Is Mazda the new Alfa Romeo?

Stallingrad

Mazdas are now stylish, sporty, niche, non German and one of the few cars that can look amazing in red. So are they the new Alfa, but with better reliability and dealer network?

If I had a 159 I could easily slip into a 6….




ditto a Giulietta into a 3….

Special Circumstances

Haha thought this was gonna be another "rusty Mazda" thread.

Anyhoo - yeah I really like the latest mazdas, especially the 6 and the cx5.

Toyotafanboi

i think you have single handedly insulted all mazda and alfa owners :pac:

Larbre34

I think the previous 6 looked nicer than the current one, but that has always been an issue with mid-size Mazdas over the years.

The 3 saloon is a nicely styled and proportioned car.

I would suggest SEAT is the new Alfa Romeo

biko

The Mazdas look nice but they ain't no Alfas..

Special Circumstances

biko wrote: »

The Mazdas look nice but they ain't no Alfas..

In a good way or a bad way??:D

power pants

ALFA 159 is still a beautiful car in the right colour and spec

CianRyan

Ah this thread is highly volatile.
I would agree, they do look great in red, drive great and they're not german. Not to mention the new MX5 is also the new Spider, do we really think their similarities are coincidental?

Two great car companies, I'd happily drive both.

H3llR4iser

No. Just no.

From afar, these 3 and 6 can be confused with other cars, especially German ones.

A 159 or even a Giulietta, with all of its "want to appeal to masses" aura, will be instantly recognizable as they essentially have nothing of the design of other cars.

Try again later

166man

Im not sure I'd agree, However some of Mazdas latest creations are fantastic. The new 6 especially, if I had to have a rep mobile the 6 is top of my list. The Mx5 and 3 also are cracking looking.

Driven a few of the newer Mazdas and the older ones, they just still miss something the Alfas have.

As mentioned, I'd still happily drive both. At least the Mazdas have some elements of passion and character.

irisheddie85

My wife would love your thinking.
She recently replaced an alfa 156 with a mazda 6

biko

I wouldn't mind a Mazda6 myself but no way I'd think "it's almost an Alfa"..

ShaunieVW

Alfas have character, Mazdas are still a plasticy tacky looking yoke IMO, I'd have an MPS though!

Stallingrad

biko wrote: »

I wouldn't mind a Mazda6 myself but no way I'd think "it's almost an Alfa"..

Is that because of heritage, the grille, the engines? Are you able to define why not? Not being smart but genuinely curious.

edburg

Mazda never be an Alfa, until they break down after 6 months and rust to bits in 6 years hahahaha

To be fair the Alfa's I had use of I really enjoyed and never failed, cant say same about Mazda's though, little experience I had with them, decent but never felt happy/comfy and generally flat feeling about it all.

creedp

Personally the new Mazda 6 styling a bit over done in a simliar manner to Hyundai's lets put a crease or a bulge here because we can styling. While it works reasonably well in the bigger 6, I think the smaller 3 is very overstyled. However, I like the CX5 which I think is much more proportionate and attractively styled.

power pants

dont even understand this thread

how can a mazda be another brand? because it apparently looks nice in red?

Does that even make sense?

HandsomeDan

???

No

Mazda are rental car/ commuter type cars. Alfa's are not.

CianRyan

I see this thread as somewhat humorous, that said I can still appreciate the similarities drawn.

The NA MX5 and the last of the boat tail spiders shared a lot and there were always comparisons drawn between them so this is nothing new really.

Honestly, 95 years of business, LeMan crushing race cars, classics fetching more than new Ferraris and iconic sports cars across every generation I think it's fair to give Mazda a bit of heritage, a bit of pedigree, no?
Oh wait, they're Japanese, never mind. :rolleyes:

Moneymaker

Mazda styling is definitely on point right now imo. My Uncle has a new 6 and it's a very nice place to sit.

I really like the CX5 too and i'm someone who generally hates SUVs.

Stallingrad

HandsomeDan wrote: »

???

No

Mazda are rental car/ commuter type cars. Alfa's are not.

Except for when they are. Rented a Giulietta a while back, decent enough spec. It looked great but drive was a pretty average drive, as was the interior.

Special Circumstances

HandsomeDan wrote: »

???

No

Mazda are rental car/ commuter type cars. Alfa's are not.

I'm waiting on some hilarious dolphin related post here, you're leaving us all down HandsomeDan, that was a pretty half hearted attempt.

Ferris

I've always thought Mazda's had a Mazda'ness (sorry Dupree!) about how they drive. Mother had a 323f, I had an rx8 and the bro has an mx5 and they were all great handling cars and great to drive. I don't think that they have the same design flair as an Alfa but when it comes to engines they can rival the Busso V6 with 20B and 13B rotaries and the MPS engines. They have motorsport heritage with the Le Mans win also which is more recent than any Alfa victory.

What I like about Mazdas is you get the feeling that they are designed by real petrolheads unlike most recent Jap offerings save the GT86.

OH has an Alfa 156 TS btw which is also great.

driver123

I was planing on changing car this year. Looked around a few garages did some test drives, and found that most cars are going for downsized engines, nothing really appealed to me.
Stepped into a new Mazda 3 with all the extras. Miles ahead of the other cars I was looking at, and bought one.
2 months down the line and delighted with my purchase. Interesting looking, stylish, comfortable, more tech, and more powerful than most of the opposition in its class.

listermint

Oh how i miss my 323F BG then my BA.

They were pretty.

Stares off into the distance.....

pcardin

edburg wrote: »

...until they break down after 6 months and rust to bits in 6 years hahahaha

that's actually so true about Mazdas. No longer the case with Alfa Romeo. :pac:

quadrifoglio verde

CianRyan wrote: »

Ah this thread is highly volatile.
I would agree, they do look great in red, drive great and they're not german. Not to mention the new MX5 is also the new Spider, do we really think their similarities are coincidental?

Two great car companies, I'd happily drive both.

The new mx5 is going to be the new fiat 124 spider.
Alfas have always been built in Italy and according to fiat always will be. Which is why the mx5 is now being shared with fiat and not Alfa.

H3llR4iser

Stallingrad wrote: »

Is that because of heritage, the grille, the engines? Are you able to define why not? Not being smart but genuinely curious.

It's a question that can't be answered in a simple, single statement way.

Wanting to find a superficial answer, the design of the Mazda 6 pictured above has absolutely zero personality and character. It's a cookie-cutter line of vague German inspiration, and it can be easily mistaken for at least two other cars, a Mercedes C-Klasse and an Opel Insignia. The less attentive might even get it mixed with a recent Avensis.

What can you possibily mistake a 159 for? A 156 facelift? Even people who are completely oblivious to motoring will immediately be able to recognize it as an Alfa Romeo.

As for the rest, it's a mix of things that marks a clear attention towards making the driver feel special; Something no other brand this side of Porsche can apparently be bothered with doing (there was Saab, but unfortunately...).

As James May quite brilliantly put while reviewing the 159, Italian makers and Alfa in particular have a knack about making a car feel somewhat elemental, that others lack - through choice or philosophy.

Chris_Heilong

HandsomeDan wrote: »

???

No

Mazda are rental car/ commuter type cars. Alfa's are not.

They are in Italy and Spain.