Hit-and-miss interior
The interior design is spot-on; Mazda did a great job of creating an elegant, tasteful atmosphere with chrome rings on the switchgear, convincing wood-grain trim and decent-quality leather upholstery. The sound system's output is terrific, and the Bluetooth streaming audio is handy for wirelessly connecting your handheld device full of MP3s.
On the other hand, we wish the seats were more comfortable. The driver's seat lumbar support is adjusted with a rotary knob; no matter how we twisted it, though, we didn't feel any extra back support. And the navigation screen gets washed out in direct sunlight.
In addition, the engine start button is placed at the bottom of the centre stack, as if Mazda decided to add the intelligent key system after the interior design was approved and budgeted; if the steering column didn't have a cheap-looking filler cap and white ring around it, it wouldn't be all that bad. It all works, but it looks odd.
No complaints about interior space, though. The Mazda6 boasts above-average cockpit dimensions, and also benefits from a huge trunk. At 469 litres, it's the biggest cargo hold among midsize sedans.
It still got the looks
The RX-8-inspired shape, complete with swoop-y front fenders, a sloping roofline and cheery front fascia continue to provide the Mazda6 with sporty good looks. The design seems to be ageing more quickly than it should, but there's a darn good reason for that.
Two good reasons, actually, and they're named Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima. The Koreans probably spent a lot of dough in order to steal a couple of Germany's best car designers, and it's currently paying off. The Sonata and Optima both possess striking bodywork and make pretty much every other midsize look (how do we say this politely?) more mainstream.
The interior design is spot-on; Mazda did a great job of creating an elegant, tasteful atmosphere with chrome rings on the switchgear, convincing wood-grain trim and decent-quality leather upholstery. The sound system's output is terrific, and the Bluetooth streaming audio is handy for wirelessly connecting your handheld device full of MP3s.
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| The cockpit is well designed, but the front seats could be more comfortable. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |
On the other hand, we wish the seats were more comfortable. The driver's seat lumbar support is adjusted with a rotary knob; no matter how we twisted it, though, we didn't feel any extra back support. And the navigation screen gets washed out in direct sunlight.
In addition, the engine start button is placed at the bottom of the centre stack, as if Mazda decided to add the intelligent key system after the interior design was approved and budgeted; if the steering column didn't have a cheap-looking filler cap and white ring around it, it wouldn't be all that bad. It all works, but it looks odd.
No complaints about interior space, though. The Mazda6 boasts above-average cockpit dimensions, and also benefits from a huge trunk. At 469 litres, it's the biggest cargo hold among midsize sedans.
It still got the looks
The RX-8-inspired shape, complete with swoop-y front fenders, a sloping roofline and cheery front fascia continue to provide the Mazda6 with sporty good looks. The design seems to be ageing more quickly than it should, but there's a darn good reason for that.
Two good reasons, actually, and they're named Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima. The Koreans probably spent a lot of dough in order to steal a couple of Germany's best car designers, and it's currently paying off. The Sonata and Optima both possess striking bodywork and make pretty much every other midsize look (how do we say this politely?) more mainstream.
 |
| The RX-8-inspired shape, complete with swoop-y front fenders, a sloping roofline and cheery front fascia continue to provide the Mazda6 with sporty good looks. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |