The Crittenden Automotive Library

Make Mine A Mazda

Topics: Mazda6

Make Mine A Mazda

Geoff Maxted
DriveWrite
October 11, 2013

This is the Mazda 6 Tourer 165PS Sports Nav; a rather clumsy name for a very versatile and sporting family car. The standard version costs £24,995 and the one in my images costs £530 more, thanks to the pearlescent paint, which is very striking despite not being enhanced by the dull weather.

Long gone are the days when Mazda could be considered the second-class choice. The fit and finish on this 6 is first class. Inside it is nice and leathery with a very comfortable driver’s seat offering loads of adjustment and posterior heating. Keyless entry obviously; a reversing camera, a quality Bose surround system with no less than eleven speakers and TomTom technology all add up to a very well featured car. Even the passenger seat has four-way adjustability. Outside there’s 19” alloys, LED running lights and Bi-Xenon lamps with an adaptive lighting system. A badge on the back proclaims the Mazda6's "Skyactiv" technology. Skyactiv is Mazda's umbrella term for a number of technologies that help with performance and economy.

Under the bonnet lives a straightforward two litre, four cylinder DOC petrol engine pushing out, as the name suggests, 165PS along with 210Nm of torque and a modest 136g/km of the nasty stuff. In the very capacious boot (extendable by lowering the rear seats as usual) Mazda have supplied a ‘space-saver’ spare wheel. Personally I like a full size spare but it’s still way better than those wretched kits.

So what’s it like to drive? Surprisingly good. As a perfectly happy Mazda owner in the past I was looking forward to this car and it is great to report that I really enjoyed the drive. The Mazda 6 Tourer is not hugely fast obviously, but it can certainly crack on when required. It doesn’t feel fast either but 62mph comes up in a brisk 9.1 seconds. That’s plenty for safe and secure motoring and, in any event, that figure belies the snappy in-gear overtaking performance. On the road the car feels planted and settled with a good combination of ride and handling so any long trips will be dealt with without arriving feeling like a wet rag.

The Mazda6 Tourer is what most families need - a stylish family car with some innovative technology to help with fuel consumption while still maintaining a good standard of driving dynamics. Smart and roomy, yet easy to park; quick yet dependable. As mentioned I have previously owned a Mazda 3 that went everywhere reliably and without complaint. This new car is a real step up and I don’t have any hesitation in recommending it.