As my impatient right foot presses the Mazda 6 into action, the engine groans loudly. The mouthy 2.5-liter inline-4 is a little too talkative for my taste. But once the car gets going, Mazda has done a good job of keeping out wind and road noise.
There is a particularly undulating strip of the 405 freeway that can really stir up a car with a stiff suspension like the GT-R. But the softer Mazda6 absorbs the bumps with ease and keeps out the thump-thump-thump of the concrete seams.
So, while we opted for the Mazda 6 with the smaller engine that sounds like it has to work hard to get going, the suspension and well-designed cabin keep the ride relatively quiet. I get to enjoy my music on the commute home instead of the roar of traffic.
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
dragonflight says:
06:56 PM, 01/29/09
Great picture, but damn that's a lot of lean! The right rear wheel practically seems like it's gonna lift off.
And agreed, Mazda has always done a pretty decent job of tuning the suspension to be enjoyable.
roadburner says:
07:53 PM, 01/29/09
The Kawasaki twin on my ZTR mower sounds about as refined as the 2.3 lump in my MS3.
dodo2 says:
08:12 PM, 01/29/09
@dragonflight:
Can you imagine how a Camry would look like under the same conditions?
dragonflight says:
08:40 PM, 01/29/09
@dodo2
touché
dougtheeng says:
06:39 AM, 01/30/09
"Can you imagine how a Camry would look like under the same conditions?"
I actually managed to get a picture of the Camry in that situation! See below:
http://mesikammen.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/nuclear-bomb-badger350.jpg
zoomzoomn says:
10:55 AM, 03/ 3/09
Anything would be an improvement over the first gen 6. I love my '03, but cabin noise has alway been the car's biggest shortcoming. I'm glad to see they did something right on the new car. The styling surely is not a highlight!