I love my 6
We purchased a Mazda3 then 2 months later was happy but wanted a larger vehicle so we got the 6. I previously owned a Ford Mustang with manual transmission. With a move to a busy city I needed something that didn't required pushing a clutch constantly. The 6 gave me the best of both worlds, manual and automatic transmission without the clutch!
Fun and practical
I wanted a fun-to-drive station wagon as an alternative to an SUV. The Mazda 6s met the mark. The manual transmission is great--very smooth clutch, quick response (much better than automatic). It holds the road well. It has plenty of cargo room. Unlike some other wagons, the back seat folds completely flat--this is great, especially for transporting animals.
Fuel Consumption
Nice car, poor fuel consumption (13-16 MPG, city). Dealer unable to find any problem. Non aggressive driver averaged 20-22 MPG, same conditions) with 3 previous Taurus wagons.
Facing Same Problems As Many Others.
I bought my Mazda6s Grand touring in Dec. of 07 used but still under factory 36k bumper to bumper with 33k miles on it. I've now had the car for 5 weeks and it's already back at the dealer with a blown engine. "Low oil conditions." Check your oil check it often these cars use it burn it I don't know they make oil disappear. The dealer tried to tell me the last person to do my oil change was to blame and I quickly responded with "well that would be you."
Despite the points I would not buy
I know this car is supposed to be sporty. It drives and handles okay. I wanted a good daily driver for the snow belt. But in the first light snow all of a sudden the TCS kicked and IMMEDIATELY swings the rear of the car out. I lost power to straighten the car as it held back the front wheels, I barely recovered, entered a turn an again the TCS kicked in throwing the car sideways, again losing all power to the wheels. I pulled over and found the stupid button, turned the TCS and had an uneventful rest of ride. Tanks Mazda for almost killing me, I barely missed an oncoming pickup. I am going back to the dealer to permanently disable this dangerous "feature".