I test drove a Mazda6 recently because I saw a couple of comments in Car and Driver that caught my eye regarding the interior design. Since I've turned into a bit of a dashstroker lately, I figured I'd go take a look at the interior of the new 6.
Well that look turned into a test drive. The interior on the 6 has to be one of Mazda's best efforts yet in a car. The seats are deeply sculpted and I sense would be very comfortable over the long haul, despite the lack of side bolsters. The seat fabric they choose is of high quality as well. The dashboard is fantastic, and really my favorite in the class now. Why? First off, I'm coming from a Protege which has an OEM radio which large, easy to use buttons and a two-knob setup. Well guess what - the 6 has practically the same design, and its much easier to use than the button-crazy accord and it feels very much like a quality unit. Also, the 3-knob setup with buttons in the center is a brilliant move by mazda and made the climate controls the easiest things to use. They even feel good to the touch - I swear, they took this straight out of Mercedes-Benz's playbook. To top this all off, the entire dashboard, with the exception of a couple of minor areas, is made of high quality materials that mimic an expensive car.
I liked the gauge cluster - but I found the speedo to not be very legible. It doesn't need to go to 160MPG and the font could be bigger. And the tach needs a bold red streak to indicate where the hell redline is. I found out from the rev limiter where it was. (eekdance)
The trunk has non-obtrusive struts and is massive. The opening is huge too, and the seats fold down. It's ridiculous in size if you ask me. The s model could be perfect for a mob run. I guess if you make the car this long (it's 2-3 inches short of the current Accord) you should get all that space opened up to you. Speaking of the interior, there's more than enough room in this car. I love how there's plenty of room for 6-footers - I have friends who will love that.
As for the drive - I agree that the Accord has a bit more refinement on uneven pavement, but the 6 is not that far off. C/D described it as a plus-size Mazda3 and that's pretty accurate. The ride is smooth and the cabin is quiet. On curvy roads there's plenty of boost in the steering, but thats expected - this car is 194 inches long after all. I felt that the car, with the right tires, will handle even better and make for a very rewarding drive, considering its size.
Off the line, the car I test drove (the 4-banger) felt a bit sluggish but once up to speed, it was ready to zoom. I liked on how on the highway, its engineered to be able to pass cars easily. The transmission gearing is typical Mazda, which is to say the final gear is a bit more aggressive than you expect. The engine felt fine to me - but I guess only time well tell how well it will hold up. We also have a CRV which has the 2.4L KA series engine, which is the gold standard right now if you ask me when it comes to refined, effective 4-cylinders. The 2.5L feels very isolated, unlike in my Protege where it may as well be in the passenger seat its so loud. But I still think it's a notch below the Honda KA series, as in higher RPMs it sounds a bit odd. However, I take my FS-DE up to 5K revs and I've become used to the sounds of a high revving engine. Mazda's engines are willing to go there - they may not feel as free-wheeling as the Honda ones, but they are pretty damn refined. Relative to some other engines on the market, the 2.5L 4-banger in the 6 is fine.
So what makes me interested in buying this car? Well a couple of things.
1) Its level of refinement - the interior is put together nicely for the most part, and it has excellent controls, seating comfort and space.
2) The 4-banger seems to be pretty efficient. Considering that my Protege gets 26-28MPG in mixed driving, if this thing, which is nearly 18 inches longer, a couple wider, and a couple hundred more pounds heaver, I think it should be just fine for me.
3) Price. If this car proves to have excellent reliability like the 07 and 08 6 models did, then with depreciation this car is a used car steal waiting to happen. I will probably lick my chops for the first couple of years of the model cycle and unless Mazda makes some serious upgrades in the refresh a year or two from now, I will wait and pounce on a lightly used model. I'm just concerned about the durability of the 4-cylinder's automatic transmission. Is it a Ford-sourced unit? I know Ford has REALLY been cleaning up their act lately, but I'm concerned about the unit's performance when it gets to 100K miles and up. I drive my cars until they die, literally! I might get the 6-speed just for the piece of mind.
It's a damn shame that Mazda sold only 1800 of these in June. It's a great car, possibly their best sedan ever, and they put it on the market right when the economy crapped out on everybody.
"I'm suck in the middle with you . . . " Know what I mean? 
