Hey guys, I'm new to this place

I'll be posting this in the Mazda6 section too to see get their opinions as well... I hope that's okay with the mods

Let's get straight to it: My family is about to get a new car soon, and so far, they've narrowed it down to the 2010 Mazda 3, the 2009 Mazda 6 and the 2009 Altima Sedan.

Of those three, my top 2 are, if it wasn't obvious from the topic, the Mazda3 and Mazda6

I like the 3 because of it's new sleek styling (Yeah that's right, I said it), as well as the rave reviews about its handling. I've often read reviewers comparing its driving-feel and handling to BMWs, and I've heard from many sources that although the 3 is a front-wheel-drive vehicle, it's actually more prone to OVERSTEERING (particularly the Sedan model) than understeering ... I've never heard of a FWD vehicle displaying anything like that before.. heh. And I'm sure all of us here like oversteering a little more than understeering I should note that we would be getting the Mazda3 GS (i Touring in the US), cause if we got the Grand Touring with the 2.5 engine, well, we might as well get the Mazda6. Which brings me to my next point... LOL..

For the Mazda6... I would be getting the 4 cylinder, so the difference in power wouldn't be toooo drastic. I really like the way the Mazda6 looks; I'd say it's the best looking sedan I've seen (well.. that isn't from a luxury company... and also not including the new Maxima, haha). I've heard the handling is pretty good too.. but what I don't know is if it's as fun to drive as the Mazda6. How does the drivability compare? Does it also feel like a RWD even though it's an FWD, as the Mazda3 supposedly does according to some reviewers?

Of course, I'm gonna go and test drive these two some time soon... but the thing is with test driving, is that you can't really push the car to the limits... it's probably not the best idea to see if the car's gonna can actually start a little oversteering action while the salesguy is in the car with you, hehe...

Anyways, it'd be awesome to hear what you guys think about this!

So, Mazda Forum, how do the Mazda3 and Mazda6 compare? Pros and cons!!

 

Two different cars and hard to compare side-by-side really.

The 3 is a bit cruder and designed more for the driving experience. It will no doubt produce slightly better mileage and be more fun to drive, but will not have the space or the comfort of the 6 series car.

I personally like the 6 series, both generations of it. W/the 4cyl, 2.3L/2,5L engine, I would strongly suggest the 5 or 6-sp manual trans. Your driving experience will be much, much better and so will the fuel mileage and available (re: usable) power.

If you have a larger, or growing family to contend with and want a more civilized ride, the 6 is the car for you. If you or one of your family is larger in girth, this is the car for you.

My biggest complaint about the completely stock 1st gen 6 cars I drove was the body roll in turns. Before anything else, if I were to buy a 6, I would be looking into some seriously improved aftermarket sway bars. The rest of the car, sans man-U-matic trans, made for an excellent DD, in my opinion.

 

See my review of the 2009 6 in "what the 6 offers" It was posted today. I would love to have the luxuries the 6GT offers, but was only able to spring for the I Sport. I was still able to get the 6spd manual in this configuration and I love it so far. The only thing I would change, and it's more because of trim level than anything else is the steel wheels. Of course, if your looking at the GT model you get alloys included, as well as everything you could possibly need or want on a car. I haven't driven the 2010 3, but from every review I have read about it, it also sounds like a great car. For me, I was looking at the 2009 Mazda 3 before deciding on the 6. It was an excellent driving car, and what I thought I would end up purchasing. I personally have a family of 5 including an infant and two small children, and after trying to cram two booster seats, and a rear facing infant seat, it fast became apparent the 3 would not work. After reading reviews of the new 6, I decided to test drive one. I had driven a 2008 a while back, and liked the way this car drove. In combination with my drive of the 3, this is what turned me on to Mazda to begin with. Every review I had read of the new 6, stated that it traded refinement for sportiness. Needless to say, after my test drive of the new 6, I was pleasantly surprised. The steering, however not quite as weighted as the 2008 6 was still appropriately sporty with good feedback. The suspension still felt tight, and was very solid on the road with a flat feel and good ride quality on most road surfaces. It may have given up some body roll to the 2008, but was still very athletic on the road and given it's size increase was more than acceptable. The car is definitely a step up in refinement and overall feel, and the room and trunk space is unbeatable in it's segment. The 2010 3 is also a very nice car, and I am sure probably more fun to drive due to it's smaller size, and weight, but I would highly recommend you take a drive in each before deciding, especially with the great incentives on the 6 currently. Good Luck.

 

I concur. Sounds like a good plan to me.

To explain my position further: I have yet to drive a 2nd gen 6 series, so the cars I was referring to were 2008 i-VE edition cars... both of them. They had the 2.3L-4 and auto trans. For me the suspension rode VERY well. I wish my 3 rode that nicely, especially over rougher roads, but the body lean was more than I liked and to me made the car feel bigger and heavier than it actually is, which is why I said what I'd said.
When I got back in my own 5-sp 3 series car, it felt a bit claustrophobic after only 2 days w/the 6, but sans the rougher ride, I liked the overall drive much better. Definitely more sporty feeling.

 

Hey, I have the '09 six and I would strongly recommend this car. It's very comfortable, yet sporty when you need it to be. ALTHOUGH! My 6 have gone into understeer one time when I was getting on the freeway. It was SOOO scary.

It happened because it had been sprinkling and the road was a little wet and I was making a turn to get on the freeway. I had to step on the brakes super hard it was not even funny.

But other than that, I haven't had any problems with the car. It looks great and feels great!