2006 Mazda 6 i Sport review from North America

In the five months that I have now owned this vehicle, I haven't experienced anything at all major go wrong. This car is fantastic and I believe it is the best of its class, even though it may not have the most horsepower (it makes up for it very well with superb handling, rather quick acceleration given the power/weight ratio, and its gorgeous looks). However, here are a couple tiny interior issues that led me to question the build quality of this vehicle:

- Under the rear of the front passenger seat, the carpet covering the left corner came loose (possibly from a disrespectful passenger).

- One of the latches to fold the 60/40 rear seat back down (the driver's side one) broke. It felt like such cheap plastic when I barely touched it, resulting in it cracking.

- I haven't notified the dealer about any of the two minor issues just yet because they do not bother me at all. I rarely drive with any passengers and I'm only ever in the driver's seat. If something else ridiculous happens with the interior again, I'm definitely saying something.

- As far as regular dealer maintenance goes, I haven't stumbled upon any problems at all in my 7,000+ miles so far. Each of the two times my vehicle has had a full-circle inspection done after the two oil changes so far, everything came out on the green side... twice.

This car is a black beauty! I am so lucky to have even gotten this specific car thanks to my dealer's willingness to locate what I wanted. At the dealership, there were just automatic models lying around and I just couldn't take the chance because I didn't want to be stuck driving something I didn't enjoy for the years I had to pay it off and then some. Although I was going to fall into a few grand of inequity thanks to my previous car's trade-in value, I still opted to have a manual 6i Sport located with the 17" alloy wheels, sunroof/Bose stereo package, spoiler, sports-appearance package, and more. I don't regret getting this vehicle at all, for it was found specifically to satisfy my automotive needs and it had to be shipped to the dealership from upstate because there weren't any other ones quite like it sitting on the lots locally.

Now, let me make some fantastic points about this car:

The 2.3 L motor with the 5-speed manual transmission works quite well and acceleration is actually impressive (opposite for automatic), especially after installation of a Mazdaspeed cold-air intake by the dealership.

The shifter is just about the perfect size and it shifts into gear much more easily than other manual cars I have driven.

The clutch was hard getting used to, coming from a six-speed supercharged V6 vehicle, but it became quite easy to operate after the first week or two of ownership. It hasn't let me down yet, although I do believe I will replace it with a Mazdaspeed clutch when it comes time for replacement, judging from other owners' stock clutch experiences.

The handling of this vehicle is near-perfect and this 6 surprises me every time with how gracefully and confidently it holds the road, especially at higher speeds. I feel safe at all speeds in this car (the arsenal of airbags, including front and rear side-airbags add to the feeling of security).

The brakes are just fantastic! Every 6 comes standard with all-wheel disc brakes and ABS! These brakes work very, very well. I barely have to use the brake at all for normal stop-and-go driving, and in the few instances where I was caught in a near-accident situation (especially during situations where highway traffic was almost at a complete stop hundreds of feet ahead of me), the 6 stopped with ease, not much pedal travel, and in complete control. I have yet to experience any odd body-leaning, fishtailing, or anything like that. This car simply stops on a dime.

Although this vehicle could use some better all-season tires, the Michelin Pilot Sports do their job well enough anyway. The roadholding of the 6, even in inclement weather, has been fine by me.

Even with some spirited driving here and there, I manage excellent gas mileage and I wouldn't have it any other way. This midsize sedan comes equipped with an 18-gallon fuel-capacity tank and most of my trip odometer numbers are above 400 miles per fill-up with a mix of city and highway driving.

The options crammed into this car never cease to amaze me. Although the only option I'm really missing in order to have a top-of-the-line 6i is heated leather seats, I'm glad I just stuck with the black sports cloth, for it is quite comfortable and nice to look at. Aside from the seats, I shall discuss the real options. This car has absolutely everything to keep me satisfied, especially all the power options (including driver's-side power seat and both driver's-side and passenger-side auto-down power windows). Also, who could forget the sunroof/Bose package? Thanks to that, I now have a vehicle equipped with a power sunroof (although I wish it had the auto-open feature) and a 7-speaker, 200-watt, Bose premium stereo with a 6-disc in-dash CD-changer. The stereo to me sounds amazing enough that I don't desire aftermarket upgrades at all; perhaps, just the dealer-installed ones such as the option for satellite radio.

The little extras this car came with also amaze me every day, such as the rear-view mirror equipped with a digital compass, ambient temperature reading located to the right in the center console's digital display, heated power mirrors, foglights (stock black-bezeled headlights and tail-lights really do the trick as well), and cupholders just about everywhere (although I opt to not eat or drink in my car).

In regards to the exterior, I think no car in the Mazda 6's class looks quite as beautiful. This car is a well-balanced and well-equipped driving machine.

To sum this review up in complete simplicity, the Mazda 6i Sport is a fantastic value, especially given dealer incentives and factory rebates. Purchase one, and you won't be disappointed. But, beware, for this is a driver's car. This is no cloud-in-the-sky cream-puff family car, but a sexy sedan with guts.