2005 Mazda 6 Driving Impressions
The 6's stick at least lets some pleasure flow to the right hand. The throws are moderately short and feel firm, if a little notchy and resistant. One staffer, spoiled by the daily shifter nirvana of his Honda Prelude, found it less smooth than what he's used to.
Handling is where this Mazda - indeed, all Mazdas - comes alive. No shortcuts were taken; this wasn't a simple fill-the-shocks-with-concrete job like Nissan or GM might take. Instead, the 6 stands as the only other entry besides the Honda Accord with double wishbone and multilink designs filling both ends of the car. The steering is as fast as they come (just 2.5 turns from lock to lock) and aside from being a little light, just might pass for German. The wide turning circle makes parking harder than it should be, and the 215/50R17 tires are responsible for the fair amount of rumble that gets through, but thanks to decent noise filtering and a capable suspension, passengers are mostly shielded from outside forces. The disc brakes - now antilock on all models - stop the car on a dime. |