Alternative to a Mazda 6 MPS?
Discussion
Looking for something new with a bit of character and reasonably quick, I really like the all-inclusive nature of the Mazda 6 MPS, 256 bhp, 4wd, heated leather seats, decent audio setup as standard and so on...
But I'm hoping there is something else out there I haven't considered? Ideally a 4/5 door, budget about £4k.
A cheap 645ci would be on the cards, but I have a little one on the way and the extra doors would be handy for loading and unloading them.
A wrx wagon would have been perfect, but the idea of having to do a head gasket at some point on one with decent miles doesn't appeal to me at £1200+!
But I'm hoping there is something else out there I haven't considered? Ideally a 4/5 door, budget about £4k.
A cheap 645ci would be on the cards, but I have a little one on the way and the extra doors would be handy for loading and unloading them.
A wrx wagon would have been perfect, but the idea of having to do a head gasket at some point on one with decent miles doesn't appeal to me at £1200+!
I like the MPS, good left field choice. As for alternatives...
S4?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2018...
Legacy?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2018...
159 3.2 Q4
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2018...
S4?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2018...
Legacy?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2018...
159 3.2 Q4
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2018...
This one is simple if you want a very good/better alternative to the MPS there's a great alternative:
2.5T Mondeo 220bhp heated seats a remap & change of intercooler will see around 300bhp.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Plus they're a great sleeper car.
2.5T Mondeo 220bhp heated seats a remap & change of intercooler will see around 300bhp.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Plus they're a great sleeper car.
TheAngryDog said:
The MPS doesn't have heated front seats.
Timing chain system and rods are made out of chocolate and they rust.
Get anything else, trust me.
I haven't seen many people fail to recommend them, did you have a bad run in with one?Timing chain system and rods are made out of chocolate and they rust.
Get anything else, trust me.
I've been wondering about the seats, a few places on Autotrader list them as having heated seats, but I initially thought they never - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
ZX10R NIN said:
This one is simple if you want a very good/better alternative to the MPS there's a great alternative:
2.5T Mondeo 220bhp heated seats a remap & change of intercooler will see around 300bhp.
Plus they're a great sleeper car.
Excellent sleeper indeed, I had seen these before as I do like the Focus ST engine, my only concern would be that they'd be somewhat of a straight line hero, and not handle as well as the MPS?2.5T Mondeo 220bhp heated seats a remap & change of intercooler will see around 300bhp.
Plus they're a great sleeper car.
I ran one for 4 years. Started fairly standard and ended up with a fully built engine + big turbo etc etc and around 400-450hp
I have a readers cars thread on it somewhere.
None in the UK came with heated seats (it wasnt even an option) however US and Japanese cars came with them. Any over here are either imports or retrofitted. They have Bose audio and its ok - not as good as the premium audio in the like of Audi/mercedes etc etc.
Things to look for now - rust!
Timing chains will need doing around 80k. Rods are known to be weak but there are cars running 400hp on stock rods. Its luck of the draw and the thing that hurts them is high load at low rpm. its a K04 turbo so the oil seals tend to fail around the 80k+ mark too, there are a fair few drop in replacements.
It is AWD - a major selling point for me over the Mondeo etc. it's NOT haldex (a common misconception) and is actually sending power to the rear wheels nearly all the time (exceptions are low speed manouvers, reverse and when the handbrake is applied). I really liked the way it drove and the chassis can definately handle more than the standard power. A high pressure fuel pump and remap will see some decent power. Mine really came alive at the 400hp mark. Best modification I did though was to replace the tired standard dampers with a Bilstein B12 kit, it very slightly lowers it and transforms the handling. Ride is not compromised either so win-win.
I really enjoyed mine and only swapped it as I needed a car that could tow and could do with the extra space in an estate.
If its of any relevance my brother in law had a standard ST-3 225, the Mazda when standard was faster both from a stop and while rolling.
I have a readers cars thread on it somewhere.
None in the UK came with heated seats (it wasnt even an option) however US and Japanese cars came with them. Any over here are either imports or retrofitted. They have Bose audio and its ok - not as good as the premium audio in the like of Audi/mercedes etc etc.
Things to look for now - rust!
Timing chains will need doing around 80k. Rods are known to be weak but there are cars running 400hp on stock rods. Its luck of the draw and the thing that hurts them is high load at low rpm. its a K04 turbo so the oil seals tend to fail around the 80k+ mark too, there are a fair few drop in replacements.
It is AWD - a major selling point for me over the Mondeo etc. it's NOT haldex (a common misconception) and is actually sending power to the rear wheels nearly all the time (exceptions are low speed manouvers, reverse and when the handbrake is applied). I really liked the way it drove and the chassis can definately handle more than the standard power. A high pressure fuel pump and remap will see some decent power. Mine really came alive at the 400hp mark. Best modification I did though was to replace the tired standard dampers with a Bilstein B12 kit, it very slightly lowers it and transforms the handling. Ride is not compromised either so win-win.
I really enjoyed mine and only swapped it as I needed a car that could tow and could do with the extra space in an estate.
If its of any relevance my brother in law had a standard ST-3 225, the Mazda when standard was faster both from a stop and while rolling.
Albigularis said:
TheAngryDog said:
The MPS doesn't have heated front seats.
Timing chain system and rods are made out of chocolate and they rust.
Get anything else, trust me.
I haven't seen many people fail to recommend them, did you have a bad run in with one?Timing chain system and rods are made out of chocolate and they rust.
Get anything else, trust me.
I've been wondering about the seats, a few places on Autotrader list them as having heated seats, but I initially thought they never - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
ZX10R NIN said:
This one is simple if you want a very good/better alternative to the MPS there's a great alternative:
2.5T Mondeo 220bhp heated seats a remap & change of intercooler will see around 300bhp.
Plus they're a great sleeper car.
Excellent sleeper indeed, I had seen these before as I do like the Focus ST engine, my only concern would be that they'd be somewhat of a straight line hero, and not handle as well as the MPS?2.5T Mondeo 220bhp heated seats a remap & change of intercooler will see around 300bhp.
Plus they're a great sleeper car.
TheAngryDog said:
I had no issue personally, but barely a week goes by without someone wrecking an engine.
That's an issue for me - if they are that bad - as I did previously buy a WRX Wagon and it ended up developing a bottom end knock as a result of HG failure. Not really willing to entertain engine replacement and refurbs. Is this on standard power levels or more like what a7x88 above is talking about?Albigularis said:
TheAngryDog said:
The MPS doesn't have heated front seats.
Timing chain system and rods are made out of chocolate and they rust.
Get anything else, trust me.
I haven't seen many people fail to recommend them, did you have a bad run in with one?Timing chain system and rods are made out of chocolate and they rust.
Get anything else, trust me.
I've been wondering about the seats, a few places on Autotrader list them as having heated seats, but I initially thought they never - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
ZX10R NIN said:
This one is simple if you want a very good/better alternative to the MPS there's a great alternative:
2.5T Mondeo 220bhp heated seats a remap & change of intercooler will see around 300bhp.
Plus they're a great sleeper car.
Excellent sleeper indeed, I had seen these before as I do like the Focus ST engine, my only concern would be that they'd be somewhat of a straight line hero, and not handle as well as the MPS?2.5T Mondeo 220bhp heated seats a remap & change of intercooler will see around 300bhp.
Plus they're a great sleeper car.
The MPS is set up to understeer I haven't driven one in a long time so can only vaguely remember the drive, but the engine is a cause for concern & it's possible fickleness is enough to make me buy something else.
The original Mazda 6 was often touted to be as good if not better than the Mondeo to drive.
I found the 5 Pot and front wheel drive was way more prone understeer than the MPS (although this was in the Focus ST but I doubt the Mondeo changes it that much) .
Granted the MPS isn't "tail happy" like a RWD car but you can certainly feel the back being pushed and can provoke oversteer if you really want to.
A snip from Evo's review at the time - "The steering is a shade slow and there is some turn-in understeer, but if you push through this you can feel the rear wheels start to come into play. The result is a nice neutral stance and the narrow 215-section tyres seem to help it quickly get up on tip-toes and start to flow. If the turbo is really working, the 6 can even be persuaded to power-oversteer in a Mitsubishi Evo style. Not what I was expecting at all."
Regarding the engines - I took mine up to 100k miles on stock rods and for the last 20k or so it was making around 330-350hp. Most failures i've seen on the owners club have been due to poor servicing, driving like a numpty, or being in a very high state of tune (400lbft is about the limit) for a long time. With standard and mildly tuned cars there doesnt seem to be many issues. Not saying it hasnt or wont happen though. But every car has its issues if you read the internet.
I found the 5 Pot and front wheel drive was way more prone understeer than the MPS (although this was in the Focus ST but I doubt the Mondeo changes it that much) .
Granted the MPS isn't "tail happy" like a RWD car but you can certainly feel the back being pushed and can provoke oversteer if you really want to.
A snip from Evo's review at the time - "The steering is a shade slow and there is some turn-in understeer, but if you push through this you can feel the rear wheels start to come into play. The result is a nice neutral stance and the narrow 215-section tyres seem to help it quickly get up on tip-toes and start to flow. If the turbo is really working, the 6 can even be persuaded to power-oversteer in a Mitsubishi Evo style. Not what I was expecting at all."
Regarding the engines - I took mine up to 100k miles on stock rods and for the last 20k or so it was making around 330-350hp. Most failures i've seen on the owners club have been due to poor servicing, driving like a numpty, or being in a very high state of tune (400lbft is about the limit) for a long time. With standard and mildly tuned cars there doesnt seem to be many issues. Not saying it hasnt or wont happen though. But every car has its issues if you read the internet.
a7x88 said:
But every car has its issues if you read the internet.
I do get that, but it's the likelihood of issues that's the concern.Just spotted this, would be interested to see it with the mileage that's on it-
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
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