COTY 2016 Best Family Car Over $30K: Mazda6
Mid-size Mazda voted the best $30,000-plus family car by 2016 carsales.com.au Car of the Year judgesMazda 6
Best Family Car Over $30K
An older design than most in the Car of the Year contest for 2016, the Mazda6 is a credible entrant boasting a solid combination of style, equipment, refinement and driveability.
Priced between $32,000 and just below $50,000, Mazda's biggest passenger model is well equipped, with the flagship Atenza variant delivering the sort of driver-assist safety technology normally associated with higher-priced prestige models. But all variants come with basic autonomous emergency braking.
The Mazda6 is roomy – although the shorter wagon gives away some rear-seat legroom to the sedan – and the driving position is a rational layout providing a wide range of adjustment and sensible control placement and operation.
Innovation is not in the same ballpark as the large Hadron Collider, but the naturally-aspirated petrol four-cylinder brings unexpectedly good fuel economy, performance and refinement, when every other car company in the world is downsizing and moving to forced induction. And G-Vectoring Control introduced with the latest update for the Mazda6 enhances the car's cornering, which is already near the top of the class.
What let down the admirable Mazda in this company were the shorter service intervals – affecting the total cost of operation – and a level of tyre noise on coarse-chip back roads.
But the Mazda6 is unrivalled in its segment when it comes to delivering great family accommodation and impressive high-tech features at an affordable price, which is why we've named it our best family car above $30,000 once again in 2016.
The carsales.com.au Car of the Year winners are:
2016 carsales.com.au Car of the Year category winners:
Best First Car: Skoda Fabia
Best City Car: Audi A3 Sportback e-tron
Best Family Car Under $30K: Skoda Octavia
Best Family Car Over $30K: Mazda6
Best Green Car: BMW i3 ReX
Best Offroad 4x4: Ford Ranger
Best Performance Car Under $100K: Ford Focus RS
Best Performance Car Over $100K: Porsche 911 Carrera S
Best Prestige Car Under $100K: Audi A4
Best Prestige Car Over $100K: Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Best SUV Under $50K: Mazda CX-9
Best SUV Over $50K: Audi Q7
Best Tradie vehicle: Ford Ranger
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