Motor Trend magazine says "the new mazda speed 6 has been WRX'ed out to have a high output turbocharger"

Rush

 

I can't think of a single thing that it shares with Ford that it actually got from Ford. Mazda engineers are some of the best in the industry, IMO.

As far as the car being a Legacy competitor (which is Mazda's intent) I think it will be a very nice/competitive car. One of my close friends is planning on getting one, so I'll hopefully be able to give you guys a good review when he eventually gets one. He's not in a hurry though, so I don't know when that will be.

The car is not intended to compete against the WRX or the STI, so please, for the sake of bandwidth, ignore the magazines that use analogies between those cars. I think the car will be priced just right, I hope they sell better than the MS Miatas. I do not agree that Mazda brought out the MS6 because of less interest in the cars, they just launched the 5door and wagon last year, time to move on to the next project........

 

It has nothing to do with the age of the cars really, the MS3 is due next model year. 2.3T w/ AWD. They just can't drop them all at once, and the 6 came out before the 3. The miata has been around since 1990 and isn't going away, although it's being significantly changed soon (rumors are that it's on a downsized rx8 platform and will have the 2.3).

edit: they used the 4 cyl for a few reasons, 1. to maintain better weight balance, the V6's are nose heavy and 2. engine compartment space, it was a lot easier to fit the Turbo and IC in with the 4 cyl. Originally there were talks about a sequential twin turbo setup, but obviously that didn't happen.

 

Checked it out...interesting that the IC is top mounted but there's no scoop...perhaps they have some kind of ducting on the hood.

Interesting AWD system as well.

 

bingo, compare it to the standard model and you'll notice a subtle buldge in the hood, right above the grille.

 

i personally think mazdas are very good car. the first time i hoped in to a mazda 3 i was very pleased whith the quality of the interior. they are also very reliable cars and are well thought out. like someone said before it is good for consumers that tha manufacturers give them selfs a little competition.

 

I agree...I like the 3's interior as well.

 

+1 for interior, I actually like the feel of the steering wheel more than a WRX's. It doesn't have the big . . . I don't know how to describe it, but at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions, there are big plastic protrusions that make it difficult to wrap your fingers around the steering wheel. The 3's is a nice sized leather wrapped job, well thought out. Shifter feels nice too.

 

I like the interior on my '05 wrx better and yes I looked at the 3 wagon before hand. I couldn't get awd either. I thought the Rx-8's interier felt and looked cheap. It looks good from afar, but like a lot of girls, it was far from good.