Mazda 6 2.5 Sport Estate car review

Model tested: Mazda 6 2.5 Estate Sport
Price as tested: £20,340
Range price: £15,110 - £22,030
Insurance group as tested: 12
Insurance group range: 7 - 12
CO2 emissions as tested: 193g/km
Average range CO2 emissions: 170g/km
EuroNCAP result: N/A
On sale date: On sale now
Date and place tested: April 2008, Snowdonia, North Wales 
Road tester: Adrian Hearn

The Mazda 6 has got it tough in the frighteningly competitive family car market.

With rivals like the Ford Mondeo, Volkswagen Passat and all-new Citroen C5 you need to set yourself apart from the rest. But does the Mazda 6 achieve this?

The Japanese car maker felt confident enough to let us loose with the new Mazda 6 on the daunting roads of Snowdonia to find out.

We’ve got a soft spot for Mazda at Auto Trader. The all-new Mazda 2 supermini is touch of class with its good looks, lightweight body and superb handling. It even beat the likes of the Audi R8 supercar to be named World Car of the Year.

The Mazda 3 MPS is brutally quick, while the RX-8 has a groundbreaking design and you won’t get much more fun for your money than the Mazda MX-5.

And on first impressions, the all-new Mazda 6 looks like maintaining our fondness for the Japanese car maker.

View more pictures of the Mazda 6 Estate

From the Mazda 6’s front lights and the way they veer towards the grille to the flared arches which house a set of 18-inch alloys, this is a pretty car. Its sporty design is continued across the length of the body with a pair of side skirts rounded off with an exhaust pipe on each side.

And it’s not all show and no go. While it doesn’t have the stunning 2.3-litre engine used in the previous generation Mazda 6 MPS, the 2.5-litre lump we tested still offers adequate performance. Chucking out 166bhp and 167lb/ft of pulling power the estate accelerates from 0-62mph (100kph) in 8.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 137mph while averaging 34.2mpg.

Emissions of 193g/km place the Mazda 6 2.5 sport in tax band F, meaning an annual bill of £210. The diesel estate – which will be the big seller – has emissions of 151g/km and is in band D, meaning a bill of £145.

On the road, the ride is firm without compromising comfort and there is a lot of grip going through corners. The engine – married with the six-speed manual gearbox – is refined and there is little noise when driving on smooth roads.

While car makers are looking at ways of reducing emissions by using hybrid technology and ultra-efficient diesel engines, Mazda has kept it simple by reducing weight by 50kg and making the design more aerodynamic despite the 6 being larger and better equipped than its predecessor.

Mazda also offers the 6 with a 1.8-litre and 2-litre petrol and 2-litre diesel engine. The 2-litre petrol is punchy but lacks the pulling power and efficiency of the 50mpg diesel – but is quiet and comfortable at motorway cruising speeds.

In terms of equipment, Mazda has done well to stay away from offering a car with a huge list of optional extras. Instead, you get the choice of five trims from the entry level S trim, through to the top end Sports and new level Sports Luxury.

And while it’s entry level, S doesn’t mean basic with customers getting safety features such as traction control, electronic brake distribution, automatic lights and six airbags as standard on top of sporty features like 16-inch alloys and body coloured bumpers.

Our Sports model had the aforementioned 18-inch wheels and bodykit to go along with bi-xenon headlights, half leather seats, a start/stop button and Bose sound system.

The all-new Sports Luxury line loses the sports bodykit but gains front and rear parking sensors, full leather seats and an electric sunroof.

As an estate, you’d expect a large boot and the Mazda 6 doesn’t disappoint. The 519-litre boot is spacious (although not as large as Mondeo’s 554-litres) and there is plenty of space in the back for three passengers.

One irritation we found was the handbrake was on the left hand side of the centre console, meaning you have to lift your hand over anything sat in the storage place to use it.

While the 2.5-litre Mazda 6 is the range’s best model in terms of driveabilty and performance, Mazda expects the big seller to be the 2-litre diesel which will be favourable among fleet buyers (of which make up 65 per cent of sales) and boasts good fuel efficiency.

The Mazda 6 Estate Sport is a good all-round car which offers punchy performance, sleek looks and – if the badge is anything to go by – bullet-proof reliability.

It’s not as pretty as the forthcoming Citroen C5 Estate and not as powerful or engaging to drive as the 2.5-litre Ford Mondeo Estate, although it is considerably cheaper. But as an in-between choice the Mazda 6 is a good alternative and should help continue Mazda’s drive in the UK car market.

View more pictures of the Mazda 6 Estate