► Mazda 6 Tourer long-term test
► We live with the new estate car
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Month 9 living with a Mazda 6 Tourer: fond farewell
Over nine months and almost 17,000 miles, I've been won over by the Mazda 6 Tourer. I didn't expect to be – and in a weird way I almost didn't want to, given that the same spectacular change of heart happened with my previous long-term test car, the initially ordinary but soon deeply likeable Peugeot 5008. Maybe I'm just soft.
The thing is, others on the team have tried it and liked it, too. Ben Barry, who's running a very handsome Audi A6 Avant, one of the default options in this class, was impressed. He'd ultimately still choose the Audi, but was surprised how good the Mazda was.
Likewise editor Ben Miller was happy, rating the looks, cockpit and low-tech but pleasingly no-nonsense infotainment, when we swapped one weekend. (I needed something a little fancy for a getaway with the wife, and his V8 Bentley Bentayga was just the job. That doesn't count as a black mark for the Mazda, as it's not exactly aiming to offer the premium, luxury experience of a Bentley.)
Steve Moody borrowed it for a week to take his family to Cornwall (the estate was better than his Merc pick-up truck with weird loadbay cover thingy for that trip) and sung its praises on its return, echoing my final thoughts on the car. It really is a great-looking machine, the bold flowing lines over the front wheelarches making the £800 Soul Red Crystal Metallic paint a must-have option, particularly in concert with the 19-inch wheels.
The interior is also a really pleasant place to spend time; materials are of a high standard and the build quality is superb. It's no exaggeration to say the Mazda feels like exactly the same car after 17,000 miles as it did new. One small black mark relates to boot struts that now squeak when you open or close the tailgate, but it's perhaps through atypical usage – I open and close the boot constantly over the course of a typical photographic shoot, not to mention the times I hang out of it while shooting as a colleague drives.
So the 6 is good. But of course, this being 2019, its virtues are likely to be a little obscured by the dust kicked up by crowds of customers making tracks to whoever's selling the SUV of the moment. Never mind that an estate car will be lighter, cheaper and better to drive. Estates just aren't fashionable.
So I tried the nearest SUV equivalent, Mazda's own CX-5. It certainly looks the part. It works just fine. But, true to its breed, it's that bit wobblier, heavier and more expensive too. I'd go for a 6 myself.
By Alex Tapley
Logbook: Mazda 6 Tourer
Price £31,695 (£32,495 as tested)
Performance 2488cc 4cyl, 192bhp, 8.1sec 0-62mph, 139mph
Efficiency 41.5mpg (official), 31.4mpg (tested), 156/km CO2
Energy cost 19.1p per mile
Miles this month 2315
Total miles 16979
Count the cost
Cost new £32,495 as tested
Private sale £22,930
Part-exchange £21,780
Cost per mile 18.4p per mile
Cost per mile including depreciation 86p
Month 8 of our Mazda 6 Tourer long-term test: a road trip to see a Porsche icon
A quick diary update as CAR photographer Alex Tapley takes his Mazda 6 estate on a road trip to the Brungtingthorpe proving ground in Leicestershire - for a photoshoot with Porsche royalty.
1. A quick re-fuel
A quick pitstop en route to today’s shoot. It’s not the Mazda that needs it, as the 62-litre tank and 32mpg mean refills aren’t very frequent. The driver, however, needs copious amounts of refuelling.
2. All aboard
The Mazda 6 loaded with my photographic gear to help shoot the first ever Porsche 917 at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground. Once emptied, the loadbay is also perfect for car-to-car tracking shots.
3. Job done
Work completed, I’ve just hit 120mph on the airfield straight (about half the 917’s top end) and now I’m off to find some B-roads on an off-piste return leg.
4. Up the road, with two paddles
No 917-style balsa wood gearknob here, but flowing back roads with a few tight, unsighted corners provide the perfect chance to use the Mazda’s steering wheel-mounted gearshift paddles.
5. Giving the brakes a break
By the time I’ve rejoined the A47 the brakes are wheezing like an asthmatic pensioner on 40 a day. Not surprising given the twisty roads and all that photo gear on board. Time to give the stoppers a breather.
6. Look at that!
A brief stop at the side of the A47 to admire the view. The rolling hills of the Rutland countryside aren’t too bad either.
By Alex Tapley
Logbook: Mazda 6 Tourer
Price £31,695 (£32,495 as tested)
Performance 2488cc 4cyl, 192bhp, 8.1sec 0-62mph, 139mph
Efficiency 41.5mpg (official), 31.8mpg (tested), 156/km CO2
Energy cost 18.5p per mile
Miles this month 1665
Total miles 14,664
Month 7 living with a Mazda 6 Tourer: this, or an SUV?
We're 13,000 miles into our time with the Mazda 6 Touring, and although I may be some way short of falling in love with it, there's no denying that the Mazda has gone about its business with no fuss.
Logic says it's the right car for me. As a photographer I carry a lot of stuff in the car, always ready for the unexpected. And compared to an SUV, a lower-riding estate gives a much better position for an automotive photographer, not to mention being easier to get heavy gear into and out of. And yet, and yet... part of me wishes I was still in my previous car, the more charismatic (and very roomy) Peugeot 5008. Maybe the solution would be Mazda's high-rise equivalent, the CX-5.
By Alex Tapley
Logbook: Mazda 6 Tourer GT Sport Nav+ 2.5 Skyactiv-G
Price £31,695
As tested £32,495
Engine 2488cc 16v 4-cyl, 192bhp @ 6000rpm, 190lb ft @ 4000rpm
Transmission 6-speed auto, front-wheel drive
Performance 8.1sec 0-62mph, 139mph, 156g/km CO2
Miles this month 1346
Total 11556
Our mpg 35.1
Official mpg 41.5mpg
Energy cost 18.5p per mile
Month 6 living with a Mazda 6 Tourer: estate swap
I met up with Ben Barry to compare notes between his Audi A6 Avant and my Mazda 6. You can see that report here.
By Alex Tapley
Logbook: Mazda 6 Tourer GT Sport Nav+ 2.5 Skyactiv-G
Price £31,695
As tested £32,495
Engine 2488cc 16v 4-cyl, 192bhp @ 6000rpm, 190lb ft @ 4000rpm
Transmission 6-speed auto, front-wheel drive
Performance 8.1sec 0-62mph, 139mph, 156g/km CO2
Miles this month 1346
Total 11556
Our mpg 35.1
Official mpg 41.5mpg
Energy cost 18.5p per mile
Month 5 of our Mazda 6 Tourer long-term test review: is it a sports wagon or an eco estate?
On paper, there’s much to love about the Mazda 6 Tourer from a dynamic standpoint: lower than an SUV, lighter, and powered by a non-hybrid, non-turbo, non-diesel petrol engine of no meagre capacity – 2.5 litres in the case of our Skyactiv-G, which punts out 192bhp and 190lb ft of torque.
A family car with a sports car’s powertrain, you start to think to yourself. The daydreams begin. A good-looking, under-the radar Q-car with a lag-free throttle response, a proper powerband – no unsightly bulges of turbo twist at ridiculously low rpm – and the promise of stolen moments of fun in the company of an engine that’s bang up for it whenever you are.
Then you wake up. It may not be trendy to profess to love turbo engines but the truth is the good ones spoil us rotten: easy torque, decent economy if you’re restrained and even a half-decent top-end rush a lot of the time. The Mazda’s 2.5-litre four isn’t a bad engine by any stretch, and its economy backs up Mazda’s assertion that, for a lot of people, this is a genuine diesel alternative (we’re getting 35mpg, helped no doubt by the clever motor’s cylinder deactivation and direct injection), but neither is it an old-school performance car engine hiding in a estate-shaped Trojan horse.
The power delivery is thin and inoffensive, as is the soundtrack, and – perhaps because I haven’t gelled with the 6’s chassis – it doesn’t urge you to push hard. Which, while a little disappointing, is probably more important to real-world economy than any amount of clever fuel-saving engine technology. Go slowly, drive smoothly, reap the rewards at the pumps.
By Alex Tapley
Logbook: Mazda 6 Tourer GT Sport Nav+ 2.5 Skyactiv-G
Price £31,695
As tested £32,495
Engine 2488cc 16v 4-cyl, 192bhp @ 6000rpm, 190lb ft @ 4000rpm
Transmission 6-speed auto, front-wheel drive
Performance 8.1sec 0-62mph, 139mph, 156g/km CO2
Miles this month 2170
Total 10,210
Our mpg 35.1
Official mpg 41.5mpg
Fuel this month £357.74
Extra costs None
Month 4 living with a Mazda 6 Tourer: totally chilled
I’m beginning to think Mazda could change the world with this car. The 2.5-litre petrol engine is nippy enough, but the chassis and the auto ‘box discourage haste, which is no bad thing. You focus instead of keeping fuel consumption down, and get a bit more Zen, more considerate to other road users. Imagine if that caught on! Thankfully I can borrow my wife’s Mini Cooper S Countryman if I get the itch for a blat at weekends.
By Alex Tapley
Logbook: Mazda 6 Tourer GT Sport Nav+ 2.5 Skyactiv-G
Price £31,695
As tested £32,495
Engine 2488cc 16v 4-cyl, 192bhp @ 6000rpm, 190lb ft @ 4000rpm
Transmission 6-speed auto, front-wheel drive
Performance 8.1sec 0-62mph, 139mph, 156g/km CO2
Miles this month 1326
Total 8040
Our mpg 35.3
Official mpg 41.5
Fuel this month £227.52
Extra costs None
Month 3 living with a Mazda 6 Tourer: under the microscope
Immune to fashion
I'm slowly being won over by the understated looks of my Mazda. There's a maturity to its nonconformist styling that shuns the garish, overused cues of the saloon clones coming out of Germany in particular. No singing, dancing LED lights, no diamond-cut alloys, no lines that lead nowhere – just simple, well proportioned shapes.
Hypermiling
It's so un-dynamic I've started looking for pleasure elsewhere within the Mazda 6 ownership experience, in particular by trying to take the impressive fuel economy to even greater heights. It's oddly addictive, and infectious too – on a recent cross country trip with Ben Miller he let out a celebratory yelp when he nudged up the onboard trip by 0.1 mpg.
Safecracker required
Many other cars' keyleyss-entry systems are flawed, but this one make no sense at all. With the key in your pocket you unlock the front doors by pressing a button on the handle. Need something from the rear seats? Now you need to find the key and press the unlock button. Luggage in the boot? You can open it without pressing any buttons.
Seats
The seats are described as 'sculpted to the human form', yet the base is positioned so high I can't sit straight (thanks to the reduced headroom caused by the sunroof), leaving me crooked and in agony – not that my chiropractor is complaining. And that metal bar across your spine!?
By Alex Tapley
Logbook: Mazda 6 Tourer GT Sport Nav+ 2.5 Skyactiv-G
Price £31,695
As tested £32,495
Engine 2488cc 16v 4-cyl, 192bhp @ 6000rpm, 190lb ft @ 4000rpm
Transmission 6-speed auto, front-wheel drive
Performance 8.1sec 0-62mph, 139mph, 156g/km CO2
Miles this month 1565
Total 6714
Our mpg 35.7
Official mpg 41.5
Fuel this month £267.05
Extra costs None
Month 2 living with a Mazda 6 estate: the sat-nav's driving us crazy
A few weeks into life with the Mazda 6, and the sat-nav is so utterly woeful I have to use my phone for those journeys where I don’t know my route. This involves manually going through to a sub-menu and choosing Bluetooth for the instructions to be heard through the speakers, meaning I have to forfeit any music or radio during the journey.
If you see me going round in circles I’ve probably missed my turning again and used up another 2GB worth of data.
By Alex Tapley
Logbook: Mazda 6 Tourer GT Sport Nav+ 2.5 Skyactiv-G
Miles this month 2525
Total 5149
Our mpg 33.4
Official mpg 41.5
Fuel this month £461.21
Extra costs None
Month 1 of our Mazda 6 Tourer long-term test review: the introduction
An expensive session of regression therapy might dredge something up from the distant recesses of my memory, but I think I’m correct in saying that I’ve never driven a Mazda 6 before. It’s existed for all of the 11 years I’ve been connected with CAR and yet it’s somehow passed me by. I suspect I’m not alone in having to double check exactly what it is; so subtle is its styling, so unremarkable its presence on the road, that there could be several parked in your street without you really noticing. So I’m approaching my time with the Mazda 6 Tourer completely fresh – no preconceptions, no history to taint my views.
Ours is a 2.5-litre petrol estate in top GT Sport Nav+ spec. It comes with a long list of safety, comfort and infotainment kit, from a heated steering wheel, 360° camera and internet compatability to adaptive cruise control and i-Eloop, Mazda’s system for capturing and re-using braking energy.
First thoughts? It looks fantastic, in a stylish and mature way, in £800 worth of deep Soul Red Crystal bodywork on 19-inch Bright Silver wheels. Inside, the fit and finish is spot-on, as you’d expect from Mazda, and the materials are of good quality, if not particularly luxurious or in any way envelope-pushing. The nappa leather seats are claimed to be ‘more sculpted to the human form for extra back support and supreme comfort’. Well, maybe – I just don’t think they were designed with someone six foot-plus in mind. I’m having to slouch, which could prove problematic.
The boot is 522 litres with all the seats up, or 1664 with the rear trio folded flat. On paper this is way down on my previous car, the Peugeot 5008, which had figures of 780 and 1940 litres. We’ll see how that works out in daily use. The luggage in the photo is a bare minimum. A little ’un with bikes and scooters, a wife and dog, plus the photographic equipment, adds up to far more cases, bags and boxes.
Climbing in the back for car-to-car shots is going to be a squeeze. But the ride feels more forgiving than the 5008’s; the Peugeot had a fantastic chassis, but the sometimes crashy ride made photography quite difficult – the softer ride of my new Mazda might not be the most dynamic but it’s perfect for photography.
By Alex Tapley
Logbook: Mazda 6 Tourer GT Sport Nav+ 2.5 Skyactiv-G
Price £31,695
As tested £32,495
Engine 2488cc 16v 4-cyl, 192bhp @ 6000rpm, 190lb ft @ 4000rpm
Transmission 6-speed auto, front-wheel drive
Performance 8.1sec 0-62mph, 139mph, 156g/km CO2
Miles this month 1489
Total 2624
Our mpg 33.58
Official mpg 41.5
Fuel this month £290.59
Extra costs None