, felt like v6, boring..

 

Mazda was targeting a slightly different crowd, perhaps the crowd who are looking for a more luxurious sedan that still has good performance, with the MS6. I think it's rather ridiculous that people are attacking the MS6 here because it wasn't built to compete with the Evo. Sure, the Evo can kill it is any performance test, but I would expect that out of a car with the legacy our Evo totes.

Mazda is not moving as many of the MS6's as they expected, which is why you can buy a new one for crazy cheap. It really is a nice car if you're considering comfort and features in a daily driver, rather than simpy raw speed and a rough ride.

 

For the money if you're looking for an upgraded interior and exterior I would without a doubt jump to the Legacy GT SpecB. STi 6spd, nice interior, navi, awd, great looks, etc.

MS6 or the R32..meh...

 

when a supposedly nicer interior qualifies as a substitute for actual ability.

 

The mazdaspeed 6 was made to compete with awd luxury cars like the bmw 330XI, Audi quattros, ect. And for just over 20 grand if I was in the market for luxury awd I would probably test drive one.

 

That was exactly their target competition! Comparing it to the Evo is kind of pointless. They are two very different cars targeting two very different audiences.

 

An EVO is a car that 10% of the population would want at best. Most people don't want a ****ty car that happens to perform amazingly they just want something nice.

 

"nice." how subjective of you.

this is, as usual, a debate about definitions. if you define nice as "amenities" or "luxury" then i'm not even sure why any of the above mentioned cars are even in the running for any "nice" contest. the honda accord is "nicer" than them all and in the same price range.

these cars were included because they purport performance. well, if Mazda or VW is gonna market performance as an aspect of the MS6 or the R32, don't be surprised if people compare their performance to cars within a few thousand dollars.

 

Both those cars are nicer than the EVO. I don't see how that's a debatable subject. If IIRC both the MS6 and R32 sell in relatively small numbers which supports my case. I don't think a lot of people would consider the Accord nicer than an R32, German interior and all. The MS6 is old now, it compared quite well with equivalent cars from the time.

 

R32's are great, but the MkV styling kinda sucks. MkIV is much better, but if you're gonna drive a car in city roads and want comfort, get the R32. Its strong, comfortable, and makes a great noise.

 

Perhaps my experience will open your eyes a bit.

I use to own an Evo and even went to several GTGs. It was a great tool for going fast and the handling out of the box is awesome. Also, the amount of power you can get out of it for relatively cheap is a great reason to go this route. Mine had about 300WHP and it was alot of fun.

Then one day an SUV almost killed me and did kill my Evo. The door peeled back like a can of sardines and if there had been a passenger, the B-pillar would have gone halfway into their hip.

If you go close the door of my R32 it is noticeably heavier and closes with a reassuring sound that only German cars seem to make. Also the fact that the car has airbags all around (which my Evo did not) made it the smart choice considering the growing number of SUV's on the road and bad drivers.

Also, The R32 has a much stronger clutch and transmission which are not cheap to replace. in the Evo I never really liked launching the car cause the clutch is known as a "Fuse" for the drivetrain. in my R32 I launch it occasionally without any problems and am still on the original at over 50k miles.

As for answering the question, "why"? here's a short list:

1: NA power is more fun during daily driving, sure you give up top end, but power is better up until 3500RPM and thats where I spend 90% of my driving

2: If you do want more power and have enough coin, theres nothing like a well built 3.2 6 Cyl + turbo. very little lag and a huge well of torque

3: The Evo's interior is pretty lame compared to the R32, its not as bad as a 350Z or Ford anything, but still, it comes off a lancer and that car is well, a lancer.

4: Safety, been there, done that

5: I dont get treated like such a street racer by the Cops and general public.

6: My R32 holds it value better since they only made 5000 for the US and thats it Simple supply and demand, it is a collectors car if your a VW fan.

Hope that helps open you eyes to the fact that going fast is great, but for some people going a fraction "slower" in comfort, style, and safety are worth the trade off for some people... I know it sounds crazy but one day you will probably be one of these people too.

 

I have no clue whay they buy these cars. To each their own!