How good a car is the Mazda6?
Good enough to go without its V-6 for five long years — and still sell better than it did when it offered a six. And now, at last, there's a horsepower infusion.
It's not a six, but it's enough to make up for it, especially given how little Mazda charges for it.
What It Is
The Mazda6 is Mazda's midsize mid-priced sedan. It goes bumper to bumper against similar models from Toyota (Camry), Honda (Accord), Hyundai (Sonata) and Nissan (Altima) but costs less than most of them — in some cases, several thousand dollars less.
The base Sport trim with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and six-speed manual transmission costs $21,950.
A top-of-the-line Signature with the newly available turbocharged 2.5-liter engine and a six-speed automatic lists for $34,750.
What's New
In addition to the new higher-powered optional engine, there are two new trims: the Gran Touring Reserve and Signature. Both come standard with the turbocharged engine, an 11-speaker Bose surround sound stereo, windshield wiper de-icers, a heated steering wheel, heated front and rear seats, an Active Driving Display with Traffic Sign Recognition and a 19-inch wheel/tire package.
The Signature trim adds Japanese Sen wood trim inserts, Nappa leather seat/ultra-suede door panel covers and a 360 degree surround view camera.
What's Good
Acceleration infusion.
Available manual transmission.
It's less pricey than rivals.
What's Not so Good
Manual transmission isn't available with the acceleration infusion.
It has a bit less back-seat (and trunk) space than most rivals offer.
We won't get the wagon version of the 6 that Mazda sells in Japan and Europe.
Under the Hood
Standard equipment is a 2.5-liter engine — no turbo — that has 186 horsepower. It can be paired with either a six-speed manual transmission or an optional six-speed automatic.
It's not the most powerful standard engine in the class, but it is one of the very few engines you can still get in this class that can be paired with a clutch.
The only other car in the class that still offers a manual is the Honda Accord — and it costs extra.
More horsepower is available in the Mazda now, too.
Grant Touring and higher trims come with a turbocharged version of the 2.5-liter engine that has 227 horsepower on regular unleaded and 250 horsepower on 93 octane premium. It is paired exclusively with the six-speed automatic.
On the Road
Mazda is the brand for people who take the long way home — on purpose, ideally with lots of curves along the way.
The 6's suspension is two things most usually aren't: forgiving and grippy. The ride is almost soft, but the car is anything but when you fling it around laterally. Mazda calls this "Jinba Ittai," a phrase that means connectedness in Japanese.
Don't let the standard engine's horsepower rating pre-emptively disappoint you. Drive one before you decide you need more power. This engine's very high compression (13.0:1) makes it exceptionally responsive, and the fact that it's available with a manual transmission means you can make the most of it.
The optional engine has a lower CR (10.5:1) but tremendous torque — 310 foot-pounds — which endows the car with the low- and mid-range punch of a car with a much bigger engine.
At the Curb
The 6 is about the same overall size as its rivals — 191.5 inches (the Accord is 192.2 inches, the Camry 192.7 inches, the Sonata 191.1 inches), but it has its inches in all the right places.
Take a look at this car and you'll immediately see the passion Mazda feels for the art of driving. Even the steering wheel looks good — no small thing, given the constraints imposed by air bags.
There is a slight price to be paid in terms of back-seat space and trunk space. But it's not a big price.
The Mazda has 42.2 inches of legroom up front, 38.7 inches in back and a 14.7 cubic foot trunk.
The Honda Accord has more back-seat legroom (40.4 inches) and a 16.7 cubic-foot-trunk - but it's probably not a deal-breaker. Same vs. the Camry - which has 42.1 inches of legroom up front, 38 inches in the second row and a 15.1 cubic foot trunk.
The Nissan Altima and Hyundai Sonata both have much more front-seat legroom: 45 and 45.1 inches, respectively. But they also have less back-seat legroom: 35.6 inches in the Hyundai and 36.1 inches in the Nissan.
And they all have less curb appeal.
The Rest
The one-less-than-Jinba Ittai thing about the 6 is its entertainment system interface, which involves rotating a knob to select and then pushing it to engage. It's a less immediate interface than others systems, which have individual buttons for the various functions, eliminating the need to select before you engage.
However, you get the hang of it quickly enough, and once you do, it can be done without detracting from the drive.
The Bottom Line
Beauty goes far — and now faster, for less.
Eric's new book, "Don't Get Taken for a Ride!" is available now. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
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