Wow, where do I begin... I was a former Toyota and Honda customer before I traded in my Mazda6 on an '05 Limited V8. The Mazda6 was a good car, but it still doesn't compare to a Toyota. What were the biggest problems with the Mazda6? A serious lack of low end torque and a lot of interior rattles for only 35,000 miles. I had considered the 4runner for quite awhile but could not resist the V8 rebates. I could not find any dealers in my area willing to "deal" on the vehicle however. The lowest I could get them to go was $1200 above dealer cost. I told them $600 over dealer cost or no deal. So I shopped around online quite a bit and found my vehicle at Carmax up in Kenosha WI. They were $1,000 below invoice (rebate included) on an '05 with 22 miles. The whole buying experience up there was terrific. So much better than the traditional car dealership. No haggling or bs. They also gave me $1,000 more in trade on the the Mazda than anyone would in the Peoria area.
Now for the review...
I am impressed as hell with the V8 in this vehicle. I've never had a car that snaps you back into your seat off the line. It almost launches just as good if not better than my friend's Lincoln LS V8. (By the way, i'm trying to sway him away from a Hemi Jeep Grand Cherokee and get the 4-runner, but he's too much of a cheap skate). I'm also impressed with it's secure ride. It has that Mercedes E-class vault-like feel to it. I'm not able to corner like a maniac like I could with my Mazda, but I'm more than willing to give up that for a more comfortable ride. The gas mileage is also not as bad as I thought it would be. I figured it costs me around $10 more to drive 350 miles than it would have in the Mazda6s.
And... the lack of rattles. This is a beautiful thing. One of the things that bothered me most about the Mazda were interior rattles. I never had any actual problems mechanically with the Mazda, but the suppliers or assembly workers/machines at the MIchigan (Ford) plant must have really slacked off on quality control. The car definitely had style and I still think it's one of the best looking mid-sized sedans on the road. It sounds like Ford has improved the quality control with the Ford Fusion an Lincoln Zephyr versions of the Mazda6. They may finally have some hit cars on their hands in terms of sales.
Anyway, I'm reminded everyday why I missed driving a Toyota so much.
Didn't intend for the post ot get this long, but does anyone know of some good offroad driving areas in the Central IL area?
Now for the review...
I am impressed as hell with the V8 in this vehicle. I've never had a car that snaps you back into your seat off the line. It almost launches just as good if not better than my friend's Lincoln LS V8. (By the way, i'm trying to sway him away from a Hemi Jeep Grand Cherokee and get the 4-runner, but he's too much of a cheap skate). I'm also impressed with it's secure ride. It has that Mercedes E-class vault-like feel to it. I'm not able to corner like a maniac like I could with my Mazda, but I'm more than willing to give up that for a more comfortable ride. The gas mileage is also not as bad as I thought it would be. I figured it costs me around $10 more to drive 350 miles than it would have in the Mazda6s.
And... the lack of rattles. This is a beautiful thing. One of the things that bothered me most about the Mazda were interior rattles. I never had any actual problems mechanically with the Mazda, but the suppliers or assembly workers/machines at the MIchigan (Ford) plant must have really slacked off on quality control. The car definitely had style and I still think it's one of the best looking mid-sized sedans on the road. It sounds like Ford has improved the quality control with the Ford Fusion an Lincoln Zephyr versions of the Mazda6. They may finally have some hit cars on their hands in terms of sales.
Anyway, I'm reminded everyday why I missed driving a Toyota so much.
Didn't intend for the post ot get this long, but does anyone know of some good offroad driving areas in the Central IL area?
I am sure that I will continue to love it more and more with time.
