Mazda of open road!
The family saloon is a joy to drive and it now has even more oomph MAZDA6
I’VE always had a soft spot for the Mazda6 – or, more accurately, its forerunner the 626. Many years ago, when my own car was a Fiat 131 Mirafiori held together with string and so untidy my friends called it the Ashtray On Wheels, I needed to drive to Galway and wasn’t sure it actually would make it.
Instead, I hired a Mazda 626, the forerunner to this car, and loved the power on offer. Indeed, and I’m not proud of this, there was so little chance of being stopped for speeding early on a Sunday morning in the late Eighties, I actually clocked my fastest time ever between Galway and Dublin on the return trip, faster even than I’ve done since then on the motorway.
Unburdening myself of this misdemeanour is better than going to Confession.
A year or so later, a friend borrowed his father’s 626 and we drove around Normandy for a week, and what impressed me this time, as a passenger, was the comfort; Mazda always seemed to be a cut above the rest.
Fast forward to 2002, and the 626 was rebranded as the Mazda6, and while it initially was a handsome car, it wasn’t until 2012 we got an idea of how it eventually would soar. At that year’s Geneva Motor Show, the Takeri concept car laid down the bones of the new Mazda6 and it was a stunner, a sleek, gleaming piece of sculpture that was my favourite car of the show.
By the time it came to production, not much actually had changed, and as far as family saloons go, the Mazda6 remains the head turner it has been since day one, only now with even more oomph.
The external look has been tidied and looks even more sophisticated; one friend actually mistook the car at a distance for a Mercedes. There’s a new front grille design with a deeper and denser mesh that gives a more amplified 3D effect, new headlights and LED indicators, fog lamps integrated with the headlamps, a new design for the boot lid, a wider positioning of the twin exhausts, and new designs for both 17-inch and 19-inch wheels.
My own favourite Mazda colour, Soul Red, has been replaced with Soul Red Crystal, which I raved about recently in the CX-3. It has extraordinary depth and reflectivity, and on a sunny day very probably is the best colour of any car on the road.
The Mazda6 also looks good in silver, but less so in the white version I drove. I hate white cars, mostly because they seldom allow light and shade pick out the sill lines or wheel arches, and have the overall effect of flattening the design to anonymity.
Inside, the car is a dream, especially in the Platinum+ spec I drove. The dark brown Nappa leather seats are exceptionally comfortable, and while that sometimes means the car ends up looking foreboding, the addition of the sunroof certainly keeps it all bright and jolly, except on a day like yesterday.
The car’s rigidity has been strengthened to allow for better ride and handling, and if I had a complaint, it’s that it errs maybe a little on the soft side in the suspension department. For steering feedback and accuracy, though, it’s up there with the very best. As for the engine, well, that reliable 2.2-litre SYYACTIV diesel is as reliable as ever, and quiet with it.
On the open road, you have very little to do. I mostly left the active cruise control engaged and just let the car do all the work, slowing down behind the vehicle in front and taking off again when the way was clear. That’s part of the i-ACTIVESENSE technology suite that includes blind spot warning, city smart braking, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition, high-beam control, lane-keep assist, driver attention alert, and smart city brake for reversing. It is no surprise the car achieved the maximum five-star safety rating from EuroNCAP.
My test car came with a Bose stereo system with 11 speakers, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 19-inch alloys, keyless entry, a whopping four USB ports (two in front and two in back), aux-in, Bluetooth, eight-inch infotainment display and lots of other goodies.
Fuel economy, at 5.1 litres per 100km, is excellent, and annual motor tax is €280.
The big selling point for this Mazda6, for my money anyway, is the enhanced premium feel. Yes, it drives really well, but you want to be comfortable when you drive too, and what’s on offer here is probably the best cabin outside the upmarket German offerings. I’d happily drive it to Galway and back every day – but within the speed limit this time.