2006 Mazda Mazda6 Pros and Cons at TrueDelta: Mazdaspeed 6 Review by mschmidt_97

Exterior styling

Conservatively styled- no boy-racer spoilers or wings. Car is now 6+ years old and styling still looks fresh.

Handling

The Speed6 handles very well, with the AWD providing great performance in the wet and snow.

Fuel economy

I have kept a spreadsheet of the car's fuel economy since the car was brand new. Never made less than 20 mpg, average around 22-23 with city/highway mix. Best fuel economy strictly highway driving was 27.xx mpg. That's pretty impressive to me considering the power this car has.

Reliability & durability

The Speed6 has been very reliable, no major repairs, even under warranty. Have an intermittent front suspension squeak with the upper and lower control arms, just haven't had it fixed yet since it's harmless. Brakes and clutch are original.

Front seat support & comfort

For short trips the Speed6 is fine. Longer than 2 hours in the car kills my back. Maybe the seats are cheaper in the Sport vs. the GT. Fortunately I've only taken 1 or 2 very long trips in it.

Interior styling

Nothing major about the interior, just a couple of observations about some goofy choices Mazda made. For example, the car has automatic climate control, but no automatic headlights. Also, when you stop then restart the car, it retains the cruise control setting, but not the thermostat/ambient temperature setting.

I've owned the car since new and have been very happy overall. I think it will be a classic, since it was only made for 2 years and not many copies are out there.