I've already written a couple of comprehensive reviews of the Mazda6, one on the 2003 and another on the 2004. This will be a less detailed review focusing on a rental I drove from Detroit to Arkansas and back. Being a rental, the car in question was a four-cylinder with automatic transmission. I'll also compare the Mazda6 with the more compact Mazda3.

Styling

At one point the Mazda6 was the leading contender to be my next car. But with the passage of time the car's attraction has increasingly dulled for me. Part of the reason is the styling, which I've never cared much for. Nothing wrong with it. Just nothing very distinctive about it, either. Nothing makes this more apparent than the Mazda3 which appeared a year after the Mazda6. Compared to the Mazda3's styling, the Mazda6's is hopelessly bland.

Mazda had a chance to field a more exciting car when it introduced a five-door version last year. They certainly did a fantastic job improving on a sedan with the five-door I currently drive, a Mazda Protege5. But the five door is hard to distinguish from the 4-door. Consider this an opportunity wasted.

Inside I continue to find the Mazda6's seats aesthetically wanting. Those in my Protege5 and the Mazda3 that replaced it look much sportier and more substantial. Looking at the interior styling as a whole, the Mazda3 is again more distinctive.

Accommodations

My primary issue here again surrounds the seats. To be blunt, I could not stand them after a hour or two. No matter what I did with the adjustable lumbar support (and I played with it every few minutes) my lower back was very unhappy nearly the entire trip. For my back the lumbar bulge was too narrow vertically and hit too high, leaving my lower back with insufficient support.

To be honest, my back hasn't fared much better in many of the other cars I've rented for this drive, but better seats are out there. (Unfortunately, the best seats tend to be in much more expensive cars.) Every back is different, so your experience could well vary. I simply suggest getting as much seat time as possible before buying this car.

Aside from the seats the Mazda6 serves passengers well enough. It isn't as roomy as an Altima or Camry, but should still be roomy enough for most people. Trunk space is about average for a midsize sedan, and the rear seat folds very easily to expand it. The Mazda3 has a significantly tighter rear seat and trunk.

On the Road

As in the Mazda3 the 2.3-liter four in the Mazda6 might be too smooth for its own good. Combine far more refinement than you'll find in Mazda's earlier four cylinders (i.e. the one under the hood of my car) with a relatively weak midrange and this engine gets the job done but never feels all that spirited. Many competing four cylinders feel more sporting, especially Mitsubishi's 2.4.

Having the car for 1500 miles allowed me to get used to the manual shift feature of the four-speed automatic. Use of this feature became almost intuitive. The transmission responded fairly quickly to changes, and I used it often to hold gears along curvy roads. Though still no substitute for a true manual, if you must have an automatic this feature is definitely of value.

One note of caution: be careful with drinks around the shifter. A previous customer had spilled something into it, and as a result shift feel was crunchy and effort was high.

In terms of handling, my rental felt precise and nicely balanced for a front-wheel-drive car, but still seemed more appliance than sport sedan to me. Ride quality with the base suspension is good and noise levels are moderate, with tire noise most prominent.

Mazda6 Price Comparisons and Pricing

For quick, up-to-date pricing, and especially user-specified price comparisons, check out the website I created: www.truedelta.com. Why yet another vehicle pricing website? Well, I personally lacked the patience to keep using the others. They were too slow and required too much effort, especially when trying to compare prices. So I taught myself some programming and created a site where there is no need to dig through option packages, prerequisites, and the like one by one -- the TrueDelta algorithm figures these out for you in one swift pass.

Last Words

Because it has the best handling of the bunch I would choose the Mazda6 over an Accord, Camry, or Altima. But my 1500 miles in the rental confirmed that, despite its competence, the Mazda6 fails to excite me. There's just too little that's special about this car. Which might explain why consumer interest in the Mazda6 has cooled considerably since the car's launch. These days the smaller, less expensive Mazda3 attracts far more interest, and rightfully so.

If you do require a midsize sedan my favorite is the Subaru Legacy GT. It costs a bit more than the Mazda6, but has a more upscale feel and brings with it the benefits of all-wheel-drive.

Another alternative will arrive this fall. Ford will introduce a Mazda6-based sedan called the Fusion. Styling will be more distinctive and the rear seat will be roomier. A manual transmission will be available with the V6. I look forward to driving it.

A Note on Mazda6 Reliability

I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I've started collecting my own data. Results, once they are available, will be posted to my site, www.truedelta.com, with updates every three months.

Unlike other sources, TrueDelta will clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy a Mazda6 rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). You will be able to specify the number of years, annual miles, and types of repairs to include in Mazda6 reliability comparisons.

Before I can report results, I need data on all cars--not just the Mazda6--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive free access to the site's reliability information. Non-participants will have to pay an access fee.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.

A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.

Some of my reviews of related vehicles:
Chevrolet Malibu review
Honda Accord review
Mazda3 review
Mitsubishi Galant review
Nissan Altima review
Subaru Legacy GT review
Toyota Camry review
Amount Paid (US$): 21000
Model Year: 2005
Model and Options: i Sport automatic