[Smellhound]

When comparing to the New Malibu, I like the interior of the Malibu a little better than this, but I like the exterior of this a LOT better than the Malibu.

If a buying decision were based on looks alone, I'd say a comparably equiped Malibu would have to be $2,000 cheaper or more for me to buy it over this Mazda.

 

[Gm786]

If the CX-7 and 9 are any guide, the mazda 6 interiors quality will be just fine.
Whos getting carried away, have any of you touched and felt both the 6 and malibu interiors???
I thought not...who doesn't know what there're talking about? At least mazda produced a class competitive interior on the first generation 6, that could never be said of any previous malibu!
Your in a small group so far that thinks the malibu looks better, to most eyes the 6 interior judging by pictures on both, looks more inviting than the malibu.
And it's not just on this web site that thinks so.
I also hear no comments about the exterior of the malibu compared to the 6...no comparison there.
Which do you think will drive better? Does the malibu have a foot operated park brake?

Actually I'm not in a small group so far that thinks the 08 Chevy Malibu looks better than the new 08 Mazda 6. You have to give GM two thumbs up on the great effort they put into the redisigned Malibu and especially the new very well designed interior the car has. The 08 Chevy Malibu is not in any way like the one it replaces and is totally heading in a different direction in the midsize sedan segment for GM in terms of exterior design and interior design. And yes, the new Malibu does have a foot operated park brake. GM has been putting a foot operated brake pedal in their cars and trucks for a long time. My 1995 Olds Delta 88 LS even has one.

You see the parking brake pedal in the lower left corner under the lower dash? That's it. By the way, it's got a very nice elegant looking interior although the quality of the photo isn't that great. Looks good don't ya think?

 

[DirtyMoney]

For the spy pics, i thought the malubu headlights would look similar to the mazda's. The head light design could make a big diufference on the look of a vehicle.

 

[benroethig]

Here is a question. Which will sell more? The 6 or the Malibu? Does the current 6 outsell the current Malibu? Who has last months numbers?
The point I'm making is the 6 is nice and so is the new Malibu. Most people here feel they can only praise something if they trash the other.

Malibu by close to 10,000 cars.

 

[jbartley]

idk? i don't like the interior that much.

the outside is good and bad. it only looks good from certain angles i think.

 

[Crazy4Camaro]

The news item you linked was older. I think the one you wanted was:
http://www.mazda-madness.nl/nieuws/130.htm

I think they're trying a little too hard to make the car look funky and cool - it's like the exaggerated BMW styling recently. But I think it's still pretty damn nice looking. I'm just curious to hear about prices, safety features, and powertrain.

I agree! Bimmer side/rear, heavy Acura front. it's nice looking but nothing ground-breaking. am i the only crazy one? i hate the inside...especially the plastic around the HVAC...it looks really cheap and boring.
:tdown::

 

[MrMax]

The Malibu looks a little more irrelevant every day.

 

[1487]

you people need to relax. I agree this car is great looking on the outside but the inside is full of typical Mazda hard plastic. THis is another strong entry into the segment but those of you who are now ready to bash the malibu and predict market failure because of this car are out of touch with reality. The current 6 is already a great car and has found no traction in the US market. This one will do better but its not going to come close to Malibu sales for a number of reasons.

BTW, where did Mazda state the US version would have a manual with the V6? I havent seen that anywhere and yet people here are already berating GM for not offering a V6/manual option on its cars. Lets not forget the G6 had this option and apparently it didnt do well.

 

[1487]

This caris gorgeous. The Malibu is toast. GM should just pack up their stuff and leave. The Malibu is a joke compared to this. Is it too late to make any changes?

are you serious? You cant be. Malibu will probably outsell this 2:1 easily. Thats not saying the 6 isnt hot, but the Malibu is SO much better than the last one that its going to selling well regardless of what the competition offers. The 6 is more of a niche player for those who want a sporty sedan as oppposed to a normal sedan that just happens to have nice styling like the Malibu.

Also no hybrid version for the Mazda and none on the horizon apparently. The version of the 6 we are seeing in those pics is probably going to sticker in the low $30k's which means 90% of the models sold wont look like that.

 

[1487]

Projector or HID headlamps. No
LED tailights. No
Dual Climate Control. No.
Rear armrest. No.
Navigation. No.
Push Button. No. Cadillacs don't even have push button. Ugh GM.

Those are the things, young people look at. My next car must have all those (except maybe the push button), for me to buy it.

do some reasearch- Cadillacs do have push button start- XLR and STS. Its standard on both. CTS has optional keyless start.

ugh, I cant stand people who bash GM and dont even no the facts.

BTW, the Camry nor new Accord have LED tailights. The Malibu does. DO SOME RESEARCH.

 

[ford&holden]

Here is a question. Which will sell more? The 6 or the Malibu? Does the current 6 outsell the current Malibu? Who has last months numbers?
The point I'm making is the 6 is nice and so is the new Malibu. Most people here feel they can only praise something if they trash the other.

I'm not the one who made a direct comparison to malibu, i simply answered some peoples silly assumption that the malibu will have a higher quality interior when no credible comparison can be made as yet.
I'm not trashing the malibu at all, it's going to be compared with malibu and many others as they compete in the same class, wheather you like it or not.
The first Mazda 6 was of higher quality to any previous malibu, the malibu needs to prove itself, not the 6.
The better car does not always outsell the inferior car, sales figures prove nothing when it comes to the better car, I'd bank on the malibu having more fleet sales also. You have to admit Mazda can produce a hatch, sedan and a wagon.

 

[ford&holden]

Actually I'm not in a small group so far that thinks the 08 Chevy Malibu looks better than the new 08 Mazda 6. You have to give GM two thumbs up on the great effort they put into the redisigned Malibu and especially the new very well designed interior the car has. The 08 Chevy Malibu is not in any way like the one it replaces and is totally heading in a different direction in the midsize sedan segment for GM in terms of exterior design and interior design. And yes, the new Malibu does have a foot operated park brake. GM has been putting a foot operated brake pedal in their cars and trucks for a long time. My 1995 Olds Delta 88 LS even has one.

You see the parking brake pedal in the lower left corner under the lower dash? That's it. By the way, it's got a very nice elegant looking interior although the quality of the photo isn't that great. Looks good don't ya think?

I agree GM has made a big effort with the new malibu, the comparison is not only on the interiors remember.
The point with foot operated park brakes is that they are less well recieved than the handbrake located on the centre console, the US is the biggest user of this design.
So you continue to judge both interiors based on pictures? the only aspect you can judge is design, not quality of materials.
If people don't like the exterior look they will never open the door to look at the interior, the battle has already been lost.

 

[saturnsteve]

I like it! Not bad looking at all.

 

[ford&holden]

you people need to relax. I agree this car is great looking on the outside but the inside is full of typical Mazda hard plastic. THis is another strong entry into the segment but those of you who are now ready to bash the malibu and predict market failure because of this car are out of touch with reality. The current 6 is already a great car and has found no traction in the US market. This one will do better but its not going to come close to Malibu sales for a number of reasons.

BTW, where did Mazda state the US version would have a manual with the V6? I havent seen that anywhere and yet people here are already berating GM for not offering a V6/manual option on its cars. Lets not forget the G6 had this option and apparently it didnt do well.

I suggest you take a trip down to a Mazda dealership and feel the dash pad a on current Mazda 6, it does has soft touch dash pads...not hard plastic, while your at it take a look at the current malibu and see how that interior compares...and many more in the same class.
I'm not bashing the malibu, it appears many are claiming the malibu to already be better than the 6 based on pictures! If you don't want the comparison stop comparing.
Maybe some fear for malibu already?
Sales of 6 won't match the malibu, mazda has never claimed it would and besides does the malibu match accord or camry the two top sellers?
The 6 was never intended to be the top seller, I also suspect Mazda doesn't chase fleet sales as hard either.
So for arguments sake, let say the malibu interior is superior to the 6...what about the exterior, the way they drive?
I also thought the current 6 has a manual option?

 

[TaHoE]

Wow! That's very nice! A great evolution of the current 6.

 

[igor]

we should wait for the real life picture to judge the new mazda6 interior .. it is hard to photograph, because fof the shape and curves ....

The Malibu?

well that is WAY too early to judge .. design wise - one will perfer Malibu, the other the Mazda - as they have always done. The big factr will be interior materials, comfort, ease of use of controls, ENGINES and trnasmissions, ride and handling .. and there is NO way to figure those factors out from pictures - and there has been NO review of either car yet.

So people need to relax - it is WAY too eraly to tell.

Overall, if you are in a market for a new midsize, next year will be a GREAT year to be in that market:
- 08 Accord
- 08 Malibu
- 08 Mazda6
- 09 Fusion

and htey will ALL be excellent choices .. of couse Ford and GM will be cheaper and slightly less optioned out, the Mazda will be a bit higher, and Accord will be quite a bit more expensive.

I am already loking forward to the comparo of the 4 cars above .. it will be interesting.

Igor

 

[igor]

PS: I was writing about this in PM.s ;;;

ENGINES AND POWETRAINS

Base engine: 2.5l I4 - this is an all new engine divelopped by Ford oE and Ford NA (NOT Mazda the way the 2.3l was). This engine is more powerful, smoother, AND more economical than the 2.3l It is so much more economical that in the same car (like the Mazda6 or the 09 Fusion) the engine makes better EPA numbers than the smaller 2.3l.
2.5l I4, PFI, 190-200hp

Optional Engine: 3.7l V6 - this is a larger version for the Ford D35 engine. It is not the Lincoln version however. Mazda took the D35 head and the D37 block and bolted them together, increasing displacement and power, but keeping the basic D35 head with only single exhaust vriable cam timing and all. All lincoln version will have a more advanced head with twin independent cam timing and direct injection. This MazdaD37 will also appear i nthe 08 CX-9, but it will not appear in Fords - Ford will keep the D35 engine in its cars - including the 2009 Fusion, where the D35 will replace the D30.
3.7l, V6, PFI, 280hp

Other Engines: The 2 pieces uncertain at this point is the 2.5l TwinForce engine (Twin Turbochagged, direct injected I4 good for 260+ hp) and the Hybrid. the TwinForce is again a Ford oE and Ford NA project, and I do not know whether Mazda will want to use it. But it will produce V6 power with I4 economy- the engine will debut in the 09 Fusion.

The Hybrid is coming for the 09 Fusion, however nothing was mentioned about it for the Mazda6. I have no definitive info on the Mazda6 application of the new Hybrid, but I am certain that even if Mazda will use it, Ford will not let a single bit of info escape before Hybrid is announced for the 09 Fusion.

Transmissions are anyone's guess, but we can see that the pictures show a 6speed manual. I predict this will be a V6 option, with the I4 getting a 5speed manual, but that is just a guess. I predict 6 speed automatics with both engines. I have no definiteive information however.

AWD is to be optional on the new model

Igor

 

[1487]

I suggest you take a trip down to a Mazda dealership and feel the dash pad a on current Mazda 6, it does has soft touch dash pads...not hard plastic, while your at it take a look at the current malibu and see how that interior compares...and many more in the same class.
I'm not bashing the malibu, it appears many are claiming the malibu to already be better than the 6 based on pictures! If you don't want the comparison stop comparing.
Maybe some fear for malibu already?
Sales of 6 won't match the malibu, mazda has never claimed it would and besides does the malibu match accord or camry the two top sellers?
The 6 was never intended to be the top seller, I also suspect Mazda doesn't chase fleet sales as hard either.
So for arguments sake, let say the malibu interior is superior to the 6...what about the exterior, the way they drive?
I also thought the current 6 has a manual option?

All mazdas have hard plastic- including the CX-9 and CX-7. Trust me I have checked it out and my brother has a 3 so I am very familiar with the plastics in Mazdas. When I first sat in the CX-7 I couldnt believe how hard all the dash panels were. The current 6's interior is very similar to that of the G6, but with harder plastics.

Mazda is much smaller than Chevy and 6 sales will not touch Malibu sales.

As for exterior I cant say the 6 looks worlds better than Malibu but I will say it looks sportier and "younger". The Malibu has a more mature luxury car look to it. 6 looks like an IS competitor on the outside while the Malibu LTZ looks like an ES350 competitor if that makes any sense to you.

BTW, most people who have posted here have said the 6 blows the Malibu away so I dont know why you are claiming that the Malibu fans are out in force on this thread.

 

[igor]

^^EHM - WHAT non VW compact has soft plastics? azda3 has hard platsic .. yes .. but so does eveyone else ..

Mazda's plastics are usually firmer than cometition, but they are soft-touch ... and good quality ... I smell bias here ... no one of the people you are attacking is bashing your belowed Malibu - we are just tryingto point out some facts ... the comptition for Midsize customer next year will be FIERCE .. none of use are attacking you.

Igor

 

[1487]

The Malibu looks a little more irrelevant every day.

yes small volume Mazda is going to single handed crush the Malibu in sales and force GM to do an emergency redesign.

The 6 we are seeing in these pics is likely to cost $32k or more. How many 6's do you think Mazda will sell in that price range?

The heart of the market is $20k-$25k and I am willing to bet 6s and Malibu's equipped in that price range will be more similar than you want to believe.