Author Topic: CONTRAST BETWEEN 2007 AND 2012 MAZDA 6 2.0 TS  (Read 5977 times)

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Offline Treblegold

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CONTRAST BETWEEN 2007 AND 2012 MAZDA 6 2.0 TS
« on: January 17, 2020, 02:54:03 pm »
I have a 2007 Mazda 6 2.0 TS, which I’ve had since 2011. I love the car, and find it fantastic to drive – but with almost 122,000 miles on the clock (and still on its original clutch and exhaust), it may be time to look for a replacement. Since I want to stick with the combination of a six-speed gearbox and 16” wheels, the 2.0 TS seems to be the only option, and there don’t seem to be many of them for sale.

I have just had a test drive in a 2012 model with about 50,000 miles on the clock, but I was really disappointed with it: it was a nice-looking car, but nothing like as good to drive as my current car. It’s a bit difficult to describe what I mean, as I suppose driving always has a subjective element, but I found it a lot less involving than my car (perhaps because the engine was quieter) and at the same time it seemed less powerful. More objectively, perhaps, while my car will pull strongly in sixth gear from well under 40 mph, this one struggled under 40 even in fifth (but I didn’t detect any clutch problem).

I’m not buying the car, but, if they’re all like that, I may have to think again about another Mazda 6 – so what I’m really asking for is a view from anyone with experience of both generations about the differences between them.  Was my impression typical? I remember thinking “this is a terrific car” as soon as I started the test drive in my current car, and it was a surprise to be so disappointed with the newer model. Any help gratefully received.

Offline apav

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Re: CONTRAST BETWEEN 2007 AND 2012 MAZDA 6 2.0 TS
« Reply #1 on: January 18, 2020, 10:31:01 am »
Do your clutch and exhaust need replacement or do you just want a new car?

Another used car will not have a new clutch and exhaust. So even if you need to replace your parts, you still know the rest of the car. So you may end up being better with the devil you already know.

I had test driven both generations when I was buying mine. All the first generation cars were petrol only though.

The second generation car is an evolution of the first generation and so it is more refined naturally. But there is also difference in weight and so performance. If your reason for changing the car is performance, you will be disappointed as you discovered.

In general, the first generation car feels much smaller and so more agile and eager to perform. But the second generation car is more mature and that will pay off on the longer distances. So if you drive short distances you may enjoy the first generation car more as it is more alive but if you drive longer distances, you will appreciate more the maturity of the second generation car.

If your car has no problems or if you are between another used car vs maintaining your car, I would stay with the same car. Your first impressions are not positive and you could test drive a second car to find out if that particular had any problems. I did the same when I was buying mine and after driving 2-3 of the first generation cars, I realised that all of them had the same characteristics no matter what their condition was. You may find out the same with some more test drives. At the end of the day, it is a used car and you should buy based on its condition.

Offline Treblegold

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Re: CONTRAST BETWEEN 2007 AND 2012 MAZDA 6 2.0 TS
« Reply #2 on: January 18, 2020, 12:58:28 pm »
Many thanks for this helpful reply. I think you’ve put into words better than I could  some of what I was feeling about the second generation car – less agile and less eager to perform – and the extra weight is a good point that I hadn’t considered. It looks from what you say that the car I test drove was pretty typical of the second generation. I think the way forward is, as you suggest, to try another test drive and see whether my impressions are unchanged.
I don’t absolutely have to change cars right now – I’ve got no reason to think that the clutch or exhaust is in imminent danger of failing. My thinking was that, at that kind of mileage, things were likely to start going wrong and there would be a point at which repairs might not be economic. But we might not be at that point yet.

Thanks again for your help.

Offline apav

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Re: CONTRAST BETWEEN 2007 AND 2012 MAZDA 6 2.0 TS
« Reply #3 on: January 20, 2020, 04:16:13 pm »
I think from a value for money point of view, even repairs can be the sensible way forward. All second generation cars are now 8+ years old. This means that a lot of the previous owners were thinking as you say, repairs vs new to me car. So all these cars will have one or another problem to tackle. Unless you find somebody who kept the car over the long term and just bought a newer one. But still it will be another used car and sooner or later will need some kind of repairs.

You have 9 years of ownership which means 9 years by 365 days a year, 3285 days of ownership. There is no way you will ever pay that much for repairs. Even £500 for a clutch or £500 for an exhaust will cover you for many more years.

I think we are in a transition period when a lot of councils will force new regulations to limit old car use. So going from a 2007 to a 2012 car, can still leave you with a car with limited use.

In that sense, you may be better off maintaining the old car and then using the remaining funds to buy a much newer one when times comes.

Offline Treblegold

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Re: CONTRAST BETWEEN 2007 AND 2012 MAZDA 6 2.0 TS
« Reply #4 on: April 28, 2020, 01:37:58 pm »
Many thanks for this further advice, and apologies for taking so long to reply. In the end, I decided to make the change now, as I felt the longer I left it the less chance there would be of finding a reasonably low mileage example. I didn’t want to wait for third generation prices to fall, as I really need a hatchback (and I see that even the most basic third generation cars have 17 inch wheels, which I dislike).
 
I ended up buying a 2011 2.0 TS with about 53,000 miles. It felt a lot better than the 2012 example on the test drive, and so far I’m pretty pleased with it. It certainly isn’t as much fun to drive as the old one, but, on the plus side, it’s smoother and quieter than my old car (in particular, there’s less wind noise), and feels roomier. As far as features that the old car didn’t have are concerned, the electric boot release is a bit of a gimmick, but quite useful, I suppose. I’m neutral about the dual air conditioning, which I suspect I’m not going to use much. On the minus side, there are some more or less minor niggles: I really dislike the hideous spoiler, which rather ruins the car’s looks – it is tempting to remove it, though I don’t know how practicable that would be; there is less storage space inside the car (and there wasn’t that much in the old one) – I do wish the door pockets were bigger; and the temperature and radio display seems (unnecessarily) a long way away, which I don’t like (though I do like having the information button on the steering wheel). But, notwithstanding all this, it’s a nice car – and I hope it will be as reliable as my last one. (They are both petrol, by the way.)

As a final point, I was never able to change the temperature display on my old car to Fahrenheit. If anyone knows whether this can be done, and if so how, I’d be very grateful.

Offline apav

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Re: CONTRAST BETWEEN 2007 AND 2012 MAZDA 6 2.0 TS
« Reply #5 on: April 28, 2020, 06:08:39 pm »
It makes sense to search/buy for a low mileage second generation car now as they are getting older and they only run for 4 years from 2008 to 2012.

The third generation car probably will not get any cheaper any time soon as the new economic crisis is more severe than the previous one and the market has almost collapsed. The high inflation over the last years plus the plenty of older cars for sale, kept the prices high. It has also run for 7 years from 2013 to 2020 so far and without a new generation coming in, there is no much new stock in the market.

But yes as you wanted a hatchback, the third generation would not fit the bill.

I am not sure about the wheel size but the other day while queueing at the rations line at the supermarket car park, somebody drove a 2019 station which may had 17 inch but extremely fat profile tyres. So I think the 17 inch wheels on the third generation car may be the old 16 inch wheels on the second generation car in terms of profile. Also I think in Europe all cars below the executive line, come with steel wheels, even in D segment. So there the standard size may still be 16 inch wheels.

That remote boot release at the remote key feels so slow that when I got the car I thought it did not work. Years later I realised that it works but it is just painfully slow. Be careful to use the full thumb when you use the rubber release at the hatch and not pinch at it with the nails.

The TS equipment level may not had a rear spoiler and it is an added extra by the previous owner. It is a drilled part and so you cannot just remove it because there are several holes where it sits. Hopefully your car has not been accident repaired using a higher spec hatch. Replacing the whole hatch for the spoiler could be the solution but it may cause all sorts of problems. You can have a look of it from the American version:

https://www.mazda6club.com/threads/spoiler-removal.325290/

For the temperature display you could try pressing the radio on/off and media buttons for 5 secs. Here is done on a Mazda 3:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghVpHUaPkJY

Or just the auto button. It should be in the manual how to do it.

Check your new car for the safety recalls as you will need them done for the MOT.