mmarshall

Of course not. That's nothing new......it's been the case for years. But the mags, of course, don't always agree with each other, either. Car & Driver and Road & Track, for instance, are usually a little more sport-oriented than Motor Trend, Automobile or Autoweek (although MT is somewhat more sport-oriented now than in the past). I have found, from experience, that many of my own reviews are more or less echoed by Consumer Reports when they test a car....and vice-versa. That is because, like CR, I'm more concerned with a car's practicality, driving manners in everyday suburbia, and overall value for the money than with track performance or 0-60/skidpad/braking figures.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

not sure why any mdx comparison to camry is relevant, which i believe was intended as a compliment because both meet their intended market so well, not because they're remotely similar vehicles but anyway...

the mazda 6 sales numbers are pretty irrelevant in this market, but what should concern honda (a huge seller) is the kia optima, which can made in huge numbers.

also irrelevant, is the article, which is read by almost no one in the target market. oh wait, maybe mazda 6 buyers anyway...

i suspect the '15 camry will make a huge splash in the market...

the new sonata probably won't make much of a splash... hyundai/kia's line up is so 'midsize sedan heavy' with optima, cadenza, azera, sonata... they need to clean it up. or maybe not, they're like that other korean juggernaut samsung that just keeps on cranking out new phone models no matter how confusing and redundant it is. keep throwing stuff against the wall - see what sticks...

spwolf

he is saying that when Camry finishes 4th, it is death of Camry and Toyota, while nobody really mentions brand new Honda Accord, often lauded as best car in the segment, finishing 4th.

swajames

I looked at 3 or 4 of these cars when getting a car for my son recently. I most certainly liked the Mazda 6, but will note that the NVH levels on the 6 were markedly higher than some of the others I drove (something which over time will grate just as much as the performance may please) and also found that local dealers are just not discounting the car to the same extent as some of the others on the list. As a car to buy, own and live with rather than just as a car to drive for the purposes of a review, the Mazda might not necessarily be the best choice for a fair few buyers. These points may help explain the (relatively) low number of sales compared to some others in the class.

spwolf

imho, it is the best car in the segment... but it sells so low - only 3.8k last month, so production argument from Mazda does not make any sense. Mazda targets in the US have been higher than what they end up achieving.

Mazda should be doing 4x better numbers than what they are actually doing in the USA. As a consumer, I dont understand where the problem is. As old car dealer, I would probably say combination of various different things.

3, 6 and CX-5 are all class leading cars. And yet Camry outsells complete brand, sometimes by the double. It is sad.

spwolf

I would say these are pretty much the factors, let me know if you agree from your test drive:

Car related issues
1. Price - all of dealer cars start at $26k, up to $37k for 4cly non turbo.
2. NVH - every Mazda is loud - 3/6/CX5 are some of the louder cars in the segment. This is due to their trying to get lowest possible weight - so it makes sense, just leaves bad first impression..
3. Back seat room/entry and trunk access is below class standards.
4. While exterior looks awesome and luxury, interior looks older and lacks cool factor (like fitting 8" screen would have been much better than 5.8"
5. Powertrains get really nice MPG real life yet they also lack wow factor... you are selling cars at premium, you need wow, disrupt. Some sport sedan for $35k and turbo engine would have probably outsold current Mazda6.

Mazda corp issues
1. Small amount of dealers
2. Smaller advertising presence
3. Lack of cool factor lately with no cool cars such as MX-5 or some MS variants.


Basically; Mazda built a good car, but didnt really change much from the standard formula. You get little bit nicer interior, looks great, awesome mpg, but also less space, poorer access, old interior tech and pretty expensive price.

In Europe, CX-5 is selling like crazy - but IMHO, with their class leading diesels and competitive pricing, you could say CX-5 disrupted the market. You cant say that for Mazda6 in the USA.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

ok, well i mentioned the accord here that they should be concerned somewhat at finishing 4th, not just behind the the 'sporty' mazda, but even the more mainstream optima.

mazda dealers (maybe by corporate policy / influence) tend to be 'proud' of their vehicles, maybe choosing not to get into a pricing / discounting war with other brands. in the midsize arena, consumers are always looking for a 'deal', whereas enthusiasts while wanting a deal, will often pay what they have to, to get what they want.

i don't see it as sad... if mazda tried to go head to head with toyota and other large brands, it would get slaughtered, because what mazda offers isn't mainsteam enough. a similar situation would be subaru. they know their market and limitations and stay in their niches so the big dogs don't consider them threats.

LexFather

Crickets......

I'm assuming you have driven most of these like I have?

spwolf

Well, Mazda6 sales being up 30% and yet selling only 3800 cars in April 2014 is sad. It is fantastic car that is maintstream and yet only 3800 copies sold in segment where leaders sell 10x more. It should be getting at least 10k sales per month.

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

LexFather,

No need for this type of dismissive and rude commentary towards others, I'll ask you to exit the thread please.

natnut

If there was a Mazdaspeed 6 with AWD, I would be seriously tempted to get that as my GS replacement.

spwolf

i imagine if they did turbo version for $35k and positioned it as sports sedan, they would sell similar Mazda6 that starts at $21k

swajames

Yep - pretty much agree with all of those. The problems Mazda has, for me, are threefold:

1. The NVH problem is a real issue. There is a lot of engine noise and a particular problem with road/tire noise.
2. Mazda is offering the enthusiasts choice in a segment where non-enthusiasts are by a massive margin the predominant buyer. The car just doesn't check the right boxes for the segment.
3. The lack of incentives and the lack of flexibility from dealers (which likely ties to the lack of Mazda corporate incentive spending).

3800 units in a month is indeed very poor. There's absolutely no getting away from that. The poor sales are to my mind due to the issues I list in addition to yours. As I said, it is a very good car - it's just not the best fit for the segment. We had a CX-9 in the family until fairly recently and we do like the brand. I just think Mazda needs to rethink a few things. A little more in the way of incentive $$$ will go a long way.

84Cressida

Mazda's lack of sales is further proof that what internet fanboys say is best in life isn't best in the real world.

Blackraven

For the North and South American market, the previous-gen Mazda 6 was manufactured in Michigan, USA (using Ford Motor Company facilities).........but for this gen, all Mazda 6 units are made in Japan.