Another great car we won't get in the US

[mlctvt]

Mazda6 wagon available with 2.2L Diesel and manual transmission. Also 2 gasoline engines available 2.0L and 2.5L.
I just don't get it why Americans don't like sporty wagons and instead favor heavier SUVs with little to no more additional space, worse gas mileage and much worse handling. Aren't most SUVs just tall wagons anyway?

http://www.mazda.com/publicity/release/2012/201209/120905a.html

http://blogs.automotive.com/mazda6-wagon-revealed-promptly-breaks-americas-heart-110079.html

 

[wa-loaf]

Sad. Leaning more and more to the Jetta Sportwagon TDI as my next car.

 

[Geoff]

I really want an AWD diesel compact wagon. In Europe, you can get a Golf wagon with all the options.... Diesel + 4Motion/Haldex, DSG, and Xenons are my essential list for a VW.

I'm still at least 2 years from buying a car. I'm hoping that there are more options then.

 

[mlctvt]

Sad. Leaning more and more to the Jetta Sportwagon TDI as my next car.

Me too. It looks like VW has the diesel wagon market all to themselves. OK Audi has some too but they are in a different market. I'm not sure what the sales numbers are but the number of TDI Sportwagens I see in New England is amazing. We recently spent a 2 week vacation in Vermont and New Hampshire and they were everywhere. Seems like alot of people up north are getting these instead of another Subaru. Personally I know several old time Subaru customers who bought them. I may be joining them in a few years.

 

[wa-loaf]

I really want an AWD diesel compact wagon. In Europe, you can get a Golf wagon with all the options.... Diesel + 4Motion/Haldex, DSG, and Xenons are my essential list for a VW.

I'm still at least 2 years from buying a car. I'm hoping that there are more options then.

Me too. It looks like VW has the Diesle wagon market all to themselves. OK Audi has some too but they are in a different market. I'm not sure what the sales numbers are but the number of TDI Sportwagens I see in New England is amazing. We recently spent a 2 week vacation in Vermont and New Hampshire and they were everywhere. Seems like alot of people up north are getting these instead of another Subaru. Personally I know several old time Subaru customers who bought them. I may be joining them in a few years.

I would love AWD drive on the Sportwagon too, but whenever I start leaning back to Subaru I remind myself that I got around just fine in HS up in Maine with fwd and bald tires. A Sportwagon with snows should get me through most occasions.

I read recently the 80% of the Sportwagons sold are the TDI version.

 

[riverc0il]

When I saw the thread title, before I even clicked I was thinking "Mazda6 Wagon Diesel". Just saw that recent from the auto show across the pond. It looks HOT and looks like it might get better MPG (with more power and torque to boot) than the TDI wagon. Looks like Mazda's cross over (what is it, CX5 or something like that) and eventually than Mazda3 will get the diesel skyactiv engine. But wagons are way better than crossovers and hatchbacks. I think I saw something about a Mazda hybrid somewhere? Mazda has some great cars and now they are finally stepping up to the fuel efficiency plate without ruining their fun nature. They could easily corner the manual market the way things are going. I think they still offer their minivan with a manual?

 

[wa-loaf]

I think they still offer their minivan with a manual?

The Mazda5 comes with a manual. Not really a minivan, but it seats 6 and has sliding doors. As seems to be standard with these things only the base model is available with the stick and you miss out on most options. I drove one and the stick is nice, but the car is underpowered.

 

[deadheadskier]

But wagons are way better than crossovers and hatchbacks. I think I saw something about a Mazda hybrid somewhere? Mazda has some great cars and now they are finally stepping up to the fuel efficiency plate without ruining their fun nature. They could easily corner the manual market the way things are going. I think they still offer their minivan with a manual?

Depends on the user as to which is better. I personally would prefer the CX-5 over a 6 wagon. I'd like the additional ground clearance as well as double the towing capacity. I have designs on getting a small boat at some point to cruise around Great Bay. The CX-5 has a 2000# towing capacity vs. 1000# for a Jetta TDI and I'd assume what a 6 Wagon would offer. So, for my desired purposes, the cross over makes more sense.

They could very much easily corner the Manual market, but I just don't see it happening. They are going in the opposite direction. They do still offer a manual on the 5, but my understanding is they don't sell many of them, so I wouldn't be surprised to see it go away. In the 3 you can only get a MT with the entry model, which means no leather interior option, sunroof etc. While not deal breakers for me, they are for many drivers. The next generation 6 is only offering it in the lower horsepower entry trim as well. Makes no sense to me. If they are going to offer a MT in a model, it should be in the highest trim. People he prefer driving manual do so because of performance more so than fuel economy and the fuel economy is pretty much even between AT & MT these days.

It looks like Subaru is the only option out there for those who want AWD and a MT outside of a couple of models from Audi and BMW.

Sucks. You can get a diesel CX5 with AWD and MT in Europe, Japan, probably Australia as well. I doubt I'll ever see such a car here. Only way I see it remotely happening is everyone who is interested in such a car emails them stating so, but they're forced now to buy a Subaru instead. Such a car could be a real Subaru killer.

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

i was in my buddies cx-5 the other day and was floored.....great interior (reminded me of my audi) loaded, paddle shifters, bluetooth, awd, great handling....very very nice ride and should be considered.....

 

[wa-loaf]

Bought a TDI Sportwagon today ...

 

[riverc0il]

:beer:

Enjoy it!

 

[bvibert]

Bought a TDI Sportwagon today ...

Nice, enjoy!

 

[deadheadskier]

Bought a TDI Sportwagon today ...

Nice!

Pics?

 

[wa-loaf]

Won't have it till later in the week. But it's red with black interior. Though very nice I skipped the sunroof. My outback didn't have one and I haven't missed it and didn't want to cough up the extra 2k for one.

 

[Geoff]

Bought a TDI Sportwagon today ...

In this thread:
Another bunch of riverc0il-style smug hypermiler MPG reports.

 

[wa-loaf]

In this thread:
Another bunch of riverc0il-style smug hypermiler MPG reports.

Nah, I have too much of a lead foot for that!

 

[riverc0il]

In this thread:
Another bunch of riverc0il-style smug hypermiler MPG reports.

39.9 average MPG after a little more than a year.

The great thing about the TDI is you can drive with a lead foot and you really won't do much worse. I've found if you keep your speed up on the back roads, you can actually get better MPG cause you can ease up on the hills and then glide down the backsides. I actually get worse MPG when I really try to milk it...

 

[deadheadskier]

I average 35 mpg with my Mazda3. I can feather it up to 37-38 average, but that's basically a gallon of gas difference on a tank. Really isn't worth it to save $3.70.

 

[riverc0il]

I average 35 mpg with my Mazda3. I can feather it up to 37-38 average, but that's basically a gallon of gas difference on a tank. Really isn't worth it to save $3.70.

That is really good. I've heard from a lot of sources that Mazda3's new engine underperforms rather than overperforms in efficiency.

 

[deadheadskier]

I'm guessing it's because you don't get much torque out of the car until you hit 4000 rpms, which really zaps the mpg when you drive it in that range. The car wants to be driven hard. I could see someone with a heavy foot who drives in a lot of city traffic getting combined mpg more in the 30-32 range.