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.
Both 127bhp and 161bhp versions of the 2.2 average 51.4mpg and emit just 147g/km of carbon dioxide. That helps the 6 to slip into the relatively low VED Band C while company car users pay 20% in Benefit in Kind tax.
The high-powered diesel, meanwhile, averages 49.6mpg and emits 149g/km of CO2 which matches the lower-powered engines for road and company car tax.
This fine performance is on par with the common-rail diesel that powers the Volkswagen Passat and it comfortably beats the 170bhp Peugeot 407 for both fuel consumption and emissions.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Mazda Mazda6 Estate
wrote on 15 10 2006
wrote on 20 07 2006