drzoidberg

http://www.carrentingreviews.com/201...6-sport-sedan/

FCAR
26/38

PROS:

- Exterior design
- Steering effort, brake pedal
- Interior ergonomics
- Fuel economy

CONS:

- Thick A-pillars
- No Sirius XM
- Touchscreen auto brightness
- Small 5.8” touchscreen real estate

CONCLUSION: My second favorite fullsize car (FCAR)! Too bad it doesn’t have Sirius XM.

piper28

Hmm, manual seats and headlights? Kinda of seems like we're going back to the dark ages or something.

drzoidberg

I wonder why National isn't getting more Mazda 6s? Haven't seen any since my review, nor the new Mazda 3. A lot of CX-5s though.

IgoZoom

Mazda execs have stated that they aren’t interested in fleet sales of the new Mazda6 or Mazda3! They are following Honda’s example and not offering fleet discounts to keep resale values high. The 2014 Mazda3 received the ‘Residual Value Award’ from ALG (Automotive Lease Guide) for the Compact Car segment. ALG’s top brand for Best Overall Residual Value has been Honda for the last several years and Acura for Best Overall Premium Brand. That’s pretty strong evidence to support the argument that fleet sales hurts resale values to some degree.

Mazda is aspiring to be considered an upscale (not quite ‘premium’) brand. With the CX-5, Mazda3 and Mazda6 they’re delivering product that fits the bill. Their sales goal for the 2014 Mazda6 was just 30,000 units. It was introduced on 01/02/2013 and Mazda6 sales totaled 43,638 for Calendar Year 2013. That figure included about 8,000 previous-generation 2013 models (which ended production in mid-2012) but they still sold over 35k during 2013. Total 2014 Mazda6 production for U.S. sales was just over 48k units. They released the 2015 model on 01/02/2014 and YTD sales are up 20% as of April EOM.

So I doubt you’ll see many Mazda6s (or Mazda3s) in rental fleets. The ones that do run across will most likely be the entry-level Sport trim level. The Mazda6 Sport isn’t very popular among retail customers (the mid-level Touring is the volume model) and some dealers are more than willing to dump them into rental fleets to get rid of them after they sit for more than a couple of months!

I’m at a bit of a loss to explain the volume of CX-5 rentals. In January of this year (2014), the CX-5 surpassed the Mazda3 to become Mazda’s best selling model. They sell them as fast as they can build and ship them. There aren’t any rebates or cash incentives on 2014 or 2015 models either.

The most likely Mazda you’ll be seeing in rental fleets in the near future is probably the CX-9. I have a 2012 CX-9 Grand Touring FWD and I love it, but it is basically the same vehicle introduced in 2007. So 2014 is the eighth model year with only moderate exterior design tweaks and minimal interior updates. (I bought my 2012 after the 2013 ‘redesigned’ model was released and got it for $8679 off the $38,385 MSRP- at $29,706 (including the Bose/SiriusXM/Moonroof Pkg) it was a steal). But sales are down 42% YTD (as of 04/30/2014)- only 6,210 units sold in the first four months of 2014. If dealers can’t sell them, they’ll have to go somewhere. The same is true for the Mazda5, which only hit 20k in annual sales one year (2008) since it was introduced in 2006. Less than 14k were sold in 2013 and 2014 YTD sales are down more than 32%...

Not that you asked for all of that, but there it is! =) BTW, I really enjoy your reviews and your site!

drzoidberg

Great info and insight, thanks IgoZoom!

The single most prevalent Mazda I've seen in fleets here is the CX-5. As you've said, it's very curious! I occasionally see some CX-9s and 5s, but in much fewer quantities.

The paucity of 6s might be a National only problem. I've definitely observed plenty of 6s with Avis.

IgoZoom

So you’ve seen the 2014 Mazda6 at AVIS? I’ve never seen a single one at AVIS and I travel throughout the Southeast and into parts of the Mid-West and on the East Coast as far north as DC. I also fly to Los Angeles at least six times per year. I’ve rented numerous cars at LAX that I’ve rarely (or never) seen on a rental lot in my part of the country. I don’t know if that’s still the case because (thankfully) I no longer fly into LAX. Southwest started offering service from Atlanta to Burbank early in 2013 and I haven’t been to LAX since and don’t plan to!

To be honest, I think Mazda would benefit from putting a few thousand well-equipped/loaded Mazda6 and new Mazda3 models into rental fleets! Mazda is exceptional when it comes to engineering and building great vehicles, but I’ve never seen a company (automotive or otherwise) that is so clueless and/or incompetent at Marketing and Advertising!!! I used to think they were unwilling to dedicate the funds, especially during the “Ford-controlled” years. But now I think the company may be ran by designers and engineers but there’s not a single Sales/Marketing-type in the bunch!

It would be a way to make their best products visible to the world and, if they made sure that most were ‘loaded’ Grand Touring models, they’d also stand out from the plain-jane Camrys, Atltimas, Sonatas and other competitors. They might actually sell a lot more cars if more people realized that they exist!

I noticed that your 2015 CX-5 (and 2013 CX-9) were the mid-level Touring trim level, not the entry-level Sport. But that may have been because they were both AWD and Mazda doesn’t make very many CX-9 or CX-5 Sport models with AWD, the vast majority are FWD to keep the price down. It’s just a theory, I could be wrong…

I’m a Premium and Compliance Auditor for Large Companies, so my job is literally 90% travel. I rent cars 25-30 times per year, if not more. But I have a handful of models that I rent- namely the Volvo S60, Nissan Maxima, Hyundai Azera and Toyota Avalon. I’m an independent contractor and my contract specifically states that I only rent vehicles in the “Premium” or higher category (which the company I am auditing has to pay for).

It probably sounds like I’m a snob (or d-bag} because I require a premium or luxury rental car, but the reason is much simpler than that. EXPERIENCE! When I first got into the Auditing business (I was an insurance agent prior to that), I was forced to rent the cheapest car, stay in the cheapest motel or pay for something better out of my own pocket! After more than a year of Avengers, Aveos, Sebrings, and Cobalts, I was at the breaking point. I finally SNAPPED when the only rental available in 110 degree Texas heat was a 2010 Toyota Corolla LE that wreaked of cigarette smoke, urine and vomit….and the A/C didn’t work!!! I made the rental company (who I won’t name) deliver me a replacement vehicle 150 miles from the airport to my work location the following day! Then I quit the audit company I worked for and went rouge…..never again!

3Cforme

I can't ever recall an Altima, or 4-cyl Camry, from National that had a power driver's seat. Nor a PCAR Honda Accord, for that matter.

drzoidberg

Ugh, doing even get me started on the base trim cloth, manual Honda Accords.

piper28

The Altima's do have a power driver's seat. Passenger seat isn't power though. I can't remember on the Camry we had, but thought it was power, but it was a one day one way rental so I didn't have it long enough to remember. That Accord is horribly miscategorized, I'd protest if they tried to foist one off on me as a PCAR.

For that matter, I can't remember the last FCAR that I had that *didn't* have a power drivers seat.

Jack Wang

Appreciate the review, doc! I've been away a while since I stopped traveling and people stopped paying me to rent cars. A Mazda6 is on my very serious car shopping list for the immediate future. Shame about that infotainment screen though...what is this, 2004? 3 minutes to recognize an iPod each time you start the car?

I'm willing to overlook it for the design, driving dynamics, and other standard features. It's either this or an Accord Sport, and I don't dig the CVTs.

dtremit

There is supposed to be an interior/infotainment refresh in the 6 in late 2014/early 2015 -- may be worth keeping in mind.

drzoidberg

@Jack, sorry to hear you aren't renting anymore!

Since I rented the Mazda 6, I haven't seen many on the ES. Is National not ordering them in large quantities? I only see the CX-5 in any great numbers, no Mazda 3s either.