Mazda 6 Tourer (2013-2022) Review

Handsome and good value, the Mazda 6 offers a left-field alternative for estate car buyers

Strengths & weaknesses

  • Neatly styled
  • Good to drive
  • Five engine choices on offer
  • Outdated entertainment system
  • Small boot compared to rivals
  • Lacks badge appeal

2018 Mazda 6 Tourer prices from £9,495   Finance from £261.20 per month

Value for money. A buzzword-type phrase you probably see bandied around the place like no one’s business. It’s truly hard to define, but, is easy enough to see with your own eyes.

The value for money in the Mazda 6 Tourer is simple to spot - it’s like a Mazda 6 saloon, but you pay just under £1000 more for another 42 litres worth of boot space with the seats up, or another 32 with the seats down.

That might not sound like a lot, but the estate opening of the tourer, in comparison to the saloon boot, means that it’s wider and taller. It has a low lip, which makes loading heavy things into the rear easier, and there’s a little skid plate that ensures the car won’t scratch what you’re trying to fit in. The seats fold down at the pull of a button too.

In terms of sheer practicality though, it’s actually a little bit behind its main rivals. The boot measures in at 522 litres, and expands to 1,664 litres with the rear seats down. This is just behind the Ford Mondeo estate (525/1630 litres), the Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport Tourer (560/1665) as well as the Volkswagen Passat estate (650/1780).

Inside, it’s a similar story. While the 6 is a big improvement on the old one, and has nice new materials like ‘Sen Wood’ (a copper coloured wood) on the dashboard, there’s a lack of space in here when compared to rivals.

The entertainment system does let the car down somewhat. The Sat-Nav doesn’t let you enter 7 digit postcodes manually, instead, it makes you enter the first four digits manually, then you have to scroll through the sometimes tens of other options to select the final three digits. And the entertainment system itself does feel outdated and lacklustre in comparison to offerings from Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes - the 8-inch screen is relatively small and lacks big features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (they're both only available as a dealer-fit option) as standard. 

It does at least have most of its rivals licked in terms of styling. This new 6 is similar to the old model, but has sharper lines, making it appear dynamic. Not that it’s all style without substance though.

The 6 is a sporting drive, the steering is sharp, and it makes it feel more nimble than its length would suggest. We’d go as far as saying it’s better to drive than a Volkswagen Passat estate and Ford Mondeo estate, although, not as fun as the BMW 3 Series Touring.

The ride is mostly exquisite, even on large 19-inch wheels. If you’re really nitpicking the smaller wheels do make a bit of a difference though, as they make it jiggle a bit less through potholes in comparison.

New for the 6 is a 2.5-litre petrol engine. It’s the most powerful offering making 191hp. It’s by no means blistering, but it’s fast enough for most. It never feels that much faster than the more powerful of the two 2-litre engines on offer, though.

Both diesels are excellent and quiet enough when up and running, although can be a little boisterous on start up. The lower powered diesel will feel sluggish if you’re carrying a full load.

There are manual and automatic gearboxes on offer (the 2.5-litre petrol engine only comes with the automatic) and both are good. The manual is slick and feels solid in your hand when changing gears. The automatic is effortless and does a good job of knowing when to change down gears and when to settle in to a relaxed cruise.

The extra space the Tourer offers in comparison to the saloon does make it good value for money. However, rivals do offer better entertainment systems and more room for similar monthly payments.

Key facts

Warranty Three years/60,000 miles
Boot size 522/1664 litres
Width 1,840
Length 4,805mm
Tax (min to max) £205-£515 in the first year, £20-£140 thereafter

Best Mazda 6 Tourer for...

Best for Economy – Mazda 6 SKYACTIV 2.2d

Not much of a surprise here - the lowest powered diesel engine with the manual gearbox, is the most economical. The official combined rating is 60.1mpg

Best for Families – Mazda 6 2.0 165ps Sport Nav +

Families who don’t travel long distances regularly won’t reap the benefits of the diesel engines, especially as Mazda’s petrol units are so economical. We’d recommend the middle ground in terms of power (165ps).

Best for Performance – Mazda 6 2.5 194Sps

The 6 doesn’t have an out-and-out performance car within its range, however, the quickest version is fast enough for most. With the 2.5-litre engine up front, the 6 will climb to 62mph from a standstill in 8.1 seconds.

History

2017: Mazda announces new Mazda will go on sale in 2018
20th July 2018: New Mazda 6 goes on sale in UK

Understanding Mazda 6 Tourer names

Engine 2.2d

There are five engines to choose from, two diesels and three petrols. 2.2 means that the engine's size is 2.2-litres, while d stands for diesel. Petrol models are bereft of d or p lettering.

Trim GT Sport Nav +

Mazda is offering four trim levels at the moment – SE-L Nav +, SE-L Lux Nav +, Sport Nav +, and GT Sport Nav +.

Gearbox Manual

There are two gearbox options, a six-speed manual and a six-speed automatic.

Mazda 6 Tourer Engines

2.0-litre petrol (150ps), 2.0-litre petrol (184ps), 2.5-litre petrol (194ps), 2.2-litre diesel (150ps), 2.2-litre diesel (184ps)

There are five different engines on offer, although technically, there are actually only three. To simplify things, there’s a 2.0-litre petrol with two different power outputs, a 2.2-litre diesel with two different outputs, and a 2.5-litre petrol with only one power output.

When specified with the manual gearbox, the lowest powered 2.2-litre diesel engine is the most frugal and the cheapest to tax. It never feels altogether underpowered, and is remarkably quiet once moving. Sure, when it fires up it emits a low and muted chatter, but it disappears quickly enough.

The 184ps diesel behaves mostly the same as the 150ps one above, and is just as refined, except that it is a bit quicker, something you can really feel from low down and when accelerating while already at motorway speeds.

The petrol engines are smooth and quiet too, although the slowest (150ps) is not quick. It’s probably just enough for most, but if you want petrol, it’s definitely worth upgrading to the 184ps petrol car. This feels notably less sluggish, but is still quiet and economical.

As far as the 6 goes, the most sporting among its engine range is the 2.5-litre petrol. It makes 191hp and offers a 0-62 mph time of just over 9 seconds. By no means blistering, but not a slouch either. But, (and it’s a big but) it doesn’t actually feel that much faster than the most powerful 2.0-litre engine.

The 2.5-litre engine can only be bought with an automatic gearbox too, which may blunt the fun for keen drivers. New 2.5-litre engined cars are relatively expensive (£30,795) because this engine can only be ordered in top spec GT Sport Nav+ spec. The 165ps 2.0-litre engine can be optioned on Sport Nav + models - these start from £25,995 from new. If you’re less bothered by gadgets this could be the one to go for as this engine is still strong enough for most tasks, although the less powerful 145ps version does feel a bit more strained.

 

 

Fuel

Fuel economy

Power

Acceleration (0-62mph)

Top speed

SKYACTIV-G 2.0-litre petrol engine (150ps)

petrol

45.6mpg

148hp

9.9s

129mph

SKYACTIV-G 2.0-litre petrol engine (165ps)

petrol

44.1mpg

163hp

9.4s

134mph

SKYACTIV-G 2.5-litre petrol engine

petrol

42.2mpg

191hp

8.1.s

138mph

SKYACTIV-D 2.2-litre diesel

(150ps)

diesel

64.2mpg

148hp

10s

131mph

SKYACTIV-D 2.2-litre diesel

(184ps)

diesel

60.mpg

181hp

9.0s

141mph

Mazda 6 Tourer Trims

SE-L Nav +, SE-L Lux Nav +, Sport Nav +, and GT Sport Nav +

Mazda offers four levels of trim on its 6 model. New for the 6 is the addition of a + next to the trim levels, this indicates that these cars have been modified to conform to the newest and strictest form of emissions testing.

Base model SE-L models are reasonably well equipped, and get daytime running lights, traffic sign recognition, head up display, sat-nav, and bluetooth.

Stepping up to SE-L LUX Nav+ gets you a reversing camera and a heated steering wheel as well as a Sat Nav system. Sport Nav + adds adaptive front lighting, LED daytime running lights, a front windscreen wiper that acts as a de-icer, and a paddle shift for the automatic gearbox

The range-topper is called the GT Sport Nav+ interior package. This comes with all of the options mentioned above, plus,  ‘Sen Wood’ underneath the entertainment system, which really brings an air of quality missing on the previous generation car. ‘Light stone’ (white) Nappa leather is a £200 option that looks the part.

There’s also a Safety Pack, which is an £800 option on Sport Nav+ and standard on GT Sport Nav+. This adds a 360 degree camera, Adaptive LED headlights, Rear Smart City Brake Support and Driver Attention Alert.

Mazda 6 Tourer Reliability and warranty

This new Mazda 6 is too new to have been considered for the 2018 Auto Express Driver Power survey.

However, the old 6 did rank 35th out of 75 for the 2018 survey. While newer Mazdas did do a bit better - the MX-5 for instance ranked 13th.

The three-year/60,000 miles warranty is standard Mazda affair, and is the same as Ford’s, but looks a bit stingy in comparison to Kia (seven years warranty) and Hyundai (five years warranty).

Used Mazda 6 Tourer

The new 6 Tourer has been on sale since July, so the first few are beginning to appear on the used market.

There are currently 13 Mazda 6s available on BuyaCar, with prices ranging from £9,495 to £24,990 for nearly-new models. Monthly finance payments start from £261.20 per month.

Mazda 6: latest used car prices

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

Best for performance
Mazda 6 2.5 191ps

N/A

N/A

N/A

Best for families
Mazda 6 2.0 165ps Sport Nav +

£9,495

N/A

N/A

Best for economy
Mazda 6  SKYACTIV 2.2-litre diesel

£9,495

N/A

N/A

Other Editions

6 (2013 – 2022)

The Mazda 6 is a stylish saloon offering low running costs, an engaging experience and good equipment levels