sorry my altima is alot better

I must admit that the Altima is an overall 'more equipped' sedan-- more ponies and MPG...

However, I've driven both and found the Mazda 6's to be a tighter ride: steering, off-the-line acelleration, gearbox-- VERY responsive in all regards.

I guess it all comes down to what you like, of course.

But checkout how sexy the new 6 is-- that's good stuff!

Sweet looking car. This is how the Ford Fusion should have looked.

THIS IS PHENOMENAL!!! Can't wait to see the Ver. 2.0 of the Mazda8 now!

Honestly I'm not a big fan of Fords (which owns Mazda) but I have to admit, the latest Mazda's have looked pretty damn hot. Now if only they made something with RWD other than a chick car (Miata) or the RX-8.

Looks like a Mazda3 rear end and a Pontiac Solstice front end... Blah. I also hate those funky front fenders they put on the CX-7 and this thing.

This thing almost looks early 90's Pontiacish with all the stuff on the front bumper.

I don't really think saying it looks better than the accord really means much as the Accord is seriously lacking in the originality department.

It's a Ford who cares what it looks like.

The interior is lacking, and even if you think it looks better than the accord. Mazda is probably worst of all the Japanese manufactures; I guess that’s why they are under Fords control now. Two of the worst manufactures together can make one good looking car but unfortunately it always has a problem.

I think it looks great, although Mazda isnt known to build the highest quality cars. Finally those sculpted front fenders actually look good on something.

I love the look of the car, however I still think that the Accord and Camry will still outsell the 6 (Sorry mazda fans). This is because of the reputationthat Honda and Toyota has established. This is the same reason why the Altima is still behind in Accord and Camry sales even though I think the Altima might be a better car than both of them.

I loved every pictures up until I saw the interior, I really wished somebody would write to them. Another reason why this car won't touch Honda and Toyota is the interior. This interior is really gear towards the young generation. The infomration display for temperature and radio looks hard to read, I find that with every mazda interior. I just wished they did better on the interior to match that excellent exterior.

Now the big question, what are the engine choices? I would expect at least a 240HP powerplant V6 and a 160HP 4 cylinder just to compete.

This is a good exterior, I think I'm now more excited about the new S60 Volvo now since if the S40 was based on the 3, maybe the new S60 will be based on this, then I'll be happy since I can live with a Volvo interior.

too bad its a mazda

"Hot" "Sexy" "Totally"

Funny to find these words, so commonly gracing tabloids, on an automotive news site..... huh.

Well, it does look good, I just want to see it at dealerships first. I am one of those guys that pisses off car salesmen: I go in and test drive everything I can, but never buy :)

Why buy new when its just going to loose $5000-$10,000 of its value in the first year? I have certain tastes in interior styling that need custom finishes anyway, so might as well save the cash from buying new for a nicer interior.

I like the statement of "It looks much better than the new Accord!" A lot of cars do, who ever said the Accord is suppose to be the best looking car in the world or the standard of good looks? Wouldn't most people agree that the Ferrari Enzo is better looking than any Accord? I'll take an Accord over a Zoom-Zoom car any day.

Looks okay.
Mazda did good by ripping off the S2000 taillights some years ago. If your going to ripoff, do it from the best so I give them credit there. As always, if your a homosexual and support that choice you'll be giddy about Fords latest achievement. I can't wait till Ford sells Land Rover so I can purchase a Defender.

I think this (like the Altima) will appeal more to those under 35 or so while the Accord's more conservative styling will appeal more to those 35 and up. The Camry's just plain ugly.

I am really liking the styling of the Mazda3 and Mazdaspeed3 hatch, not so much the current Mazda6. But, whoa baby! The '08 Mazda6 looks hot! I'm looking for something to replace my 02 TL Type S and that might be the ticket.

It's ok people if you don't like this Mazda 6, because this is the Europe only version, apparently those of us living in the US will get to see our version around November, Mazda has decided to split them because "Americans felt that the current Mazda 6 looked to small for a mid sized car" so expect well I don't know what, but I bet it will be ugly.

As far as the Altima goes I own a 2005 Nissan I bought brand new, after around 13 work orders and 20+ trips to the dealer for repairs I can confidently say it is the worst car I have ever owned, bar none, it even makes the 1991 Ford Taurus I bought with 80K on the odometer seem like a good car, because that only needed repair about 8 times in the 2.5 years I owned it. IMHO the insanely poor build quality of Nissan products might have something to do with their inability to overtake Honda or Toyota.

pinche articulo !!!como se ve que aun no reconocen que Honda es mucho,pero muchisimo mejor.
a ver cuantos carritos podrá vender mazda, no creo que ni la mitad de los accords.
puto elque no compre Honda!!!

The new Mazdas are actually supposed to be pretty reliable. They have minor nuisance problems but no real serious mechanical problems. I think it's hard for people to forget about past problems which is giving Mazda a bad name when it doesn't deserve it anymore... I am speaking of 06 and later. And no, I don't not drive a Mazda vehicle or plan on driving one.

isaac,

Very little logic about Ford selling Land Rover so you can buy a defender. They are going to be just as unreliable then as they are now. They were unreliable before Ford bought them and they are just as unreliable now. Go ahead and get your defender, no need to wait for the same vehicle.

I don't think Mazda is the worse Japanese car maker. I can think of a couple that fall below Mazda -- Mitsubishi, Isuzu, and probably even Suzuki. I would much rather have this Mazda than any of the other 3 I listed.

As far as appearance, all I can say is that I am of the under 35 crowd (barely) and I don't have too many problems with my vision, at least no more than before, and I this it looks sweet. Interior included.

The engines they are supposed to offer are going to be the 2.3l mazda 4 that Ford uses in everything (ford doesn't use any of its 4's anymore, they are all the same mazda) and they are going to offer the 3.5l variable valve timing v6. I think the rated horse is going to be around 260. It should scream.

T

WOW much better than the modeo or commodore or falcon [i am from australia]absolutly stunning people will buy this it strong looking stance and it all just looks right comparede to the accord which looks crap and the coupe looks exactly like a hyandai tiburon you people are so fussy i currently drive a 2006 camry and the interior is no where near as good as this

wes,

I guess you didn't read my all of my post. I never mentioned reliability as an issue. So logically speaking I don't like companies like Ford shoving their perverse agendas down the throats of consumers. Businesses should be nuetral if they're really interested in the consumer and their profit of course.

Well all the people who are saying that Mazda is a bad car, I want to know who has actually driven a Mazda 6? For me I have owned one for 2 years now and have absolutely no problems at all. Not only that the style of the current 6 looks a lot better than most cars out there. I have driven altimas, camrys and accords and out of all the cars the 6 has the best handling and appearance. It might not match in terms of pure horse power but I would have to say it is the most balanced. You can't always compare these cars as they are targeted for different segments. Mazda has always aimed toward customers who are looking for more than just a car but a car that they want to drive becuase it's fun and exciting. I for one love the new style and can't wait to see it in real person...

I have to disagree about Nissan being better than Mazda. While neither are Honda/Toyota, I would take a Mazda over Nissan anyday.

I purchased a 2006 Nissan Altima SE-R w/2,000 miles on it (traded in at my lot). Even though I got a steal on it, I was upside down on it within a year, which of course shows their lack of resale value. This thing also had the nastiest interior I've seen in a modern car, no less one with a $30k MSRP. Yards of cheap plastic made up the dash and doors, which were just a few inches thick. My 2001 CL Type-S's interior was 10x better for a similar MSPR. The SE-R also started getting interior rattles at about 5,000 miles.

It's only positive attributes were its Xenon headlights and 3.5L (from the Z) and 6-spd manual. It didn't have a limited slip.

So much Mazda bashing...

My dad drove a 1981 GLC wagon to 120,000 miles & didn't maintain it. I got it later, and drove it to 200,000. All of those miles were trouble-free, with maybe half of the recommended maint. Same clutch. It was totalled, or I would have kept driving it through college.

Fast forward to 1998. I bought a near base model Protoge and put 150,000 miles on it in 3 years! Trouble free. Same clutch. NO ISSUES. I paid about $12K.

2001, I bought a new Protoge5 hatchback. 170,000 miles when sold two years ago with the same clutch and no issues. NO ISSUES.

I have owned eight brand new cars, and Mazda has been, by leaps and bounds, the most reliable. Both Protoge's were traded in looking like they were brand new, too, aside from some paint chips and door dings. The interior, while not luxurious, was quality fit. No rattles, no rips, everything worked and nothing was worn out.

Saying that Mazda is "the worst" of the Japanese auto makers, simply because they are owned by Ford, is akin to saying that SAAB is the best European car because they're owned by GM! True, both have been bastardized by their American owners, but both do their own thing. The Mazda 6 isn't a revamped Fusion -- it's the other way around. Ford could screw up a wet dream...Remember the Probe? It had a Mazda 6-cyl that wouldn't die, but it's bastardized chassis made it one of the least reliable cars in recent memory.

I've owned Honda's and Nissans, all American brands, and a few European makes. Mazda won me over in overall customer satisfaction, from service to reliablility to driveability. No, a Mazda 6 isn't an Altima or an Accord, and thankfully so. Brand new, there's no comparison. Bang for the buck goes to Mazda.

Reading the posts by those who bashing on Mazda just shows me how ignorant they are. To my guess, they never own one before. I own an 02 Protege 5 for 5 years and it has been trouble free so far. It just needs regular oil change and tune up. The ride is superior to my 00 civic. Cornering, accelerating and handling are tight like a real sport car. And the interior design, once you own it you will know. They paid close attention to details to maximize the interior room and still retain quality finish look. Of course, it doesn't look as good as my 96 E300 D, but a lot better than my dad's 02 ugly Camry.
In my opinion, it really is not matter what brand you buy, try to stay away from cars with VIN # starting with a number. Yes, I am talking about cars made in North America. They show the worst qualites in the past years. Most Honda and Acura are now made in USA. And my inlaws 02 TL needs a new transmission @ 70k miles ( thanks god they bought extended warranty till 100k). My 00 Civic needs a new AC compressor @80K, new distributor @70K. My dad 02 Camry needs a new starter @80K also. My 96 E300 D needs nothing but a $7 fuel hose @ 140K.
American work quality has really gone down the road in the last 20 years. I have second thought about buying stuffs made in USA now.
F.Y.I most Nissan cars are made in US, except their luxury line, Infinity. Most Toyotas are also made in US, except their Lexus. Some are still made in Japan, i.e 4runner or Maxima...and yes, the Protege5 too.

Looks nice
Tobad its got FORD parts in it.... FORD sucks
Can you say tow truck !

altima is a piece of crap.

1. This car looks great. Front, back, profile, interior...

2. You seem to dislike Ford mainly due to experience with the US Ford which sucks.

But if I am not mistaken this is based on sam suspension as the new Ford Mondeo. And if so, that is a good thing because the Mondeo suspension is top in class. It is even better than rival BMW suspension and handles better (would be nice if it was RWD though).

Focus, Mondeo and S-MAX are best handling cars in their classes. The company may suck or not have much of a brand appeal but when it comes to handling they are astounding especially given that they are FWD which tends to suck.

If I had to get a sedan and couldn't afford an EVO I'd definitely give this car a hard look.

I never used to be for Mazda as i used to purchase a lot of Nissans. Just like Noya said though, the nissan cars have a really cheap interior and that im big on interior.
Just bought myself a Mazdaspeed 3 and love the handling over the accord v6, camry v6 and tons of others i test driven before it.
Excellent interior too!

Styling very similar to the CX-7 only better because it's a sedan. I anticipate it will be over-priced though like the previous model and many other new sedans. If it proves to be reliable like the millenia then it would be worth buying used. As far as performance goes, it will probably remain near top of it's class, but all those cars are slow, so who cares.

Looks great. I can't wait to see what they do with the Mazdaspeed 6.

You guys did read my comments right?

THIS IS NOT THE AMERICAN MAZDA 6.

As reported by Car and Driver's online site, us poor abused Americans will get something else, likely unveiled at the LA Auto Show in November, or possibly the Detroit Auto Show in Jan. This is because Mazda has listened to some Focus group somewhere in the states who felt that the Mazda 6 needed to "Look Bigger"

It's a real shame as well because I personally think this is possibly the best looking car in it's price/size class, and I mean that inside and out.

"This is because Mazda has listened to some Focus group somewhere in the states who felt that the Mazda 6 needed to "Look Bigger" "

I would never buy a Mazda 6 (current or new) because it's too big to begin with. Mazda 3 for me baby (I currently have a Protege) if I ever buy another Mazda (which I might...but the BMW 1 series is very tempting looking.....).

why would you even discuss this kind of car? 'Oh, it looks swoopy' lol. Its a me too vehicle, cranked out on a common platform that its shares with many dog cars. Looks like they gave the interior design team the day off and asked the vinyl fence team in to design the interior. zzzoom zzoom..lol. frrrrt frrt is what this is. Engines are 'spectacular'. I am sure it will look good gasping and wheezing as its gormless transmission tries to figure out how to get ahead of the Pererbilit on your butt as you try to get it up to speed. I don't think the trucker is going to call it Swoopy. Or, Swifty either.
Go buy a real car.....

It's funny that people claim Mazda is inferior because it is 'now under Ford's control'. Does anyone have any idea how long Ford has owned Mazda? Ford has been a major share holder in Mazda since the 70s, and the brands have shared many platforms since. (Some of Ford's more sucessful vehicles were Mazda based, including the Escort, the Fusion/Milan/Zephyr, the CX-9/Edge/MKX, and the Escape/Tribute. Even the Explorer/Navajo was co-developed by Mazda engineers.)

I bought one of the first RX-8's in the US. (seriously, it came off the first boat). It is by far the most impressive vehicle I have ever driven, and the build quality far exceeded that of the Nissan 350Z. The only problems I ever had with it were some early software issues that were fixed with subsequent computer flashes, and I took a rock in the A/C condenser.

This new mazda6 builds upon everything i like about the current mazda designs. In the last few years, Mazda has been able to develop a look that is unique to its brand, and very striking. They have made some amazing leaps form the bland styling of their 80s and 90s designs, and are definately my first choice automaker.

My mom had a mazda wagon that lasted till 120,000 miled before she was tboned by a driver coming out of their driveway. Never had any problems, whatsoever. My best friend had an early 90's mazda 626, he drove till he sold it a few years ago with 160,000 miles, also very few problems. I'd buy a mazda if I was in the market nowadays for a used car. Better than most American cars, with similarly low resale value. Buying new you'd be a fool to not buy toyota or honda. Living here where it snows pretty often in the winter, however, I've become very fond of Subaru's. My friends Legacy sedan is a nice looking car, with 270hp. Gotta love all wheel drive.

Oh, and yeah, all these cars are slow, but then again, nothing is fast after you've ridden a sportbike with 0-60 in under 3 seconds ('02 Suzuki GSX-R 1000). Can't beat that for 10K new...

My son has a Mazda 6 Hatchback. Best college student car out there. Great appearance and great ride, and with back seats down trunk is huge. I love when he leaves it at home and I get to drive it. A lot of people get a new car every 4 years and put on only low mileage. Under those circumstances I'm not sure a Toyota or Honda are superior.

the only complaint i have is looking at the tail lights they did the korean thing and only put reverse lights on one side oh well still ill be buying one next year not the pice of rubish u guys will get its like ford us they are so stubon going on about heritage and stuff now i would buy a european ford over a beemer [but not a audi i love them]in oz ford began introducing eurpoe cars and are now selling heaps more cars and in october we recieve the new mondeo

Nice looking car, but it will not match the quality of the Accord or Camry. Style is rather subjective, and the exterior is nicely done but the interior isn't the greatest. The speakers and other interior components almost look like an after market add-on. Mazda is making some nice looking vehicles, but they still aren't able to match the refined engines and quality of Honda and Toyota.

Isaac,

I wasn't sure how else to take your comment. As far as I know the only bad things about Land Rovers are the reliability issues. If you could, please explain your post further.

Some angled shots make the 6 look like Acura's RSX. Great look though.

I totally agree with Russ. Mazdas today are very reliable and best among the japanese (and not only) in handling and road manners.

For reliability check which company finished first in Germany this year.............yes you guessed it ...... it's not Mercedes nor BMW, nor TOYOTA or HONDA

Ford's cheated on engineering on the previous model, yielding poorer gas mileage than Toyota or Honda because they haven't put the bucks in the motor. The current 6 has a huge turning circle, which frustrates everyday users (like me) who've given up the bucks and expected a more competitive product.
Also. the red IP lighting disappears at dawn and dusk with lights on. Not helpful when you want to know how fast you're going and the Escort is laughing at you. I hope these items are improved. Otherwise, I like my wagon. It's nice to know that rumors of the wagon and hatch disappearing aren't true.

This car is so hot. Mazda (FORD) has always provided a good product for a very competitive price. Mazda’s car all have the soul of a sports car fun to drive and full of features. I love the new 6 good Job Mazda!

This car is so hot. Mazda (FORD) has always provided a good product for a very competitive price. Mazda’s car all have the soul of a sports car fun to drive and full of features. I love the new 6 good Job Mazda!

To the gay that made the comparision of Mazda and Isuzu.
Have you seen the reliable quality of Isuzu in the rest of the world.
In latin american Isuzu is near to Toyota.

Very nice looking car. Its definately much better looking than the Camry or Accord (don't get me wrong, the restyles of these two were nice). Its styling seems to say sporty and fun to drive while the Altima has always had very edgy styling (which I never really liked). Mazda's come a long way since the plane 626

As for Mazda's build quality, its pretty poor compared to Toyota and Honda. The Fusion's build quality is actually much better than the current 6.

In terms of powertrain, I hope they update the 2.3L 4cyl although it will probably still suffice for a few years. I'd expect Mazda to put in their new 3.5L V6 that produces around the same power as the Camry, Accord and Altima V6s. I wonder if Mazda will use the Ford/GM 6 speed with the V6. That should get MPG identical with the rest of the pack.

As for the 6 lacking ponies, I'm sure MazdaSpeed will make a 6 with the turbocharged 2.3L engine. That will definately make all the other sedans in this category look slightly underpowered

Remember folks, a company releasing a good car is a win/win for consumers. If this car is good, it will make other manufacturers compete to offer us, the consumer better vehicles in the future. Don't knock a manufacturer for making a potentially nice car.

WHAT HAPPENED?!?! I looked at the Mazda website for Canada, USA, and even Germany, and the 2008 Mazda6 they show looks so conservative and boring.

The car as pictured above would have been an absolute classic that would probably be worth a bundle in 50 years. In fact, I'd go so far as to say this should have been the most graceful, beautiful looking Japanese car ever, and perhaps the best looking car of the decade worldwide.

This is a design that Mazda should have taken a chance on - it's about the company image way more than sales. What a lack of guts by their marketing department! They instead took the opinion of some lame-o shmoes in a focus group who don't know how to appreciate beauty.

Two things that I like better about this than the Euro version:

1) It has a v6
2) It headlights don't look like they were adopted from a Ford Fusion.