Ike

The 6 is more of a drivers car, and feels far more sporty to drive than the Acura or Honda, at least around turns... The 6S is also considerably less expensive than the Accord V6, TSX, or TL.

itr98spec

dIkeWRX,

What is a Subaru owner doing here? Causing trouble? What a total jackass.

scorp76

The 6 doesn't hold a candle to the Accord or the Accord; it holds a flame-thrower and blows them both away. The 6 manages to haul families while looking far better and actually being fun to drive. That's two things you'll never hear uttered about either Accord, which are both cushy, boring, soft-hearted bland-mobiles, period.

MikeW

The mazda 6's V6 powertrain is seriously outmatched by honda's.
The Ford engine only makes 217 hp and 192 ft-lbs of torque (even with cam phasing that the honda V6 does NOT have). Coupled with the JATCO transmission (bad ratio distribution) means that the car is marginally faster than a 4 cylinder manual accord + worse mileage.
The manual shift V6 runs as fast at the automatic accord V6, at the expense of mileage and the fact you are doing the work. 19/28 vs 21/30
The 6 does have better braking performance (stock) but new tires and brake pads on the accord will bring it back in the game.
NVH and BSR sucks in the Mazda 6
The steering lacks communication in the 6, and so does the brakes.

Maybe with the new 3.5 V6 from ford and the 6 speed automatic the mazda 6 will vie for the top position. But here comes the hybrid V6 Accord (you didn't think that honda left all that empty space in front of the gas tank for nothing?)

mental pimp

We finally have a Mike with a brain!

FamilyGuy

I'm telling you, take the TSX for a spin. After a few seconds, you'll forget that it's a naturally aspirated 4-cylinder. Honda knows how to make good stuff.

Edmunds.com staff don't like anything that doesn't have serious kick-in-the-pants performance, and they were really enthusiastic about the TSX in their review.

scorp76

And? The Renesis is seriously outmatched by the VQ, big deal.
First off, it's not a Ford engine, it's a Ford block. And the 6 is no more about acceleration than the RX-8 is. Neither is the Accord for that matter. EPA ratings mean jack these days: I want to see someone get 24 mpg in an RX8, or even 30 mpg in an Accord.
The dorks that buy Accords aren't going to waste money trying to make it perform better. Even if they did, new tires and brakes on the 6 would KEEP it ahead of the game.
And yet both is comparable to the Accord. The 6 has been measured quieter at idle and the same dBA on the highway by some mags, so I guess the Accord "sucks" too. And the 6 is close in backseat dimensions (with MORE headroom and hiproom), so again, a marginal advantage by the Accord in some measurements doesn't mean the 6 sucks.
Utter bullshit. Enough said.

It's already tops in performance and fun-to-drive, but I guess power-and HP-obsessed Americans will finally be pleased.

scorp76

Been there, done that. Most boring 15 minutes of my life.

No way I'd ever waste $27k on a slow, dressed-up Accord.

Spin9k

Sorry Ike, your 'feelings' aren't working well. March 04 R&T comparo has Accord 6 sp at 6.3 sec 0-60 mph, Feb MT had Accord AT at 6.5 sec.

Maybe your were thinking of your WRX?

FamilyGuy

What're the best 0-60 mph achieved in the RX8 by anyone that posts here?

Ike

I'm talking about at highway speeds, or from a roll at even lower speeds for that matter. 0-60 it's going to be a drivers race with the Accord being more consitent but having torque steer, the RX-8 will have to have a hefty rev and clutch drop to attain those times. Those times are about what I've seen since the couple 5.9s 0-60 the pre production model did.

Familyguy, you're not going to find anyone with accurate 0-60 times, stick to 1/4 miles times.

Ike