2009 Mazda6 i Grand Touring: 800-Mile Roadtrip

I like the contrast of light and dark materials.

Even the best monotone interiors come off looking bland.

Perhaps as far as steering feel goes but the Mazda3's brake pedal has a large dead zone before it provides any retardation. The brake lights will come on without the shoes even touching the pads. Had two and both have subpar brake feel- they are powerful though if grabby and nonlinear. I road in a 6 i Sport and I liked it but didn't get a chance to drive.

Wow a Mazda 6 post! I thought you guys just had it under lock & key in the garage next to the good silver. As for the braking issue... I own both a 2005 Mazda 6s and a 2008 Mazdaspeed 3. I notice that the 6 has a good amount of initial grabbyness or bite to it when you step on the brakes. The 3 however has no dead zone and feels very linear all the way through. Also the 6 has this odd delay in throttle response when you are just pressing into the gas from either a stand still or a rolling stop up into a right handed turn or at a stop sign. It can get frustrating because you really have to knudge the gas to get it going and if you're not carefull the car will kick down into first gear and jump forward like a puppy wanting to play. To onlookers it looks like your some idiot who doesn't know how to drive a stick.

I don't mind the colors on this, but I'd probably prefer a grey or black leather for myself.

Totally agree that the Mazda6 has been a car with a wink and a nod towards enthusiasts- my time with the previous gen was splendid, even if had sub-par interior materials and a (comparatively) weak engine. It felt faster than it was, and that made it all the more fun.

29mpg is pretty solid, especially if you've been listening to the commenters complaining this is a porker. Looking forward to seeing what the city MPG is like.

It's nice to have a Mazda 6 post. lol. And nice picture. I'm assuming you took it, Jason?

Impressive milage for an engine often maligned as a gas hog!

drove a prior generation 6 and it was a blast around corners. Way more fun that a front wheel drive sedan should be. I did like the size of the old 6 better.

nice to have a post on it. How was the highway ride? Did they sacrafice hwy manners for sportier feel?

Compliance: It's a new engine, albeit based on an older one.

Nice interior, but those seats look really flat. Impressive fuel mileage!

Well, this makes for a good case for the 4 cyl model, especially since you can get a manual transmission with it.

As an aside, I'm not sure whether to be happy or sad the Malibu is now lumped with the Camaccord. It has worked so hard to deserve that level of popularity and name-brand sedan status, but it also tried to be unique and not just another appliance. Hmm...

Since when is less than 30mpg "impressive" fuel economy for a 4 cyl. midsize sedan? Didn't the V6 Camry do better? Am I missing something?

PS - That interior looks terrific!

jaeger1, this car is midsize in name only. The 4 cylinder Camry is rated 31mpg highway, and Toyota is generally the fuel economy leader, whereas Mazda has lagged in the past. Being in that neighborhood is impressive to me.

The V6 engines tend to be mated to six-speed transmissions, too.

hopefully other companies will follow GM's example and offer a six-speed A/T transmission with the 4 cylinder like the Malibu (and Aura, too I think) which are rated at 33 hwy.

I find it odd that the steering on the 6 is called precise. I found it vague and unsettlingly soft with 18s. Then again, I find my Cooper S and e90 BMW to have less-than-great steering too.

bgdc, come on let's face it, you are just hard to please...

; )

Sounds like someone needs an Elise.

compliance - I'm not talking about EPA ratings of the 4 cyl. Camry, I'm talking about observed fuel economy of Edmunds long-term V6 Camry. I seem to recall that it did better than 30mpg on the highway. Again, if a 4 cyl Mazda 6 can't match a 6 cyl. Camry in highway fuel economy, doesn't that undercut one of the main reasons (apart from cost) that people choose the 4 cyl. in the first place? I'm sure (at least I hope) it would better the Camry around town, but I am not the least bit "impressed" by its highway mileage at this early stage.

If you're looking for fuel economy in a Mazda, you will be disappointed.

My wife would consistently get 30 mpg on the highway in her '05 Acura TL. And that was a V6 with 270 horsepower on tap.

You guys forget that Edmunds folks usually get about 20-22 mpg out of their midsizers. This makes 29 mpg very impressive. It is all in the driving style and environment.

I get 28 mpg in *city* driving in my SAAB and 26 mpg city in my BMWs. Highway trips are usually 30+ mpg for either. BMW econometer really helps with this.

Really nice looking interior. Looks more upscale than its price suggests. Far better looking than the Camry or Accord, inside and out. I think this new 6 and the Malibu have the nicest interiors in the segment.

72-85 mph, 29mpg, so what's wrong with that? SERIOUSLY though.

*82mph

"72-85 mph, 29mpg, so what's wrong with that? SERIOUSLY though."

Nothing really, except others do better...

wk- 28 mpg in the City? Was that a typo? Where do you live? My last tank got 16.9mpg in the city.

And? Some people get 70 miles a gallon in their Prii and Insights. So what? It's not a fair comparison unless it's the same person driving in the same set of circumstances in the same places. So what if you routinely get 30+ in your omgwtfuber V6 or V8? Are you Jason Kavanagh in Southern California? No? Then it doesn't really matter what you get because your mileage isn't comparable.

ok Jaeger, I relent.

It is impressive, for a Mazda :)

chavis10,

I live in a Philadelphia suburb.

Right now, with relatively cold temperatures, my last tank was 26.8. Most of my driving these days is on city streets. In the summer I routinely get 28+ (1998 SAAB 900 2.3), 31-32 highway.

When my wife drives the SAAB, which she hates to do, the mileage drops right down to 24. Our BMW 325i mileage drops down to 21-22 for her. She likes to accelerate fast, I like to keep my momentum, especially in corners. Different driving style. All our cars have a manual gearbox.

Well I need to move where you live. I live IN philadelphia and do 95% of my driving in the city. I guess suburban driving really improves mileage if there are no stops signs every hundred feet. I average about 17 mpg city (EPA is 22), my brother gets about 14 (EPA 17) and my parents about 17 (EPA 18- but their engine has cylinder deactivation). I won't even mention what my cargo van gets (EPA 15). I wouldn't dare question your figures but it does seem fishy that your mileage drop-off between highway and city is only 3-4 mpg.