Ike

Only the sedan 6 is available in the US at the moment, but not for long.

Japan8

I know.

But as eveyone here gets some JDM and other info... everyone had to know about the 5 dr and wagon models in Japan of the 6... and have known in a decent amount of time about them FINALLY releasing them in the US (WHAT was Mazda thinking?!!).

Ike

Well, because my best friend owns a 6 so I check out their forums from time to time. I'd say almost every one of the owners had no clue a wagon or hatch was even a possibility until after they had purchased their sedan. The majority of US car owners really don't know much about what's on the JDM, just the enthusiasts really.

Japan8

And I still say... what was Mazda thinking when they released ONLY the sedan in the US?! For those wanting a sporty model the 5 door is better... it has a FULL body package among other things. And the Wagon can of course haul more.

Ike

Totally agree, Mazda was just too cautious. It may hurt them a bit as now they will have the Saab 9-2 to compete with and the Legacy Wagon, as well as a few other offerings that will fall in the same consumer bracket. A year or two ago the competition was far less steep.

Japan8

Exactly! And the Legacy with twin turbos drops how much hp is it dropping? 280hp? 280+ What's Mazda got? The bloated 220hp V6 POS...let's bring back the Taurus SHO V6..heheheh And look a those lines... clean.

Gord96BRG

They were thinking "quality before quantity". The North American market 6s are built in the jointly-owned Ford/Mazda Flat Rock, Michigan assembly plant. Mazda wanted to limit production to just one variant to ensure they could build it with adequate quality before offering the other variations. Ford got burned when they brought the Focus over - the Euro-built Focus were top quality vehicles, but the US-built Focus were really lacking for the first year or two. This was due to local component supplier problems and different factory constraints, and Ford did not anticipate these problems - with the 6, Mazda wanted to make sure they didn't run into similar issues.

As for the SHO V6 - you realize, of course, that it only had 220 hp? A monster in it's time, but now everybody beats it. (I owned an 89 SHO, loved that engine! Still more character than any other V6, even if it's power output has been surpassed).

Regards,
Gordon

Japan8

I know it was only 220hp, but it has more heart than any other V6 I've driven. And updated version of that... oh yeah... Mazda would be screaming. Although the other idea mentioned... to offer the rotary engine as the top engine in all models... like Subaru and the flat 4 and 6... make it Mazda's trademark used in all cars possible. 1.3L in the 3, 1.5 in the 6, 2.0l in the 8 and 2.0l with turbo in the 7. how can you hate that line-up...

What you said about the 6 is understandable. They just shouldn't have done the sedan POS first. They should have done the 5 door model... yeah I suppose they THINK the sedan would have wider appeal... but they're wrong. Another option would be to build the sedan in the joint plant and ship over a LIMITED number of the 5 door and wagons from Japan. Give the market a taste and maybe figure what output should look like when producing all 3. I know JDM doesn't have the V6.. but it's a crappy engine according to everything I've read anyway, and we are just concerned with a LIMITED number from Japan... so the 2.3L I-4 should hold for the time being.