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Car Summary

Read the marketing brochure for the Mazda6 and you’ll find tons of purple prose touting the car’s sporting, “Zoom-Zoom” heritage, but you’ll also learn Mazda sees the 6’s most direct competitors as the Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry, Chevy Malibu, and Honda Accord. Using those cars as a frame of reference, we would say Mazda 6 is arguably zoomier than some (the Toyota in particular) but is not, overall, the zoomiest of the bunch.

Here’s the deal: the role the Mazda6 wants to play—and almost pulls off—is that of an ersatz BMW 3-series on the cheap. Much of the car is willing and able, though the suspension is not. We believe the 6 is just a handful of suspension tuning revisions away from stepping up to the next level.

Pros

• Invigorating, fuel efficient, 170 horsepower four with pleasing exhaust note and excellent six-speed manual
• Roomy and space efficient without feeling bulky
• Numerous well-executed interior details add worthwhile touches of class

Cons

• Brochure says, “Zoom-Zoom” we say, “suspension not quite up to the task”
• Swoopy styling (generally a plus) can provoke controversial reactions
• Meets the challenge from the mainline Japanese competitors but isn’t quite enough to deliver the killing blow

Read more about the Mazda6 on the vehicle's buyer's guide page, where you'll find our driving impressions, previous road tests, galleries, and more. You can find buyer's guides to other vehicles in the NextAutos car search database.