2021 Mazda 6 is a six — out of 10
2021 Mazda 6 Carbon Edition: Mazda keeps doing Mazda.
Price: $34,245 as tested. Cargo mat, $100; SD card, $400.
Conventional wisdom: Car and Driver magazine lauds that the Mazda 6 is “classier than its rivals, great handling, quiet cabin” but complains “turbo engine lacks charisma, missing an eco-friendly model, top options reserved for priciest trim levels.”
Marketer’s pitch: “Everything you want, and more.”
Reality: So I actually want more than ... everything I want and more. Way to make me feel bad, Mazda.
Catching up: Last week, we tested the new Kia K5; next week, it’s the surprise bargain of the three, the Volkswagen Passat.
What’s new: The Carbon Edition adds some pretty stuff to the Mazda 6. Otherwise, it seems like ... itself. The Mazda 6 last received a redesign in 2014. Hey, if it works for Toyota ...
What’s not new: Allwheel drive is still unavailable on the Mazda 6, a glaring oversight.
Up to speed: The turbo adds some oomph to the Mazda 6, which definitely needed it. The Skyactiv-G 2.5 Turbo engine puts out 250 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque when fed right.
This all means the turbo takes the 6 from zero to 60 in 6.4 seconds; the other engine pulled the 6 from zero to 60 in 7.9 seconds in my test of a 2017 model.
Unfortunately, because of the front-wheel drive, or the tires, or both, the power comes on without stability. The tires chirp, the front end lists; it’s not a pretty acceleration test.
Shifty: The shiftable sixspeed automatic transmission
performs fairly well in automatic mode. Shifting the lever also feels nice and fixes the tendency of sport mode to stay in low gears far too long. Steering wheel paddles also provide another option for changing gears.
On the road: I think I remain in the minority among automotive writers — though as someone who didn’t love, love, loooooove the new Corvette, I’m used to that location — but Mazdas don’t fill me full of excitement anymore.
And the Mazda 6 is right there with the rest. It can zoom on the curves, but it feels quite … American doing so. I feel the outside rear corner rise up mightily when performing any feats of fun cornering.
The ride is also fairly stiff as well, so it’s a bit of the worst of both worlds.
Driver’s Seat: Speaking of stiff, Mazda’s seats tend to feel just a little more firm than I’m comfortable with. Just a touch — otherwise, the ride was not bad, although rough roads are not
smoothed out any.
It’s still a pretty cockpit, though.
Friends and stuff: Rearseat passengers will find themselves a little crowded. Long-legged Sturgis Kid 4.0 spent half an hour back there and dubbed it “interesting,” with a comfortable seat but tight headroom. He could make enough legroom but only by squeezing the Lovely Mrs. Passenger Seat in tight. Still, he described the sensation as feeling like he was in front, so at least the car’s handling transmitted better than in most rear seats.
Mr. Driver’s Seat, however, found the rear seat as compact as the K5, with snug headroom, legroom and footroom. The middle seat occupant faces a tall hump. But the seat is comfortable for all.
Cargo space is 14.7 cubic feet, not bad for a midsize sedan.
Play some tunes: Mazda keeps on with its BMW-emulating infotainment system. A console-mounted dial controls most of the functions and buttons get you to a few main screens. It’s fairly intuitive to operate and doesn’t require too much with regard to eyes on the screen. The dial also provides much more precise control than touchpads I have encountered, whose creators seem to think “approximate” is an acceptable standard.
Sound from the Bose 11speaker premium audio system is only OK, about a B plus. It provides some clarity and rich sound but just not the kind of note-for-note reproduction that I can get out of earbuds. Bass and treble controls don’t allow for much adjustment.
Keeping warm and cool: Dials control the temperature and buttons handle everything else, with a small display showing you what’s going on.
Night shift: The lights sit really low, and it can be awfully hard to see. High beams are required a lot of times. The interior lights are far too bright to be useful when the car is in motion.
Fuel economy: I averaged a low 23 mpg in a week of not much traveling. Feed the turbo the best for best results.
Where it’s built: Hofu, Japan.
How it’s built: Consumer Reports predicts the Mazda 6 reliability to be a 4 out of 5.
In the end: Mazda keeps doing Mazda, but time marches on.
Next week: Volkswagen Passat.