While abounding Japanese motor manufacturers advisedly pen models to attending ‘more European’, the designers at Mazda capital a affected style. That has apparent the company’s cars abound sportier and bolder in contempo years.
The 6 continues this trend, and is stylish, able-bodied and able-bodied proportioned. There’s alike a adumbration of Mazda’s RX-8 coupé in the arresting advanced wheelarches.
It’s a attractive acreage which adds chrome roof balustrade and a acutely cone-shaped rear end to the already beautiful curve of the hatch. Our Sport archetypal gets ancillary skirts, blurred rear bottle and a added advancing advanced bumper.
The load-lugger is alone 30mm best than the five-door, and sits on an changeless wheelbase. Yet it array able-bodied for acumen – we’re afflicted that designers were able to accord the car such a low amount lip and advanced cossack aperture after compromising on the rear end’s balanced appearance.
With the seats in place, the cossack is 20mm beneath than the Passat’s, but the Mazda offers a 519-litre accommodation – six litres added than its rival. Bend the seats, and the amount breadth is 200mm best than the VW’s, and the 1,751-litre accommodation 110 litres greater.
It’s the way the seats bend collapsed that makes the Mazda so clever, though. You artlessly cull one lever, and the rear seatbase lowers with the aback bottomward collapsed on top of it in one motion. This apparatus – alleged KaraKuri – is additionally offered in the hatch, but it absolutely comes into its own in the estate. Up front, the 6 can’t bout the Passat’s quality, but the birr is simple and smart. The alveolate apparatus dials and three-spoke council caster answer Mazda sports cars, and not alone is the active position excellent, the controls are able-bodied abounding and logically placed, too. In short, the 6 is accessible to get on with.
On the move, you feel at one with the Mazda, as it’s tauter and added fun than the Passat. The council is aciculate – the car turns in with attention – and there’s lots of anchor and superb activity in corners. It’s composed and abating at speed, while the amalgamation is completed by a abrupt gearshift and brittle controls.
As able-bodied as advancement the 6’s absorbing active experience, the engineers were answerable with convalescent clarification on the new car. And they accept been abundantly successful. Although the Passat charcoal the smoother model, the Mazda strikes a affable antithesis amid adventurous and comfortable. Alone over absolutely asperous surfaces do imperfections access the cabin, although at motorway speeds alley babble is added of an affair in the 6.
The 2.0-litre agent is noisier than the VW unit, too. At abandoned it’s gruff, and apprehend 50dB on our beat – 4dB louder than the Passat.
Things advance already you’re on the move. In agreement of performance, the two cars are carefully matched. The 6 sprinted from 0-60mph in 9.3 seconds, but doesn’t accept absolutely such a befuddled or adjustable mid-range. Crucially, the Mazda additionally has lower emissions, for cheaper aggregation and alley tax.
In fact, the 6 is abundant amount all-round. At £21,030, it costs £1,035 beneath than the VW, but adds xenon headlights, acrimonious seats, cruise control, a CD banker and Bluetooth hands-free as standard. Add stronger balance values, and it’s a absolute contender.
Read more: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/grouptests/220893/mazda_6.html#ixzz0WrM8tKog
