Review: 2015 Mazda 6

Text and photos by by Donny Halliwell

To call the mid-sized sedan segment competitive would be doing it a disservice. Many auto manufacturers have cut their teeth by playing in this space and for nearly two decades, it’s been largely dominated by just a handful of models.

Every once in a while a new contender steps up its game and pushes the rest to follow. For this reason, I jumped at the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the new 2015 Mazda 6 for a week to put it through its paces.What ensued was an experience that, in the category and price point, is rivaled by no other. From virtually every angle, this car looks to punch above its weight, so it’s not hard to see why I award the Mazda 6 – 6 out of 5 stars.  Read on to find out why.

From the outside looking in, there is no doubt that this is among the best looking vehicles on the road. It has more refined lines than the capable Toyota Camry and more sophistication than the ho-hum Honda Accord.

Not that there’s anything bad with either of these contenders, but in the looks department Mazda got it right. What they call “Kodo design” is alive and well, and it now carries through the entire lineup of Mazda vehicles, including the hotly anticipated Mazda MX-5. One can clearly see the shared heritage, and luckily the Mazda 6 shares some lines with one of the best looking roadsters of all time. The adaptive headlights, trapezoidal grill and classy posterior strike a perfect balance. More than once I let myself linger on the outside, just to check it out for a while, before I climbed in drove away.

 

From the inside out it gets even better. With keyless entry, you simply grab the smoothly flowing handle, open the solid-but-not-too-heavy door and enter the bright and spacious cabin. As the driver, you’re treated to a well bolstered, but soft-where-you-want-them leather seat -- standard equipment on the GT version I was driving. Sitting in the back is just as nice, I’m told.

The spacious dual heated rear seats and LED light treatment provided an experience that was “quite executive,” according to my discerning father. He sat there during an hour long cruise into the city, by the end of which we had both concluded, this car is potentially an ideal upgrade for aging town car fleets, both on price and fuel efficiency. Would-be UberX drivers should most certainly take note. 

The Mazda infotainment system is much improved since my time with the CX-5 last year. It is now, without a doubt, one of the most intuitive, useful and well thought out pieces of kit on the market. I was able to safely perform any function using a single and conveniently located knob (reminiscent of BMW’s iDrive).

I’ve learned, as well, that the CX-5 also receives this treatment in its latest refresh, which will make it that much more of a contender. The main display screen was bright and well positioned to keep my eyes on the road. The Bose speakers kept everything sounding phenomenal.

Perhaps the coolest gimmick, though, was the heads up display that robotically pops up from the steering wheel. On this clear screen, I was provided essential information right in my line of site, like my speed and turn-by-turn directions. Others are doing it in the luxury segment, yes, but not for this price, and not at this level of execution. 

So where are we at? Stunning lines, check. Luxury interior, check. Bells and whistles, check. Oh yes, how could I miss talking about performance. After you drool over the car and hop into the seat the Mazda 6 really comes to life when you press the tempting-to-touch “Start | Stop” button. 

From under the hood, you’re going to see somewhat standard fare. A four cylinder engine that focuses more on efficiency than horsepower. The 2.5L Mazda 6 engine pulls 184 HP and sips just 8.8 L/100km | city and 6.1 L/100km highway.

In this class you could argue that it’s really all you need. And it really is. I chose the GT model mated to a 6-speed manual transmission and it’s quite clear that from the tires up, the Mazda 6 is engineered to be a driver’s car in spite of its specs on paper.

Suspension was spot on; soft on my passengers, but connected to the road. There was a nice amount of body roll when hitting the corners hard… that is to say it was much flatter than I expected. Even though the engine was on the lighter side, the entire power band was readily available through each gear and it had passing power when I needed it. Shifts were short, clutch was tight, but not robotically so, and it sounded nice out back, too, through twin exhaust.

 

These are the things that I pay attention to, as an enthusiast. After some time to think about it, that’s exactly why I enjoyed this car so much. Mazda took the time to get it right for the real drivers out there. Sure every vehicle in the class seems good enough on paper, but it’s the soul of the Mazda 6 that really makes it stand out. I’m not alone in this opinion either; this car is topping some of the toughest lists to crack in the industry.

Equally impressive is fact that everything I mentioned above comes as standard equipment -- not a single “option” ticked on the price as tested invoice.  When it comes down to it, there are people who care about cars. . . and those that see them as a utility. There’s nothing wrong with that. Those who choose to give the Mazda 6 a shot will find that it has just the right recipe to turn the latter into genuine car lovers. It’s something very special, indeed. Cheers to having your cake and burning rubber, too.  Full price as tested information here.