2015 MAZDA 6
Model tested:
- 2015 Mazda6 GT
- 2.5L 4-cylinder engine
- 6-speed manual transmission
- Front-wheel drive
- Seating Capacity: 5
- Road Test Terrain: 60% city, 40% highway
- Tested MSRP: $33,890 CAD
The 2014 Mazda6 won AJAC’s Canadian Car of the Year award earlier this year so we were curious to see how it would do on our road test. We got the opportunity to test drive the 2015 model – turns out we really liked this sedan, from its design to the way it drives! The current Mazda6 is definitely an improvement over its previous generations. Here’s what we noticed about the 2015 Mazda6:
Exterior design
We couldn’t get enough pictures of this car. The exterior design is a nod to Mazda’s determination to create a look that captures the ‘soul of motion (KODO)’. With its sleek lines, the car looks like it’s ready to get moving anytime. We loved the grill – totally reminds Emily of a shark!
The only thing that threw us off was the location of the exterior mirrors – they aren’t right next to the A pillar. While it didn’t compromise the style, it had us do a double take when we checked our mirrors.
Interior design
The interior cabin felt spacious, with lots of visibility. The centre console display is nicely designed with the touchscreen built-in and various buttons for dual climate control, etc. The steering wheel also integrates multiple buttons but it’s not cumbersome at all.
Human-Machine Interface (HMI) Commander Switch
This is one of our favourite features in the 2015 Mazda6. The Commander Switch makes it easy to switch between audio, navigation and Bluetooth by using its rotary, push and tilt functions. This became intuitive for us and we could operate it without our eyes leaving the road.
Child Car Seat
If you are installing a rear-facing child car seat, you may lose some space for the front seats despite the amount of cabin room available. The rear seats have a slight bucket shape so you may need to use pool noodles during a rear-facing child car seat installation in order to get the correct recline angle. The headrests are removable to make it easier to install the tether strap on forward-facing child car seat. You’ll also want to remove the headrests because part of it lays over the seat back (see image) and may push the car seat forward. Lastly, the UAS anchors are clearly marked and they are located at the edge of the cushion.
Basic Maintenance: Under The Hood
When we opened the hood, we were pleased to see the basic components were well laid-out and none are hidden under the cowl. The components that we’re interested are ones that the car owner may need to check or replace. The battery is clearly available (in case you need to jump start the car) and the fluid reservoirs are clear enough to determine the level of the fluid (primarily coolant, brake and washer fluid).
Basic Maintenance: Owner’s Manual
The owner’s manual covers a variety of topics and its do-it-yourself section explains basic repairs and visual checks quite well.
Perhaps the best improvement that we appreciate is the simplicity in replacing the lightbulb. In the older generation Mazda6, you would need to remove the front bumper in order to replace the front lightbulbs (see bulb replacement on a 2005 Mazda6 below)!
Another helpful feature was the visual listing of the voice command options. Ever press the voice button and try to find the right words that the system would recognize? With this list, there’s no guessing – you can be sure your commands are understood correctly every time.
We thoroughly enjoyed the 2015 Mazda6 and were impressed that its 4-cylinder engine drove like it was a V6! Its fuel economy ratings for the manual transmission are 9.4L/100km in the city, and 6.4L/100kms for highway driving. Our best fuel range was 774kms!