2020 Mazda6

 
 

For this week’s review we’ve gotten our hands on the 2020 Mazda6. The Mazda6 has returned unchanged except for a couple features from upper trim are moved to down to lower trims!

GS-L trim:
- 19-inch Alloy wheels (dark grey high lustre) - moved down from 19MY GT
- Paddle shifters (moved to GS-L with Skyactiv-G 2.5 T, to better observe cross-carline consistency)

GT trim:
- 360° View Monitor - moved down from 19MY Signature
- Front and rear parking sensors - moved down from 19MY Signature

Disclosure: Mazda Canada provided me with the 2020 Mazda6 for a week to test drive, and photograph. All photos in this blog post was taken by me. #Mazda6

ACCELERATION: 7.5/10

  • Two engine options depending on which trim you go with

  • 2.5L I4 with Cylinder Deactivation
    187HP @ 6000 / 186 lb-ft @ 4000

  • 2.5L I4 with Dynaymic Pressure Turbo
    250HP @ 5000 (with 93 octane fuel)
    227HP @ 5000 (with 87 octane fuel)
    310 lb-ft @ 2000

  • 6-speed automatic / FWD

  • 7.9 second 0-100 km/hr (I4 CD)

  • 6.4 second 0-100 km/hr (I4 T)

  • Because of the tire size and low end torque, anytime I threw the power down there was quite a bit of wheel spin

BRAKING: 7/10

  • The smaller tire size also affects it’s stopping score from 100 km back to 0 km because it took 10-15 ft longer to come to a stop compared to an Accord & Camry.

HANDLING: 9/10

  • Most engaging and fun in its class

RIDE: 7.5/10

  • It’s a bit firmer than the competition but it’s a good balance for not being too soft or hard. It is great for long highway journeys but city roads with a lot of imperfections will be felt.

ECONOMY: 8.25/10

  • I4 CD - 26.1/35.1/30.6 MPG (City/Highway/Combined)

  • I4 T - 23.5/31.4/27.5 MPG (City/Highway/Combined)

CABIN NOISE: 6.75/10

  • Louder than the Camry, Accord and newer entries

EXTERIOR: 8.5/10

  • Sleek and sexy design; doesn’t scream that I’m a family car like it’s main competitors. The Mazda6 is hands down the sharpest looking mainstream mid size sedan.

INTERIOR FOR DRIVER: 8/10

  • The design and white material with dark accents really give off this premium experience

  • Seats are comfortable

  • Infotainment controls below the shifter has this BMW style controller. I found this to be very intuitive layout to use

  • Below are some nit picking features that would elevate the interior even higher than it’s main rivals,

    • Arm rest could be shifted forward to be more ergonomical, and also having a tad more padding. I found the arm rest a bit too far back, my arm was always at a reverse angle to get my elbow resting on it even with the seat adjusted fairly far back. I think having the

    • Camera resolution could be higher res

    • Steering wheel fully heated since only the sides receive heating.

INTERIOR FOR PASSENGERS: 7.25/10

  • Front passenger seat doesn’t have the same amount of controls as the driver. If you’re going to have a front passenger regularly in the vehicle you’ll want them with you for a test drive to see if the seat works for them!

  • Generous rear legroom but headroom is lacking because of the curve sloping roof line. It may be cramp if you have a tall adult in the back but the rear seats won’t be an issue for children so it would still work great as a family sedan. The headroom in this segment is not particularly generous if you look at the rear headroom numbers below. I’m 5’6 and felt the rear seats were comfortable and enough room for me.

  • Rear USB charging located in the middle seat arm rest. I wish the USB charging would be relocated somewhere that doesn’t prohibit it’s usage when there are 3 passengers in the rear as it prevents it from being used.

Combined Legroom:

  • 82.7 - Accord

  • 81.5 - Passat

  • 81.1 - Sonata

  • 81.1 - Altima

  • 80.9 - Mazda6

  • 80.1 - Camry

  • 80.1 - Malibu

Rear Headroom:

  • 38.0 - Camry

  • 38.0 - Sonata

  • 37.8 - Passat

  • 37.5 - Malibu

  • 37.3 - Accord

  • 37.1 - Mazda6

  • 37.1 - Altima

INTERIOR STORAGE: 7.5/10

  • 14.7 Cu Ft with the seats up

  • Seats fold down 60/40 style. There’s a lever in the trunk to unlock them. The seats fold down fairly flat.

  • It doesn’t offer as much room as some of its competitors so take a look in person to see if it works for your family but I think it is enough space for most.

INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM: 7/10

  • Graphics are modern unlike most of the mainstream car brands

  • Would be nice if the system didn’t lock itself while driving. A lot of times I’m in motion, and I ask my passenger to input the address into the navigation but they’re unable to do anything until I come to a stop.

  • Would love to see a wide screen like the one seen in the Mazda3

  • Initializing time can take a while, would be nice to see a faster processor or software optimization to improve start up.

  • Supports Android Auto and Apple Car Play

OVERALL IMPRESSION OF THE 2020 Mazda6:

Even though the current generation Mazda 6 platform is from 2012 you wouldn’t know it looking at it. It has luxury like attributes without the luxury price tag. Its cabin is better than some luxury cars on the market and it’s exterior appearance is still the nicest in the mainstream segment. The Mazda 6 is for a driver who wants a midsize sedan that has a sharp appearance, fun to drive dynamics and good fuel economy. If you’re in the market for a mainstream mid size sedan, I would keep the Mazda 6 on the list to book a test drive.

Lately SUVs are the go-to practical family vehicle over the traditional family sedan but SUVs are getting boring with so many on the road. If Canada could have the wagon variant of the Mazda 6 that’s available in Europe, that might attract buyers who want a practical family vehicle that isn’t a SUV.

 
 
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