Mazda6 GT 2013 Review

Price: $44,520 (MRLP)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 138kW / 250Nm

The Mazda6 brings sharp and nimble handling to the fore and is surpassed only by the grippy Mondeo. While the Mazda6’s dynamics were balanced, confident and connected, it didn’t quite have the handling maturity we experienced in the Ford.

The Mazda came close to the top-performing Malibu for its straight-line braking ability. And it surfaced as best-on-test for roll-on acceleration, seeing its 2.4-litre engine well equipped for confident highway passing.

Hard on the pedal, the Mazda6’s six-speed transmission was fast to shift gear, always maintaining an appropriate level of revs with more in the waiting.

On our demanding test circuit, the Mazda6’s stability control was ever-present, although never intrusive. Throttle response levels remained constant throughout – something we could not say for the Camry’s – while the Mazda also let loose the sweetest of engine notes.

The Mazda delivered the sportiest demeanour on test and was mere points from being victorious in our dynamics testing.

Rear passengers were treated to their own air-conditioning ventilation outlets and there’s also satnav, a reversing camera, partial leather trim and voice recognition. Metallic paint is a no-cost option.

The Mazda6 gained more points with its warranty (three years/unlimited kilometres) but, substantially, lost out with its lack of capped-price servicing. At six months/10,000km, its service interval lags behind, tying the Accord for last spot. Roadside assist is available, but at a cost of $68.10 per year.

Reflecting Mazda’s reputation, RedBook.com.au ranks the Mazda6 first in resale. The median private sale price of a 2010 Madza6 Luxury is $24,600, a retained value of 60.14 per cent against its 2010 price of $40,905.

SUITABLE INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY
For the most part, human/machine interface in the Mazda6 was fairly easy to comprehend. The text on the switches is smaller than that on the Accord or the Camry but is still clearly legible.

The overall look is at once simpler and a touch more elegant than the systems offered in both the Honda and Toyota, and it's not stuck with the Mondeo in a design time warp. That said, the graphics were not as crisp as those on the Malibu’s audio head unit. This is not about the overall style and presentation of the cabin, just the ergonomics of the switchgear and infotainment operation.

Destinations could be entered in the satnav system by a single-point controller, but the screen displayed a standard QWERTY keyboard – not the fastest way to enter data if you're using a dial to rotate and push to select each letter. Nor was Mazda6's touch screen well positioned or configured for fast and easy digital data entry.

While pairing the smartphone in the Mazda6 presented no problem at all, it did seem to run out of 'bandwidth' on a couple of occasions, while streaming music. It effectively paused the music for the driver to manually resume.

As was the case with the Malibu, the Mazda6's engine-start button has integrated LED lighting, but the Mazda6 differs from the Malibu in that it makes do with just the one light, which shines green (with brake pedal pressed) or amber, to indicate whether it's on stand-by or operational respectively.

A minor quibble with the Mazda6 was its lack of separate lock/unlock button for the doors.

The Mazda6 had no problems providing front and rear passengers with plenty of space on nicely-shaped, well-bolstered leather seats utilising full power adjustment (including lumbar and cushion tilt) on the driver’s side. Typically, the front passenger’s seat lacked the full range of power operation.

Rear-seat legroom was noticeably less than the Accord or the Camry, but the amount of foot room under the front seats was generous.

The Mazda6 and Mondeo are the only cars in this company to be offered in wagon body style. While the Mazda6 managed to rate as a front-runner dynamically, in wagon form it offers better overall versatility than any sedan or hatchback.

The clever rear parcel cover, in which the whole assembly lifts up and out of the way when the tailgate opens, is one of those thoughtful touches designed to endear a prospective buyer’s heart. Consistent with the thoughtful design, a roll-up cargo barrier was also part of the deal.

The Mazda6’s ‘iDrive’-style control for functions such as navigation, Bluetooth phone and audio, along with supplementary controls on the steering wheel spokes, proved easy to live with.

FIT, FINISH AND FINESSE
The Mazda6 proved nothing if not consistent. No matter where we looked, it was well presented and appeared to be assembled to a very high standard. That said, it was pipped on points in this section of testing by the Accord.

Material use was of a higher quality than most here, as was paint finish, panel gaps and the tactility of controls and ergonomic touch points.

The door cards offered a mixture of materials that was pleasing both to the eye and the hand, while the dashboard, console and instrument panel had a symmetrical aesthetic and level of interface coherence more closely resembling European cars.

If we had any complaints internally, it’s that the audio head-unit looked decidedly aftermarket and oddment storage was tight.

The speedometer and tachometer also could have been slightly larger.

The Mazda6 offered a solid ‘thunk’ to its doors and there were no rattles to speak of. Road noise was minimal, barring moderate tyre hum on coarse chip surfaces (see breakout box).

Under the bonnet, the Mazda6 lost a couple of points for some exposed plumbing and the use of a support ‘stick’ in lieu of gas struts to hold to hood up.

It was, however, nice to see that all of the insulation matting and engine oil was in its place (we’re looking at you Mondeo and Malibu).motoring.com.au's Medium car comparison