Category: Large Family 
Price Range: £15,685 to £22,460
High levels of refinement, good to drive, low running costs.
Gearchange not as slick as rivals, some road noise, poor ride quality with 18" wheels.
Punchy, refined diesel is pick of the 6 range.
There are three power outputs on offer with the Mazda 6: a 127bhp, a 161bhp and 183bhp. We drove both the 161bhp and the 183bhp.
Let's start with the 161bhp. Push the starter and prepare to be impressed. When idle the new 2.2-litre is a world away from the 2.0-litre it replaces. There's still the familiar diesel soundtrack but you'll have to strain your ears to listen for it, such is the muted tickover.
Drive away and immediately you'll notice the added shove over the old engine. Mazda claims the 6 sprints to 62mph in 9.0 seconds: not a figure to set the segment alight but its maximum 266lb-ft of torque delivered at a lowly 1,800rpm offers useful urge and that satisfying shove continues right up to 4,500rpm.
It's quiet throughout the rev range and the flexibility of the power delivery is impressive too - this is not an engine that demands frequent gearchanging to keep on the boil. The gearchange is still not quite as quick or slick as some of its rivals, though.
Our drive on mountainous roads revealed some shortcomings with the handling. It's prone to understeer and is less willing to tighten its line when easing off the throttle. The Mondeo still has the edge on driving dynamics.
Upgrade to the high power 183bhp version of the 2.2 and it's noticeably quicker. Against the clock - thanks to its added 40lb-ft of torque - the 6 hits 62mph in 8.3 seconds.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Mazda Mazda6 Estate
wrote on 15 10 2006
wrote on 20 07 2006