2009 Mazda 6: Cool as a Cucumber

The AC in this car is probably out of the Ford parts bin so it is USA style cold.

'03 Dodge Ram 1500 HEMI...very cold air. After cool down, holds temp on lowest fan setting without fail. I do have window tint though.

I just happen to have a degree in environmental science and I agree with you on the Audi system. It's unnecessarily complicated.

The A/C in my 2001 Sunfire still blasts ice cold air within 30 seconds of turining it on. It actually works better than the one in my 2008 Versa.

Good to hear that it works well in the Mazda 6. I wonder if it's the same for the 2010 Mazda 3. IIRC the previous generation 3 was notorious for crappy A/C.

ooh all day in the company garage, how rough!! :P

Did you have the seat heaters on at the same time? :o)

My Dodge SRT-4's A/C is putrid. It blows super cold for a while, and then the car gives me average temperature air for a while, then it's back to cold and back and forth. Been the same way since I bought it brand new. I drive with the windows open generally so it doesn't bother me, but when I don't it drives me up a wall.

'08 VW GTI ... weak under southern California sun.

My Miata's AC wheezes a smellier slightly cooler air out if its vents, but it's a nearly 20 year old convertible sports car so I never expected it to be a Frigidaire. My 300e's AC, like most old German cars, gave up the ghost long ago. It's actually annoying because the climate control tries to cool the cabin so it blasts the fan full blast when it gets hot and all it does is blow warm air at you. Luckily I live in Canada so warm weather isn't that much of a problem.

Let me tell you about my piece of crap! An '07 Honda Civic. The A/C cuts out whenever you accelerate from a stop, by design! The service writer at the dealer told me that the CRV also does the same thing. I've driven several other 06 thru 08 Civics and they all have the same problem. To make things even worse, I live in Vegas, today it's gonna hit 110 in the shade! While I'm on my soap box, let me tell you about my experience with legendary Honda quality! In the first 22 months & 14K miles, I've had the trans replaced, the replacement tranny worked on, replaced the battery, power steering leaks, right inside CV boot & joint replaced, both sun visors & three recalls. Everything was taken care under the warranty. Oh, & the rear brakes will need to be replaced before 20K miles.

I'll be dumping the Civic in December, probably for a 2010 GTI or Golf TDI.

I think the Swedes like blizzards, so they felt the need to recreate one with the climate control in my '07 Volvo S60. Setting it at 74 is comfy, 72 is nippy, 70 is getting uncomfortable, and anything below that is not needed. I turned it to max cold once and I swear there was snow coming out of the vents. I don't quite understand the temperature settings here... maybe when I set it to 72, it keeps cooling until it's 72 in the trunk! I do like that it blows the fan for half an hour after the car has been parked for a while... dries out the system so there's no mildew build-up.

My 2006 F-150 blows ice cold, as expected. The other half's '07 PT Cruiser GT blows ice cold, and the '08 Miata is typical made-in-Japan Japanese... barely adequate, and I mean barely...

Subaru Tribeca- dual zone American Cold

Toyota Prius- WEAK!!!!!!!!!!! single zone and barely cools off the rear seats

What's with the dice hanging in your cars lately?
(Dice seen in: Nissan GT-R and Mazda 6. Any others?)

brian55, I've got a bridge I'd like to sell you if you're buying a/c cutting out whenever throttle is opened (though I dont doubt you've experienced it... it just doesnt add up to me)

and fwiw since you've had so many problems with your civic, I'd probably wait for the new GTIs to be out for a bit. always seem to be some things to work out... good for the techs to get used to the new ones, etc

I second the comment on the Volvo S60, i have an '08 and it blows away every other vehicle i've ever been in. I however, unlike jstandefer, leave mine at 68 regularly, but i like it really cold. I had an '07 scion tc and that car had so-so A/C. My favorite things about the Volvo's A/C are that it's cold almost instantly, even on a 100 deg. day, i swear it takes only like 15-20 seconds! It also has a very strong fan which i love for blasting ice cold air in my face on such hot days, and yet if you turn the fan down, it's whisper quiet! Hands down Volvo makes some of the best A/C units in any car!

I second the comment on the Volvo S60, i have an '08 and it blows away every other vehicle i've ever been in. I however, unlike jstandefer, leave mine at 68 regularly, but i like it really cold. I had an '07 scion tc and that car had so-so A/C. My favorite things about the Volvo's A/C are that it's cold almost instantly, even on a 100 deg. day, i swear it takes only like 15-20 seconds! It also has a very strong fan which i love for blasting ice cold air in my face on such hot days, and yet if you turn the fan down, it's whisper quiet! Hands down Volvo makes some of the best A/C units in any car!

2009 G8 GXP - I didn't know what I'd think of an automatic climate control system, but the one in the GXP does a good job. When the car turns on it remembers the last temp I set and, if the car has been sitting in the sun, it automatically kicks the fan on high and opens the outdoor-air intake. After a bit of time, it kicks the air on Max and recirculates the air in the cabin. The air coming out of the vents is nice and cold, and it blows hard. Cools down the cab nice and quickly, even if the outdoor temp is in the 90's. We'll see what happens if the outdoor temp edges upward as the summer goes on.

06 MINI Cooper-with the panoramic sunroof.....enough said....

its like a small bakery.

Hmm...I noticed the Nav Screen hasn't been fixed yet. Is that part still on order at the dealer?

indy_mistert: Actually, I can believe it. With my old Mazda6, if I allowed the engine to rev high enough, I could feel the air coming from the vents get warm. I'm guessing the A/C clutch would disengage at high RPM's to a) preserve the compressor and b) unload the engine. I've noted my GXP once did the same thing, but I found it worrisome it didn't immediately come back. I had to turn the air system on and off to get it to come back, though I didn't wait long.

I forgot to say that my aforementioned 08 Volvo S60 has a Black exterior and Graphite interior, and it still cools the car off in a jiffy.

07 Charger SRT8. My wife claims it is WAY too weak for her and it is a little weak to me, but I rarely use A/C so I never notice.

07 Sebring. My wife's car, and I get frigid in there. It never gets turned up all the way.
Both cars have tint which helps I'm sure.

98 ford contour v6. very cold stillworks like its brand new it works i think better then my 09 fusion and even my dads 08 lincoln mkz

Brian55 you listed among your issues with your civic: "power steering leaks"

The '07 civic has hydraulic power steering? I thought they were using electric power steering. Not that it matters if its under warranty. I'm just a little surprised.

'99 Neon. A/C works like a champ. Only have to use recirc when it's been parked in the sun. I don't have the windows tinted, and I always have the sunshade open even if I never open the sunroof.

I'm hoping the 2010 Golf TDI has great A/C like the Edmunds Jetta TDI.

CX-9 - Perfect
CX-7 - Adequate, 3 can freeze your body out here in Vegas but 2 just lets a little too much heat interfere..

04-09 Mazda 3 - Inadequate
03-08 Mazda 6 - Wow, crappy

Audi - Ice cold

Volvo S40/07 S80 - ICE cold, Volvo DOES know how to do A/C and extremely well, even with integration.

This is probably something they really focused on improving for the new model, as the air in my previous gen Speed6 is pretty crappy. The vents are well placed and offer infinite control (since the rotate as well). However, it takes a while to cool the cabin, there is really no difference between setting the CC to 75 or 65 degrees and the fan is pretty loud. You'd think with tinted windows and a relatively small and snug cabin that this wouldn't be the case, but I guess the AC is just plain weak.

I've even had friends tell me my AC sucks (although after I let them drive my car they stop bitching :-) and understand why I put up with it). Good thing AC is only really necessary for two, maybe three months out of the year in Denver...the Colorado August is pretty intense, though. 100+ at least two days a week. I've got butt-warmers for that CO winter.

'06 TSX... a bit weak. Cuts out when you accelerate hard.

'08 Miata... I actually think it works quite well. It's a tiny car, but even with the top down if I need a little chill it works well. However, the A/C saps a lot of power from the Miata.

zoomzoom22... I had an '03 Mazda6, and I remember that blowing very cold, unlike the '99 Protege ES I had before it. However, there is a big difference on the Speed6: it's built in Japan, just like the Protege and Miata and Mazda3... all of which are notorious for poor A/C. We also had an '05 Tribute, which blew ice cold with its Ford HVAC parts.

carguy622... Is your Miata a PRHT? We have many people in the local club that have PRHTs, and they do say that makes a massive difference in A/C performance. Having a tan top seems to make a difference as well. The '06 GT that I owned had a tan top, and it seemed to perform better than our '08 GT with a black top. Either way, I always end up cold from the chest down, but sweating above that.

2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, gets cold fast and never had any issue with not keeping the interior cool, even in 110 degree temps.

91 Legacy - works but not very powerful

95 Grand Cherokee- used to be powerful but stopped working.

Doesn't matter though because it rarely goes past 80 here and hasn't been past 70 in the past week.

Pleasant 66 deg F in the middle of July (in the middle of the afternoon) in White Rock, British Columbia.

By indy_mistert----This is the 3rd summer that I've had the Civic in Vegas. I know what I'm talking about! You can call a service advisor @ Findlay Honda in Henderson, NV or Honda West in Vegas. The damn A/C cuts out for 10 to 15 seconds everytime I accelerate from a stop. Both dealers have told me that Honda designed the system that way. I've also driven 3 other Civics that did the same thing....I've been buying A/C cars for more than 40 years and this is the only car that has ever had the problem. Even my under powered '78 Rabbit didn't do it.

By crowb...The PS on my '07 Civic is hydraulic. The seal on the rack blew out. Oh, & btw, I have to add fluid about every 3 months. Several months after they replaced the seal, I asked them to check for another leak, couldn't find one, yet it needs fluid about every 3 months.

My '09 Colorado - Chevyriffic
My wife's '09 Impala - also Chevyriffic
My kid's '99 Escort ZX2 - takes a minute or two to get cold, but then it's almost Chevyriffic (?)

I used to have a GMC Yukon Denali XL and the A/C was FRIGID along with plenty of vents that all closed and rotated in all three rows. The power of the air was loud enough that yelling was sometimes necessary during conversation.

01 Ranger- Ice Cold! I almost never have to have it on the highest fan setting, and it keeps me nice and cool, even on the hottest days.

I had a rental Altima and it was blizzard-inducing, with excellent circulation as well.

I have always had good cooling power in my Fords, only thing is, when 3 years of ownership rolls around the A/Cs like to give out on me. That has happened on 2 of the last 3 fords Ive owned...

jstandefer: I have an '08 Sport model with a black vinyl top and black cloth interior. I find it works very well with the top up (it's only up when it's raining though) and with the top down I use the floor/lower dash vent setting. Sometimes I'll use the dash/lower dash vent setting, but I like the cold air on my legs.

I never expected it to cool my upper body completely with the top down but it does no worse than the Mustang or Sebring convertibles I rented.

'07 GTI - Last summer it completely went out, all 2 zones of it. After a week's worth of it in the shop for a new condensor, pontiaceriiffic.

okay - here's my tally.

'01 S-10 - Chevyriffic. Of course. It's a Chevy! After you get the air moving and the motor humming the A/C cools down fantastically. Cool enough that low fan speed is all that is needed.

'04 Impala - also Chevyriffic, but not as good as the S-10.

'04 Astro Cargovan - Also pretty good. I would say Chevyriffic and the air does get as cold as the S-10 does (same drivetrain so I would assume same A/C compressor setup), but I think the metal sides and no insulation really tax the ability of the A/C.

I laughed at the "gets hot inside the garage" comment. Try my parking lot. My black a4 sits in the sun alll day long. When I get to the car at 6ish it is insanely hot. Being an Audi though, I just put the car key in the door handle and turn it left to roll down all of the windows so the car can cool for a few. My air works great by the way. Icccce cold.

My all time favorite AC though was on my '06 Ram. That baby would freeze you.

1992 Mercedes 400E: A/C will freeze you out of the car, even in the Southeast. I am lucky that I have one where the evaporator hasn't leaked yet, and at this age if it has not leaked it probably won't.

1983 Mercedes 300CD: De-converted A/C from 134a conversion (BOO!!!) back to R12. A/C is cold if the car is moving. Not as great if the car is sitting still. No complaints as the vehicle is black-on-black and has well over 300,000 miles.

2007 Mazda 5: A/C is barely adequate for a new(ish) car. Not as good as the 400E, stronger than my CD.

my parents were also devout followers of the first church of CHEVY.

My first car-2000 S-10, cold until I installed a chip and then any time I accelerated it cut off. That was expected. When cruising it was too cold. Even at the low setting I would have to roll down the window every now and then to warm up.

My dad's 97 silverado despite a strange fish aquarium gurgling sounds still cools without fail.

Oh yeah. I live in Texas, so it worked.

My 07 Mazda 3 with no window tint is a little weak but adequate.

The other car an 02 Saturn L300 sucks. Not chevyriffic. I rather have a car with no A/C. I usually just roll the windows down and suffer.

1975 2002A: No A/C
1995 318ti: Very Good A/C- takes a bit of time to cool down a hot interior
1996 Speed Triple: Full Time A/C
1999 Wrangler Sahara: Excellent A/C
2004 X3 2.5: Excellent A/C
2007 Mazdaspeed 3: Good to Very Good A/C- takes several minutes to cool down a hot interior; needs to be kept on Recirc above 95F

My 02 Focus' AC works great. All I need is the setting of 2 out of 4 to cool the car down enough within a minute of driving from under direct sunlight here in Kansas City then switch it to the lowest fan speed to remain comfortably cool. It gets even colder when I'm on a long road trip so I would actually have to adjust the temp to keep it from freezing me.

I used to own a 94 Pontiac Grand Prix coupe, and that A/C was fantastic too.

My mother's old 02 Chevy Blazer blew a blizzard everytime it's used. Now that she owns a 07 Mazda3 hatchback and, even though she loves driving it, she complained that its AC's not as good as it should be. Just enough. It's her first Japanese-built car so she's apparently surprised by the differences.

i must be the unlucky one in the group. The ac in my accord.... JUST PLAIN SUCKS!!!! Yesterday, it was 90*F out today and it took my car about 30minutes to not feel hot. And thats with window tints AND a sunshade up on the coldest setting, recirculate, and highest fan speed. :(

The ac didn't even feel cool. Just felt like it was blowing air. I get back in that night with the same settings (worked 5pm-10pm), and it was much cooler out, and my air felt nice and cold! So there goes my idea that it may need freon or something.

Best AC i've ever felt was in a rental Dodge Avenger. I have NEVER been that cold in a car EVER! I was in the back seats bending over in a corner away from the ac because I was so cold! It was AMAZING!! If thats chevyrific, then I may need to look elsewhere for my next car.

Anyone in here can comment on the ac perfomance of a 99-05 Jetta, golf or beetle? I'm aiming to get one of those soon and I just want to get a feel for what to expect for the ac before I test drive.

2004 Mazda 3 Blue with Black interior - weak on days over 85. (no tint)
2007 Mazdaspeed6 - Black on Black - Awesome. (tint)
1995 Nissan 300ZX - Arctic. Black on Black (tint)

I agree with cx7lover about the Mazda3, it is weak and has been weak from day one owning the car. zoomzoom - The Speed6 is a hell of a lot better than the 3. Thinking of switching cars this week because of the heat we are going to have in FL.

Not sure why the 300ZX had such a great A/C. But it sure cooled the interior of that car down in a hurry.

Donna - Great question for this time of year.