2009 Mazda 6 GT 4 banger Review

[big_boi]

I live in Toronto Canada, I picked up my 09 mazda 6 GT 4 banger Sept 20, 09 and will get into the good and bad of thecar so far. Just a quick note the 2 cars I was looking at buying was either the Mazda or the Accord. The reason I did not buy the accord and there are many reasons, here is the list.
1. no sport shift
2, no 18 inch wheels
3. no auto dimming door mirrors
4. no HID lights
5. no fog lights, on the 4yl Accord only on the V6
6. no bluetooth, on 4cyl without buying navi unit
7. no smart key
8. no push button start
9. no home link on 4cyl only on the V6
10. no power passenger seat on 4cyl only on V6
11. no 60/40 split seats
12. no trip computer on 4cly unless you get the navi
13. no LED taillights
14. no bose sound system
All these features are things I wanted on my next car and I got them on the mazda and paid $1000 less, then if I had gotten the accord.

FIT AND FINISH
Well the car looks stunning from the outside and the gaps in the doors all the trim on my car were all put together very well. The interior is just as good, there were no loose bits anywhere and everything was bolted together very tight. There are no rattles from anything in the car so far, the dashboard was fine as well. The paint job seems to be very good as well, I got the comet gray and I love the way the colour of the car changes somewhat depending on the way the sunlight hits the paint. A lot of people having been complaining about the size of the car, which I find just perfect for my and my needs. I am 6ft tall and I can have 3 more 6 footers behind me and they have plenty of space. I love the size of this car and hated the size of the last mazda 6, so to each his own. Any smaller you might as well buy a Civic or a Mazda 3.

DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
Well the 2.5 liter engine is every strong and pulls all the way to the 6000rpm redline. A few big things I noticed when comparing it to the Accord and the Camry. First the engine is just as smooth and slient as the Camry. The Mazda's engine makes way, way less noise then the Accord engine. That was one of the other reasons I didn't buy the Honda. I drove the Accord and the 6 for extended periods before buying, and the Mazda is really quiet compared to the Honda and just as good as the Camry. The steering is light and direct, with good feedback about what is going on with the road. The suspension at least to me is softer then the Accord but not Camry magic carpet like. Expansion joints are really the only thing you will feel everything else is absorbed. The Canadian 4cyl GT has the 18 inch wheels, which I was kind of worried about at first, but the suspension does a good job of making the ride smooth. The Bose System is very good for a factoy system, and you can turn it up to 60 on the dial and there is no distortion from the speakers. There is not a lot of bass coming from the 9 inch woofer or the other one's for that matter but its a very good system. As far as the system is concerned the only thing I will add is a JL 10w3 speaker in a sealed box with a JL slash 250 amp. That will give me the low end thump I need, I will keep the factory speakers for sure. The smart key and the push button start are so amazing and the people who hate them are the people who wish that had it in there car plain and simple. I got the dealer to change the setting on the smart key so the doors lock when I leave the car with the key. No more taking out the fob to open anything, even the trunk. The turing circle on this thing is so small which is also a plus

Too some things all up, so far I love the car and feel it was the right chice for me and my family, we also have a 08 Honda CRV which is a good car as well, but that is the wife's car. I am glad I waited to buy the Mazda 6 I was close to buying the Accord but didn't even though Honda was selling the EX-L with navi for the price of the EX-L. To me the Mazda is the best midsize car on the market hands down. One other note. I did not test drive the Chevy Malibu and the main reason was the car is smaller, 2nd the steering wheel is way to big, and the back of the seats had a plastic backing which would hurt peoples legs if they sat back there. The altima was not even on the radar do to the 80's style interior and the CVT. Any questions I would be glad to answer them guys!

[Gartz]

Glad to hear you are enjoying your new 6.

Hopefully you will still love it as much in 4 months from now as much as I love mine, still have dreams about it and it wasn't even brand new.