If you Google the current reviews of the 2010 Mazda 6 and read them you’ll most likely get an impression of the car that would include bullet points such as:
- Roomy
- Sporty
- airy
- Stylish
- Elegant
- and of course roomy
I won’t disagree but to that list I would add one more word….boring.
More on that “B” word in just a bit
In 2009 Mazda updated the look and size of the car to be more competitive with the likes of the class leading Honda Accord.
And to their credit Mazda engineers designed one of the roomiest and most quietly elegant sedans on the market. Not only has the Mazda 6 gone from being a wallflower to a real looker in an Uma Thurman sort of “Kill Bill” way, but the car also retains that “Zoom Zoom” suspension and handling that was so prominently displayed on my car’s licence plate surround.
I was also amazed at just how much room the new Mazda 6 has in the cabin while serving as the designated driver for a rowdy bunch of friends. We easily sat five people in the car, and as the long night wore on I even ferried a 6th person home on brief yet rowdy drive. And yes there there were actually 4 people in the back seat.
The good news: they certainly didn’t seem to mind the very crowded short drive.
The bad news: they probably wouldn’t have cared if I had been driving a Mini.
BTW: I was happy to server out my designated driver roll knowing full well that next time it would be somebody else’s turn to chauffeur, plus as the driver I still had the most room, albeit the least amount of drunk flesh on my lap.
Like I was saying…the Mazda 6 has tons of room.
On the other hand it doesn’t have tons of power. My tester came with the popular 2.5L DOHC four banger which produces 170 HP and almost the same amount of torque.
I would rate the engine as just adequate for the car. If you happen to live in the Mountains, like I do, it will just barely make do. I’d certainly go for the larger V6 if you plan on doing any long term mountain driving or even towing.
Click HERE to watch a video to see what happens at 10,000 feet above sea level to a four door normally aspirated passenger sedan as I test the Mazda’s acceleration up Vail Pass in Colorado.
As always, my tester came loaded with every possible option including the technology package that includes navigation, Xenon headlights, satellite radio and all of the rest of the stuff that you’d probably want.
What you probably may not want is the loaded car’s $30,665 sticker price. Which, while not crazy expensive, is getting pretty steep for a car with only 170 HP.
On the plus side you do get fairly respectable combined mileage number of 24 mpg. I spent a lot of my time on the highway so I averaged a bit more at 25.1 mpg for the week I drove the Mazda
Now for that the big “B” elephant in the room.
While the Mazda may be one of the sportiest car’s in it’s class…that like saying that Mrs. Smith (BTW: not her real name) is the hottest 50-year-old math teacher at my son’s elementary school.
Let’s face it, people don’t buy cars like the Honda accord or the Ford Fusion, or even the Mazda 6 because they want to run hot laps at the local track after taking their parents to church on a Sunday afternoon.
All of these cars are first and foremost about solid, comfortable and dependable transportation. To that end the Mazda 6 is no different.
But don’t except to be wowed by the car’s zoom zoom handling and performance. It’s certainly a not Porsche Panamera on the weekend (not even close). Yes it turns and brakes and handles a bit sharper than a Accord or Fusion, but Mazda has not bottled the pure joy of driving in the Mazda 6.
If you want that you may have to step up (price wise at least) to an RX-8 or down to an MX-5.
Mazda has built a more elegant mainstream car that now more directly competes with the Accord and ticks all of the boxes that car shoppers want and need in this highly competitive and crowded sedan segment.
After a week of driving the car, on the TFLcar recommendation scale of
– Buy it
– Lease it
– Rent it or
– Forget it
I give the Mazda 6 a
Roman Mica is a columnist, journalist, and author, who spent his early years driving fast on the German autobahn. When he’s not reviewing cars for the active set, you can find him training for triathlons and writing about endurance sports for, EverymanTri.com.
Follow on twitter @TFLcar or watch latest car
review videos on YouTube.
