Lifestyle estates tend to be handsome beasts, but all too often their good looks come at the expense of practicality. Mazda has managed to come very close to delivering a practical estate car that is aspirational with the latest Mazda6 Estate.
Following on from the saloon and five-door Mazda6, the load lugging Mazda6 estate comes along. Longer, wider and only slightly taller than the car it replaces, the Mazda6 estate has many of the styling cues that make the 6 a very smart looking car. Squint and you could be forgiven for thinking the 6 is a posher Honda Accord or even a Lexus IS when viewed at the front. The Japanese firm deserves success as it continues to deliver interesting machinery. The 6 features plenty of exterior curves, bumps and contours that tell you this is a motor worth a closer look and will age better than most of the duller competition.
There are just two engine options with the estate. The petrol engine is fine but the diesel version is only a couple of quid more despite being a 2-litre. The 140bhp turbo diesel is the only sensible choice. Thanks to a slippery drag co-efficient of just .28, the 6 estate is a frugal machine, I've managed over 50mpg 5.6L/100km in my week in the car and that's in mixed driving conditions! With 330nm of torque produced from 2,000 rpm, there is a healthy amount of pulling power on tap also and this is very important as estate cars tend to be used that bit more for towing and general DIY grunt work.
The cargo area is the real star. The boot opening is one of the largest in its class. The cargo area features a flat floor and, as in the last 6 estate, the seats are effortlessly folded by a simple pull of a lever found either side of the boot, making the Mazda6 easy to use as well as very practical. The tonneau cover is automatic, so there's no more fiddling or having to replace it each time you open the boot, which can be a real pain in many an estate car. Under the floor is an additional small cargo area that can take a couple of shopping bags.
The body has been stiffened especially around the boot area so the driving experience is pretty impressive. The six-speed manual gearbox has a lovely short throw; although my test car's was a little notchy, the box is sporty and helps enhance the driving experience.
There is only one specification at the moment and that is 'Executive'. This is pretty impressive with air con and cruise control standard along with alloys, a host of driver aids like DSC (dynamic stability control). A mini-jack socket is present and of course the stereo and a few other features can be controlled from the steering wheel mounted controls.
Thanks to the VRT changes (I never thought I'd be saying thanks to VRT!) the Mazda6 diesel is three grand cheaper at €31,495 and while the 1.8 petrol version is €1,000 cheaper on paper, it is not worth the saving in the long run.
Michael Sheridan
