Test drive a Mazda6 = go home with a Mazda6!
Joseph Adcock, 11/07/2018
updated 11/08/2021
2016 Mazda 6 i Grand Touring 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 6A)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
Preface: My travels place me in a rental car every month. I am profiled to be in cars ranging from Cadillacs to the 600 to a new Camry. They are all great cars by the way - american cars are really good now, but nothing compares to my purchase 22 months ago when I bought a 2016.5 Mazda6 Grand Touring, Saying the car is impressive is an understatement. My vehicle came standard with all the upgrades a GT brings (19" tires, full leather, Bose, Moonroof, etc.) and Premium package adding the upgrades like Lane Change Assist making this car to me fully loaded; did not have the cruise control upgrade (later driving a loaner during a service I am glad it did not). The performance, the handling, maintaining it, warranty coverage for issues easily score 5/5, Bose 3/5, Bluetooth 3/5, luxe feel inside car 5/5; suspension 4/5, comfort 4/5, gas mileage 3/5, stock Dunlop tires 4/5, other components 5/5. The Mazda6m i feel is the best driving and best performing small sedan out there. It beats the Accord and the Camry like a bad dog! All the write ups are accurate - of these three in a comparison the Mazda wins hands down, and its true. My car today has 41,000 on it and I drive it - I really drive it! I would say that I "get after it" when driving and with this car it is easy to do. 100% of friends riding in it have made comments about how beautiful, luxurious, smooth handling it is. All are true! I have heard more than one time "wow, this is a Mazda? They really stepped up the game". Statistics don't lie - 100% of the people riding in my car say one of those comments. I think by eliminating the Parchment leather interior option would be smart. It's beautiful but it is a nightmare to keep up with - and I am pretty meticulous about maintaining my car. Not a good pick for 90% of you out there, maybe myself too? The exterior is Titanium Flash Mica and simply put - freaking gorgeous! The paint does chip more than I think it should from stones in the road though. The infotainment - for as much of an improvement coming from a Honda product, it honestly could be updated and more user friendly with better graphics. The Dunlop tires *stock on 19"* are loud and terribly expensive but they still have 40% tread at 41k miles with amazing handling and wet handling so no real complaints there. Maintaining at the dealership is inexpensive. Mazda is known for reliable cars and this one is holding true - with original brake pads on it still and nothing pressing for a replacement, original battery and its reliability display by me is a 5/5. I have the heads-up display - and I love it but think it could have had more functionality with more options to beam to it. The car's overall ride is ok. The roads in Houston are among the nation's worst and the Mazda6 with the high performance tires allow each bump to be heard and felt, but it is specific to this city and otherwise it rides pretty well. The MPG is surprisingly not as good as hoped (with AC on) I only get 18-23 mpg on a tank but I do drive it robustly. Highway (with AC on) 26-30; no AC 30-33 mpg, saving the overall rating for the 174 hp it produces. Last thing - resale. It really doesn't do that well, the value plummeted to about $18k for a $33k car within these 22 months, Fortunately I have no plan to get anything else, but it bears mentioning, I am not sure why because I feel this car is a 4/5 overall and it is without a doubt my favorite car out of my 16 cars I have owned. Mazda is underrated by the public but it shouldn't be. Go drive one and you'll buy one like I did! Updated Review Nov., 2021 The Mazda6 is turning 5 next month and it now has 85,500 miles on it. The only things that have required attention were: Brakes & Rotors (at 77,000 mi) Battery (Jan 2020 - 3 yrs is the avg here) Tires (44,000 -2nd set; 80,000 3rd) Grand Touring Rims Issue The smoked paint flakes off rim 1) received new set in 1/17 Fr Mazda 2) received a rim refinish on all 4 in 7/19 By Mazda South 3) ended up having all 4 diamond coated in black metallic since the car was out of its warranty & flaked off for 3rd time. No issues since with rims. 4) new shocks and front struts. And that’s it! As you can see tell the only issue I’ve had with this car are the rims. When new, they were beautiful but within 12 months or so they would lose their clear and the paint would just fall off. It happened 2xs on 2 sets of rims so I don’t know what causes that. Mine are black diamond coat and everyone (but me) likes it better :( like this. My 2016 M6 GT has never been out of service mechanically not even one day during my ownership (which deserves acknowledgment)! It is still my honest opinion (now having owned Toyota, Honda and 2 Mazda’s) that a Mazda is an underrated value for the money and I’ve gotten much better overall customer care from the dealership as well as Mazda of North America about stitching that came apart from my driver seat - covered ! Nothing ever required my Toyota to be out of service either but my ‘12 Accord was an entirely different story. I laugh that people are so bought and sold by the success of Honda’s marketing team. My Mazda is hands down 10xs the car my Accord was and if I didn’t live in flood prone Houston I would get another but will move to the CX line due to this, which breaks my heart.
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2016 Mazda6: Wanted one since 2013.
Tyson, 02/17/2016
updated 11/08/2019
2016 Mazda 6 i Touring 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 6M)
8 of 9 people found this review helpful
I should preface this review by saying I am a total Mazda fan. My wife has a 2013 Mazda CX-5 that has given us 3.5 years and 33,000 miles of trouble free service. Before my 6, I had a 2008 Mazda3 for six years and it was rock solid reliable and a ton of fun. Ever since the new Mazda6 design was previewed and released in 2013, I've practically drooled over them. I wanted one for years and finally made it happen in October 2015. My Deep Crystal Blue Mica 2016 Mazda6 i Touring sedan stickered at a little over $27,000 with its options, which included Bose stereo, power sunroof, blind spot monitors, and rear cross traffic alert. With my trade-in (the aforementioned Mazda3) and some haggling, I paid a little over $21,000. What can I say? The car is fantastic. It rides smoothly (although it does have some road noise thanks to the 19-inch wheels), has plenty of power for accelerating and passing, handles like a dream (seriously, no front-wheel-drive family sedan should be this fun on a curvy backroad), gets great fuel economy (I average 26 in the city and 34 on the highway), and looks like a much more expensive car than it is. My wife and I are planning on having a baby within the next year and the 6 has plenty of rear seat room to accommodate a child seat. Cars.com car seat safety check gave it an excellent rating as well. I should also mention the trunk is huge, another good thing for a sedan to have. The only negatives with this car are the road noise (nothing extreme, just more prevalent than a Camry or Sonata), and the front seats can be a bit narrow for...um..."wider" people (I'm included in that group). I have around 3,700 miles on my 6 and look forward to many, many more. UPDATE: Just crossed 10,000 miles. No problems to speak of, except the driver's seat bottom upholstery flaked in one spot. This seems to be an extremely isolated incident as I can't find other reports of it anywhere. Regardless, it was taken care of via warranty by my Mazda dealer very quickly and I was provided the option of a loaner car in the interim. Update #2: About to cross 15,000 miles with the 6 and zero issues. My son (our first child) was born last week and his car seat fits well and there is still plenty of legroom in the front passenger seat (his seat is installed in the rear passenger position). Update #3: Approaching 24,000 miles now. The only issue I have had besides the aforementioned seat upholstery problem is loose chrome trim on the rear decklid. Again, it was replaced quickly under warranty by the dealer. I was given a new Kia Sportage to drive in the interim. The car says I am averaging 26.5 MPG, but my driving is virtually all stop-and-go in the city along with a lot of short trips. According to my own calculations, my actual average MPG is 27.9. The only thing I can fault the car on is its lack of heated seats. The "leatherette" seats are especially cold during this relatively brutal Kentucky winter. But, that's my own fault for going with a Touring model instead of a Grand Touring. Update #4: Four years and 45,000 miles later, I’m still loving my 6. No issues to speak of aside from needing new brakes a bit sooner than I expected. I got high performance Raybestos rotors and pads. I replaced the battery, as well, because it was getting a bit weak during cold morning starts. I am having remote start and heated seats installed in the car next week to celebrate just having paid it off.
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2016 Mazda 6 for sale near you
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10 month review - 2016 Mazda 6 GT
Ernie, 06/22/2016
updated 12/26/2018
2016 Mazda 6 i Grand Touring 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 6A)
10 of 12 people found this review helpful
3 year update: I’ve had this car for 3 years now. Still getting very good mpg. Mazda finally came out with apple car play. Rims are still peeling and I went over warranty mileage so I’m on my own. Overall good car and I’m happy with my purchase. Love this car and I would definitely buy it again. First the cons: The trunk opening is very small, I have difficulty putting bulky items in. Ride is a little stiff, but that's to be expected with 19 inch rims on the GT trim version. A little noisy on the interior still, but much better than the 2015's I test drove. First couple of days I kept hitting my head while entering the car. One thing I didn't find out until after I purchased my car was that the infotainment system locks you out of almost all the options screens if you are driving. This was annoying when having to stop to add my passengers phone to the Bluetooth device list. A simple google allowed me to find a hack to disable that feature. All 4 of my rims started peeling less than a year from purchase (covered under warranty) and my rotors have gotten warped. Nothing that can't be fixed though. Pros: Handling is amazing. Love the look of the car. Fuel economy for 60highway/40city is around 33mph. Love the Leatherette. At first I though the digital speedometer was a gimmick, but I've learned to love it. The folding rear seats are great for large items.
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A BEAUTIFUL Thing
Harold Watkins, 07/06/2016
2016 Mazda 6 i Grand Touring 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 6A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
Don't understand why Mazda doesn't sale more. This is a great car. Had car for almost a month with just under 1000 miles s, haven't been on freeway yet and still average 32mpg. Drives great, best looking mid size on the road. For the price, couldn't have purchased a better value. After months of research I am very happy with my choice
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Who’s competing?
North by west, 09/25/2018
2016 Mazda 6 i Sport 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 6A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
Why did I buy a Mazda 6? I could bore you with all the details about the fuel economy or warranty package. Even tell you about the amazing reliability it has afforded me. I could go on about how comfortable it’s been on my several road trips. Yes even rave to you about the size of the trunk. I won’t tho, I’ll only tell you why I bought this car over the Camry, accord, Altima, legacy, Malibu, fusion. Simply put, it’s the best looking. Compared side by side with all the other base model midsize sedans, it’s the only one that can fool you into thinking it’s got a secret. Which in fact, it doesn’t, which is good! Approaching year 3 of ownership and I still can’t beleive I haven’t had one hiccup with this car. I still get complimented on it, and I still get great fuel mileage. I won’t win a drag race against a similarly equipped accord. I won’t go further on a tank of fuel against a Camry... but When I walk out of my house, to my Mazda 6 Sport, where it matters, I’ve won.
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