Mazda 6 (2013-2022) Review

If you’re even considering a saloon, then the Mazda 6 should certainly be on your shortlist, and arguably up near the top of it. That’s particularly true if you enjoy driving, thanks to its agile chassis and responsive engines. If you’re looking at a used Mazda 6, there's a good chance you’ve owned Mazdas previously, perhaps graduating from a Mazda 3 hatchback or enjoying a Mazda MX-5. 

If you want more practicality than those, and aren’t interested in the current trend for SUVs as family cars, the Mazda 6 is a fine choice. It’s not able to offer quite the classy interior of the Volkswagen Passat it closely rivals, or the snobbish badge appeal of something like a BMW, Audi or Mercedes-Benz. Indeed, that it’s not one of those oh-so-predictable German cars is part of its appeal, as is a comprehensive specification from the base model upwards.

There are the obvious premium contenders, but the Mazda 6’s most natural rivals are cars like the Volkswagen Passat, Peugeot 508 and Ford Mondeo and Skoda Superb. If looks are your motivation, the underrated Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport should be on your radar, too. 

That said, you could also be considering posh saloons such as the Mercedes C-Class, Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Volvo S60  and Jaguar XE. 

Nobody at Volkswagen or Audi is going to be too worried about the Mazda 6’s interior materials. While it’s pleasant enough inside, it doesn’t reach the lofty status of the German powerhouses. The materials might not match the very best, then, but in the mainstream class they’re more than acceptable, and the interior does feel like it’ll last forever.

Overall, the material quality is good, with any hard surfaced plastics largely out of sight and the reach of your hands. There’s also a neat rear-view frameless mirror.

As standard all Mazda 6s have an AM/FM/DAB radio with a single CD player (remember those?) and MP3 capability which powers a six-speaker system. There’s Bluetooth connectivity for both audio streaming and phone calls. All that was operated by a standard 7.0-inch infotainment screen, later upgraded to an 8.0-inch display from 2018, using the controller between the driver and passenger or the buttons on the steering wheel. 

The 6’s touchscreen lacks the slickness of the best of its newer rivals, but with familiarity it’s fine, while the rotary controller is welcome if, like many, you’re not entirely convinced that a touchscreen is the best solution when driving. A head-up display is fitted to all, too, from 2018 – unusual that such equipment is fitted as standard across an entire model line-up. Prior to this, it was standard on the Sport Nav trim.

All Mazda 6s miss Android Auto and Apple CarPlay for mirroring your smartphone. However, there is an aux-in socket and a pair of USB sockets. Sat nav is standard in all later versions, too, while earlier models with this were flagged up with 'Nav' in the trim title.

From Sport Nav+ upwards you gain a premium stereo, with a BOSE Centrepoint 2 system driving 11 speakers. 

You’ll not find space lacking inside the Mazda 6, with the two front seat passengers having generous room, aided by the slim pillars that give a fine view out. There’s plenty of head and leg room, with a wide range of seat adjustment to make sure even the tallest or broadest front seat occupants are accommodated easily.

The rear offers good legroom, but the Mazda’s rakish roof does impact on headroom, meaning you’ll likely be brushing your head off the headlining if you’re taller than 5ft 10. If you need greater headroom in the rear, the estate will better suit you. 

The rear seat bench, is, like all its rivals, best for two, the middle seat being a flat afterthought that’s best left for occasional use. The two outer seats come with ISOFIX mounts for child seats. Drop the rear armrest and there’s some useful cubby space within, and, usefully, a pair of additional USB plugs. 

Oddment storage throughout is decent, with a useful bin between the front seats, a couple of cupholders and door bins, a glovebox, map pocket on the passenger seat back and a sunglasses holder in the roof. 

Luggage space is good, if not as impressively capacious as rivals like the Volkswagen Passat saloon, but the Mazda 6's 480-litres of space – albeit accessed by a relatively narrow opening – will be enough for most buyers. The rear seats split and fold in a 60/40 fashion, for through loads.

The Mazda 6 is actually a little bit longer than the 6 Tourer at 4870mm, although it's the same width at 1870mm (with the wing mirrors folded in) and a touch shorter at 1450mm. 

Bucking convention, instead of offering smaller, turbocharged petrol and diesel engines Mazda stuck to a bigger capacity and – in the case of its petrol choices – non turbocharged units. 

Mazda dubs its engines Skyactiv-G or -D, with the G for gasoline and D for diesel. The petrol range offers a choice of 2.0-litre four-cylinder engines, with outputs of 145PS and 165PS. Above that there’s a sole 2.5-litre engine, with 195PS. If you were buying new in 2022, you only had the 165PS 2.0-litre petrol engine to choose from.

If you’re used to turbocharged petrol engines of rivals then you might find the Mazda’s petrol engines have a lack of low-rev urgency that’s tiresome, as they need working hard to produce their best performance. Though the nice action of the manual gearbox makes up for this. 

The Skyactiv-D diesels are both 2.2-litres in capacity, with outputs of 150PS and 184PS, but discontinued in 2022. They're all turbocharged and gain more low and mid-range flexibility as a result. 

That makes the Skyactiv-D engines easier to live with, more of the time. The 184PS 2.2-litre turbodiesel is a fine choice, with good performance, it’s able to reach 62mph in 8.5 seconds, and onto a 141mph top speed. The lower powered versions of both the petrol and diesels can be fitted with either six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmissions, with the 2.5-litre petrol only available with the six-speed automatic gearbox.  

The automatic does a decent job of shifting, but it’s not quite as seamless as its rivals.

The Mazda 6 wasn’t particularly lacking in refinement prior to its 2018 revisions, but Mazda's engineers couldn’t help but fiddle, improving it further still, while adding sound deadening and stiffening up areas of its structure. 

The 6’s suppression of wind and road noises is admirable – at least as good as its rivals. Where it’s really different to its competition is in relation to the refinement of the diesel engines, with all the diesels very hushed and free from vibrations.

Commendably, Mazda equipped the 6 with virtually all its safety equipment as standard. All come with dual front, front side, plus front and rear curtain airbags. There’s ABS with Electronic Brake Force Distribution, traction and stability control, Isofix child seat mounts, blind spot monitoring, an active bonnet that pops up to stop pedestrians hitting the hard engine in a collision. 

To that list, you can add from the 206 update traffic sign recognition, rear cross traffic alert, automatic emergency brakes, a tyre pressure monitoring system, hill hold assist, and lane keep assist.

The only safety equipment not available across all models as standard is Driver Attention Alert which warns when you’re getting sleepy behind the wheel and rear smart city brake support – or automatic emergency brakes that work when you're reversing. That was only available on the top line GT Sport Nav+ specification. All 6s from the 2018 revisions feature a head-up display, too, which is unusual to be fitted as standard equipment across an entire range. 

Independently tested by Euro NCAP in 2018, the Mazda 6 still managed a top five star score, that impressive given it was introduced back in 2013.

Mazda came 15th in the latest HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index, with a rating of 89.22%. As a manufacturer, this was a disappointing result as the Mazda CX-5 ranked highly with a score of 93%. Even though the brand didn't score so highly, if the CX-5 is anything to go off, the Mazda 6 should be reliable enough. 

The Mazda 6 range spans insurance groups 21 to 31A, so insurance costs shouldn’t be too expensive.

Regardless of which Mazda 6 you buy as a used car, it will attract an annual road tax levy of £195.

All Mazda 6s come very well specified, with sat-nav, climate control air conditioning, alloy wheels, and DAB.

When it was launched in 2013, the 6 was offered in SE, SE-L, and Sport trims with Nav versions of each that had, you guessed it, sat-nav included. A 2014 update saw the 7.0-inch infotainment screen become standard on all models, while the Sport Nav came with 19-inch alloy wheels and LED headlights.

In 2018, the range changed to offer the SE-L Nav+, SE-L Lux Nav+, Sport Nav+, and GT Sport Nav+. It sounds more confusing that it needed to be, with the SE-L Lux Nav+ providing black leather upholstery, heated and electrically adjustable front seats and a reversing camera.  

Mazda 6 Sport Nav+ looked more distinctive with 19-inch alloy wheels, revised Sport Nav+ styling, keyless entry, an 11-speaker BOSE stereo and LEDs that are adaptive at the front.

Mazda 6 GT Sport Nav+ models get all the kit including a power tilt sunroof, softer Nappa leather upholstery, ventilated front seats, heated outer rear seats and a Safety Pack including a 360 degree View Monitor, LED Adaptive Headlights, Rear Smart City Brake Support and Driver Attention Assist.