Likes
- Immense bang for your buck.
- Offers excellent performance without compromising on practicality, accommodation and everyday usability.
- Mazda has an excellent reputation for reliability.
- An affordable future classic?
Used Mazda 6 MPS review
2005 - 2008
Dislikes
- Thanks to poor modifications and abuse, many have seen better days.
- Not as focussed as some of the Japanese competition.
- Not as luxurious as some of the European competition.
- Finding the right example may be a challenge.
Stuff you should know
The 2005-2007 Mazda 6 MPS (Mazda Speed 6) was a high-performance variant of the Mazda 6 midsize sedan. It was designed to compete with other sports sedans like the Subaru WRX and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.
Under the hood, the Mazda 6 MPS was powered by a turbocharged 2.3-litre 4-cylinder engine that produced 190kW of power and 380Nm of torque. Power was sent to all four wheels through a six-speed manual transmission and an advanced all-wheel-drive system, allowing the car to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in around 6 seconds.
The exterior of the Mazda 6 MPS was also designed to reflect its high-performance capabilities. It featured a sporty body kit with unique front and rear fascias, side skirts, and a rear spoiler. The car also had larger wheels and tires, as well as a stiffer suspension system for improved handling and performance.
Inside, the Mazda 6 MPS featured a sporty interior with supportive front seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and aluminium pedals. The car also had a premium sound system, automatic climate control, and a navigation system as standard equipment.
Overall, the Mazda 6 MPS was a well-rounded sports sedan that offered impressive performance, a stylish design, and a comfortable and well-equipped interior.
What goes wrong
Exterior:
The big issue here is rust. This does mainly occur in cold climate areas with salted roads but these can be prone to excessive corrosion. Specifically around the subframe and the sills towards the rear of the car.
The paint is very thin and poorly maintained examples can experience paint fade.
There are odd reports of electronic gremlins like headlight issues, door lock actuators, power mirror and window faults however, we wouldn’t call them common issues.
Interior:
There are quite a few reports surrounding the Climate Control being faulty. Everything from recirculating not working and the Air Con basically not doing what’s it told. If you’re in the market, make sure all the climate control functions work.
The seat stitching, especially on the drivers seat and especially on leather models can get come loose and split.
The leather in general can wear pretty quickly too if not cared for.
The little lights behind the AC controls can turn out but giving them a little whack generally helps.
There are the odd sporadic reports of random electronic gremlins, everything from phantom “Check engine” warnings to certain switchgear not operating correctly.
Mechanically:
Overall, when well maintained, left standard and driven with mechanical sympathy, the MPS can be an extremely reliable and trouble free car.
The problem is, finding an MPS that fits that brief is becoming harder and harder to source.
In terms of issues seen on poorly maintained, abused and badly modified and tuned examples, cam gear and timing chain issues can become common. This also includes the adjustable sprocket and the solenoid that controls it.
As can the oil supply to valve train and VVT complications are not uncommon.
Excessive oil consumption can be an issue.
The right hand engine mount can fail or become loose.
The gearbox and rear diff mounts can also have issues, generally when driven poorly and diff bushes will most likely need replacing.
PCV issues result in the engine running lean, as do the occasional injector issues and fuel pressure problems not to mention winding in too much boost or running a poor engine map can all can result in the engine running lean, which can result in burnt valves or even piston failure.
The pedal box assembly attachment to the firewall can flex and crack. This becomes far worse if a heavy duty clutch is fitted.
We have read many reports complaining of gearbox bearing, synchro and selector wear and issues.
There can be differential, transfer case and driveshaft complications especially when boosted, poorly modified or driven with zero mechanical sympathy, however, there are some billet bearing cap upgrades available which definitely help.
Exterior:
The big issue here is rust. This does mainly occur in cold climate areas with salted roads but these can be prone to excessive corrosion. Specifically around the subframe and the sills towards the rear of the car.
The paint is very thin and poorly maintained examples can experience paint fade.
There are odd reports of electronic gremlins like headlight issues, door lock actuators, power mirror and window faults however, we wouldn’t call them common issues.
Interior:
There are quite a few reports surrounding the Climate Control being faulty. Everything from recirculating not working and the Air Con basically not doing what’s it told. If you’re in the market, make sure all the climate control functions work.
The seat stitching, especially on the drivers seat and especially on leather models can get come loose and split.
The leather in general can wear pretty quickly too if not cared for.
The little lights behind the AC controls can turn out but giving them a little whack generally helps.
There are the odd sporadic reports of random electronic gremlins, everything from phantom “Check engine” warnings to certain switchgear not operating correctly.
Mechanically:
Overall, when well maintained, left standard and driven with mechanical sympathy, the MPS can be an extremely reliable and trouble free car.
The problem is, finding an MPS that fits that brief is becoming harder and harder to source.
In terms of issues seen on poorly maintained, abused and badly modified and tuned examples, cam gear and timing chain issues can become common. This also includes the adjustable sprocket and the solenoid that controls it.
As can the oil supply to valve train and VVT complications are not uncommon.
Excessive oil consumption can be an issue.
The right hand engine mount can fail or become loose.
The gearbox and rear diff mounts can also have issues, generally when driven poorly and diff bushes will most likely need replacing.
PCV issues result in the engine running lean, as do the occasional injector issues and fuel pressure problems not to mention winding in too much boost or running a poor engine map can all can result in the engine running lean, which can result in burnt valves or even piston failure.
The pedal box assembly attachment to the firewall can flex and crack. This becomes far worse if a heavy duty clutch is fitted.
We have read many reports complaining of gearbox bearing, synchro and selector wear and issues.
There can be differential, transfer case and driveshaft complications especially when boosted, poorly modified or driven with zero mechanical sympathy, however, there are some billet bearing cap upgrades available which definitely help.
Exterior:
The big issue here is rust. This does mainly occur in cold climate areas with salted roads but these can be prone to excessive corrosion. Specifically around the subframe and the sills towards the rear of the car.
The paint is very thin and poorly maintained examples can experience paint fade.
There are odd reports of electronic gremlins like headlight issues, door lock actuators, power mirror and window faults however, we wouldn’t call them common issues.
Interior:
There are quite a few reports surrounding the Climate Control being faulty. Everything from recirculating not working and the Air Con basically not doing what’s it told. If you’re in the market, make sure all the climate control functions work.
The seat stitching, especially on the drivers seat and especially on leather models can get come loose and split.
The leather in general can wear pretty quickly too if not cared for.
The little lights behind the AC controls can turn out but giving them a little whack generally helps.
There are the odd sporadic reports of random electronic gremlins, everything from phantom “Check engine” warnings to certain switchgear not operating correctly.
Mechanically:
Overall, when well maintained, left standard and driven with mechanical sympathy, the MPS can be an extremely reliable and trouble free car.
The problem is, finding an MPS that fits that brief is becoming harder and harder to source.
In terms of issues seen on poorly maintained, abused and badly modified and tuned examples, cam gear and timing chain issues can become common. This also includes the adjustable sprocket and the solenoid that controls it.
As can the oil supply to valve train and VVT complications are not uncommon.
Excessive oil consumption can be an issue.
The right hand engine mount can fail or become loose.
The gearbox and rear diff mounts can also have issues, generally when driven poorly and diff bushes will most likely need replacing.
PCV issues result in the engine running lean, as do the occasional injector issues and fuel pressure problems not to mention winding in too much boost or running a poor engine map can all can result in the engine running lean, which can result in burnt valves or even piston failure.
The pedal box assembly attachment to the firewall can flex and crack. This becomes far worse if a heavy duty clutch is fitted.
We have read many reports complaining of gearbox bearing, synchro and selector wear and issues.
There can be differential, transfer case and driveshaft complications especially when boosted, poorly modified or driven with zero mechanical sympathy, however, there are some billet bearing cap upgrades available which definitely help.
Should you buy it?
So should buy one? Well, we really can’t say an overall yes or no here as it comes down to the specific example you’re looking at.
But If you can find an MPS that has a full and thorough service history, has clearly been fastidiously maintained and loved for its entire life and shows no signs of abuse or mistreatment, snap it up as these mint examples are becoming rare and a performance car bargain.
They are certainly not perfect and you will be spending money maintaining an MPS no matter what, but a great example is a special vehicle, unfortunately, many out there offer the polar opposite.
Thanks to the high performance and tuning abilities and a low cost of admission, plenty of MPSs have been neglected, driven far beyond their limits and just downright abused and unless you’re buying one as a project car, we’d be avoiding these at all costs.
You might think you’re saving money by getting a cheaper and rough example but it will cost you more in the long run.
Just find a mint example and pay the extra asking price, and don’t drive it like a dickhead and it’s a hell of a car.
So should buy one? Well, we really can’t say an overall yes or no here as it comes down to the specific example you’re looking at.
But If you can find an MPS that has a full and thorough service history, has clearly been fastidiously maintained and loved for its entire life and shows no signs of abuse or mistreatment, snap it up as these mint examples are becoming rare and a performance car bargain.
They are certainly not perfect and you will be spending money maintaining an MPS no matter what, but a great example is a special vehicle, unfortunately, many out there offer the polar opposite.
Thanks to the high performance and tuning abilities and a low cost of admission, plenty of MPSs have been neglected, driven far beyond their limits and just downright abused and unless you’re buying one as a project car, we’d be avoiding these at all costs.
You might think you’re saving money by getting a cheaper and rough example but it will cost you more in the long run.
Just find a mint example and pay the extra asking price, and don’t drive it like a dickhead and it’s a hell of a car.
Should you buy it?
So should buy one? Well, we really can’t say an overall yes or no here as it comes down to the specific example you’re looking at.
But If you can find an MPS that has a full and thorough service history, has clearly been fastidiously maintained and loved for its entire life and shows no signs of abuse or mistreatment, snap it up as these mint examples are becoming rare and a performance car bargain.
They are certainly not perfect and you will be spending money maintaining an MPS no matter what, but a great example is a special vehicle, unfortunately, many out there offer the polar opposite.
Thanks to the high performance and tuning abilities and a low cost of admission, plenty of MPSs have been neglected, driven far beyond their limits and just downright abused and unless you’re buying one as a project car, we’d be avoiding these at all costs.
You might think you’re saving money by getting a cheaper and rough example but it will cost you more in the long run.
Just find a mint example and pay the extra asking price, and don’t drive it like a dickhead and it’s a hell of a car.
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Models, pricing & features
Tech specs
Body Styles
5 door Sedan
Engines
2.3 litre 4-cylinder engine
Power
190kW – 2.3 litre 4-cylinder engine
Torque
380Nm – 2.3 litre 4-cylinder engine
Transmissions
6-speed Manual
Fuel Consumption
8.8 – 10.5L/100km
Length
4760mm (5 door Sedan)
Width
1780mm (5 door Sedan)
Height
1430mm (5 door Sedan)
Wheelbase
2675mm (5 door Sedan)
Kerb Weight
1620 kg (5 door Sedan)
Towing
Not specified
ANCAP Rating
4 stars
Body Styles
5 door Sedan
Engines
2.3 litre 4-cylinder engine
Power
190kW – 2.3 litre 4-cylinder engine
Torque
380Nm – 2.3 litre 4-cylinder engine
Transmissions
6-speed Manual
Fuel Consumption
8.8 – 10.5L/100km
Length
4760mm (5 door Sedan)
Width
1780mm (5 door Sedan)
Height
1430mm (5 door Sedan)
Wheelbase
2675mm (5 door Sedan)
Kerb Weight
1620 kg (5 door Sedan)
Towing
Not specified
ANCAP Rating
4 stars
Body Styles
5 door Sedan
Engines
2.3 litre 4-cylinder engine
Power
190kW – 2.3 litre 4-cylinder engine
Torque
380Nm – 2.3 litre 4-cylinder engine
Transmissions
6-speed Manual
Fuel Consumption
8.8 – 10.5L/100km
Length
4760mm (5 door Sedan)
Width
1780mm (5 door Sedan)
Height
1430mm (5 door Sedan)
Wheelbase
2675mm (5 door Sedan)
Kerb Weight
1620 kg (5 door Sedan)
Towing
Not specified
ANCAP Rating
4 stars
Warranty & servicing
Warranty
- 3 years / unlimited km
Service Intervals
- 10,000 km / 6 months
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Disclaimer
Please note that pricing information is subject to fluctuations in the automotive market.
Information correct as of April 28, 2023.
The advice provided on this website is general advice only. It has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on this advice, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to your own objectives, financial situation and needs.
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