2014 Mazda Mazda6 – Review and Road Test – The Diesel Driver – The Joy of Diesel Driving
Mazda clearly went for a minimalist look in designing the cabin and worked hard to get everything in the right place in terms of controls. It succeeds – all of the knobs and switches are right where the driver would expect them to be, except perhaps the most important, the start/stop button, which is partially blocked by the steering wheel. Fortunately, the driver only needs that button starting or stopping the engine.
My various passengers admired the seats but I found I could have used a bit more padding and support. Seating position is excellent and the seats are very adjustable. The trunk looks small but seemed to expand to hold everything I would throw into it.
Following the trickle-down trend for high-tech driver assistance technologies we’ve been seeing, the options that once were in the domain of cars costing $80,000 and up are available here. This includes adaptive (radar) cruise control, lane-departure warning, collision alert (which presumably uses the sensors from the adaptive cruise control), blind spot monitors (which I felt were a drop too sensitive), automatic high-beams, and rear cross-traffic detection.
The diminutive (5.8” diagonal) dashboard display was very sharp and clear. Indeed, unlike what I’ve seen on far more expensive vehicles, the rear-view camera looked practically high-def on it. The TomTom-powered navigation system was serviceable but it won’t win any awards when compared to today’s state-of-the-art systems.
DRIVING THE 2014 MAZDA MAZDA6
The Mazda6 is a driver’s car, albeit a somewhat pokey one. The stiff chassis felt calm and composed on the bumpiest of roads and handled curves well. Steering, electrically assisted, felt fast and responsive.
In my week with the Mazda6, I found myself driving on everything from urban streets to winding country roads and a few twisty parkways in between. While the car will never be taken for a sports sedan, I was pleasantly surprised at the car’s responsive handling.
The excellent handling, however, stands out when compared to the almost anemic 2.5-liter engine. While it’s about average for its class, it disappoints because the Mazda is designed and engineered to make the driver expect better. The 18.5 gallon (70 liter) fuel tank allows the Mazda to go 600 miles (966 kilometers) between refuelings. Expect the diesel variant to deliver even greater range.
BOTTOM LINE
This is clearly not your father’s Mazda (for a number of reasons, including the fact that it doesn’t go mmmmmm). That notwithstanding, it’s a solid entrant in the family-sedan category that also happens to be the best looking. For the torque hungry, they need only wait for the diesel variant to make it to these shores, towards the end of the year, and all will be well in the world.
THE DETAILS
| 2014 Mazda Mazda6 Grand Touring | |
| Base price/price-as-tested | $29,495/$31,190 |
| Drivetrain | Front engine, front-wheel drive |
| Engine | 2.5 liter/184 hp/185 lb-ft torque/Inline 4 |
| Transmission | 6-speed automatic |
| Curb weight (lbs) | 3,232 |
| Wheelbase (inches) | 111.4 |
| Length x width x height (inches) | 191.5 x 72.4 x 57.1 |
| 0-60 mph (seconds) | 7.9 |
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