Mazda 6 Forums banner

From Audi to Mazda6: Will I be happy?

84K views 285 replies 54 participants last post by  voldsom 
#1 ·
I'm considering making a switch from my Audi A5 quattro to a new Grand Touring Mazda6. Why? Well, two reasons: First, my Audi is a manual transmission car (almost all of my cars have been stick) and I managed to mess up my left knee in a skiing accident late this winter. Here it is approaching August and my knee still hurts whenever I use the clutch pedal. I've been going to therapy for months now, but I'm afraid that I'll need surgery and even then I don't know for sure if my knee will ever be the same.

Anyway, enough whining....as much as I love the A5, I'm also considering going with the 6 because it has four doors. My A5 is obviously a two door car, but the rear seats are basically unusable for anything other than kids or maybe petite women. I also drive an SUV that has plenty of room for passengers, but I'm considering selling that too. If I go back to one car, I'd be better off with a 4-door car.

The Mazda6 has something in common with my A5---I see it as one of the best looking cars on the road. The styling is simply above and beyond most cars with four doors. And my A5 is simply beautiful from any angle.

So here's the thing---do you guys think I'll be happy making this switch? Honestly, I'm torn....I don't know if I'll kick myself later on if I make the switch. The A5 is such an incredibly sweet car to drive! I purchased it new three years ago and it hasn't yet been back to the dealership. That's good for a German car...lol.

BTW, if anyone is wondering about my A5, I'll post some pics below. The car is lightly modified (upgraded turbo, cat-back exhaust, and a tune that allows for just over 20 pounds of boost on the bigger turbo). As it sits right now, it will actually outrun a V8 S5, while still getting more than 30 mpg on the highway.

Pics:





 
See less See more
3
#4 · (Edited)
I jumped to a manual 6 from a 335d (auto as all 335ds are) so I'm going the opposite in terms of the tranny.

You will miss the power from your upgraded A5. However, the 6 has some pretty nice driving dynamics and feels like a more expensive car. I suggest you take a long test drive and put it through the paces to feel it out. I feel the 2.5G is a decent motor with ample torque and a nice mid range. It's not a revver, but it's broad torque band makes it pleasurable. Others have some differing opinions. I think you should definitely check it out.


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
 
#5 ·
I do not think you will be happy with the switch.

At the end of the day, the Mazda 6 is an inexpensive, nice looking, 4cyc front wheel drive economy sedan, has big 19" wheels, and gets great mpg.

It's not a sports sedan, it's not a status symbol, and it's not an over-engineered German tank.

I regret not buying my wife a A4 Quattro 6mt instead of the Mazda6. If you are loyal to Audi, why not buy an A4 or A6?
 
#7 · (Edited)
Well, I'm not at all loyal to Audi. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my A5....but this is my very first Audi. I have never owned one in the past. I honestly didn't buy it because I considered it a status symbol. The styling is what really caught my eye....and then I drove one and fell in love. It is simply a fantastic car to drive, even unmodified.

As for the A4, it's a nice car, but it simply doesn't do much for me when it comes to styling. That may seem funny, since the A4 looks similar to the A5. But the fact of the matter is that the A5 has so much more road presence, It looks so low and wide compared to the A4....and the extra two doors don't help either. The Mazda6 looks fantastic to my eyes, despite the fact that it has four doors.

The A6 is nice, but I don't want to spend that kind of coin. And if money wasn't an issue and I wanted to stick with Audi, I'd probably go with an RS7, but then we're talking a BIG car, but it sure is sleek looking.
 
#6 ·
You'll like the 6, but the power is in a totally different class. It's got power in the lower gears, but I bet that Audi absolutely flies on the highway in comparison.
 
#9 ·
My last car was an '07 BMW 328i. I really enjoyed that car, but was putting 30+k miles on it per year and repair bills were piling up. I wanted a top of the line featured car, and to do it again with BMW was about 20k above a similarly equipped (most people forget that point when comparing cars like the Mazda6 to luxury brands) Mazda6.

Am I happy with the switch? Yes and no. My commute has gone way down, but for the daily freeway grind I was happy. Now for short drives I find the Mz6 has a crappier turning radius (u turns are allowed here and I need an extra lane), is getting some concerning rattles for its age, and allows both music inside to travel out a bit much, but also doesn't isolate me well from cars next to me in traffic.

I'm also in the process of moving to Portland, OR, and the roads there seem to make a lot of noise on the freeway, including extremely excessive rattling. Some of that might be tire noise, so when my tires have had it, I'm definitely going a different way. I'm actually purposefully not rotating my tires to help the cause. :)

All of this said, the technology in the car is great outside of the HU which if you don't use an iPhone and keep it on BT isn't bad (and I meet both requirements). The style is awesome, and at least for me, the seats are very comfortable. The mileage for me has been amazing. Back and forth from Portland, I average 38 MPG at around 75 MPH avg. (I do have i-Eloop).

In the end it depends on priorities. This car is slower than my BMW, which was slower than my G35, which would be slower than your car. Since you brought up the point of acceleration as something you like in your car, I'd steer clear. Good luck.
 
#15 ·
Huh? The styling of a car is obviously important to me, but it takes more than that for me to pull the trigger. Like I said, the styling of my Audi is what caught my eye. Then I got behind the wheel and loved the way it drove. I haven't yet driven the 6, but the styling is again what caught my eye. Plus, its very fuel efficient and its not too expensive. If it drives anywhere near as good as it looks, I'll probably be happy. Why do you think I'd be disappointed? At this point, the looks are the one thing I know for certain that is not disappointing.

BTW, the trade-in value of my A5 is right around $30k, which is about the MSRP of a Mazda6 Grand Touring. I probably won't trade, but if I did, I could probably drive away with a new 6 without spending a dime.
 
#13 ·
Audi = lease, Mazda = own. German cars traditionally are not going to be reliable over time (occasional exceptions) though they are improving. Regretting a 6 for looks? I don't understand that one. Some lightly modified 6's on here look so much better than many upper end cars on the road I see.
 
#16 ·
The A5 is my first Audi, but I've had a few different German cars over the years and they've all been excellent cars. I never lease cars; I only purchase them. You might be surprised to know at Audi now ranks up there with Toyota and Honda in reliability, at least according to Consumer Reports magazine. All I can say is that my car has been perfect so far.
 
#14 ·
Your Audi is gorgeous btw. See if there is a rental agency that has the 6 in their fleet and do a full day of test driving. That should settle things. Here are some common praises and complaints from our members here:
Pros
Exterior Styling
Mileage
Handling
Decent power in most situations
Comfortable
Transmission

Cons
Head Unit is buggy
Road/Wind Noise
Not enough power (by some)
Questionable interior durability

Some of those things you can pay attention to on your drive.
 
#19 ·
It's hard to make a fair comparison. Both look great, but the A5 is a true sports coupe with more power and torque plus AWD. On the other hand, the Mazda6 is a FWD family sedan with less power but better fuel efficiency and also a lot of nice features for the price with the GT trim.

What you'll get with the 6 is more space, easier drivability in your case, more money saved on gas, but the trade-off is less performance than your current car. You'll just have to test drive it to see how you like it.
 
#21 ·
It's hard to answer your question since you are comparing apples to oranges. Mazda 6 is not even in the same class as the Audi S5, but like most people have said here, a test drive will answer your questions.

My take, I had the Taurus SHO, with the 3.5L ecoboost engine. I also had a Lincoln MKT with the same ecoboost engine. Those two car are fast around town and easy to get on any highway. Hit the gas and the car pushes you back. I assume your Audi does the same. I have the Mazda 6 GT. While it doesn't have the same push as the SHO and my MKT, but it has superior handling IMO. The 6 lack seat pushing speed, but it is adequate for most task. Also, it is not a very common car on the road. I am very happy with my move. If Mazda comes out with a inline 6 for the Mazda 6, I will definitely trade up for that, but the cost savings in gas along might be worth it for the 6.

The biggest pain point for me in the Head Unit. I loved the Lincoln myTouch (despite it's bad reviews) and I fell Mazda really dropped the ball on that. Even the HU in the 3 leaves much to be desired, but that along was not enough to deter me from the 6.

Most issues with the 6 are minor, but only you can really tell what you can live with. I actually ask the dealer for an extended test drive, where they let me take the car home for a weekend so I could get a better feel for the car. This was after lurking on the forums here for months reading both good and bad reviews.
 
#22 ·
If you don't mind the power, Japanese feel (light doors/plastics) you'll be fine in the 6. Swap out the tires for some summers or high performance all-seasons like the Pilot 3 A/S to really appreciate the chassis though. I see so many 2014+ Mazda6's in Summerlin Las Vegas now it's ridiculous. Mazda is a popular brand here.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Reliability/running costs is what brought me back to Japanese, but not any Japanese car (I always wanted a car, not of what everyone has...just like my prior ride, the B5 2000 Passat Wagon on Tiptronic, when it first came out..the exclusivity of the car was there too), which I why I chose the Mazda6. Although the Passat was a squeak/rattle bucket, quirky and unreliable...it was a true joy to drive, stable and confident, esp on high speeds (as all German cars do, the Autobahn trump card) but somehow I managed to keep that old broad running for nearly 13yrs (I keep my cars for a long time).

Coming from/compared to the troublesome Passat, my GJ Mazda6 Touring 6MT is very fuel thrifty, dependable, reliable, quiet and refined inside (probably why you'll never hear me rant about the wind noise :D)..the Passat was noisy inside from the get-go. The handling/driving dynamics/road manners, this Japanese car/Mazda is the closest you can get to German (my father owned several manual transmission Benzes and Audis in the Old Country..so the familiarity is there). Going to the S5/A5, the looks is comparable and the GJ Mazda6 can definitely rival it, style-wise. The front stance, width and impression I get when I see this Audi on the street..is like the German 2dr version of the Mazda6, albeit a tad boxier. The S5/A5 is definitely more capable in power, faster, quieter, more refined, more sophisticated and has better panache than the GJ. But one thing's for sure regardless...at the end of the day, your wallet will be alot happier (the bottom line of any car ownership)...and the Mazda6 delivers.
 
#24 ·
you need to take the 6 out for a LOOOOOOONG drive. I don't know how lax your local dealer is on test drives, but mine was extremely accommodating and let me take one out for a couple hours and 70 miles! There really is no way to work this out for you without doing just that :).
You'll miss the power. You don't have it in the SUV, no doubt, but you can still get back in the A5 right now and have it again. It's different knowing it's there vs not having it at all. The wind noise/road noise will be significantly different (louder) vs the audi. MPG is great, it's a fairly comfy car... but be warned, I'm having some knee problems right now as well, and the 6 seems to be fostering it. I've been driving the formula all week (HEAVY HEAVY clutch) and it's slightly improved. That may be simply from the position I sit in the 6, which I've taken note of and changed recently to sit more like I do in the formula as well. My knee problem isn't something that requires surgery and isn't from trauma (recently at least.. old motorcycle injury starting to act up) so I can't entirely compare that. I would keep shopping and take a significant evaluation drive of the 6. Maybe try out a VW CC. Have you given any thought to a Q50 or older M45? Both are still pretty upscale.
 
#43 ·
I'm not a big fan of Infiniti vehicles. However, I did strongly consider, at one point in time, buying a G37 coupe. I test drove it twice before ever driving the A5.

BTW, the clutch pedal in the A5 is very light (yes, it's hydraulic) and my knee still hurts every time I drive it. My doc thought I could get away with therapy, but he's now leaning toward surgery, which really blows. I'm by far a happy person when I'm shifting for myself, but if it continues to kill my damn knee, then maybe I'll have choice but to get into a car without a clutch pedal.
 
#25 ·
Going off what @racingtiger said, the VW CC would be a car for you to consider. It handles like a much bigger car, though, I've driven it five or six times.

A Q50 would be closer to Audi strictly for Luxury and Power purposes, but also closer in price :)
 
#27 ·
OP, simple answer. NO.
I came from a Golf R (Full APR Stage 2+) and 33 Hwy MPG.
The 6 looks beautiful and the interior is great.
The power and all season handling is just non existent.
 
#46 ·
Hmm....interesting. Yes, the navigation is excellent for sure....and the jukebox music storage is also a great feature, but I honestly just use the SD card slots instead. And as I'm sure you know, my car is also Quartz.

The 3.2 A5 is a totally different animal as far as the engine is concerned though. Personally, I much prefer the boost in the 2.0T, but I know for sure that there are lots of guys who love the V6 and couldn't care less about boost.
 
#30 ·
This is impossible to say. This comes down to personal tastes.

An Audi coupe and a Mazda sedan are hardly comparable.

The consensus is:
The Mazda is very efficient. You can achieve some of the best efficiency compared to nearly everything else on the market, which burns gasoline. Even compared to cars which are considerably smaller and not as well equipped.
For what it is, the Mazda driving experience I think surprises most people. Even if you forego that straight line acceleration by leaving the Audi, Mazda's aren't pedestrian vehicles. The new 6 maintains that ideology. Mazdas fill a niche market of buyers who are looking for practicality outside of the more typical and boring staples, such as the Camry. The 6 boasts a perfectly decent amount of sportiness. Hell, my wife's CX-5 is dreadfully anemic in a straight line, but I still enjoy driving it. It doesn't FEEL like a 155hp CUV. It's fun and engaging.

It's easy to miss that power though. The ability to blow past everybody else on the road is empowering. XD
 
#35 ·
Similar situation... I just turned in my 2012 Audi A4 Quattro a few weeks back for a 2015 Mazda6 Touring.

I do miss some fit\finish of the Audi (I had a 2011 Q5 too before trading in for my Tahoe) and the Quattro but I am impressed with the 6 so far. Love the backup camera, Pandora, push button start but really love the exterior (I have white). I get more looks in my 6 than I ever did w\ my A4 especially since upgrading the wheels and adding tint. Once I add the H&R springs it will really be set.

I was at a deli last week picking up lunch and watched a guy do a full circle around my 6 checking out every angle. Was pretty cool...
 
#36 ·
you'll be happy with the 6, but unhappy with the power. also, handling is great for a camry-fighter, but it's no A5. however, your health is first. buy a Touring AT and don't look back. Sport is stick only and GT is overpriced for me. you can upgrade to a GT for way less doing it yourself. either way, you win!

good luck with ur decision, keep us informed.
 
#37 · (Edited)
I'm an Audi guy myself that also has Mazdas because I look at them as a more affordable/reliable Japanese Audi. Your generation 2.0t A5 doesn't have much more power (STOCK) than the 6 and weighs more than 400 lbs more. You'll definitely notice a little bit of a difference in performance, as well as fit and finish inside, but not much at all compared to when your A5 was stock.

More than anything you'll notice the difference between the FWD 6 and the Quattro you are used to.

Assuming you are still paying off your A5 pay that off and then get a used 2015 Mazda6 in a couple of years. :) Or trade the A5 for a 2015 Mazda6 Grand Touring and get an automatic 2016 or 2017 A5 down the road. There is nothing better than being able to pick between an A5 and 2015 Mazda6 when you walk into the garage!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top