2004 to 2020 Mazda 3 Forum and Mazdaspeed 3 Forums banner

Mazda3 test drive - pulled in by Mazda6

4K views 18 replies 14 participants last post by  chris_top_her 
#1 ·
I got so much helpful insight here when internet shopping the Mazda3 SGT hatch. Finally went to drive it and it is a really great car. Problem - they had a Mazda6 GT in white and, wow, it was one of the most striking cars in appearance I have seen.

Now I hate trunks, and sedans sound so sedan..... but this thing is incredible. I drove it too - not as sporty, for sure, as the 3, but pretty tight and fun in its own way. 60/40 seat pass through makes this trunk car actually interesting.

Comments - anyone consider both?

(I know where I am - this is a 3 forum; so ready for the flames, but I love the posts here and I find all opinions helpful when deciding on such a thing where lots of emotional appeal is involved, lol)

Thanks!
 
#2 · (Edited)
No flamage from me. A while back I considered a Mazda 6. A snowflake white with black interior, tech pkg, gloss black roof wrap and tinted windows looks pretty hot. The diesel was supposed to come out soon but they have been saying that for couple of years now.
 
#3 ·
Nope. No flames. I drove the new 6 when it came out and it is as good as all the buff mags, blogs and review sites claim it is. If I could get the 6 GT with a manual trans I'd seriously consider it (my wife has a prior generation 6 and it's been a great car, the new one is even better... a LOT better). But I can't get it that way. The stick models stop about half way up the 6 hierarchy (credit to Mazda for at least offering it on some models). But without a sunroof and so many other features I'll pass. Also, I really like the fact that I'm going back to a hatchback after all these years. So the 3 works great. Plus it's the natural replacement for my Protege and I do tend to like my cars a little smaller.

Good luck with your decision. You can't go wrong either way.
 
#5 ·
If you can, I would wait till Mazda does a MMC on the Mazda 6. There are test mules out there for a MMC CX-5s and I'd bet the 6 will be updated with MazdaConnect system and improved kodo styling.
 
#6 ·
I actually have both. I got a 2014 Mazda 3 sGT sedan and a 2015 Mazda 6 iGT. They both have their strengths. I primarily drive the 6 and my wife drives the 3. The ride quality is better in the 6 than the 3, the the 3 is better on corners. The infotainment is better on the 3, but the 6 is ok. A lot of people have complained about usb sticks not working as design and phone connectivity. Funny thing is text downloads don't work for me in the 6, but works for my wife. Both work on the 3. I have to delete all my previous text to get it to work, but even when it does it is slow. I don't use that because it is slow, but navigation is ok and the sound system in the 6 sounds better (probably because of the 2 extra speakers).

One thing to note is the 6 doesn't come with the sport button unless you have the gr8 tech package. The 3 does come with the sport button, not tech package needed.

I've had a 2002 Mazda Protege, 2011 Ford Taurus SHO, and now the 6 (just most recent cars). I personally like the space and ergonomics of the 6 better, but my wife lives the compactness of the 3 (she had a 2001 Toyota Rav4 and 2012 Lincoln MKT withel ecoboost).

One small note. The 3 doesn't have seat memory, so if you are sharing the car with a spouse or friend, it might become an irritant for you to have to adjust the seats.
 
#9 ·
I prefer hatchback for the versatility and compact size (to fit in garage and tight parking.)

The 6 is definitely a looker and in some ways a much more elegant expression of the Kodo design language compared to the 3. Even so, when a pack the hatch and load up my bikes on a rack on my 3, it just feels and looks right.
 
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