I priced out Mazda 6 I4 GT with Luxury package, comes out to $30335. With Freight and taxes totals to $36047!! On their website, interest rate for 48 months leasing is ( a very very high) 6.9%! Per month leasing comes out to $571.34....
High interest for leasing does not surprise me really. GM & Chrysler hv totally abandoned it ( and are already suffering in the market with lower sales for August) Due to my job needs and the way my income taxes are done, I will have to lease my car, I just cannot finance a car.
Hopefully, Mazda will reduce the leasing interest in the coming months once the euphoria of the new model subsides....otherwise the best offer in this segments seems to be from Hyundai Sonata.
How does it compare on features? I priced out a I4 GS for reasonably cheap given the competition. I forget the pricing but it was decent enough. Its got lots of features even in the base GS trim.
From the Mazda website, when I compared Mazda 6 I4 GS to Honda Accord 4 cyl LX & Nissan Altima 2.5S, here are my findings:
Feature-wise, all 3 are generally comparable. All the above 3 are base models, the stand-out features of Mazda 6 are Auto transmission with Manumatic facility, 17' alloy wheels as compared to 16' steel wheels on the other two, (and...those who have driven the car, they vouch on 6 as the) best handler in the class, also has Standard security alarm. Accord has lower lease rates, currently has an offer of $1000 gas coupon but has a very poor rear look (IMHO). Altima has Continuous Auto Transmission touting for better gas mileage, good lease rates but oldest looks and the worst interior of the class.
I priced out Mazda 6 I4 GS with Auto transmission, Comfort package (Stability Control, Variable speed wipers, Auto headlight on/off, Power glass moonroof, 8-way power drivers seat, leather-wrapped steering wheel & shift knob - all for app. $1700) and frieght to $27144, tax included - $30899. With their extremely high lease rate of 6.9%, monthly lease price comes to $494. Compare this to the current lease offers of Accord, Altima (app. $350) out of the door. Current finance rates for the 6 are also very high - 4.9%! ( And, I am not even talking about Sonata, Malibu, Astra etc.....) So, although Mazda 6 comes out on top on features, handling and styling, it might suit for people who have the cash to buy it outright.
Another point to note: Highly advertised features like Push-button start, LED tail lights, Xenon headlights, chrome dual exhaust, Bose premium audio system with 8 speaker and woofer, Blue tooth are not even available as options on this base model. To get these, one has to opt for a minimum of Mazda 6 I4 GT and then tick the Luxury package which pushes the price of the car to close to $37k. That is a real sticker shock! (But to be fair, this is true for other cars as well, they bundle up features to increase the final pricing)