2.2D 150ps Sport Nav 4dr Saloon

Stunning to look at, pleasant to travel in, decent to drive.

I've owned this 65 plate 6 Sport for 2 months and covered 2,000 miles now. It had 4k on the clock at purchase and had come from Mazda UK.

I'm a picky so-and-so when it comes to vehicles and it took me 5 months to find the one I wanted. I'd almost bought a pre-facelift SE-L in February, but coming from a 1st gen 53 sport, the SE-L felt like it had jelly for suspension when cornering - so I decided on the Sport. This one is in Snowflake white, which dazzles (when it's clean!) and with the 19" dark alloys looks like it means business! Though I'm dreading the bill for the tyres when the time comes...

The cockpit is a much nicer place to be than the 2013 model - the leather effect on the dash and fittings certainly makes the 6 feel more classy now than previous models with their shiny plastics. I was slightly concerned about having leather seats, though the recent warm spell has allayed those fears a little. The tinted rear windows help, especially if you can park with the rear of the car towards the sun. As previously mentioned, my old car was the 1st generation 6 and the controls are similarly laid out on the steering wheel, so it didn't take much getting used to. One thing that is vastly different (which perhaps was to be expected) is the media system. As well as the sat nav, extra connectivity (USB and AUX), DAB, Bluetooth there's a number of built-in apps to monitor fuel economy, the iLoop system, maintenance timings and various other things. Whilst the technology is impressive, I do miss being able to change the radio station with a single button press! I also can't understand why the touch screen is disabled above 5mph - it takes much more concentration to fiddle with the knobs and buttons behind the gearstick than it would to tap the screen. I'm sure this makes sense to some old technophobe in a suit that dreams up safety regulations, but when you're used to using touch screens this seems a ridiculous state of affairs. That said, it's fairly easy to navigate the console once you remember where the controls are - it just seems a little backward to have to do this.

I'm enjoying the way this car drives, though without being spectacularly impressed. It certainly may be a little too bumpy for some, but I like a firm ride and the old 6 was infinitely more of a bone rattler than this is. It's very nimble around corners and leans in nicely and crisply for such a large car - and it is big. Parking spaces seem to have gotten smaller! In terms of the handling, It's not quite as responsive as the first gen, but I wasn't expecting it to be. These days cars seem to be made to nullify the driving experience for the sake of a more comfortable ride, whether you want that or not. Over time I'd imagine it will loosen up a bit, but for now it isn't in the same league as the outgoing 11-year-old car in terms of the road feel. I won't be doing any Colin McRae impersonations in this one, which my wife will probably be mightily relieved at! No, this is a very different beast and it would be bordering on a crime to force it into manoeuvres it clearly wasn't designed to perform. It's high time I remembered I'm not 20 any more - and kept a lid on the urge to make the stability system warning light flash when exiting corners and roundabouts anyway...

The SkyActive diesel (and it's hard to tell it is a diesel at times) is responsive when you put your foot down, without feeling or sounding strained at any point. It's a little harsh in 1st, but changing up through the gears it falls near-silent and I've pretty much had to retrain my senses... It can be hard to hear or feel the engine over road noise when the surface isn't perfect. I must admit that more than once I've had to glance at the dash to check the gear indicator before changing up. The strange thing is I almost miss the old turbo lag and the burst of torquey pull that followed in a TD. It's still there - just delivered in a far more refined way these days. It's also impressively frugal - I'm averaging between 54 and 60mpg... although I have been quite gentle on her so far. I tend to ignore the range calculator and focus on the gaps between refuelling (you'll find yourself wondering what it's playing at otherwise!). I'm putting in around 35 litres (of Shell V-Nitro) a time and getting 400-450 miles out of it, on a commute that is mainly along rural A-Roads.

Overall I'm very happy with the car. It's pleasant to sit in, nice to drive, plenty of space for passengers and luggage. Touch wood, there's been no problems so far (as you'd hope for a vehicle under a year old!). Running costs (insurance, tax etc) have been very reasonable and it feels well stuck together. The 6 is still relatively uncommon as well - which was a big part of why I first bought one in 2006. Add to that the subtle differences on the Facelift Sport, you feel like you're driving a car that few others have got their hands on, without the self-importance of those ostentatious German marques. The only minor grumbles are how easily the paint seems to chip (or maybe I'm just noticing it more on a white car?), a bit of vibration from the window control on the driver's side with the bass up and the randomness of the rain-sensing wipers... Nothing that would prevent me from recommending this car in a heartbeat.

Mazda seem to have got this one right.

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