Mazda6 Saloon review – Hands on
An enjoyable saloon with decent performance, but we prefer the Mazda CX-5
As the Mazda6 is a large saloon, it’s only fitting that it has a large boot, and its 483-litre boot is a fairly good size. It’s certainly large enough to hold a couple of large cases, but the Mazda CX-5 or Mazda6 Tourer would be much better if you regularly need to ferry large, bulky items.
IN-CAR ENTERTAINMENT
Being the gadget fiends we are, no car is complete without an up-to-date navigation and entertainment system, and the Mazda6’s 5.8in touchscreen head unit and the Centerpoint speaker system made a great drive through pretty countryside even better. To listen to audio, you can either connect your phone to the car via Bluetooth or by plugging it in to the Mazda6’s USB port. From there you can select the tracks you wish to play using the steering wheel-mounted controls or the head unit’s touchscreen.
We played a number of tracks, mostly bass-heavy funk, house and eighties synth tracks, and they sounded great.
Sadly, we didn’t have the opportunity to explore the depths of the Mazda6’s in-car entertainment system, and only a full review would let us test the navigation system.
PRICING
The Mazda6 saloon range starts at £19,595 for the 2.0 petrol, 145ps model with SE trim to £27,495 for the 2.2 diesel, 175ps model with Sport Nav trim that we drove. The insurance group rating stretches from 18E to 23E, and quoted fuel economy is a good 58.9mpg combined.
We like the Mazda6 saloon, and it’s a great option if you’re looking for a large family car, but we much prefer the Mazda CX-5 and would recommend that prospective buyers test-drive both models. The CX-5 has more luggage space and we much prefer the CX-5 as an everyday car.
