Mazda6 Atenza 2017 Review

The perks of modern motoring are showcased in the Mazda6, a top-spec, technology-heavy entry into the large sedan class. Sophisticated design and a particularly spacious and comfortable interior make the four-door sedan feel luxurious. Surprisingly minimal clatter for a diesel engine, impressive safety features, helpful automated systems and a great sound system are some of the perks, but a clunky idle-stop and some strange design over-sights prevent it from reaching its full potential. Nevertheless, it’s a great option for those who appreciate old-school elegance with modern comforts.

“Cars really have come such a long way,” my astute father remarked upon getting into the Mazda 6 I was driving for the week. Suddenly, the family’s Kia Sportage, purchased a mere three years ago, was looking terribly dated.

This unassuming sedan looks like a classic, but is so chock-full of modern technology it’s like a Driving for Dummies manual. After seeing this elegant car for the first time, I quickly nicknamed it ‘the elder statesman’. It looks like the kind of car your friend’s wealthy, esteemed grandparents would drive.

Inside, the top-spec Atenza I drove had luscious cream leather seats, giving it the best new-car smell ever (real leather!). Passengers made several comments about the luxuriousness of the back seats, which offer plenty of legroom, although not much head clearance for taller passengers. The deep boot was a Godsend, particularly during my trip down the Great Ocean Road with luggage, bedding, food and various miscellaneous weekender items.

The car is a front-wheel drive and has a diesel engine, which may come as a surprise given how quiet it is on the roads, although you can still feel the occasional rumble when accelerating. It’s a smooth ride, aided by its use of torque vectoring technology, a complicated extension of the stability control program that improves stability and handling prowess. The Mazda certainly handled corners well, but I found the brakes less responsive than I would have liked.

The Mazda 6 comes with an idle-stop system – something I have a serious love-hate relationship with. Some of them are great and barely perceptible (like the Audi I’m currently driving – stay tuned for more on that) but others are so clunky and unreliable I find they’re not worth the decreased fuel consumption. Perhaps the cars can sense my disdain because I’ve had a couple of horror experiences with them. My first-ever car review – a Ford Mondeo – saw the idle-stop function turn the car off completely, leaving me in the path of oncoming traffic with no power steering…

I don’t know if it’s just me but I had another idle-stop scare like this on my last day with the Mazda, although it paled in comparison to my Mondeo moment. After stopping at a red light I took my foot off the brake, placed it onto the accelerator and had to wait an excruciating five seconds for the car to start again. This disconcerting feeling saw me turn it off for the rest of the day.

On a more positive note, the car pretty much nails the rest of its top-spec features. It’s so in-sync with the driving experience it can get a little controlling. The front and rear parking sensors were so loud and over-zealous I actually switched them off. I didn’t really need them anyway because the reverse camera was excellent.

Blind-spot monitoring lets you know if your attempt to change lanes might be foiled by a pesky Nissan Micra hiding out of your eye-line by blinking an orange symbol on the side mirrors. The car even tells you it’s “time to take a break” when you’ve been driving for too long. God forbid one of your passengers fails to fasten their seatbelt within two seconds of getting in – you’ll be sure to know about it.

A couple of times I caught myself shouting “I KNOW!” at the car when it stated the bleeding obvious – like a semi-trailer on my right-hand side – but I can imagine for less stubborn drivers this would have been an asset.

The cruise control is adaptive, which by my very nature I do not trust (blame idle-stop), but I must admit it did work well. I was impressed the car even knew when to slow down for temporary speed limits around road works. Smart car.

Other handy road-trip aids included the sat-nav, which displays on both the main screen and the heads-up display and is impressively accurate. My only problem was that I didn’t want the sat-nav lady to speak over my music but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to shut her up and, as far as I could see, there was no sat-nav chapter in the manual. Keep in mind I’m under the age of 30 and thus not good at reading manuals – or maps, for that matter.

Speaking of music, the Mazda 6 is a great car for music lovers thanks to its in-built BOSE speakers. Hot tip from my switched-on editor: if you’re streaming music from your phone, skip the Bluetooth connection and use a USB cord to get the best sound quality. The car also has DAB+ radio and you can program a selection of “favourite” channels or scroll according to genre.

Additionally, there’s auto climate control that absolutely blasts you on hot days, as well as auto headlights and auto wipers.

I found the lack of a rear wiper frustrating given the sheer expanse of the back window. The thinking was clearly: ‘Who needs rear windshield visibility when you have a cinema-quality reverse camera?’ Answer: I do. I’m old-fashioned like that, despite my inability to read maps.

The car’s central locking is also satisfyingly old school (a chunky switch), although I came to really appreciate the keyless entry function, as well as the fact that when you locked the car the mirrors automatically folded in to protect themselves against rogue operators in over-crowded supermarket car parks (a real occupational hazard).

As for fuel consumption, the trip computer told me my big week of road tripping and suburban driving was using around 6.2L/100km – very impressive.

I was surprised to see the Mazda 6 was actually a little more expensive than some of its competitors but I guess given it has enough tech to rival the new iPhone that makes sense.

Would I buy it? No, because I’m 24 and going for a slightly different vibe to the one the ‘elder statesman’ is giving off.

But would I recommend it to my friend’s affluent, discerning grandparents? You betcha!

2017 Mazda 6 Atenza pricing and specifications:
Price: $48,240 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 129kW/420Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 141g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star (ANCAP)

Also consider:
>> Honda Accord V6 L (from $52,590 plus ORCs)
>> Skoda Octavia 135TDI RS (from $41,290 plus ORCs)
>> Volkswagen Passat 132TSI Comfort (from $41,490 plus ORCs)