Mazda 6 Sedan

Mazda outdo its Mazda3 by coming out with a better Mazda6. Bigger, better and more polished. Pricing could be better though :)

TL;DR

- The 6 drove and handled the best out of all the Japanese D-category sedans.

- It was priced attractively (purchased in mid-Feb 2017).

- Its made in Japan.

- It looks ruddy gorgeous (subjective).

- If your top priorities are space and comfort, this might not be the car for you.

Background - my previous ride was a lightly-tuned ZC31 Suzuki Swift Sport 1.6 manual which I'd owned for 9.5 years. Going from a "Lukewarm" Manual hatchback to a mid-sized automatic family-sedan was quite a large change for me, so do read my review with this in mind.

In replacing my beloved hatchback, I had shortlisted a few cars - the WRX, the Civic Turbo, and the usual D-category cars (Legacy, Camry, Accord, Teana, 6).

Yes, I only considered Japanese makes. Cars from Korea and the continent (aka PSA Group and VW Group) weren't considered. Just like my ZC31, I plan to own this car for the full-length of the COE, and at risk of over-generalising, Japanese cars tend to fare better in this regard.

At the early stages, the wifey put her foot down and said no to the WRX, even to the automatic variant. Her rationale was that since we would be driving this car into our 40s, she wasn't keen on yet another "Ah beng" Car. I tried to argue that the WRX was just another family car with more oomph, but she wouldn't buy that argument. Dang. =P

The Civic Turbo was exorbitantly priced compared to the Mazda 6. During the weekend when I made my purchase, the Civic Turbo was priced higher than the Mazda 6 2.0L Standard, and similarly priced to the Mazda 6 2.0L Executive. Considering that the Civic was a completely different category altogether, I outed this choice purely due to pricing reasons (sidenote - the Civic Turbo drove very well, but my test-drive unit had a weird CVT that kept hunting for revs).

So, with the two outlier contenders out of the way, why did I wind up with the Mazda 6 2.5L Premium?

Probably one of the best looking family sedans out there. After all these years it hasn't lost anything in terms of appearance. I was initially all set on buying this car to replace my previous Mazda which I'd owned for nine years. Unfortunately, when I finally went to test drive it, i wasn't as enthusiastic about it anymore. For one thing, WHile it looks great on the outside, I somehow felt the interior didn't quite live up to what I'd hoped or expected. For one thing, this car felt really squishy when compared to the likes of the accord, Camry, legacy and Teana. Even the optima and sonata gave me more of an executive feel, no matter where you were seated in those cars. Somehow, the 6, despite its Long wheelbase still felt tight. The back seat , especially, proved to be quite uncomfortable to me. The all black interior that I saw certainly didn't help either( my advice to Mazda would be to use a beige interior for their showroom and demo cars). The other thing that bothered me about the car was the road noise. Having owned another Mazda for nine years, I kinda got used to its less than ideal sound insulation, but I was still hoping for better. To be fair, it wasn't unbearable, but compared to some of the others, it , unfortunately ,was noticeable. And from my own Mazda experience, the noise does seem to get louder over the years. Another sore point I had was with the push start button and where it's placed. It seemed awkward to have it placed on the left side of the steering and relatively high up. It's just not intuitive. I mean, in every car I've ever driven the ignition has always been on the lower right of the steering wheel. Moreover, to have to use my left hand to start the car just didn't feel natural in the least. Now , all that said, the 6 does handle pretty well. During the test drive the SE actually encouraged me to do some cornering without slowing down, and it handled pretty well with hardly any understeer. He says it's to do with their g vectoring technology. All in all, the Mazda six is a nice car which I almost bought. Unfortunately, after trying out numerous other cars In that range, there was another that had me completely won over. And thus ended my long relationship with Mazda.

With our previous ride in its 9th year and the need to fit a baby seat and a booster seat in the car at the same time, my wife and I started looking for a mid-size sedan. Our criteria were spaciousness, reliability and fuel efficiency, so an obvious choice would have been Camry. However, that changed after we viewed Mazda 6. We were impressed with its elegant styling, although I would hope that the height of the transmission tunnel could be lower. Mazda 6 also comes equipped with more airbags and is packed with other safety features such as blind spot monitor, rear cross traffic alert and 8 parking sensors in its Executive trim and beyond, besides exhibiting an air of luxury in its cabin and offering fuel efficiency which we find unmatched in its class. We also feel more reassured of the workmanship of Mazda 6 that is assembled in Japan, and like the active driving display at eye level that is typically offered only in luxury cars.

Despite hype by the SE about G-vectoring control introduced to the 2017 model when we did the test drive, I have not been professional enough to notice the effect. Having said that, handling is indeed sharp when cornering.

Although we liked the bodyline and functionality of Mazda 6 Wagon, we decided that they were outweighed by its trade-offs in higher road tax and lower fuel efficiency, being available only in 2.5L, and shorter legroom. Hence, we finally decided on Mazda 6 Executive.

After driving the car for close to 2 months, it has not disappointed us. Over around 3000km, we have achieved average fuel consumption around 6.9L/100km that is quite close to the published figure of 5.9L/100km. However, we are still getting used to its long body length, as I have on a few occasions rubbed its rear tyres against kerbs when trying to maneuver tight corners in multi-storey car parks. Its i-stop feature could also be a little more intelligent as it activates when I have only intended to stop momentarily, for example when switching from drive to reverse gear during parking or letting passengers alight. It helps though that the i-stop feature can be conveniently turned off at the press of a button, and I have since adapted by not depressing the brake too hard when stopping the car at a red traffic light but figuring that the light is going to turn green in a couple of seconds, so that the i-stop will not kick in.

Was in the market for a compact sedan, when wifey fell in love with the mazda 3. However, after test driving the 3, the strained sounds from the 1.5 engine, when pushed, was disturbing.

At this point, my FIL suggested considering the M6 instead, and I fell in love with the car interior immediately! I placed the deposit for the M6 Exe without even test driving the car!

A month after owning the car, I have no regrets. The exterior curves are fantastic and the interior is well designed. The 2.0L engine comes to life in the sport mode but otherwise is a bit laggy wrt to acceleration. The cabinet is spacious and quiet.

This Mazda 6 2.5 is a real powerful and luxury car. No regrets .

Made few test driving on other like Optima K5 ,Sonata, Peugeot 508 ,Camry & Volvo S60 .Finally decided for Mazda 6 my first Cat B from my 1st 1.6 Forte SX .

Initially my focus was on the new Optima but considering the specs and features I opted for Mazda 6 due to the fuel efficiency . Just a small hiccup lately on the reverse sensor not sounding after just 2wks.

Overall I'm very satisfied and happy with with what I decided.

The Mazda 6 2.5 is a fun car to drive with good handling, especially with sport mode, putting a big smile on my face. The interior does not feel not feel cheap as compared to other cars from the same range, it's soft touch material gives it a pretty high quality feel, with the buttons well placed.

It's infotainment system is straight forward and easy to use with everything clearly displayed on it.

The heads up display is convenient as you can look at the speed you're travelling at without looking down, but it can be better improved with adding more information to the display.

Overall, i feel that getting this car is pretty worth it!

Mazda 6 is my first Cat B cat that I have owned, it looks handsome exteriorly and ergonomic interiorly.

In terms of power, it feels powerful and responsive engine without hesitating to move fast ahead.

It always get attention of passer-by in day and night particularly on its muscular "KUDO" Body and its' prominent smiley DRL on the fierce big grille.

I never regret but feel proud to be its' owner.

The 6 is the standout star of the 2-litre family sedan class.

It combines an arresting, sporty fastback profile with fuel efficiency, sharp dynamics, spaciousness and practicality.

As a family car, it excels thanks to generous rear legroom and wide door apertures. Ride is soft and cosseting yet immensely well-damped over undulations. Furthermore, the boot is quite huge although not as large as I would like.

Unlike it's competitora, the user-friendly interior is both sporty (with a black colour scheme) and luxurious with tasteful applications of metal trim and a well-oiled consistency to the controls. Very few flimsy plastics to be found, while the seats deserve special mention for being rich and supportive. This feels very Audi-like and classy instead of the cheap-feeling and dated Camry interior adorned with acres of plastic wood trim.

However the major differentiator between the 6 and the Teana, Camry, Sonata, Optima is its dynamic prowess. Camry, Teana, Sonata are all very comfortable cruisers with soft suspension and slow steering. 6 matches their high-speed stability and cruising ability but it has razor-sharp steering. It is highly composed doing lane changes and corners, with minimal body roll and it has a responsive gearbox (Sports Mode). Have been to a high-performance driver education event (DriveRite Tarmac Rally-X) at MIMC where it negotiated a slalom course and tight corners with ease. Some body roll due to stock suspension being sprung for a bit more comfort but it felt nimble and agile, like a much smaller and lighter car. Spectators were astounded to see this 4.8m long sedan tackle the slalom. The sharp steering also means it is easier to park compared to the low-geared steering of its competitors.

It also delivers excellent fuel economy for a 2-litre car! We're achieving a consistent 13km/l with a 50/50 route and astoundingly achieved 16.5km/l on the North South Highway at a steady 120km/h.

Finally, it's a value for money buy. We purchased the Standard model for 125k, 10k less than Camry at that time.

In summary, a mature, refined yet sporty family/executive sedan with a wider range of talents than all its competitors. It is an all-rounder with the Zoom-Zoom spirit.

When this car first hit the road, I thought it was a Lexus until I saw the Mazada badge. I test drove this car a couple of months back and was very impressed by it interior space and features. The finishing was excellent.

My wife ordered a Mazda 6 as a surprise for me when we moved back to Singapore (I'd suggested we get a Mazda 3 - which I am also impressed with). We are absolutely delighted with this car after 15 months of ownership.

It's everything you'd want in a large sedan, yet very affordable by local standards. My advice would be to forget about spending megabucks on a Mercedes or Audi and get on of these. It's a fantastic choice for Singapore conditions.

We have the 2.5 litre model sedan which was on special offer when we bought it. The dealer sold it for the same price as the 2 litre because it was a 2014 model and we were taking delivery in 2015.

Have the 2.5 Luxury version.

Extremely good handling for such a long car (feels like a civic in terms of handling, literally), great looks, luxurious interior with bose speakers and 19 inch wheels. I've lost count of how many times pedestrians and drivers of adjacent cars kept staring at this car...With its chrome accents and flashy looks.

Acceleration is damn awesome too at about 8 secs, those people who say the acceleration feels slower than suggested either drove the 2l version or didn't press the sport mode switch. Cos pressing that switch immediately turns the car from a polite gentleman into a mad beast.

Faster than C180, A4, 318i, most small VWs etc. And on par with E200, 520i etc. You won't want for power compared to those base model continentals. Will of course still be pwned flat by Jag XFR, M3, Civic type R, WRX, Evo etc. But that's a whole different league altogether.

Interior is very well put together too with zero rattling and leather-clad everything. Oh it also has a sunroof and an awesome, futuristic HUD too!

Best part: when we got it in the middle of this year, it was 10-20k cheaper than less exciting japanese rivals such as camry and accord. Maybe Mazda was trying hard to break into the market.

Only drawback is perhaps the average sound insulation (sounds like a civic or corolla inside, i.E. Not super noisy, but not quiet either).

Having drove a Mazda 6 previously. I was very surprised by this version of the sedan.

Compared to the competition like Camry and Teana, it definitely stood out a lot in terms of looks alone. Easily the best looking of the 3.

I tried the 2L Mazda 6 standard (without memory seats, LED, HID, Fog lights, HUD).

The 6 speed auto GB is quite responsive and almost on par with my current continental hatch.

Handling is good and car throttle is responsive. Sports mode is addictive and comes with a punch.

Mazda 6 one of the coolest ride and with the full features that any conti cars that can be done, Japan made, with a touch of class and elegant.