Mazda6 Atenza Wagon 2013 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory & delivery charges): $50,960
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): Carpet Floor Mats $169
Crash rating: Five-star ANCAP
Fuel: Diesel
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 5.4
CO2 emissions (g/km): 141
Also consider: Ford Mondeo Wagon (from $33,340 - $48,490); Hyundai i40 Tourer (from $31,990 - $46,590); Peugeot 508 Wagon (from $42,490 - $55,990) Volkswagen Passat Wagon (from $40,990 - $58,490)

It’s not everyday people stop you in the street to compliment you on ‘your’ new car. Sure, we might expect that when driving some of the exotic metal we occasionally have the privilege to sample, but in a Mazda?

It’s a fair indication that the designers have got it right. Especially when you consider the type of people who were paying theMazda6 compliments weren’t exactly those you’d pigeon-hole as ‘car types’.

But got it right the designers have, and not just where appearance is concerned. Under the skin the Mazda6 is equally well though-out, and considering its price tag, a fine example of why you’d be hard-pressed to find any real reason to spend more on a similarly-sized and specified German equivalent.

High praise? Perhaps. But the Mazda6 achieves much from the sum of its parts, so much so that finding any negative comment to balance this review saw this scribe resort to nit-picking.

For starters, there’s the highly evolved SKYACTIV-D (for Diesel) engine. This (129kW/420Nm) 2.2-litre unit encompasses Mazda’s full suite of SKYACTIV environmentally-focussed technologies, which also extend to the vehicle’s chassis, transmission and electronics.

The turbo-diesel engine is powerful, lag-free, and impressively economical, especially from a unit that was barely run-in. It pulls cleanly from idle with considerable strength in its middle reaches, and unlike some turbo-diesels, is not afraid to rev, and loses little in the way of impetus as the revs pile on.

Our top-spec Atenza had no trouble matching the manufacturer’s zero to 100km/h time of 8.4 seconds, and proved even better when it came to fuel economy. On an extended highway run, we managed to screw the Mazda6’s fuel economy average down to 3.9L/100km (the official figure is 4.8), according to the trip computer, while around town the figure hovered at 6.7L/100km, just 200ml higher than the ADR81/02 urban cycle.

These savings came partly from an economic driving style, sure, but we weren’t hypermiling by any stretch. Mazda’s i-STOP idle stop-start system played its role in keeping consumption to a minimum, and, as far as these systems go, is one of the better available. It’s predictable in choosing when to stop (dictated largely by the pressure you place on the brake pedal when at rest), and re-fires quickly from the get-go. And let’s not forget Mazda’s energy-saving i-ELOOP capacitor, continually recovering energy to power ancilliary devices.

During roll-on acceleration the Mazda6 Diesel is suitably brisk, accelerating cleanly and predictably. The smooth transmission is decisive and ‘kicks down’ appropriately thanks to clever calibration and an in-built kick-down switch in the throttle pedal.

Steering feel is tactile and the weight, although slightly heavy, is acceptable for the application. We did on two occasions note a slow reaction to rapid changes in direction when (reverse parallel) parking, though this seems to be a character flaw of electrically-assisted steering systems in general, and not Mazda per se.

The car’s ride/handling compromise is a credit to its engineers and gave us little cause for criticism, except perhaps that the larger 19x7.5-inch alloys were somewhat noisy on coarse chip and concrete road surfaces. The car points accurately through bends and its body control is exceptional; in fact it’s so well composed that it is very hard to believe the Mazda6 wagon is a front-wheel drive in all but the most challenging of circumstances.

The Mazad6’s cabin felt spacious, for the most part, with adequate passenger accommodation and appropriate levels of headroom, despite the panoramic sunroof. The seats were comfy and offered apposite support; though the position of the ventilation outlets up front (they’re set too low in the centre stack to be thoroughly effective) was below par in what was otherwise an excellent driving position.

The controls and operation of all systems were otherwise concise and functional of operation. The HVAC system was fuss-free in its maintenance of cabin temperature, the BOSE audio system quite good, and the instrument panel was legible, despite the speedometer offering what we feel was too many increments spaced too closely together. Why the speedo needs to go to 260km/h, or be centred at 130km/h is beyond us. Oh, and the sat nav system was a little sparse in its layout, the screen perhaps too small for the amount of information required.

There were also a few controls, such as those for the added electronic safety feautres, idle stop-start and ignition whose view was obstructed by the steering wheel. We also noted the cargo compartment to be disappointing overall, the shallow floor bringing the Mazda6’s capacity to 451 litres, 68 fewer than the out-going model; a bit of a contrast when you consider how practical oddment storage is elsewhere throughout the cabin.

Like I said, it’s nit-picking for the most part, but the Mazda6 is an otherwise competent and composed family wagon with a lot of kit for your coin. Exhibiting head-turning looks and conservative fuel consumption there’s little not to like, especially if you’re the type that likes being paid the odd compliment.