Tell me about....the Mazda 6 MPS
Discussion
Awesome car, super quick - and dirt cheap to buy.
No real issues with it - looks amazing with RX8 alloys on it.
Resale is tricky as not a lot know about the car, and road tax on the post 06 ones is a killer.
I looked at a few myself last yr, ended up with a 330 clubsport.
Pace of the MPS is mind blowing - was into 3 figures on a dealer test drive by mistake, and it responds really well to mapping - tho extra power def not needed.
Also probably the ultimate Q car which is why i wanted it.
No real issues with it - looks amazing with RX8 alloys on it.
Resale is tricky as not a lot know about the car, and road tax on the post 06 ones is a killer.
I looked at a few myself last yr, ended up with a 330 clubsport.
Pace of the MPS is mind blowing - was into 3 figures on a dealer test drive by mistake, and it responds really well to mapping - tho extra power def not needed.
Also probably the ultimate Q car which is why i wanted it.
I was very interested in a Mazda CX-7 - which apparently shares the same engine - and was put off by the reliability problems reported here:
http://www.rac.co.uk/buying-a-car/car-reviews/mazd...
I assume the MPS would suffer the same if it's the same engine.
http://www.rac.co.uk/buying-a-car/car-reviews/mazd...
I assume the MPS would suffer the same if it's the same engine.
If you get one, make sure the VVT actuator/chain has been replaced.
They are very cheap to buy and insure (£200 for me) but tax is £485 if it is a post March 2006 model.
This is mine.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I bought one after an e46 330d, hadn't sold the bmw when I purchased it and within a week I was back in the bmw and the Mazda was sold.
Pro's
There suprisingly quick, even quicker than the figures sugest
The inside is a nice place to be
The options are brilliant
Con's
MPG was nothing short of terrible, i'm talking about 14mpg round town, not much better on a run
The handling felt terrible
It didnt feel like it could take abuse.
Doesn't feel special at all
Also the car I had was 1 owner, fully serviced by mazda with additional oil changes between. On 25k with one owner so it was mint.
Just get a scooby....
Pro's
There suprisingly quick, even quicker than the figures sugest
The inside is a nice place to be
The options are brilliant
Con's
MPG was nothing short of terrible, i'm talking about 14mpg round town, not much better on a run
The handling felt terrible
It didnt feel like it could take abuse.
Doesn't feel special at all
Also the car I had was 1 owner, fully serviced by mazda with additional oil changes between. On 25k with one owner so it was mint.
Just get a scooby....
Love mine - had it about 6 months now. It cetainly catches a few people out and is quicker than book figures suggest. Car and Driver and Autocar IIRC VBOX'd them when they first came out - 0-60 was around 5.4 ish as opposed to book of 6.5! Insurance seems very cheap for what you get. Road tax as mentioned is high unless you manage to find one registered before the tax change (March 06 i think)
MPG is terrible - expect low 20's around town and 30 on a long run, and watch for rust on the rear arches - although they do seem a lot less prone than the standard 6. Timing Chain/Actuator is the biggy. Budget around £300 for a parts kit from US (Mazda want £1200) and £500 labour (no different to doing a standard cambelt - so may be cheaper or done at home if your good with spanners). Mine is ok at the moment (80K) but i'm planning to do it shortly as it WILL fail. The replacement kit is tweaked so it shouldn't happen again. A tell tale sign is a slapping sound from the chain hitting the rocker cover
Rods through the block - from what I have read the rods are a weak point BUT it tends to only happen on badly mapped/tuned cars (it is notoriously tricky to map well). The general advice is to keep off full throttle much below 3k and avoid crappy maps, many cars have seen high mileages with no issues.
Only other issue as with any turbo car is the turbo seals going. Avoiding boost when the engine is cold will help their life span. Mine is on the orginal and no signs of it going yet.
I know this sounds like a long list, but it should in actual fact be very reliable! Mine is our only family car and the wife and boy love it. For £4k it seems a relative bargain!
MPG is terrible - expect low 20's around town and 30 on a long run, and watch for rust on the rear arches - although they do seem a lot less prone than the standard 6. Timing Chain/Actuator is the biggy. Budget around £300 for a parts kit from US (Mazda want £1200) and £500 labour (no different to doing a standard cambelt - so may be cheaper or done at home if your good with spanners). Mine is ok at the moment (80K) but i'm planning to do it shortly as it WILL fail. The replacement kit is tweaked so it shouldn't happen again. A tell tale sign is a slapping sound from the chain hitting the rocker cover
Rods through the block - from what I have read the rods are a weak point BUT it tends to only happen on badly mapped/tuned cars (it is notoriously tricky to map well). The general advice is to keep off full throttle much below 3k and avoid crappy maps, many cars have seen high mileages with no issues.
Only other issue as with any turbo car is the turbo seals going. Avoiding boost when the engine is cold will help their life span. Mine is on the orginal and no signs of it going yet.
I know this sounds like a long list, but it should in actual fact be very reliable! Mine is our only family car and the wife and boy love it. For £4k it seems a relative bargain!
I had the opportunity to drive one for a couple of days when it came out as new.
It is a very quick car and the looks was just right (apart of the rear exhaust fakery) - however, the engine sound was bland/muted and the handling wasn't that enjoyable, bit lardy I may say (compared to what I expected).
Anyway, if you go for one this may matter to you: due to chassis reinforcements you can't fold down the back seats.
It is a very quick car and the looks was just right (apart of the rear exhaust fakery) - however, the engine sound was bland/muted and the handling wasn't that enjoyable, bit lardy I may say (compared to what I expected).
Anyway, if you go for one this may matter to you: due to chassis reinforcements you can't fold down the back seats.
Had ours 3 years now. Hunted down a pre-Mar 2006 one for the lower VED.
Bought it to replace a RX-8 due to a second child being on the way.
Hit a couple of common issues, first was one of the aircon pipes rubs through, all the gas comes out and you have no cooling. Of course we bought ours in Jan so missed it not working. Modified part has some foam round it to stop it happening.
Second was the power steering pipe sprung a leak. A rather expensive fix as it incorporates the cooler and the part is only available from Mazda.
Apart from that the only issue has been the front brakes. The calipers are unique to the MPS and Ford/Mazda in their wisdom decided not to put any sacrificial plates for the pads to ride on and the sit directly on the caliper bracket. The pads then over time wear grooves in the caliper brackets which results in noise from the brakes at low speed as they move about (and that in itself wears them more). The Standard 6 uses the same method, the difference is though that the caliper brackets for the std 6 are ~£20ea, the ones for the MPS are ~£150ea!
Tyres are an odd size and stupidly expensive for that reason, going with 225/40R18's instead makes them *much* cheaper and actually makes it turn in a bit better..
It doesn't use much less oil than the RX-8...
Bought it to replace a RX-8 due to a second child being on the way.
Hit a couple of common issues, first was one of the aircon pipes rubs through, all the gas comes out and you have no cooling. Of course we bought ours in Jan so missed it not working. Modified part has some foam round it to stop it happening.
Second was the power steering pipe sprung a leak. A rather expensive fix as it incorporates the cooler and the part is only available from Mazda.
Apart from that the only issue has been the front brakes. The calipers are unique to the MPS and Ford/Mazda in their wisdom decided not to put any sacrificial plates for the pads to ride on and the sit directly on the caliper bracket. The pads then over time wear grooves in the caliper brackets which results in noise from the brakes at low speed as they move about (and that in itself wears them more). The Standard 6 uses the same method, the difference is though that the caliper brackets for the std 6 are ~£20ea, the ones for the MPS are ~£150ea!
Tyres are an odd size and stupidly expensive for that reason, going with 225/40R18's instead makes them *much* cheaper and actually makes it turn in a bit better..
It doesn't use much less oil than the RX-8...
Anyway, onto the handling.
It's fun to drive but a heavy car, has a tendency for a touch of understeer if not under power (when it slightly surprisingly for a max 50% rear bias AWD tends to stick the back out). It's a fast saloon basically and you feel the high cabin height.
Engine is nice, very flexable, some advise not giving it full throttle/boost under 3k but it's happy to rev.
Just enough lag to appreciate its a fast turbo car without being stupid.
It's fun to drive but a heavy car, has a tendency for a touch of understeer if not under power (when it slightly surprisingly for a max 50% rear bias AWD tends to stick the back out). It's a fast saloon basically and you feel the high cabin height.
Engine is nice, very flexable, some advise not giving it full throttle/boost under 3k but it's happy to rev.
Just enough lag to appreciate its a fast turbo car without being stupid.
Apart for the tax, I've found running costs to be reasonable, but then I came from 10 years of scooby ownership.
I can get (just) over 30 mpg on a motorway run at 70-80 mph giving the car a range of about 400 miles on a full tank.
Agree about tyres, they are 215/45/18 but decent Falken 453s can be got for about £80 each.
I can get (just) over 30 mpg on a motorway run at 70-80 mph giving the car a range of about 400 miles on a full tank.
Agree about tyres, they are 215/45/18 but decent Falken 453s can be got for about £80 each.
Yup - 30mpg is possible on a run if you take it easy. Do expect 20 around town though as others have said. I would agree with others on the handling front - you will get some understeer when not on the power, but give it a bootful and it certainly seems more rear biased than it should be!
Tyre wise - I moved to 225/45/18, the overall rolling radius is closer to the 215/45/18 than 225/40/18. I imagine the 40 profiles will turn in better but you probably sacrifice a bit of ride quality. Your choice!
Tyre wise - I moved to 225/45/18, the overall rolling radius is closer to the 215/45/18 than 225/40/18. I imagine the 40 profiles will turn in better but you probably sacrifice a bit of ride quality. Your choice!
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff