Key Facts
Model tested: Mazda6 Tourer 2.5 194hp GT Sport Nav+ Automatic
Price: 6 Tourer range from £24,595; 2.5 194hp GT Sport Nav+ from £31,695, car as tested £32,695
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol
Transmission: six-speed automatic, front-wheel drive
Body style: five-door estate
CO2 emissions: 156g/km (VED Band 151-170: £530 in year one, then £145 annually thereafter)
Combined economy: 41.5mpg
Top speed: 139mph
0-62mph: 8.1 seconds
Power: 194hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 258Nm at 4,000rpm
Boot space: 522-1,664 litres
Our view:
Another of our quick reviews here, because we've driven this excellent generation of Mazda6 many, many times over its often-tweaked lifespan (it's had more updates than Windows 10, we reckon - or, at least, it
feels as if it has) and it has always put in a sterling showing. Last time we drove it was in 2018 and it was a
184hp 2.2-litre diesel in exactly the same GT Sport Nav+ spec. Pretty much the same glorious colour combo, too, of £800 Soul Red Crystal metallic paint on the outside and Light Stone Nappa leather (£200) within. There's no doubting this remains one of the best-looking estate cars at any price range in such warpaint, while the interior still feels classy, just about up-to-date, hugely spacious and accommodating, and blessed with a big boot behind the passenger compartment.
But you shouldn't be buying this 2.5-litre petrol model. Why? Is it a bad engine? Well, no; of course it's not, it's a Mazda engine and so it is beautifully engineered, really smooth around the rev counter and it is as decently quick as 194hp in a D-segment car ought to be. It even features cylinder deactivation to save a bit of fuel by running on just two pots from time to time, a process that is (as it should be) utterly imperceptible as it segues on- and off-stream during driving.
But the 2.2-litre diesel is better. Allow us to demonstrate with some facts and figures: Mazda flat refuses to turbocharge its petrols but has no such qualms with its diesels, so while the 2.5 is 10hp up on the ultimate 2.2d, it is a quite colossal 187Nm down on torque, with a reedy 258Nm coming on tap at a slightly peaky 4,000rpm here when the diesel's thumping 445Nm hits at just 2,000rpm; this massive torque disadvantage is exacerbated by the fact the 194hp petrol only comes with the six-speed automatic gearbox, while the diesel is paired to a superior six-speed manual - this Mazda self-shifter ain't bad, all told, but it's not quite at the bleeding edge of today's transmission tech, having too few ratios for the four-cylinder engine's 'spread' of torque.
This results in some quantifiable benefits to owning the diesel. Its 126g/km of CO
2 places it two VED bands lower than the petrol engine, which means £170 of road tax in year one, instead of a beefy 530 notes; yes, non-mathematicians, that's a difference of £360 - not to be sniffed at. The quoted economy is also better by 17.4mpg on the 2.2d and that translates into the real world, where 180 miles of mixed-roads driving in the 2.5 petrol over the course of a week yielded a modest 33.6mpg with a best of 41.7mpg only coerced during a very, very,
very steady cruise up the A616 and A60. And there's not even a huge difference on price: both GT Sport Nav+ models (which are, by the way, absolutely laden with toys; there is precious little equipment you'll want for on these top-spec Mazda6s) came in at about £33,000. In fact, the diesel was just £90 more than this petrol. And we'd happily pay an additional £90 for the 2.2's far superior road manners.
One week with the Mazda6 Tourer 2.5 was undoubtedly lovely, then. But it would have been a little bit lovelier still, had this been the 2.2-litre petrol. Or (whisper it) if Mazda had deigned to fit a light-pressure turbo to this 2.5 mill...
Alternatives:
Peugeot 508 SW: striking looks, high-quality interior and largely pleasant driving manners, but the ride is suspect on bigger alloys while the chassis isn't as sharp as the Mazda's.
Skoda Superb Estate: has exactly what the Mazda6 needs: access to some smooth, torquey, turbocharged petrol motors. Is also cavernous as a wagon, although it can get very pricey with some 'tick-box indiscretion' on the part of the buyer.
Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer: corking great thing and vastly underrated, we feel. A new 1.6-litre 200hp petrol engine has landed for the Griffin product, although - like the 6 - we think the turbodiesel models are the way to go.
