Mazda6 Estate Review
Published: 21st February 2005
Mazda6
How It Drove - Performance
The Mazda6 Estate 2.0 TS is powered by Mazda's 2.0i MZR petrol engine which produces 141 PS @ 6000 rpm enabling the Mazda6 Estate 2.0 TS to accelerate from 0-62mph in 9.9 seconds and continue to a top speed of 126 mph.
Around town the Mazda6 Estate drove well - on A and B roads the pace was swift and acceleration was more than adequate. On the Motorway the Mazda6 Estate was clearly at home and cruised comfortably at legal speeds. Although, I did find myself slipping into 4th gear to keep a constant speed on steeper hills.
The 5-speed manual gearbox was excellent offering light and precise gear changes and the clutch was well-weighted.
How It Drove - Ride/Handling
The Mazda6 has been put through a rigorous quality assurance programme and the result is chassis and braking technology that rides well over all road surfaces and cushions the impact of the poorer ones whilst cosseting the occupants.
The long wheelbase and low centre of gravity enables the Mazda6 Estate to corner well (in our opinion it handles better than the Mazda6 hatchback) with minimal body roll and plenty of grip whilst retaining its composure and without compromising ride comfort. The downside is that we found the steering a little bit too light and lacking the degree of feedback that we would have liked to enjoy the car to its fullest.
Mazda have engineered the Mazda6 Estate for exceptional ride stability, which includes special reinforcements around the front suspension towers. Only when pushed hard did the steering begin to lack feedback and the vehicle begin to lose composure. However, this is to be expected as it is an Estate car and not a sports car, none of this would present a problem under normal driving conditions.
