Mazda6 - talk to me

[defblade]

Been looking around for a family car that's a bit more sensible than the E39 530 auto saloon I'm currently running.

For sensible, read better MPG, less cost of servicing/repairs, more flexible load space. Also, I'm tall, and so is my daughter who'll be in the back, so fitting in a car comfortably is important too.... I've probably tried and rejected a lot of the alternatives you're all about to suggest.

But I did quite like a mazda6 I sat in, although the one I saw was old, tired and tatty... so I was off to the interweb to do some research.

Then thought I'd post here and ask for real world hints and tips

I notice there's quite a jump in price between the older and facelift cars... are the newer ones worth the extra?

Also... the MPS. The quoted mpg, frequent servicing needs and the only-droppable-if-you-fiddle back seats makes it sound like I'd be just as well running the 530 for now, so although that's the most petrol-head model, I don't think there's much point to it for me at the moment... I could be wrong though there's always ManMaths!

[V8RX7]

If you're talking the old model then my wife has the 2.3 Sport - it drives very well but isn't that quick and the mpg is relatively poor.

The arches rust too.

However for the price as an overall package it's great, it's a far sportier drive (albeit slower) than a 530 IME and she'll probably upgrade to the newer Mazda6 shortly.

The MPS is a better car than most people think but as it's only available as a saloon which put me off and I bought a Forester XT (which drives far worse than my wife's car)

[Vitorio]

My dad has the first gen 6, a 1.8 in fairly basic trim. From what i gather it is a dependable car, and mileage must be decent as well (otherwise the old man wouldnt have gotten it, he is a very very sensible chap when it comes to cars, too sensible if you ask me). From what i know the engine isnt all too impressive in the power front, but enough to get around

Ive never been in it for more then a short passenger ride, but it is decently spacious (he had a 626 before this, which i spent quite some time in the back off as a 6 foot tall teenager), and the interior is OK in a japanese boring sort of way.

Honestly, it probably doesnt get more sensible then a mazda* when it comes to buying cars

(non rotary that is, check Nik Da Greek's thread in the readers cars section for a cautionary tale)

[defblade]

I've not been worried about "quick" in a car since I got my full bike licence (although driving with the number of bank holiday bimblers about today, I was glad of a bit of power from the 3 litre every now and then ) so long as it'll pull out onto the DC-way every morning without getting rear ended... and my wife's Aygo and my old 2 litre Grand Vitara are/were fine for that.
Anything sub 10 secs to 60 is fine.
And I just don't get the chance to stretch a car's legs more than 2% of the time - my commute is DC, Mway, then crawl into town (it's the crawl that kills the mpg on the 530!).
This is why I can't see the point of the MPS for me, despite having an itch for one in the back of my head... only advantage would be the wife wouldn't ever realise quite how unsensible it was

[ZX10R NIN]

The only negative I have with the Mazda is their piss thin paint they suffer from stone chips more than most modern car & definitely don't leave bird st on more a week as it'll be through the Lacquer in a hot second.

The Mazda 6 is a nice car & you can pick up a pretty loaded one for a bit less than the equivalent Mondeo but I think I'd take the Mondeo especially if it was the 200bhp diesel, but you do pay more for the Ford.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

I recently picked up a loaded 2010 Mazda 6 TS2 (with Leather Blind Spot Assist Bose etc) 73k Full Mazda History for £5000.00 for a customer & it's been fine apart from the paint.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

[C.A.R.]

The latest model has what can only be described as the world's most ste Sat-Nav. It is a very comfortable car though, with acres of legroom in the back.

[defblade]

Petrol only for me, and I use Waze for sat nav duties (live traffic is very handy when there are ways of avoiding the Mway if you know soon enough that it's on stop).

Hadn't really thought about it being the same platform as the Mondeo ( ), I was impressed a while back by a Mondeo taxi I had (the post '07)... is the Mazda facelift as comprehensive as the Mondeo's? If so, I can why the prices are considerably higher.

[ZX10R NIN]

220bhp Mondeo Titanium X 2.5
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

240bhp Mondeo Titanium X Petrol 2.0
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

200bhp
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

Mazda 6 Sport 170bhp 2.5
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...