typerev

Im sure there are tons of threads already comparing the TSX to other cars, but my gf just wants some constructive criticisms regarding the two models.

She has narrowed it down to these 2 cars as they differ by only $500 CDN in the fully loaded trims. She knows that this forum may be biased towards the TSX but she's assuming that there are many on the forum who were looking into a Mazda 6 as well before choosing the TSX.

Opinions regarding the car?

And what do you like most about the TSX and what do you like worse about it?

Have any of you experienced any problems?

Thanks

CraZydudE

here you go check this link out:

http://acura.com/models/model_compar...asp?module=tsx

tehCOW

sit in the 6, sit in the TSX= TSX wins
reliability= TSX wins
aftermarket= TSX wins
Free 24hr lifetime roadside assistance (TLC)= TSX wins
blah, blah= TSX wins

eh, isn't the v6 in the 6 made by ford?

beldredge_RENAMED

I just got my TSX a couple of weeks ago, and I actually came pretty close to buying a Mazda6 the week before.

I had a great deal on the 6 (S-plan through my work) and they had exactly what I wanted in color and equipment, but I just couldn't pull the trigger. On the other hand, when I found the TSX I wanted on the Acura lot, I found myself not hesitating at all to make the purchase. That was my gut telling me which one I really wanted.

I would have gotten the Mazda through the corporate S-plan, which is basically invoice, but I think most anyone can walk into the Mazda dealership and get close to invoice on a 6. And this was for a fully loaded, V6 manual, sport package, etc. They're just not selling as well as Mazda had hoped. If you don't want the sport package, there are incentives to be had as well, so you can get one about a grand below invoice. So, even though the MSRP's are pretty close between a loaded 6 and a TSX, the 6 is gonna be about $3k cheaper to purchase, maybe $2k for an automatic.

So, I almost got the Mazda thinking that for about $23k, it's quite a car; and it is. But at the end of the day, here's why I didn't even hesitate to spend the extra $3k on the TSX:

1) The interior is so much nicer in the TSX. It's functional in the Mazda, but the plastics look and feel cheap. The orange guages are not to my tastes (and look cheap).

2) Mazdas are pretty good reliability-wise, but I still trust the Acura more.

3) While I like the sporty look of the 6, I think I might tire of it in the long run; the TSX has a very classy and mature look.

4) No one knows for sure, but I'd bet the resale on the TSX will outperform the Mazda; that should be evident based on the real-world pricing/demand for the two products.

Like I said, I strongly considered buying a 6 days before I got my TSX. I relayed this story in another thread but here it is again:

As I was about to drive off in my TSX from the dealer, a young couple came up and were bummed when they found I had bought the car. The gentlemen pointed at his recently purchased Mazda6 and claimed it had been in the shop several times already for repairs. He was anxious to get out of it and into the TSX.

It's just one story and I'm sure most Mazda6 owners are extremely happy with their purchase, but I had to laugh at the timing of that experience.

Sorry for the long rant - but thought I'd weigh in with my experience.

TSXautoXer

No, don't get Mazda. They're not that reliable, the interior quality is not even close to TSX's, and the chassis design is definitely way behind TSX's.
Also, try slamming the door close on a mazda 6, it'll go wham!(wobble, wobble, wobble.....)

ssm_tsx

As a past/current Mazda owner (2002 Tribute) let me say that Mazda's aren't as unreliable as everyone makes them out to be. I've had my Tribute for a little over a year and just hit 27,000 miles. In that time I've had two minor problems with it, both covered under warranty. Before my Tribute I had a 2000 MPV that had no problems in the two years and 60,000 miles I owned it. The only problem I have with Mazda are their dealers, especially parts and service. The 6 is a great car, but I think overall the tsx is a better car. The fit and finish of the TSX is much better.

fdl

I have a M6 readily accessible and get to drive it , even back to back with the TSX often. Its a very nice car, but the TSX is nicer.

rb4580

Getting the Mazda over any Acura would be a big mistake....

fdl

Why's that?

jcg878

I really liked the 6 when I looked at it, but I would only take it over the TSX to save money. For the same price, I think the TSX is a better car - just sit in it. Also, the v6 in the mazda is no quicker than the 4-cyl in the TSX. The TSX just gives a greater impression of quality.

There are tons of threads on the mazda6 sites that will have a VERY different viewpoint.

darth62

Both nice cars. The M6 is a great looking car. It handles very well, giving more feedback from the road then the TSX. It also has better brakes, and less nose dive at braking (IMO). It is slightly larger and has a much bigger trunk.

Downsides, both transmissions are so-so, the manual is nice but not as slick as the TSX, the automatic is very slow shifting and abrupt, the interior feels pretty cheap to me, and resale value will be poor. Mazda has a very poor track record as far as that is concerned.

The V6 is noisey and doesn't have that much power for a 3.0. It is built by Ford, so reliability will be a question mark.

Finally, the M6 lacks some features that the TSX has (HIDs, VSC).

BTW, Mazda in general, builds an extremely reliable car.

majormojo

I spent a lot of time in both the 6 and the TSX before choosing the TSX. I agree with pretty much everything that beldredge says about it. I'll add the following somewhat nitpicky observations:

Mazda advantages:

- Better visibility all round. Lower cowl, beltline and rear deck.

- Slightly more rear-seat legroom.

- Bottle/cupholders molded into the doors.

- Trunk hinge design is better.

- Rear seat fold-down pulltabs are better located, seats fold down automatically.

- Corners a bit flatter - a bit less body roll than TSX. Less brake dive too.

- Stronger brakes.

- When reaching limit of adhesion in a corner, it has less understeer - tends to drift all tires, not push the fronts so much.

- Stereo controls on steering wheel has a mute button.

Mazda disadvantages:

- I think that faux Ti finish on the dash will scratch easy.

- Very susceptible to being blown around by cross winds. I thought our first demo car had an alignment problem at first. Idiot salesman tried to convince me it was "only torque-steer" and very normal.

- The 5spd is nice, but doesn't nearly have the precision feel of the TSX 6MT.

- No HID headlights like the TSX.

- The TSX clearly has better interior ergonomics.

- No adjustable rear-seat headrests.

- The clutch throw on the 6 is much longer and engages a fairly late. I find that makes it harder to shift fast than the TSX which has short throw and quick engagement.

- The V6 has nominally more power and torque but you really need to get it up above 3500 rpm for that to be evident. Consequently, the TSX with a flatter torque curve and more closely spaced gear ratios is easier to driver smoothly.

Bottom line for me was that I could probably be happy with either car, but the TSX just "felt" better on both a physical and emotional level. And like beldredge, that was enough to justify the price difference. If you're getting them at the same price, that'd be a slam dunk. But I'd still understand if someone chose the 6, because it is an easy car to like.

Saintor_RENAMED

Frankly, it is a close call. The M6 has something that is really missing in the TSX; a V6 (with 220HP running on regular).

But overall, I have yet to see a comparo in which the M6 wins over th TSX (or JDM Accord). In all comparo including JDM Accord and M6 in international publications, the JDM Accord won. The interior of the M6 is its biggest downside and even their Protegé ES is much better finished inside.

As said before, your 35 grands are safer with Acura than Mazda.

OldManTSX

I've owned 10 Hondas and I've never had any type of major problem that left me on the road needing a tow. I always try to go for something I know I won't go wrong with. That's why I choose the TSX over the M6.
The M6 may be a good car but only time will tell.

OldManTSX

...And in addition to what I just wrote, the TSX is the only 4-door and 4-cylinder I know that has a 200HP naturally aspirated engine. The best mileage I've gotten was 30.9 miles/gallon on city driving.

kurt_bradley

There are a million reasons concerning why you should buy the TSX instead of the 6, but did you ever think about residual values? They're painful. Look it up on that comparison that is on the Acura website. The residual numbers aren't made up either. They're put out there by an independant company named ALG. They're quite reputable. Also go to www.edmunds.com and look at the "True Cost to Own" feature. You'll see what you're really getting yourself into.

combustible1

Fan sites, whether devoted to a particular car, or musican or whatever, tend to create a collective psychosis as the positive vibes generated by the members tend to reinforce eachother and inflate the object of their devotion.

My point? for those who dismiss the Mazda6 as "FORD junk", "millions of reasons to buy the TSX over a 6", "the chassis design is way behind the TSX" etc., are reaching, to say the least. The 6 hasn't garnered a bunch of worldwide awards for it's design quality for nothing.

Before considering the TSX, I was spending a lot of time over at the various Mazda6 boards, read many reviews and have test driven both. Clearly, there are reasons one can find to prefer one over the other, and vice versa. As stated by others here, the Mazda6 has better brakes than the TSX and with less dive, the chassis is very good too, with Mazda engineers giving it a lot of attention. Many prefer the road feedback of the 6 as well and the way it handles in general. The trunk is quite large, and there are several other little things that the 6 has done better than the TSX.

As far as reliablility, this car has been sold worldwide for close to two years, with excellent reliability so far. (In fact, unfairly or not, some Mazda6 fans make fun of those who buy the Honda Accord, siting all sorts of problems Honda owners are experiencing with the latest model version, saying how the Honda owners are sheep for buying this "safe, reliable" car, when the Mazda is in fact, performing better and is more fun to drive too).

Now, before somebody gets all defensive on me, the TSX does some things that the Mazda doesn't, i.e., better interior (though some actually prefer the 6 interior), stability control, HIDs, classier demeanor, stronger 4 cylinder, etc.

Every prospective buyer has to assign their own value to each feature and to each pro and con. In the end, some will choose the TSX, some will choose the 6.. and neither are idiots.

darth62

For the most part, I agree. However, as far as reliablity is concerned, I think the longterm picture is not that clear. Yeah, the 6 has held up well for two years, but most cars do. If you look at Consumer Reports, you see that nearly every car built with a Ford V6 in it has a history of engine problems. Second, the Mazda 626 was actually one of the least reliable cars Mazda built, dipping form their usual level of excellence (which is up there with Honda and Toyota) to average level.

That said, I think the M6 is definitely very competitive with the TSX.

TSXautoXer

I think the key here is refinement. Mazda makes good cars. My first car is a Mazda and still miss it a lot. However, comparing 6 with TSX, the chassis of 6 lacks refinement. It's great, but not excellent. But that's only my impression, and it's based on my experience with the car in the MazdaRevItUp event (again, it's an autocross event).

Give both a long hard test drive, and see which one you like.

XPLORx4

Over on the edmunds townhall, there is a very long thread on Acura TSX vs. Mazda6. I spent a considerable amount of time lurking there and commenting on my experiences test driving both cars.

I really liked the Mazda6s. The V6 really has a lot of punch. I liked the interior styling. The AC vents are pretty cool. There's more rear seat legroom, but the seat bottoms have a hard foam cushion, making them uncomfortable. There are no rear headrests.

The differences between the 2 cars I believe come down to very nitpicky issues. However, good points have been made that the overall cost of ownership may be higher on the Mazda6 than the TSX because of a likely lower resale value on the Mazda6.

The option packages are crazy. Let's say someone posts a classified ad for a "pre-owned 2004 TSX AT no NAV" you automatically know its equipment level and it's easy to find its current bluebook. Now do the same thing with a Mazda6. What will the ad say? "Mazda6s V6, leather package, comfort package, sunroof, sport package, homelink mirror, side air bags/side air curtains". Probably not. It'll probably say "Loaded Mazda6 V6 for sale". But do you really know what "loaded" means?

It's also conceivable that because the TSX is a 2004MY and the Mazda6 is a 2003MY, there will be a perception that the TSX is "newer" 5 years from now.

LeeLee

I've test driven the TSX on 4 occasions and the Mazda 6 on one. To me, the fatal flaw in the 6 is the engine and throttle. For a V6, the Mazda is weak, with power that is lacking below 3000RPMs. There is talk that Mazda over-rated the engine and I had the same feeling. I wrote a long post about my 6 test drive on this forum. Matched with a throttle that suffers from delay and insensitivity and a clutch that engages near the end of its downward travel, it is a difficult vehicle to drive smoothly at low speeds. Launching it firmly at above 3000RPMs is the only way to get good acceleration. I had to flog it much harder than the TSX.

The drab looking interior, cheap looking fake metal interior trim are secondary complaints I have with the 6.

That said, I drove the automatic 6 during Mazda's Rev It Up event (with a sorry 444 point best-run). The automatic is well executed and provides great performance.

But the manual 6 leaves much to be desired.

dom

The MSRP's of both cars may be only $500 apart, but in reality, the M6 will probly be 2K cheaper. There are discounts to be had on the Mazda while discounts on the TSX are'nt very substantial unless your involved in a group buy. With that being said I would still pick the TSX and did.

DjElucid

seems like a lot of TSX buyers were once looking at the Mazda 6, including myself. Definitely go test drive the mazda and then the TSX. We may be biased, yes we are biased. But we are biased for a reason. The Mazda 6 uses the same engine as a MECURY SABLE!! I found that out after I test drove it which turned me away even more.

They say that their engines (mazda/ford) are better now, might be BS might not be. With the TSX you are guaranteed reliability and resale value. You just look plain old better... enough with why the TSX is better, I"m sure you heard enough.

Good Luck!

majormojo

That's exactly the feeling I got driving the 6 as well. Like it had to be thrashed the way one would expect to have to thrash a 4cyl engine in a car of that weight. When it came to smoothness and linearity of power delivery when driving, the two cars behaved exactly opposite of how their behaviour would be predicted by looking at the stats on paper. That's why the best recommedation for potential buyers is long test drives.

Another great way to compare is to test drive the two cars at the same time with a friend or spouse. Drive for a bit, then switch cars. The differences are easier to spot that way.

jumpper

Let's put it this way....

If you want a nice car for less - get Mazda 6i/s
If you like V6 engine for more torque - get Mazda 6s
If you want a 5MT V6 sedan - get Mazda 6s
If you want 30+ mpg with 200hp - get TSX
If you want to buy 6i auto and hook it up to get more power - get TSX
If you want a Navigation system - get TSX
If quality means so much to you - get TSX

It's your money, get what you want.

larchmont

Off the subject -- but is Jumpper the first 2-TSX family???

jumpper

1st 2-tsx???....

darth62

I completely disagree with you about the automatic in the M6. I drove it twice, and found the shifts to jerky and slow, and the whole tranny always felt like it was in the wrong gear to me.

j-man

Buy a Mazda, and you're also buying a Ford...........versus a Acura/Honda. nuf said.

Used to be Mazda was great on quality and longevity....remember the 1st and 2nd generation RX7s??? (before Ford acquired them).

Buy the TSX.

larchmont

Yeah, my bad, Jumpper. I can't see!

Iceman

swami

I drove a Mazda 6S out of frustration waiting for my TSX. I could get the car immediately, it looked pretty cool, and it drove nice. I agree the auto, which I was gettin in the TSX was shit, but it handled great. The problem was that even with X-plan which put the price quite a bit lower than the TSX, the lease payment was $60.00 more a month. The problem I believe is this car is worth shit after 3 years. I also was making daily runs to the Acura and Mazda dealerships and the TSX is a way nicer car quality wise. I'm a Ford man and was looking for a reason to buy one, instead I bought the better car.

typerev

Thanks for all the replies.
I showed my gf all the postings here and she herself did some of her own reserach over on the Mazda 6 forum.

Happy to say that she finally chose the TSX. She's now wondering if it's worth it getting the Navi (since she doesn't go out of town often....but she does have trouble with directions

As for the color, how do you guys with the black TSXs keep the swirl marks at a minimum.

fdl

Takes guts to admit that on this board.

DjElucid

Navi is cool to have but not neccessary, if you have the money and feel like spending an extra $2000, go for it. I haven't had my black long enough to talk about the swirl marks.

Good Luck!

swami

As I've stated numerous times...It's a birth defect.

DjElucid

I just got rid of my ford/mercury, I must admit that it had some pretty good power. A lot of my friends were surprised when I was going about 75 MPH, my rpms were only at about 2.5. This was a 1990 Mecury Sable and I still made 28 MPG on a V6 (secret: vavoline max life oil and GUMOUT (sp?) Fuel system cleaner)!!! If I really had to I could have driven it some more, but I've been trying to get rid of that thing for the last year.

Jaeger

IMHO nothing look better than a freshly-washed and waxed black car. But there is no colour that is more of a pain in the a$$ to keep clean. Forget about swirl-marks (which are inevitable, even with careful washing) - you'll see every single spec of dust that settles on the car. I love the look, but I'm no longer willling to put the effort into maintaining the look.

Jaeger

LeeLee

I'd like to address these three.

The first one I won't argue against. Despite the TSX being a much nicer car, the Mazda is still a nice car compared against the rest. Heck, given its styling, I'd almost pick an automatic 6 over an automatic Accord Sedan V6.

The V6 engine in the Mazda 6 is in name only. It is not smoother than the TSX's I4 and it most definitely does not offer more torque at low RPMs where the argument for V6-vs-I4 usually focuses on. In this case, the Mazda having a V6 is not a factor at all.

I guess if you really must have only 5 speeds and don't want to be bothered with a 6-speed, then the Mazda is your car.

gilboman

doesnt the V6 in the mazda have more torque everywhere in the powerband compared to the TSX? im not saying which one is faster..but both hp and torque is higher at any point on the power curve no?