Thinking of buying a used Mazda6?
The style of the car
The Mazda6 is a large family car that’s available as either a stylish saloon or spacious ‘Tourer’ estate. Distinctive design makes the 6 stand out on the road. Wide-opening doors give good access to the roomy interior, while the estate has a large hatchback boot lid for easy loading.
How it drives
The 6 is good to drive, giving an excellent blend of agility and comfort. The petrol and diesel engines are smooth and responsive and long-distance comfort is good. Light controls and standard parking sensors make it easy to park. It’s a good tow car, particularly if you go for one of the powerful diesel models.
The interior
The 6 is a big car with five seats. The interior is spacious and comfortable with lots of legroom in the back. There are useful storage areas, including cup holders and a large compartment between the front seats. The saloon’s big boot has space for three medium sized suitcases, while the estate’s 522-litre capacity allows you to carry even more. You can increase the size of the boot further by folding the back seats down.
There’s lots of standard equipment, with entry-level SE Nav trim including a touchscreen infotainment system with sat nav and Bluetooth. SE L Nav adds cruise control, while SE L Lux Nav also has leather trim and a reversing camera. Sport Nav features sport seats and an 11-speaker Bose stereo while GT Sport Nav has keyless entry and a surround-view parking camera.
Running costs and reliability
The Mazda6 costs much the same as rivals such as the Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat but it’s unusually well equipped. It’s great value for money. All of the Skyactiv engines are efficient, with the diesels being particularly cost effective if you travel more than 12,000 miles a year. Reliability is excellent, with Mazda finishing fourth overall in the Auto Express Driver Power customer satisfaction survey. Safety is a strong point, with a comprehensive list of features as standard and a five-star rating from safety organisation Euro NCAP.
How it compares with similar cars
The 6 is larger than the Mazda 3 and both longer and more spacious than the Mazda CX-5 SUV. It feels a bit more upmarket than the Ford Mondeo and it’s more fun to drive than the VW Passat. The 6 has won many awards, including Auto Express’s Family Car of the Year.
