Mazda6 Review (2013-2022)
Mazda Mazda6 cars for sale
4.0
Expert review
Pros
Enjoyable to drive
One of the most reliable big family cars
Lots of standard equipment
Cons
Not as roomy as the likes of the Skoda Superb
Petrol engines need a lot of revs
No plug-in hybrid
The CarGurus verdict
The Mazda6 is a seriously good family car. It’s spacious, affordable, well equipped, safe, and hardy. It even looks good and it’s great to drive. It is hard to recommend new, because fresher rivals such as the Skoda Superb offer more space, a more practical hatchback boot, and a broader, more efficient range of engines. If you can find a good finance deal then don’t discount it, but be sure that you’re getting good enough value to justify the shortfalls.
It’s much easier to recommend as a used buy. The big initial hit of depreciation means there are some fantastic deals on second-hand examples, which promise to be reliable, effortless, and likeable for less than you’ll pay for most of the obvious alternatives.
What is the Make Model?
This third generation of the Mazda6 went on sale in 2013 and is notable for using the manufacturer’s own platform and engines – a departure from the first two generations, which were based on the Ford Mondeo. It’s brilliant to drive, because it borrows some of the characteristics from the company’s best-selling MX-5 sports car, which means it’s a lot more fun behind the wheel than your average saloon or estate.
It's also a very worthwhile used buy, because the increasingly unpopular large family saloon and estate markets (people just prefer SUVs these days) suffer from steep depreciation.
In January 2023, Mazda announced it would no longer sell the Mazda6 in the UK, due to the declining popularity of saloon cars.
How practical is it?
Both the saloon and the Tourer (estate) are also spacious enough for four tall adults to be comfortable even on a long journey. That said, the Skoda Superb and the Volkswagen Passat offer even more rear legroom.
The saloon’s 480-litre boot is deep and wide enough to take a couple of large suitcases, but the narrow opening is less than ideal if you’ve got a chunky buggy or other bulky items, despite the standard 60/40 split folding rear seats. This is something that rivals such as the Ford Mondeo and the Skoda Superb – both hatchbacks – did away with long ago, even if smaller executive cars such as the BMW 3 Series have kept the four-door layout.
The Tourer is obviously a far better option if practicality is a priority. The long, 522-litre estate boot will be fit for most outdoor sports gear, big dogs or otherwise, especially because the rear seats fold flat at the pull of a lever just inside the tailgate. However, if you want the biggest boot from a similarly aged estate, then look to the Skoda Superb Estate, which has a vast 660-litre capacity.
What's it like to drive?
The Mazda6 was launched with a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine with 143bhp or 163bhp, or a 2.2-litre turbodiesel with either 148bhp or 173bhp. The lower-powered diesel is more than gutsy enough, and it’s our pick of the engine range if you’re after an efficient used family car. It’s also ULEZ exempt, so it avoids an additional charge if you drive into central London. Its sharp handling and crisp steering mean it’s brilliant out of town, too, and much more fun than your average saloon or estate.
The Mazda6 is only available as a front-wheel drive car, now with the option of that 143bhp 2.0-litre Skyactiv-G petrol or 148bhp 2.2-litre Skyactiv-D diesel, or there’s a low powered version of the petrol engine offered with an automatic gearbox.
Rivals such as the Superb, the Passat and countless family SUVs, such as the Nissan Qashqai and the Ford Kuga, offer a much wider range of petrol and diesel engines, along with automatic gearboxes, four-wheel drive and plug-in hybrid versions also, so the Mazda6 range looks dated and limited in today’s market, even if the real-world economy of these bigger engines is closer than you might expect to the smaller, turbocharged units typically used in the Mazda’s rivals.
Technology, equipment & infotainment
Equipment levels are generous, and even the original entry-level SE-L trim got Bluetooth, USB charger, alloy wheels, parking sensors and cruise control. You’ll need one of the higher trims in the early cars if you want satnav, and various other extras, such heated seats. Top-spec Sport Nav even got a head-up display, traffic sign recognition, and a heated steering wheel.
We’d recommend going for a 2016 model or later, if you can, because the seven-inch touchscreen system became standard across the range in 2015, and was then improved further in 2016, with an easy-to-use rotary controller and more functions (the engines also received emissions and refinement improvements at this time).
From 2019, the screen was improved again, and is now eight inches as standard. It’s a very easy system to use – far more so than that of many rivals – but the graphics are grainy and there’s no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
Mazda6 running costs
You’ll see around 50mpg in real-world driving from the manual diesel models, and even the 2.0-litre petrol will do some 40mpg, although going for an automatic gearbox (no longer offered with the diesel engine) means the economy will take a hit.
New, the Mazda is similarly priced to the Skoda Superb, but it loses value very quickly, especially compared to SUV alternatives including the Nissan Qashqai, and even Mazda’s own CX-5. That makes it a great used car bargain, though.
Insurance and servicing will be reasonable by big car standards, and the Mazda has a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty from new – very much the industry standard. If that’s a priority, the likes of Kia and Hyundai have much longer new car warranties.
Mazda6 reliability
Mazda generally has a good reputation for reliability, although it came 16th out of 31 manufacturers in What Car’s 2024 reliability survey, which was pretty much bang-on middle of the pack.
DPF issues on the diesel are a weak point, so be wary of low mileage cars. If they haven’t been run at motorway speeds regularly, then the diesel particulate filter can clog up, causing the oil level to rise, which can then cause significant damage to the engine. Otherwise, the Mazda6 promises to be one of the most reliable big family cars you can buy.
- The 2015 facelift brought some tweaks to the suspension, which improved the slightly firm ride – another reason we recommend going for a post-facelift car if you can. Sport Nav trim also comes with a slightly firmer suspension as well as 19-inch alloys, so this is the only trim in the Mazda6 range that you should avoid if you want comfort over all else. A further facelift in 2018 brought tweaked styling and a new 2.5-litre, 191bhp petrol engine with cylinder deactivation and a six-speed automatic gearbox as standard, but it was only on sale for a year.
- All Mazda6 models from launch got autonomous emergency braking, which means that the car will brake for you if it senses an imminent collision when you’re driving at relatively low speeds. Since 2019, every model has also featured lane-keep assist, standard adaptive cruise control with a stop-and-go feature for semi-autonomous driving in sluggish traffic, a blind spot warning, rear-cross traffic alert (which tells you when there’s a car approaching when you’re reversing out of a space) and automatic high-beam lights. It’s one of the best-equipped cars in the class when it comes to safety equipment, and that’s before you get to the comfort and luxury-orientated features.
- If you are buying a new Mazda6, finance deals are a good way to go, because franchised dealers offer competitive packages, even with a low deposit. Diesel Tourers tend to be a bit more expensive, but no more so than what you’ll pay for a similarly equipped diesel Volkswagen Golf hatchback, and you’re getting a lot more space and equipment for the money.
- If you’re looking for a cheap used family car and you do high mileage, then an early Mazda6 2.2 diesel SE-L is the best bet. You’ll pay less for the saloon than the estate, but the more practical Tourer is worth a little extra cash.
- If you like the Mazda’s roominess and affordability and want a bit of verve from the handling and the styling, the Sport Nav or GT Sport Nav trims are for you. They include sports suspension and 19-inch alloys, which work beautifully with the well-balanced chassis and light but fluid steering. Sport Nav also includes keyless entry, an 11-speaker Bose sound system, and LED headlights. We’d suggest the diesel rather than the petrol; although the 2.2 turbodiesel has a slightly slower 0-62mph time of 10 seconds compared to the 2.0 petrol’s 9.9 seconds, the greater amount of torque makes the diesel much more responsive. If you’re buying used, then the 2.5-litre Sport Nav GT model that was on sale briefly from 2018 is the sportiest Mazda6 of this generation.
- Company car drivers will pay less in benefit-in-kind on the 2.0 Skyactiv-G petrol model, because it falls into a lower tax bracket than the diesel and it’s cheaper to buy. We’d add that there are far better, and cheaper, company car options in the class, notably the excellent Skoda Superb iV and Volkswagen Passat GTE plug-in hybrids, the tax bills for which are considerably lower than any of the Mazda’s.
- If there’s a chance that you’ll tow with the Mazda, then the diesel is the only way to go. It’s capable of pulling up to 1,600kg (maximum braked trailer weight), which is a good deal less than SUV alternatives, such as the Hyundai Tucson or the Volkswagen Tiguan, but is more than enough for a light caravan or a trailer. The petrol only manages 1,300kg, which is less than smaller hatchback alternatives such as the Volkswagen Golf. You have to go for the Tourer, too, because the saloon isn’t offered with a tow bar.
