Mazda 6 Saloon Review

Most passengers will find the Mazda 6 roomy enough. The front seats come with plenty of adjustment (electrical in all but the entry-level car) and the steering wheel adjusts for height and reach so you can find a comfortable driving position easily. You also get adjustable lumbar support as standard to help prevent backache on long drives.

The rear seats are also comfortable – provided you aren’t too tall. There’s enough legroom and there’s space for passengers to slide their feet under the front seats but the sloping rear roofline limits headroom a bit.

Three adults will find the Mazda 6s back seats a rather tight squeeze – especially for whoever sits in the middle – but there’s space for everyone’s feet and there isn’t a particularly tall lump in the rear floor.

The Mazda 6 has dual-zone climate control but those in the back make do with vents rather than being able to control the temperature themselves. At least they get heated seats in top-spec models.

It’s pretty easy to fit a large rear-facing child seat. The Mazda 6’s rear doors open wide and the Isofix anchor points are clearly marked but you have to remove a set of covers first. You’ll have to stoop down quite low to strap in a child – especially if you’re very tall.

You get a decent number of cubby spaces in the Mazda 6’s cabin to store an assortment of family bits and bobs. The front door bins are large enough to store a small bottle and a flask each and you get a pair of cupholders in the centre console under a folding cover.

The glovebox isn’t particularly big but you get a storage tray on the driver’s side for your keys and space beside the armrest for your phone – next to which you’ll find some USB ports and a 12V socket.

Passengers in the back get two iPad-sized seatback pockets and a folding armrest with a pair of cupholders and a hidden storage trays with some built-in USB ports.

Mazda 6’s 480-litre boot is quite a bit smaller than the load bays you get in the Peugeot 508 and the Vauxhall Insignia. Unlike these cars, it doesn’t come with a hatchback-style opening so it isn’t quite as easy to load large luggage. 

Still, there’s enough space for one large and one small suitcase with room left over for two soft bags and a set of golf clubs. You can also carry a baby buggy but a large cardboard box won’t fit through the Mazda’s narrow boot opening.

At least there are some levers in the boot to flip the rear seats down in a two-way (60:40) split. With all the back seats folded away the Mazda’s boot is roomier than the Vauxhall’s and the Peugeot’s and there’s enough space to carry a bike with both wheels attached. It’s not particularly easy to lift in a bike though, and you don’t get any handy shopping hooks or luggage nets to stop things rolling around. 

The Mazda 6 comes with a range of economical and high-tech petrol and diesel engines, with either a manual or automatic six-speed gearbox.

The diesels are 2.2-litre engines with either 150 or 183bhp. The lower powered version has an official fuel economy of 64mpg and CO2 emissions of 117g/km. The higher powered version is noticeably quicker, averages 60mpg, but sits in a higher tax bracket. If you do a lot of miles opt for the diesel that suits you best – higher power or lower running costs.

If you do fewer miles, then one of the 2.0-litre petrols should suit. The higher powered version only comes in Sport Nav+ trim, whereas the lower powered petrol comes with the bottom two trims. So the decision comes down to how much kit you want. Official economy figures are 45.6 and 44.1mpg – and expect to get close to 40mpg in the real world.

The 194bhp 2.5 litre petrol is only available in top-spec GT Sport Nav+. It has clever technology that switches off two of the engine’s four cylinders when the car is cruising, so its official fuel economy of 42.2mpg is impressive considering its extra power.

It is a pity though that this engine is only available with the automatic gearbox, which seems to almost hold the engine back. You can shift the car into Sport setting and change ‘gear’ with the paddleshifts mounted on the steering wheel to liven things up.

The Mazda 6 was fun to drive even before a host of improvements to the car’s suspension came in 2018, but thanks to those changes the car is one that feels both comfortable and sporty to drive.

Comfort is ensured thanks in part to a quiet cabin. You don’t hear much noise from the engine or tyres – indeed the only surprising noise on the motorway is from the wind over the door mirrors. And the updated suspension also makes a pretty good job of flattening out bumps and potholes in the road.

And the sportiness comes from the car’s agility in corners. You get great confidence when you turn the steering wheel and the car goes exactly where you expect it to. Passengers shouldn’t be squashed up against the windows as you go round corners either as the car doesn’t lean too much.

Parking is a cinch – parking sensors are standard and on the top-spec GT Sport Nav+ (and an option on Sport Nav+ cars) you get a 360-degree view monitor, that gives you a bird’s eye view of the car in the infotainment screen to make parking even more straightforward.