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If nothing else, this car should be on the enthusiast driver's list of sedans to test drive when shopping this category. Really love the 6. They've loaded the incoming model with adapting led headlights, HUD and a beautiful clean interior. Alcantara? That's upscale and on luxury cars not mass market vehicles. Adding that turbo motor really is going to do something for this sedan.
If nothing else, this car should be on the enthusiast driver's list of sedans to test drive when shopping this category. Really love the 6. They've loaded the incoming model with adapting led headlights, HUD and a beautiful clean interior. Alcantara? That's upscale and on luxury cars not mass market vehicles. Adding that turbo motor really is going to do something for this sedan.
not sure if it's going to be alcantara, but it looks like it.
Alcantara, cheap to produce, and overpriced and overrated, marketed as a luxury material.
1) Mazda definitely *likes* the idea of a 3-pedal manual Mazda6 turbo but they currently feel there is no business case for it; this also applies to any MazdaSpeed 6 (turbo, AWD, manual) possibility but with an even greater chasm between the desire and probability
2) Manual options are often relegated to the "base" trim levels and people who aren't diehard manual fans probably aren't willing to give up other creature comforts, features and more powerful engines that they still want (... um... yeah!)
3) Not enough people went out to buy manual Mazdas or Mazda 6's previous to this model year (but see point #2 again even if it's still a niche lower take rate preference)
Notable points raised in the comments:
1) Same gist as point #2 above (ie: manual options are usually only available on stripper/"Base" trim levels where you are forced to give up other features you aren't willing to do without; also, maybe that niche base of customers reallty wanted a more powerful engine WITH their manual transmission?)
2) Mazda dealers actually make the orders for their inventory, not you. They overwhelmingly tend to stock non-manual cars and don't make it easy to find any manual Mazda 6's on their lots, let alone one with the exact options and color a customer may want. To that end, special ordering incurs a lot of wait time not everyone is willing to go through before they take delivery of their car 4-6 months after they place that order. Further, some dealers make it very difficult to special order or just refuse to. At that point, for most, what is left is whatever is on the lot or whatever model can be transferred in from another dealer within a reasonable amount of time.
3) If all of these inconveniences in the ordering or buying process for the car customers want weren't such a hassle and so difficult such that they feel they have to fight to get a car with the right options and maybe, if they're so inclined, a manual transmission (if on offer) then at least the possibility is there that some more people might be ordering them; we'll never know under the current system. Currently it's still basically an uphill fight when you go to a dealer and tell them you absolutely want a manual model that is on offer for that model year. The lot may not even have one that you can test drive, so if you're absolutely committed you may have to test drive an automatic version, put your order in for a manual and hope it's a GOOD manual design after you've already committed to the purchase and incurred depreciation.
I don't see it as entirely the fault of customers that there isn't a manual option on the new Mazda 6 turbo. The company is warm to the idea but... currently just the idea of it. The metrics that they base their decisions on are directly influenced in large part to how their U.S. dealer network (and all U.S. dealer networks) operate when it comes to ordering inventory and which options to order vs what a customer might want to order that isn't the mainstream configuration being pushed with all those seasonal "inventory blowout sale" campaigns.
If there is a Mazda rep at the L.A. Auto Show when I attend in a few days I'll briefly make this point to them regarding the Mazda6 turbo's lack of a manual transmission option.
In the family sedan market people use these cars for commuting and they're basically on a budget. If you are a customer who test drives such a vehicle and have decided you don't like a CUV, you'll see the sedan as an alternative. Now commuting is already a hassle, so that means you don't want to be constantly shifting up and down gears while you're doing all of this stop and go.
It's fine for enthusiast sites to promote the romance of the manual transmission, but the real buyer is the practical buyer. The sliver of customers for a manual transmission Mazda will head straight over to the MX5 Miata for their manual jollies.
My friend owns the current model Audi A5 Coupe 2.0T AWD in black, and it was he who told me that his dual clutch auto: hunts, clunks & shudders.
He leased the vehicle brand new.
Was the Golf you tested brand new, or a couple of years old?
The wet multiplate clutches wear & age quickly due to low speed creeping/crawling "slippage".
I've heard owners say that it's cheaper for them to buy a new Golf, to repair their Golf DCT...
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Funny, because my A4 2.0T has the same tranny as his and has none of those issues. The 2.0T/DSG combo is one of the best I've experienced.
Haven't seen any comments in the thread yet about this 4-banger's cylinder-deactivation to two cylinders at highway cruise (though, of course, I might have just missed them). For an engine in a top-level Mazda sedan to be buzzing along on just two pots, even under the relatively relaxed and low-stress conditions at highway-cruise, the engineers had better have done some darn good tricks on balance and counter-balance in the crankshaft and flywheel to keep this thing from running like a lawn mower LOL.
Originally Posted by article
The first is again a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter engine, but it now has cylinder deactivation, allowing it to run on just two cylinders at times.
In the family sedan market people use these cars for commuting and they're basically on a budget. If you are a customer who test drives such a vehicle and have decided you don't like a CUV, you'll see the sedan as an alternative. Now commuting is already a hassle, so that means you don't want to be constantly shifting up and down gears while you're doing all of this stop and go.
It's fine for enthusiast sites to promote the romance of the manual transmission, but the real buyer is the practical buyer. The sliver of customers for a manual transmission Mazda will head straight over to the MX5 Miata for their manual jollies.
I hear you with the stop and go traffic in favor of an automatic.
That being said, you drive 75-125 miles east or southeast of my location in Nashville, you encounter some seriously hilly/mountainous terrain. I'm talking some 1000-2000ft elevation changes within 3 to 5 miles when you drive up the Cumberland Plateau. That manual transmission becomes an asset on some of those hilly and steep roads IMO. Just saying a manual is better suited in some applications, especially going up/down that twisty two lane mountain road.
This is the base price of the Mazda6 Grand Touring, which is the entry trim level to this engine. In fact, the Grand Touring will only come with the turbo engine, as will the new Grand Touring Reserve and Signature trim levels. The base-level Sport trim and higher-level Touring will only come with the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder (187 hp, 186 lb-ft of torque) that now comes with cylinder-deactivation. Every Mazda6 will receive a comprehensive series of updates when it arrives at dealerships this April.
The revised Sport, which comes with cloth manual seats, dual-zone climate control, 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, blind-spot warning, rear-cross traffic assist and low speed automatic emergency braking, is only $5 more than the outgoing 2017.5 model for a new base price of $22,840. The optional automatic adds another $1,050 to the price. Moving up to Touring limits you to only the automatic transmission and adds 19-inch alloy wheels, leatherette upholstery, a power driver's seat, heated front seats, a sunroof, and rear air vents. It starts at $26,590, $455 more than the outgoing model with the optional automatic.
Moving up to the Grand Touring brings us to the turbo engine. It also adds an 11-speaker Bose sound system, navigation, heated side mirrors, and an auto-dimming driver's mirror. It also gets shift paddles on the steering wheel, so although the turbo engine won't be available with a manual, there will be a way to conveniently shift gears. Its price is $30,090, and as a point of reference, the cheapest Honda Accord with the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine starts at $31,200 with either a manual or automatic transmission.
The Grand Touring Reserve comes in at $32,590. This trim adds a heads-up display, rear spoiler, windshield wiper de-icers, heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, real leather upholstery, and power adjustment and ventilation for both front seats. The range-topping Signature starts at $35,640 and adds Nappa leather, UltraSuede trim, parking sensors, 360-degree camera views and a configurable instrument screen.
