Punchy, Plush, Practical and Pretty
The Mazda6 has been a fine example of Mazda’s design language since it first launched in 2012, and went on sale in 2013 here. It’s been on the market for a while now but it doesn’t exactly look dated at all, does it? We also felt that way about the previous generation Mazda3. And even though we adore the styling of the new model, the old one is still a great looking car. Given its current market lifespan, we’d expect this to be the final hurrah of Mazda’s flagship sedan, and it’s safe to say it’s going out with a bang. But you'd never know with how quiet it is.
Finished in Soul Red, our Mazda6 Signature is nothing short of dazzling. Sitting on 19-inch alloys, the car looks elegant, but sporty with curves in all the right places. We love the interior as well. Not to overuse the word elegant, but it’s a great way to describe it. Especially when its draped in a beautiful two-tone finish like our tester was. Compared to the new Mazda3, its starting to look ever so slightly dated, but it’s a comparison you’ll likely only make if you see the new generation. Compare it to any competing cars in the segment and we think the Mazda6 Signature interior outshines them all by far.
The Mazda6 Signature isn’t just all about looks either. It’s got the brawn to back up its beauty. The punchy 2.5L 4-cylinder is up in power from the non-turbo engine found on the GS and GS-L trim. In many cases, a turbo usually means switching to premium fuel. But rest assured the Mazda6 can run just fine on the regular stuff. That said, if you do opt for premium, that 2.5 turbo-four can squeeze out some more power, boosting horsepower from 227 to 250. With gas prices as they are in Canada, we only tried this briefly with $10 of Premium in the tank when it was time to fill up. You do feel the power increase but running on regular does not take away at all from the drive. It’s what Mazda recommends anyway. But it’s nice to know the option to treat yourself is there too.
Driving the Mazda6 is overall a very pleasant experience – especially when it’s in this Signature trim. The turbocharged engine gives a much appreciated extra grunt, but does it in a refined way. The cabin is largely free of unruly engine noise. Road noise is very minimal for the segment and price point as well. The seats are firm, but not unforgiving. Goldilocks would be pleased with them. We should know – we took the car on a 9-hour road trip. There really weren’t any complaints about the car during our long ride. The inclusion of Apple Carplay and Android Auto was also fantastic and we’re glad Mazda finally got on board with both of them. We do find it silly that you need to pay extra to have it retrofitted to some existing models.
So we like the car, we like the features, the design, the power and the drive. What’s the downside? You might be able to argue the price is high for the badge that’s on it. It’s a little snobby but it is a realistic mindset in North America. If you take a more clinical look at it, this fully loaded Mazda6, coming in at $39,150, isn’t cheap. Especially when you consider the base model is $27,350. But if you look at the luxuries you get, the style and the features, the value starts to look better and better. Especially considering a base model BMW 3-series is over $10,000 more in Canada. We suspect this might be the last gasp of the Mazda6. With a new Mazda3 on the market and this model being around for 6 years now, it’s likely we’ll see a replacement coming in the next few years. Until then though, the Mazda6 still has it.
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