Day-by-Day Review: 2014 Mazda6 GT

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2014 Mazda6

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

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This week I’m taking a one-week hiatus from the luxury bandwagon I have been riding… at least in terms of luxury brands. I’m in a mainstream brand and a mainstream car, the all-new 2014 Mazda6. The catch here is that my tester is a fully loaded GT version… which is actually kind of luxurious, especially as it is Mazda’s flagship.

When I first set my eyes on this new Mazda6 a few days ago, I was impressed. The previous generation has become (in my opinion) too extravagant and bulbous, looking extra large because of the bulging fenders out front. But this model tones it down considerably — something about it almost screams Jaguar to me.

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The 2014 Mazda6 has a starting MSRP of $24,495 but the GT model starts at $32,195. Mazda is one of the few mainstream manufacturers to offer a manual transmission at all in their mid-sized sedan and, surprise surprise, they even offer it in the highest trim! That’s right, you can get your choice of a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic in any Mazda6 currently available — at no charge!

What you don’t get is a choice of engine, but this isn’t a horrible thing as Mazda offers their 2.5L four-cylinder SkyActiv engine in the Mazda6, with a diesel option coming soon.

As I mentioned, my GT tester is loaded with every option — unfortunately including the automatic. But it includes some impressive features like blind spot detection, radar cruise control, dual-zone climate control, navigation and leather seating.

So far I’m quite impressed — especially with the white leather option against the black exterior.

MSRP as tested (including destination): $ 35,890

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Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

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So far I’m really liking this new Mazda6, the interior goes with the exterior really well – very grown up and fresh. Gone are the red gauges and in are white gauges that are clean, crisp and easy to read.

The HVAC controls and display are clean and easy to read as well, although a little low and out of the way; I do find I have to hunt for the clock as it is very far down on the centre stack. The upper portion of the dash houses the radio and navigation, a TomTom-powered unit that looks like an aftermarket unit stuffed into a hole – I prefer the previous integrated look, although some prefer this double-din solution, which allows one to upgrade the stereo easily enough.

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The dash itself is very soft rubber with a nice texture that is appealing and non-reflective. The accent trim pieces are a little odd though as some are aluminum while the front piece is wood – sticking to one aluminum theme would be my preference – it’s like they couldn’t decide which way to go, classic or modern.

As far as comfort and visibility goes, the 2014 Mazda6 is excellent. The rear seats offer plenty of legroom and headroom and ease of ingress and egress. The front seats are comfortable and the eight-way power adjustments on my tester make for quick work when hunting for that perfect driving position.

My only big gripe is I can’t rest my left arm on the armrest and hold the steering wheel at the same time, which I do a lot on the highway. It seems the door panel is just too far away for my short arms; the centre console armrest does extend forward over the cupholders, which I do appreciate.

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

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I was at the Mazda dealer today as the Mazda6 needed a software update — but don’t worry if you are buying one, this car was delivered to me before they were doing these updates, any new cars should have it. Long story short, I was there for about 10 minutes so I walked through the showroom.

A 2011 Mazda RX-8 R3 for $24,995 caught my eye — wowzers. Then I noticed a 2014 Mazda6 GS in the showroom so I took a look inside. A lot of the times the fully loaded model shows great, while the base model looks dull and boring. But not the Mazda6, the cloth seats were comfortable and the dash was nearly identical. The digital read-out for the temperature is removed and larger knobs for the HVAC are used. The wood trim is replaced with a black plastic piece that I actually prefer — the rest looked basically the same.

Once that was over I jumped onto the highway in a little bit of a hurry so I took the opportunity to see how fast I could hit that on-ramp. Turns out faster than most would ever try, even on winter tires. The Mazda6 feels light and frisky like most Mazda’s do — the zoom-zoom is ever present in this one.

When I first got the car I felt the engine was a little weak though and with no V6 or turbo offering that could be an issue for Mazda. But the more I drive it the more I realize it’s really just the programming to ensure you get great fuel economy, if you press a little harder on the pedal the car goes just fine.

When I drove the 2013 Nissan Altima a fews months ago I commented that the four-cylinder was plenty enough engine for that car and I feel the same here. This engine is plenty powerful for the average family, 184-horsepower and 185-lb/ft of torque at just 3,250 rpm is nothing to sneeze at — actually it is very good.

While I was at the dealership I also spotted a Mazda2 — which had me nostalgic for racing in the B-Spec series… come on summer!

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

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Y’know, with “SkyActiv” this and “SkyActiv” that, I was really hoping for some incredible numbers when it came to my fuel economy for the week. It is not like the Mazda6 did horribly, and it is a mid-sized sedan shod with winter tires. What did I average? Well I eked out 7.7 L/100 km over the course of the week, which by itself is excellent.

So why am I not super excited? Because I test drove the Nissan Altima 2.5 SV in January, when it was colder, and the Altima was also fitted with winter tires, and I managed 7.5 L/100 km. I expected the Mazda to best that or at least match it – it was close, though.

What did impress me about the Mazda6 was its fun-to-drive attitude and grown up looks and feel. This new generation Mazda6 certainly turns heads and it delivers in all respects as well.