I don't understand. How can you conclude that maintenance is still more expensive on the Mazda6 when service schedules for the Accord is done at 5000km intervals? Do you have the prices of the parts replaced by Honda for the recommended maintenance schedule of the Accord?

Also, how can you make a conclusion that major parts for the Accord are replaced at one major point whilst the Mazda6 is done at a stretch of several services? What major parts are you referring to? I consider brake pads, shock absorbers, oxygen sensor, fuel pumps, aircond compressors as major parts. Parts that were mentioned by b00n (Oil Filter, synthetic oil, Fuel Filter, Air Filter, Spark Plug, Brake Fluid, Engine Coolant, Auto Transmission Fluid and Power Steering Oil) are considered normal consumables.

The last part about changing timing belt is also suspect as the Mazda6 uses timing chain.



Most people say the Mazda6 2.5L's accessories, gadgets fitted, ride handling and performance to be adequate. Me? I find the Mazda6 adequate enough though not perfect for the price I pay. What do you feel is inadequate about the Mazda6? What do you think can be added and improved upon on the Mazda6 that can be supplemented as an aftermarket part? Care to englighten us on how to make the Mazda6 perfect? Perhaps you may offer us Mazda6 owners some insights that we may have overlooked.

The other strange observation that I notice is everyone here that comes in to this thread to give a positive opinion about the Accord gives in a one line sentence. When asked to elaborate further, we get no reply. Whereas people who have praised the Mazda6 somehow often elaborate why they like the car and it's design. Strange observation here. Hope you noticed it too.



A car being a liability (and not an investment) is not just coming from my personal opinion. It's a global fact. Hopefully, you don't put too much dough in a car to warrant it as an investment.



Again, I find your taste rather odd or perhaps it's blind biasness? You would rather choose a lesser equipped Corrolla than a M3?



Teana? Didn't you say you dislike Sylphy's styling?

One more thing. If you like a particular car, if possible don't let it go CKD. Malaysia still lacks the know how to build cars properly even though the same machines and QC procedures from country of origin are implemented. Sorry but I think we have a long way to go.

Which Honda model are you citing your experience from? Year of make? Must be a good batch since nothing else is replaced.

I know original brake pads on the older Mazda6 that have lasted up to 100k km. This is under strong braking and usage.



Like I mentioned, the Mazda6 does not have a timing belt ! So the whole point about timing belt changing thingy is moot.



For the currrent 2.4L Accord pricing, there's lots of things missing compared to the 2.5L Mazda6. How can you say "As far as I'm concerned, the M6 and the Accord are both fine as it is.." ? What about the Accord that is adequate for it's price?



Ahh, but most owners do it because the stock suspension and tyres that comes with the 7th Gen Accord sucks. As to the body kit, I would have to agree with iceman that most if not all look Ah Bengish. Sorry. Having many choices of this kind might only appeal to a certain crowd.



Ok. My apologies. When you mention M3, I thought you referred to the BMW M3 !

But even then, the Mazda3 against the H & T variants is a no brainer. Driving dynamics and handling clearly more superior. Yes, spy shots of M3 that is slated for 2010 but when it comes, it'll be 2012. Even then if we're lucky. But I digress...



The reason why I asked was because the Sylphy looks a lot like a mini Teana on the exterior. If you dislike Sylphy's design, I cannot understand why you would like the Teana. Even the Camry does not come out so Uncle compared to the Teana / Sylphy. My humble opinion.



Well, probably Tan Chong knows their limitations assembling the Teana. Besides, to have begin having CKD models of the Teana, you need to have family saloon market share as big as say the Accord or the Camry. Even Camrys are CBUed from Thailand. Even if they did try to make a CKD, I'd be guessing that their prices will be in the same league as the Accords and the Camrys. I don't think they'll do a Naza here with the Teana.



The CKDed 407 is yet to be seen how reliable they are. But then again, the Peugeot design is already due for a change. So yesterday's model should not have any problems and should have their kinks ironed out. But I suspect being CKD, it'll be the same. What makes people think that CKDed 407 quality can be better than higher priced CKDed Mercs / BMWs that has nothing short of problems?

So all in all, Naza being new and having to prove their worth in car building business would have to entice people to buy unlike Honda and Toyota who have already built their reputation building good cars for generations (they still do, but just not good enough when done locally). More so trying to convince the general public's stigma of the problematic and high maintenance continental car.

There's a few owners complaning of previous generation Mazda6 and Mazda3 cars having car battery problems and that their batteries don't last very long like less than a year. There's also problem with some altenators going bust. Hopefully, the latest batch will not see these problems even though they are still warrantied for 3 years.



8th Gen Accord like previous gen Accord uses timing belt. That's another plus point for the Mazda6 that uses timing chain.



Their Malaysian website sucks. Honda's website anytime better and more informative.



Here's what you get on the Mazda6 2.5L;

Bose 7 Speaker System with 1 Bose Subwoofer
6-CD In-Dash Changer with MP3 Support and Ipod Support
Leather Seats
8-way Driver and Front Passenger Electronic Adjustable Seats (Driver with 3 Memory Settings)
60/40 fold down rear seats
Fully Automatic Sunroof
6 AirBags (Front, Side and Centre Pillar), Active Headrests and Crushable Brake and Clutch Pedals
Auto Headlights Lamp (Ambient light sensor) and Auto Wipers (Rain sensor)
HID Bi-Xenon Headlight (High and Low Beam) - Auto Leveling
Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS)
Auto Dimming Button for Rear View Mirror
Push Start / Stop Ignition System
Advanced Keyless Entry with illuminated welcome mode upon entry
Antilock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with Traction Control System (TCS)
Front (299mm) ventilated disc brakes / Rear (280mm) disc brakes
Separate Climatic System (Dual) Air Conditioning
Rear Boot - Button Operated from rear bonnet
Built-in Antenna (rear screen)
Paddle Shift System with 5 Speed Automatic Transmission
Dual Exhaust System (though not true dual exhaust)
Multifuction Control Setting on Steering
- Consisting of Cross Functional-Network (CF-Net System) to control Air Conditioner, Volume, Trip Counter/Info on centre console panel display and Auto Cruise System
18" tyres (225/45) with Alloy Sports Rims (including full spare wheel, not the slim temporary ones)
Body-Color / Sport Type Front Grill
Blackout Effect Speedometer
Immobilizer
Front Fog Lamps
ISOFix child seat anchorage
Front and rear parking sensors
Alloy foot padels
Electronic Power Assist steering

The other things which I've read are the boot space on the Mazda6 vis 519 litres compared to Accord which is 450 litres. Perhaps a little sacrifice for bigger rear cabin space. The Honda VTEC engine revs all the way top the redline at 7000rpm (and maybe more?) in manual shiftronic mode and holds the same gear without automatically changing to a lower gear unlike the Mazda6 that changes gear automatically regardless if you're in manual shifttonic mode and shifts if the engine RPM touches 6500rpm.

Fuel tank on the Accord is 70 litres while the Mazda6 is 64 litres. The Accord is able to use RON 91 fuel is required unlike the Mazda6 which strictly mentions RON 95 minimum. Kerb weight is 1450kg for Mazda6 while it's 1515kg for the Accord.

But seriously, you need to test drive one and feel it yourself behind the wheel and then do the same for the Accord. Then perhaps you'll understand why owners are so passionate about the Mazda6.



No comments.



Well, I've actually not seen the car in person and until then, I'll not give my comments. But then when it first introduced a few years back in CBU form, I was quite impressed with the car.



Thanks for the suggestions. Don't know if mods like the voltage stabilizer thingy would see any benefit on the Mazda6 but regardless, those are good suggestions nonetheless. I'm told that mods like the voltage stabilizer benefits cars like the Accord that exhibits engine RPM dipping / vibrating and lights dimming when the air cond compressor kicks in.

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Added on August 10, 2008, 6:57 pm

Ah, I see that you're referring all this to your Mazda3 / Lantis experience. So the timing belt thingy can be deleted. Saves about RM 1k or so?



I also thought that the 5k km intervals were with normal oil... That would make Accord servicing more expensive then.



Whoa... Why not CX-9?

This post has been edited by jchue73: Aug 10 2008, 07:06 PM

Aiyoh, naik again? Any relationship of Bermaz to the current BN government?



Wah ! With my previous ride, I've only covered about 35k km for 3 years.

I think the replacement parts on my Mazda6 will be based on months / years instead of mileage.

I've browsed through Honda's schedule of maintenance for the Accord 2.4L and it shows the prices of the service intervals but it does not show what parts

get replaced during those service intervals.

http://www.honda.com.my/customer-service/a...cfm#Accord24_08

Perhaps the owners manual will list it out. Can anybody list them here for comparison?

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Added on August 11, 2008, 12:34 am

Glad to hear this.



The other option that a lot of people wish on their Mazda6 is the autolock function which I believe the Accord has.



The Accord please ! Because with the Accord, when I need to sell it again, I can still get money for it.

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Added on August 11, 2008, 12:51 am

I may be wrong on this info and you may be right. Any Accord owners can check if 7th Gen and 8th Gen Accords use timing chain?

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Added on August 11, 2008, 12:54 am

You may be right on this one and I may be wrong. Can you check in your owner's manual to see if there's anything on the manual that states about timing chain belt?

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Added on August 11, 2008, 12:56 am

Errr... Owners of the Mazda6 have already got problems to determine if their engines are running when the car is stationary.

This post has been edited by jchue73: Aug 11 2008, 12:56 AM

Wah, the thought of having someone rip out your upholsteries is scary. You did this on your new Altis?

What is this Tower Bar and Hood Damper thingy in the Accord?



Any difference? The Mazda6 should be the same with the interiors being leather. Stiching on the Mazda6 leather is noticably better.



Looking at the photos, I don't think the rear seats are 60:40 split. They are foldable though.



Are you sure the headlights on the Accord is Bi-Xenon?



Don't think there is any AFS on the Accord.



You still need to insert a key to start the Accord while on the Mazda6 is totally keyless.



The Accord front ventilated disc is 300mm while the rear solid disc is 282mm in diameter.



I believe the Accord has the conventional type rear boot release located in the car or release by the press of the button from the remote alarm key.



The Accord's steering wheel does not have mute audio button and does not have buttons for air conditioning controls.



The spare tyre in the rear boot of the Accord is the space saving type run-flats.



The Accord's speedometer is the normal type.



I think it's the normal type foot padels on the Accord.


Turning circle on the Accord is 11.5m (2.5 turns lock to lock) while the Mazda6 is 11.0m (2.9 turns lock to lock). One more thing which I forgot is that the rear cabin of the Accord has additional aircond blowers which the Mazda6 does not have.

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Added on August 11, 2008, 2:05 am

What's the weight addition with foaming?

I hope you're not offended but foaming on an Altis is a little overdone, won't you think?

This post has been edited by jchue73: Aug 11 2008, 02:05 AM

Some comparisons based on pictures taken from other the Oneshoft Singapore website;

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Added on August 11, 2008, 10:44 am

Yes, I've seen the kerb weight at 1395kg for the 2.5L 6 speed manual version from the UK brochure. Your link shows a 6 speed manual version too. I'm taking the conservative figure and thought the Australian's version (5 speed auto) would be somewhat similar in spec to ours and that is why I took the 1450kg figure. The New Zealand auto websites that I posted on the Mazda6 thread also estimated the weights to be around 1400 to 1500kg.

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Added on August 11, 2008, 10:48 am

Besides, normal air consist of 80% nitrogen.

This post has been edited by jchue73: Aug 11 2008, 10:48 AM

Looking at the extent that they have to do to insert the foams in the chassis, I doubt Mazda or Honda would be too happy with warranties.

zweimmk, what did Toyota say about your Altis warranty after foaming done?

Are you referring to the Lilac Silver Metallic (the pics I posted) or the Stormy Blue Mica (only available in 2.0L variant)? The Stormy Blue is one of my favourites. The Lilac Silver is my least favourite.

They have Black, Pearl White and Lilac Silver for the 2.5L but the least appealing amongst them all is the Lilac Silver.

You can have a look at the various colours below;

http://4a.mazda.com/product/mazda6/colour.html

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Added on August 11, 2008, 3:47 pm

I reckon that the Vios / Altis or even the Accord has more wirings / sensors than the Mazda6. How complicated can the Vios / Altis be? Should be easy not to spoil any of it's electronics.

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Added on August 11, 2008, 3:48 pm

My only worries is that wires run from the top, bottom and sides and would definitely need to touch it. If anything happens, I'm afraid Bermaz would point the finger and say that the wiring has been tampered. But it's a good idea to pursue nonetheless. The other thing is the workshop where the foaming is done would probably not be familair with the Mazda6 and it's intricacies.

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Added on August 11, 2008, 3:49 pm

What do you mean by lower end model of the Mazda6? The spec for the 2.5L is already quite high. Just missing is the Sat Nav / Bluetooth option which even our friends in down south Singapore do not have.

This post has been edited by jchue73: Aug 11 2008, 03:49 PM

Eh, that's one of my favourites too. What's so wrong about it? It looks like the following pics if I'm not wrong;



Unfortunately (or fortunately for you), this colour is only sold on the 1st Gen Mazda6 and on the Mazda3 if I'm not wrong. Not available locally on the new Mazda6.

Oh, you're referring to high end as in fitted out with a 273hp (6250rpm), 366Nm (4250rpm) 3.7L V6 engine with 6 speed gearbox.

This is why I personally like the CX-9. Comes with the same 3.7L V6 engine and with 20" wheels.

Thanks for the tip.

I was also looking at the insurance for the Mazda6 and came upon this info. Apparently it's different (perhaps some do this also) that the payback sum for the 1st year is the full sum insured for total loss. After that, it's based on depreciated value. I'm told it's not like other insurance coverage where the payback sum is based on the depreciated value of the car on the day the claim is made.

Making sacrifices to the equipment to maintain pricing? Give me a break. That's a poor excuse for Honda to increase profits. Or perhaps they really need to offset the cost for the many warranty replacements they have to honour in the past.

I'm pretty sure many people already realise how skewed the Accord price is when they saw how low priced a fully equipped Peugeot 407 CKD can be. Competitive pricing of CBU units of cars like Mazda6 and Lancer GT also makes pricing of Honda cars in Malaysia look ridiculous for a CKD.



Yeah, Singapore also gets Thai made Accords. Oh, if you look at the 2.4L Accord specs from Singapore, you'd know why the Malaysian version is very much shortchanged.

If anybody want to take a peek at the Mazda6, there'll be a roadshow starting tomorrow in One Utama.

Is the Taiwan Accord coming from Thailand? I've heard about the Thailand 2.4L variants having GPS Sat Nat. Possible with Bluetooth also. But our neighbours down south don't get this on their 2.4L Accord if I'm not wrong. Can anybody confirm?

Sure? I'm trying to access Mazda Taiwan's website but it's taking ages.

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Added on August 13, 2008, 10:54 am

This should give enough confidence to people wanting to buy the 2.0L Mazda6 even though thte Malaysian variant of the 2.0L Mazda6 lacks accessories from the same price point as Accord and Camry's 2.0L.

Anyway, the best comparison review of the 2.5L Mazda6 vs 2.4L Accord (plus Skoda and Mondeo) so far I can tell was done by the Australian Wheels magazine. A good and believable comparison because Australian auto magazines are generally considered strict and their expectations are pretty high. Secondly, the models reviewed (Mazda6 and Accord) are quite similar in configurations and accessories.

This post has been edited by jchue73: Aug 13 2008, 10:54 AM

The Lexus IS 250 has this feature. It's called Dynamic Radar Cruise Control.

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Added on August 13, 2008, 9:16 pm

Ok, the Taiwan website shows the key of the car and not the start / stop button...

This post has been edited by jchue73: Aug 13 2008, 09:16 PM

Like that might as well get the Lexus IS 250 at 300k lor... Got Mark Levinson audio some more.

Not 10 times poorer? The only thing I dislike about the IS 250 is the rear cabin space. Small.

Dimensions and interior rear cabin for the IS-F should be the same as the IS 250 right? Since the IS-F is a modded soup up IS 250...

Errr, it's 519 litres on the Mazda6 vs 450 litres on the Accord.

What about 18" wheels, auto sensing headlights, full LED rear lights, ISOFIX seats etc. Applies to your comparison with Camry.

Also, I don't think the Accord uses Xenon lights. They use older tech halogen for their headlights.



Again, it's 519 litres on the Mazda6 vs 420L on the Camry.



This I find pretty useful actually for the person seated in the rear.

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Added on August 16, 2008, 11:15 pm

I agree with you. But what if somebody says they don't like that style and prefer the existing one on the Mazda?

Ah, the thing is that it's quite hard to please everybody.

For me, I find it ok. I don't play games. So any configuration also I need to learn and adapt. Thumb to shift down and middle finger to shift up. Played with it this afternoon.



For me, I shift using my right thumb and right finger. The downshift button is large enough not to be confused and if you're like me (use right hand), you won't be messing with the audio since the audio buttons on the left of the steering.

This post has been edited by jchue73: Aug 16 2008, 11:18 PM