Item: Mazda 6 (2013-2023)
Rating: 4

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Think ‘executive saloon’ and your mind’s eye probably sees a BMW, Audi or Mercedes-Benz.

But the Germans haven’t always had this market segment to themselves, so if you’re on the lookout for something a little left-field but which still majors on economy, practicality and engagement (plus a touch of style), then consider the third-generation Mazda 6.

Previous Mazda 6s were confined to also-ran status. Not anymore
Nic Cackett
Road tester

All versions of Hiroshima’s high-miler were handsome and well received, but the Mk3 of 2013 brought generational changes in the form of clever powertrain tech and bucketloads of kerb appeal that today make it a particularly canny used buy – not least because it avoids the same sort of badge tax as its German contemporaries.

Mazda’s Skyactiv tech centred on maximising the efficiency of its four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines without unduly denting performance.

By giving both engines the same basic structure and an identical 14:1 compression ratio, the 6 could extract more energy from less fuel, with a claimed 15% increase in fuel economy and correspondingly lower CO2 emissions.

That makes for some pretty agreeable running cost figures, most closely associated with the 2.2-litre diesel four-pots, with either 148bhp or 173bhp. Both do around 45mpg day to day, but expect even greater efficiency on the motorway, with 55mpg in sight.

Opt for the manual ’box (which offers more driver engagement) over the six-speed auto and you will pay a maximum of £35 road tax, too.

The oil-burners are refined, too: there’s no clatter from under the bonnet, and while 8.0sec to 62mph doesn’t sound impressive on paper, you won’t find it wanting on slip-roads, and its throttle response
is surprisingly good for a diesel.

You can also have the 6 with a 2.0-litre petrol four making either 143bhp or 163bhp. The entry-level petrol lacks pace, and while the more powerful lump provides more pep, it can get vocal at higher revs.

Regardless of powertrain, the 6 rides comfortably and settles into a cruise with ease. It can come undone at lower speeds, where it struggles to iron out potholes and sharp edges.

That said, it delivers on the agility front and is far more rewarding to punt down a B-road run than a Ford Mondeo or Volkswagen Passat. It feels nimble and has accurate steering, and the body is kept well in check.

The saloon has a 480-litre boot, which is more than good enough for a few suitcases or golf clubs, but if you’re hauling pushchairs and the other clobber that comes with having a family, the estate is more practical, giving up to 1648 litres with the seats folded.

You can grab a 6 for less than £2000, but this will tie you to well-used examples with well over 100,000 miles on the clock; with a budget of around £6000, you will easily find a tidy saloon or estate.

Material quality is a mixed bag in early models, so we would at least aim for a facelifted 2015 example, which has decent kit across the range, plusher materials and a neater 7.0in infotainment screen.

The 6 was facelifted again in 2018 and received a new 2.5-litre 191bhp petrol engine, but they’re a rare find and don’t really offer much more performance. You will pay around £9000 for one, too.

Whatever your budget, though, the 6 is a brilliant all-rounder that still looks as suave and sophisticated as it did when launched more than 10 years ago.

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating: 8

Used Mazda 6 2013-2023 review

Good

Strong performance and economy

Revvy throttle response

Feels light and agile

Bad

Ordinary interior finish in places

Unfathomable media system

Engines can be gruff at high revs

RELIABILITY

Is the Mazda 6 reliable?

In What Car? Reliability survery the Mazda 6 finished in sixth place out of 24 cars in the executive car category, with an impressive overall score of 93.3%. Overall, the Mazda 6 is solid, but the diesels appear to suffer from more problems than the petrols (see below).

There are. plenty of dealers and independent specialists around so souring parts and servicing shouldn't be an issue.

Engine: Diesel particulate filters (DPFs) can get blocked if the car is turned off during a regeneration cycle. This can lead to oil dilution, reducing lubrication in the engine and causing rapid timing chain wear or even failure.

Oil pump failure or a blocked oil pick-up can lead to high oil pressure. Check the car’s history to see if the pump has been replaced.

Inlet manifolds and EGR valves are known for clogging up with carbon, which can restrict airflow and reduce fuel efficiency. These will need to be chemically cleaned or walnut blasted (no, really, it’s a thing).

Water pumps can also fail and cause the engine to overheat or coolant to leak out. This will need to be replaced and should cost around £60-£80.

Turbocharger: The twin-turbocharger set-up in the diesel can also fail, costing anywhere between £500 and £1000 to replace. If you feel a loss of power or see blue smoke on your test drive, look elsewhere.

Body: The paint finish is quite thin, so inspect the bodywork, particularly the bumpers and bonnet, for scrapes and scuffs.

Audio: Check for white noise or a muffled sound when testing a car with the Bose audio system. The amplifier is usually the culprit; it will cost around £100, or less if you can source a used one.

Interior: Make sure the fabric trim on the door cards is still in good shape, as it can come loose and start to look shabby. Frozen infotainment screens can typically be fixed by turning the car off and back on again. If that doesn’t work, it will need a software update.

An owner’s view

Steve Garner: “I bought my 2019 6 GT Tourer in February 2023 because I wanted something that was both versatile and capable. Mine has the 2.5 petrol with an automatic gearbox and great kit like adaptive cruise control, which is handy, because I do around 25,000 miles a year, mostly on motorways.

"It’s serviced with Mazda every 12,500 miles, and the only bills on top of that have been for new brake discs and pads. Overall, It has been utterly reliable. It might look like a dull generic estate, but it’s really a lovely car to own and drive.”

Also worth knowing

Staying on top of servicing can help maintain the life of a 6, particularly one with a diesel engine. Be sure to change the oil and oil filter every 6000 miles or every 12 months, whichever comes first.

DESIGN & STYLING

Pros

Lighter than many of its rivals

Low emissions from both petrol and diesel engines

Cons

Unassuming looks

Previewing a mass-production car with a concept as rakishly potent as the 2011’s Takeri show car will always be troublesome, and despite a certain resemblance, the Mazda 6 did not capture the imagination.

In the real world, Mazda’s ‘Kodo’ design language congealed into a fussy concoction of ‘signature wings’, and as both the saloon and estate were among the largest in the class, there was an awful lot of canvas upon which the visual effect could dwell.

Fold the rear seats down and there's plenty of space on offer
Matt Prior
Editor-at-large

The 6 sat on a platform that was an amended version of the scalable SkyActiv architecture that made its debut in the Mazda CX-5. As a result, the 6 had the same MacPherson strut front, multi-link rear suspension arrangement.

The SkyActiv treatment also ensured that the 6’s size did not equate to bulk. Weight-saving measures – including an increase in the use of high-tensile steel – meant the latest model iwas lighter than many of its rivals.

Mazda's engine and transmission line-up was where the SkyActiv tech really paid off. The four-cylinder, 2.0-litre petrol and 2.2-litre diesel engines shared the same basic structure and 14:1 compression ratio – a high figure for a petrol motor and a remarkably low one for a diesel.

The twin-turbocharged 2.2-litre diesel was offered in 148bhp and 173bhp forms. Depending on whether you opted for the six-speed manual gearbox or six-speed auto, the CO2 emissions (aided by a new stop-start system) could be as low as 108g/km.

For petrol buyers, the 2.0-litre engine was available with 143bhp or 163bhp. Again, emissions and economy were highly competitive for the class.

INTERIOR

Pros

Spacious and practical in both saloon and estate form

Plenty of dials and switches for secondary controls

Generously equipped

Cons

Multimedia system is clunky and unintuitive

Dingy cabin lacks material quality of rivals

It seemed a shame that little of the imaginative but unseen engineering work that had gone into the Mazda 6 was reflected in the cabin.

The interior architecture was carried over almost wholesale from the Mazda CX-5, and squashing it into a slimmer saloon interior had not helped lift its rather dingy appearance. If anything, the dashboard’s lumpy discord and undistinguished fascia materials were even more conspicuous in a segment moving steadily upmarket.

It took four attempts to program the sat-nav via voice control for the nearest hospital. Not a good system for your hour of need
Matt Saunders
Road test editor

We had few issues with its functionality, though. From easily legible dials to the chunky click of the heater controls, the Mazda 6 felt like a car built to resist uncaring high-mile punishment.

The only exception was the multimedia system, which, thanks to a dull screen and clunky menus, was tiresome to interact with and persisted with needlessly replicated touchscreen options.

The substantial wheelbase meant there was an abundance of rear legroom. It was not class-leading (the Skoda Superb saw to that), but it was within touching distance.

In the saloon there was a similarly impressive 483-litre boot, which could be extended by dropping the rear seats. That rose to 506 litres in the Tourer model, or a substantial 1632 litres with the rear seats folded down.

There were four trim levels to choose from regardless of whether you choose the saloon or the estate. Opt for the entry-level SE trim and you'll find 17in alloy wheels, hill-start assist, electric windows and cruise control.

Inside there was a 7.0in touchscreen infotainment system with DAB and smartphone capability, air conditioning, and a leather wrapped steering wheel and gearknob. Upgrade to SE Nav and as you would have expected there was the inclusion of sat nav and three-year worth of map updates.

SE-L Nav added a touch more luxury to the big Mazda 6, with dual-zone climate control, all round parking sensors and an auto-dimming rear view mirror all part of the package, while the range-topping Sport Nav models got adaptive LED headlights, 19in alloy wheels and a reversing camera.

Inside buyers got leather upholstery, electrically adjustable and heated front seats, a head-up display, and a Bose sound system.

The result was a car with the fundamental bases covered – it was a usable, spacious and unstressed environment, but not one that competed with the presentation or quality of rivals such as the Volkswagen Passat, or even affordable alternatives like the Hyundai i40.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

Pros

Diesel engine is impressively refined

Strong performance and responsiveness from oil-burners

Tidy gearshift

Cons

Lower-powered petrol is sluggish and noisy at high revs

Diesel can sound clattery when worked hard but its a small price to pay for better performance

Whether you drove the petrol or the diesel, the Mazda 6 settled into an idle so muted that you’d be forgiven for wondering which engine was under the bonnet. The diesel was unusually refined, while the petrol purred with a barely distinguishable thrum.

Moving off in one of the diesels you’d note that it shirked the usual low-rev tardiness associated with oil-burners, too. In both states of tune, the engine responded to a push on the right pedal with pleasing linearity.

Throttle response is excellent, with little of the low-rev tardiness that characterises turbodiesel engines
Nic Cackett
Road tester

The petrols were reasonable, if not as outstanding as the diesels. The lower-powered unit bordered on sluggish, and didn't suit the pseudo-sporting characteristics of the 6 as well as the rest of the engine range.

The higher-powered petrol delivered decent pace, but got especially vocal as revs climbed. All but low-mileage drivers would do well to consider paying the premium for a diesel and reaping the economy and performance benefits.

Mazda's SkyActiv diesel engine revved willingly to more than 5500rpm too, giving rangey performance in each gear. Work the engine hard and the 6 eventually started to overlay its performance with dieselly tones, but that was a sacrifice we were willing to accept because of the nature of the delivery.

But it was the 6's in-gear flexibility that counted for more here, and it was pretty acceptable in this respect, too - although lengthy gearing meant you might want to approach brisk acceleration in a lower gear than usual.

Fortunately, Mazda's six-speed manual gearbox was light and positive, allowing for swift changes, while the six-speed auto did a decent (if slightly less involving or pleasing) job of changing gears. The control pedals had well-matched weighting and predictable responses, making the 6 an easy car in which to pootle around.

RIDE & HANDLING

Pros

Nimble, fleet-footed and composed

Decent level of feel and response from the steering

Cons

Bit of a grumble over poorer surfaces

Larger wheels can limit ride quality

As soon as you swung open the Mazda 6’s door, you wondered if this car would be on to something good when it cames to ride and handling.

The door moved with ease, suggesting that it’s light, and made you wonder if dynamics would benefit accordingly. Indeed they did. Light cars could exhibit a lack of refinement – including some Japanese cars, due to a prevalence of lower-speed, well surfaced roads there – but the 6 was no great culprit.

The new 6 is a pleasing and engaging steer with a sharp-turn in that's unusual for the class
Matt Saunders
Road test editor

In all forms it felt only mildly less cocooned and isolated than a Volkswagen Passat or a Ford Mondeo, for example.

We believe that the choice of cabin materials was as much to blame as actual noise levels, and the petrol-equipped cars were quieter than even the refined diesels.

The ride was acceptable in all models and across all types of road. Our test cars ran on 19-inch wheels with 45-section tyres and those prioritising ride comfort might prefer a car on smaller wheels. During our tests there was some grumble over poorer surfaces, but that improved with speed and was never crashy.

The 6 was nimble for a car of its size, though, regardless of whether you opted for the estate or saloon. The electrically assisted steering spun with medium weight, good response and accuracy and a decent approximation of feel, while body movements were contained with aplomb.

So, Mazda's 6 was as composed as a Ford Mondeo, but with a fleet-footedness that the sturdier Ford couldn't equal.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

Throughout our tests both the petrol and diesel engines returned impressive figures in both the saloon and Tourer variants, aided by the i-Eloop regenerative braking system that helped power auxiliary systems and achieves fuel savings of up to 10 per cent.

In our most extensive tests with the higher-powered diesel saloon we recorded 56.5mpg on our touring route – remarkable for a car this large, with this performance.

Low CO2 emissions and high residuals make the 6 a shrewd purchase for the financially minded
Matt Burt
Executive Editor, Autocar

Our average return of 44.1mpg may sound fairly ordinary, but plenty of rival diesel saloons struggled to beat 40mpg over the same measure.

VERDICT

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating: 8

Used Mazda 6 2013-2023 review

Good

Strong performance and economy

Revvy throttle response

Feels light and agile

Bad

Ordinary interior finish in places

Unfathomable media system

Engines can be gruff at high revs

Credibility and respectability abound. The 6’s driving experience was among the class best, with a sense of engagement and involvement rare in family cars. It delivered impressive space and economy, too.

But there were elements to the Mazda’s interior that were disappointingly ordinary, to the extent that some of the perceived budget brands gave it a run. Which seemed a big shame, given its otherwise broad wide appeal.

The Mazda 6 is now closer than ever to upsetting the established class leaders
Matt Burt
Executive Editor, Autocar

Nevertheless, the 6 was oh-so-close to the class lead; its economy and driving manners had us wondering whether it ought to finish even higher up the order than it did. For keener drivers, unequivocally it will.

Entry-level diesels offered a compelling blend of performance and power that was hard to criticise. However, if you were tempted by the 173bhp diesel, we would strongly recommend it.

The petrols were decent, but no more – we’d recommend sampling turbocharged rivals before committing.

Sam Phillips

Title: Staff Writer

Sam joined the Autocar team in summer 2024 and has been a contributor since 2021. He is tasked with writing used reviews and first drives as well as updating top 10s and evergreen content on the Autocar website.

He previously led sister-title Move Electric, which covers the entire spectrum of electric vehicles, from cars to boats – and even trucks. He is an expert in new car news, used cars, electric cars, microbility, classic cars and motorsport.

Sam graduated from Nottingham Trent University in 2021 with a BA in Journalism. In his final year he produced an in-depth feature on the automotive industry’s transition to electric cars and interviewed a number of leading experts to assess our readiness for the impending ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars.

Matt Saunders

Title: Road test editor

As Autocar’s chief car tester and reviewer, it’s Matt’s job to ensure the quality, objectivity, relevance and rigour of the entirety of Autocar’s reviews output, as well contributing a great many detailed road tests, group tests and drive reviews himself.

Matt has been an Autocar staffer since the autumn of 2003, and has been lucky enough to work alongside some of the magazine’s best-known writers and contributors over that time. He served as staff writer, features editor, assistant editor and digital editor, before joining the road test desk in 2011.

Since then he’s driven, measured, lap-timed, figured, and reported on cars as varied as the Bugatti Veyron, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Tesla Roadster, Ariel Hipercar, Tata Nano, McLaren Senna, Renault Twizy and Toyota Mirai. Among his wider personal highlights of the job have been covering Sebastien Loeb’s record-breaking run at Pikes Peak in 2013; doing 190mph on derestricted German autobahn in a Brabus Rocket; and driving McLaren’s legendary ‘XP5’ F1 prototype. His own car is a trusty Mazda CX-5.