Mazda 6e review and buyer’s guide
The Mazda6 has always been a smart family sedan with lots of modern features, elegant styling and practicalities that rival any medium or small SUV. But it’s no longer a combustion vehicle, available exclusively as an EV. Let’s see if going electric has made it better or worse.
The Mazda 6e is an excellent value, well-equipped and luxurious medium sedan which is now all-electric and offers good luggage space and versatility.
Many people buying a small or medium SUV might be surprised at just how much space is available in the boot and in the cabin of a Mazda 6e. But it offers a quality we’ve not yet seen in the EV market - desirability.
The Mazda 6e represents a saving of thousands with very little in the way of compromise, while also being a vehicle you might actually want, not just something you have to settle for.
The 6e is quite nice to look at, which is something we really don’t see in modern EVs. They’re often hyper-stylised to look ‘modern’ and ‘futuristic’, which are vague terms with little in the way of descibable attributes. The typical motoring journalist would struggle to actually tell you why the front of an Ioniq 5 is retro, or why the back end of a Tesla Model Y looks ‘futuristic’.
Aesthetics are not a regular topic of discussion here at AutoExpert because generally we leave it up to you and your own eyes to determine whether you like the look of something. The only real reason looks get a mention here is when they’re especially hideous (Kia Tasman) or when, on rare occasion, they’re particularly pretty. Mazda has made the 6e the latter.
What Mazda’s done is take all the typical electric vehicle platform attributes that make them functional, sensible transport (cheap to charge at home, great for frequent short trips, good for reducing energy dependency on foreign oil supply) - and wrap it in a body that doesn’t scream ‘woke EVangelist’. It has curves that go somewhere, edges that need to be there, and lines that blend, stop and start in a way that makes sense to our animal brain.
If you’re shopping for a Toyota BZ4X, Hyundai Ioniq 5, the Kia EV4, Tesla Model Y or BYD Seal, it’s worth taking a look at the Mazda 6e if you also want an electric vehicle that’s a nice to drive as it is good value for money and pleasing to look at.
Mazda 6e has a typical 5-seat sedan layout, but we don’t know whether the wagon body style will be brought back from the old Mazda6. Probably not.
What makes the Mazda 6e unique in the EV market is its rear-wheel drive layout. In a 4.9-metre long body, it certainly will be a size increase of about 100mm in length, about 50mm in width and 35mm in height over a typical Mazda 6 sedan, but it will retain that smooth rear-drive characteristic missing from the front-wheel drive/all-wheel drive EV offerings you can buy today.
One of the biggest complaints about the way EVs today drive is that they feel ‘numb’ or ‘boring’ to steer, particularly in moderate- to low-speed regional driving.
For anybody who still actually enjoys the physical task of driving - smooth late braking, turning to look through the corner, clipping the corner apex, getting on-throttle early, powering out and preparing for the next corner - you’re going to appreciate that the Mazda 6e actually pushes from the rear axle, rather than scurries from the front.
Obviously, the 6e being an EV means it will also now be substantially heavier than the old Mazda 6. This will include unsprung weight, most likely, thanks to wheels that’ll be 19-inch alloy jobs with 245/45R/19 tyres. That’s about 20mm wider than the outgoing combustion vehicle.
Mazda says it’s the first of two vehicles co-developed with a Chinese carmaker called Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., Ltd. (Changan Automobile), and was launched in China at the end of 2024.
Both a dedicated full-EV and a plug-in hybrid have been developed, but the idea of either making it to Australia have been hosed down by Mazda Australia, citing the dead market sedans are here, no favouring SUVs and utes.
Finally, an EV styled to make you actually feel something, with a driveline to make you want to drive it…
Features & Pricing
GT || $54,900 driveaway (approx.)
19-inch alloy wheels, space-saver spare
Cloth seats: electrically adjusted
Tri-zone air-conditioning, row 2 AC adjustment
Panoramic sunroof, electric sunshade
14-speaker stereo system, incl. Sony amplifier
LED headlights (auto), taillights,
Electric rear spoiler
Ambient cabin lighting
Remotely opened/closeable rear bootlid
Heated and ventilated (cooled) front seats
Door mirrors: electric adjustment, auto-folding, heated, position memory
Auto rain-sensing wipers
Frameless auto-dimming rearview mirror
4 x one-touch up/down windows
10.2-inch driver’s display screen
10-way driver’s & 4-way passenger’s electric seat adjustment
14.6-inch infotainment touchscreen, satnav, DAB+
360-degree camera, see-through view
Wireless phone charging
Proxy smartkey
Driver assist features: Rear cross traffic alert, lane departure & keeping, forward collision alert, auto emergency braking, driver monitoring & attention alert,
ATENZA || $58,000 driveaway (approx.)
Tan Nappa leather and suede (quilted)
Leather steering wheel
Synthetic suede dashboard trim
Interior
Mazda 6e offes considerable legroom, especially when you consider its lithe profile and sleek body; the antithesis of an SUV.
If you’re fully able-bodied and getting up and down isn’t a struggle, getting into and out of a Mazda 6e is going to be easy. The wheelbase is the main metric we use to look at cabin space, particularly occupant legroom, and this sedan has plenty at 2895mm. This is actually 195mm longer than the CX-5, which nobody (aside from NBA players) can rationally argue lacks legroom.
Given that modern cars (especially ones from mature car companies like Mazda) are designed to accommodate the 90th percentile human body shape, you will absolutely be able to find the correct, comfortable driving position in a Mazda 6e, just as in a CX-5 or CX-60 even with its 2870mm wheelbase.
The electric steering rack is perfectly balanced between being weighty enough to appreciate tipping it into a mountain road’s sweeping bends, and using the tiniest of inputs to change lanes and perform low-speed parking manoeuvres. Light when it needs to be, full of feedback when you want it.
Everything you need to use and operate is conveniently located at your fingertips, but that means using the vast 12.9-inch main infotainment screen to use the HVAC functions, operate the stereo system etc, because there are no buttons. This is the same phenomenon Mazda has inflicted on the new CX-5, for better or worse, depending on what you prefer.
Fortunately, unlike many car companies these days, the driver’s display screen gets a stubby brow-like shroud that should reduce the likelihood of reflections and glare.
There are very few materials likely to refract beams of sun straight into your eyes typical of many SUVs which get an endless patchwork of chrome and piano black plastic.
The central hump dividing driver and passenger feels practical in terms of the cupholder location, the lift-up centre console and the forward positioning of the utility/phone cradle tray.
The centre console cubby is spacious enough without being capable of swallowing your whole arm. And the location of everything is damn-near perfect as well.
The transmission selector is unimpinged by anything because it’s now on the steering column stalk, much like the Hyundai Kona or a first-generation Ford F-150 pick-up truck.
The seats are very comfortable, even after an hour or more of driving, the visibility is quite good despite what some people would wrongly think as being ‘too low to the ground’, and it’s actually quite clever of Mazda to stick the door mirror on the actual door (rather than in the corner of the window) meaning you can glance below the A-pillar at the road as you navigate tight mountain roads.
It’s also nice to see Mazda put only the most pertinent functions in buttons on the steering wheel, and everything is located on the correct side. Audio/visual/entertainment on the left (where those things are also located on the dashboard), and all critical vehicle driving functions like cruise control and radar distance adjustment etc.
If you want to understand why Mazda’s infotainment screen, operated using the rotary dial and button binnacle setup, works really well, listen up. It’s about what your brain can process - and cannot process - while the vehicle is in motion, or at least while it’s ‘in drive’.
Hand-eye coordination is a remarkably complex thing and without getting to deep into it, basically, Mazda’s, system ultimately reduces the amount of cognitive demand. See, the more demand placed upon your brain, the harder it has to work to process information. Not only does this accelerate fatigue, it also increases distraction - because your brain is trying to remain attentive of all the different potential threats, matters of importance and aspects of survival. We’re mere mammals after all.
Once you train your brain, which will take some time, you’ll eventually figure out how to naviagate the enormous screen as quickly as possible - but this will take time and in that process, the greatest risk occurs. So try to avoid driving the 6e while learning where all the important icons are, especially the ones you want to use often, such as turning off the lane-keeping and speed warnings. Do this before you set off.
And while you might argue the old design which Mazda stuck to years ago, using a rotary dial to select functions on the screen, is better, try to think of it this way. Even in the most modern fighter jet, the F-35, or the most modern airliner like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, there are no touchscreens requiring pilots to smoosh their fingers into. So you’re right, buttons would be easier. Such is life.
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Engine
There is one battery and one motor powering the Mazda 6e. You get a seriously big 78kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery pack and an electric motor producing 190kW.
The electric motor is mounted at the rear axle to drive the rear wheels in a format that will pluck at the heart strings of anybody missing the rear-drive sedan.
Functionality
The sedan has an impressive array of equipment that makes it entirely relevant to the modern world of busy commuter traffic, stop-start city driving, suburban school drop-offs and even a bit of regional touring.
Roof rails offers versatility in the form of roof racks and luggage pods, there’s good legroom and headspace, the boot is generous, and the cabin is refined, quiet and functional without being an agricultural plastic factory.
The luggage space in the Mazda6 wagon is particularly compelling because you get the same amount of carrying capacity, only you’re loading your equipment down into the boot, not scuffing the rear bumper trying to get things up and across.
In terms of specific volume, the sedan has 474 litres and the wagon has 506 litres, so 6 per cent more in the wagon (obviously), but what is equally impressive is how it compares to the best in the medium SUV segment.
The best a CX-5 can offer is 436 litres - so 8 per cent less than even the sedan, and 13 per cent less than the wagon. The only metric in which a CX-5 bests either Mazda6 body configuration, is 200mm of ground clearance versus 165mm in the 6, which is only a 20 per cent difference. Or, in more relevant terms to you, it’s 3.5 centimetres. That’s the only tangible difference.
Mazda6 wagon is 4.8 metres long, so shorter than anything in the large SUV category, and only 225mm longer than the CX-5 - that’s just 22.5cm. So you can’t rationally try to suggest it’s going to be any harder to park than a typical medium SUV. But it will absolutely be more practical.
Then when it comes time to drop the rear seats because it’s Christmas time and you need to convert into sleigh mode, 1648 litres is at your disposal. You’ll get just over 1 metre of space between the wheelarches, which is about the same as you’ll get in most medium SUVs also.
The cargo blind is quite a clever design and a largely unappreciated piece of kit.
Under the boot floor is a temporary space-saver spare wheel in all variants, sedan or wagon.
SAFETY
Despite getting a little old as a platform, the Mazda6 is still considered pretty good from a safety perspective. The IIHS in the US still crowned Mazda 6 a ‘Top Safety Pick+’ as recently as 2021.
It was given very respectable scores from the IIHS which updates its ratings on an annual basis, and for the small overlap test (video below) it passed with equally impressive scores in what is a very brutal test.
The main criticisms the IIHS reported for Mazda6 in the small overlap test involve the dummy’s recorded loads and their location on the airbags. The report says the dummy’s head:
…remained largely in contact with the frontal airbag during the crash, but its head still moved toward the A-pillar because the seat belt allowed excessive forward excursion of the head and torso.
Having said this, the report still gives the 6 a ‘good’ rating. The only moderately important mark down was for the leg/foot area to ‘adequate’. This was because forces recorded by the dummy during the crash were:
…just high enough to contribute to a moderate risk of injury to the dummy's right lower leg
The headlights were also given an ‘acceptable’ score, marked down for being slightly too short-distanced for the high and low beams on the left-hand side.
By ANCAP standards, Mazda6 retains a 2018 datestamp - which basically means that as of December 2024 the 5-star rating becomes out of date and the vehicle defaults to ‘unrated’. What does that mean for you, the consumer? Good question, and it’s a testament to the convoluted nature of ANCAP’s rating ‘system’.
To simplify for you, the Mazda6 is pretty safe. It probably wouldn’t get a 5-star rating by current testing protocols. But that’s hardly anything shocking because neither would the now out-dated CX-5, CX-3 or many other aging yet popular models from mainstream brands, such as Toyota RAV4, Subaru Forester or Mazda CX-9.
You can download the Mazda 6 ANCAP report here >>
What’s interesting to note here is that Mazda6 passes the destructive crash tests (frontal offset, full width, side impact and oblique pole tests), but the frontal offset one was conducted back in 2018 (by EuroNCAP) when the protocol was at 64km/h. More modern tests are done at 50km/h and some later models are marked down in those low-speed, lower-energy crash tests.
In that 2018 testing, Mazda6 wasn’t just good, it was damn close to exceptional in the main crash tests - scoring 95 per cent (36 points out of 38).
Child occupant protection was excellent as well, getting a 91 per cent score (44.8 points out of 49) and all the driver assist gear, such as auto emergency braking (the only one that is actually pretty good) and lane keeping, they behaved rather brilliantly as well.
ANCAP even gave a whole bunch of green to Mazda6 for its child restraint fitting proclivities - only one orange dot on an obscure seat type. Other than that, consider that virtually all child restraint types you’re ever likely to use will happily slot into the Mazda6 rear seats - a feat that, again, some more modern SUVs struggle to do.
MAIN COMPETITORS
There are two kinds of competitors for the Mazda6, and admittedly they do outsell it. Both the medium SUV and the Toyota Camry
TOYOTA CAMRY: $34-47K (before on-road costs)
If your medium sized family demands safety, decent comfort and five seats, Toyota Camry is a default choice, however boring it might be. You get:
Hybrid or combustion-only powertrain; good fuel economy
full-size spare wheel
five seats, 2 x ISOFix anchor points for child restraints
Leather seats in higher model grades
Big boot with 524 litres
Base model has radar cruise, DAB, 6 speakers, LED running & tail lights, 17-inh alloys
Weighs: 1655kg approx.
You don’t get: All-wheel drive or decent towing capacity.
Click here for more on Toyota Camry >>
SUBARU SPORTWAGON: $51-59K (before on-road costs)
A practical, performance five-seater that goes like stink and sticks to the road. You get:
492 litres of boot space, more than many midsize SUVs; 1430 litres w/ rear seats down
All-wheel drive is ideal for wet roads, frosty conditions, gravel or dirt roads
Full-size spare wheel
Punchy 2.4 turbo Boxer engine and refined CVT
Very comfortable seats, incl. 2 x ISOFix anchor points
Slightly firm ride makes it really nice to drive
Weighs 1654-1660kg (kerb)
You don’t get: Powertrain choice, much towing capacity.
Click here for more on Subaru WRX Sportwagon >>
HYUNDAI SONATA: $55K (before on-road costs)
Family-sized performance that does all the functional stuff an SUV can do, with exception to ground clearance. You get:
Generous 510L boot beats most midsize SUVs
Modern with good safety, quality, reliability and practicality
Dual-clutch auto transmission is quick
2.5L turbo petrol offers bang-for-your-buck
Plenty of legroom; more wheelbase than most medium SUVs
Weighs less than 1700kg
You don’t get: all-wheel drive, or a diesel engine option.
Click here for more on Hyundai Sonata >>
KIA SPORTAGE
Ideal for families that do a bit of everything like camping, regional trips, commuting or perhaps work-related client travel. Sportage has:
Good luggage space 543L / 1829L (rear seats down)
Full-size spare
Ample legroom for growing kids & booster seats
Moderate 1900kg braked towing capacity
Torquey, reliable 2.0-litre turbo-diesel option is frugal
All-wheel drive (w/ diesel only); FWD petrol budget option
Weighs: up to 1813kg
Doesn’t get: Any performance powertrain.
Click here for more on Kia Sportage >>
MAZDA CX-5
A very nicest midsize SUVs to drive with luxurious cabin and five seats with decent legroom, and adequate luggage space. CX-5 gets:
A punchy 2.5-litre turbo-petrol engine (or diesel option)
On-demand all-wheel drive
Good resale value
Plenty of model grades for various budgets
Reasonable towing potential, with either diesel or standard petrol powertrain
438 litres of luggage space, 1340 litres (rear seats down)
Weighs: up to 1730kg
Doesn’t get: permanent all-wheel drive; full-size spare wheel (space-saver only).
Click here for more on Mazda CX-5 >>
MITSUIBISHI OUTLANDER
Offers both midsize SUV compactness with cut-price 7-seat ability on a tight budget.
2.5-litre petrol engine: naturally aspirated, good enough, frugal, a bit bland
Legroom is okay in front and second rows
On-demand Super All-wheel Control system is decent in light mud, wet grass, steep slippery driveways or in heavy rain.
Mitsubishi offers a 10-year warranty (conditional)
Third row seats (kids only)
Plug-in hybrid powertrains optional
Weighs:
It doesn’t get: any diesel engine option for towing, full-size spare wheel.
Click here for more on Mitsubishi Outlander >>
CONCLUSION
The Mazda6 is a smart, elegant and surprisingly practical front-wheel drive family sedan or wagon that can happily outperform most medium SUVs in many key aspects of daily driving tasks. Mazda has not only kept it modern and fresh, the company also built it from the beginning with the intent to keep it relevant, reliable and nice to drive.
It’s hard to find faults with the Mazda6 beyond the mere drawbacks in the nature of conventional cars overall. They being, slightly harder to get into and out of, and the perception of being lower to the ground and therefore having less visibility. Both of these aspects are fixable for most people by adjusting the seat and mirrors correctly, and by simply staying fit - generally speaking. Sitting down and standing up shouldn’t be hard, anatomically speaking.
While Mazda6 won’t win awards for ground clearance and it might occasionally scuff the stone tray on the odd shopping centre carpark buffer, it absolutely will not lure you into thinking it’s some kind of cut-price wannabe off-roader that is just waiting to be unleashed - because that’s often the dream sold to you about SUVs. But the reality is usually just higher fuel consumption than a Mazda6 to perform the same basic tasks.
More than this, the Mazda6 offers better outright performance and fuel economy than bigger, heavier SUVs using the same or similar engines. This is a fundamental advantage to sticking to normal cars.
The sedan remains a more efficient mode of transport and the wagon remains more practical, than the medium SUV crowd. So if you want to get good value out of buying your next new family car, consider one of the better examples in the Mazda6.
Not only will it be cheaper to run, it’ll always look the part and walk the walk.
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