Mazda 6 2013 Review
Where there’s a will there’s a way and Mazda’s engineers have weighed in with one of the most willing diesel engines this side of a German badge.
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We turn the spotlight on the car world's newest and brightest stars as we ask the questions to which you want the answers. But there's only one question that really needs answering -- would you buy one?
This is the top of the range Opel Astra wagon with the diesel auto powertrain and all the fruit.
Start price is $35,990 but this vehicle had options taking the price up to and over $40,000.
Golf, Focus, Lancer, Mazda3, Corolla, you name it, they've got heads on them like white mice.
Power comes from a 2.0-litre turbodiesel four with 121kW/350Nm output driving the front wheels through a conventional six speed automatic transmission.
Remarkably well. With 350Nm of torque on tap from just 1750 revs, finding power to overtake is never a problem. Steering is tight with reasonable driver feedback and the brakes are excellent, with the auto gearbox providing nice engine braking to compliment the brakes.
It's a diesel, so the answer is a big, smelly, noisy YES. That's a bit unfair, however, with the little diesel engine purring as smoothly as most petrol engines. Agricultural diesel engines appear to be a thing of the past for modern cars. Expect around 6.0 litres/100kms.
In terms of fuel use, yes. Low carbon dioxide output too and the car would have a relatively green manufacturing process.
Sure is. Along with a Five-Star ANCAP rating, it has six airbags, countless electronic safety devices and, for passive safety, the excellent brakes and handling keep it out of trouble.
It's a tight-ish cabin, but very comfortable. Might be a little claustrophobic for those with larger frames. The load space is generous and expandable to huge. Access to the cabin is facilitated by decent size doors and the rear hatch open high and wide.
Great. Certainly doesn't feel like a diesel, there's great steering feedback for a car of this kind and it has a suburb set of brakes. Steering is quite direct and the suspension tuned to give a nice balance of handling and comfort.
It's a great kit, but perhaps not the greatest value for money given how many good deals are around and how cheap the near new secondhand market is.
No. As enjoyable a drive as it is, at around $40,000 there's a lot of choice. If it was a little cheaper it would feature more prominently on our `wish list'.
Vehicle | Specs | Price* | |
---|---|---|---|
CDTi | 2.0L, Diesel, 6 SP MAN | $6,820 – 9,680 | 2012 Opel Astra 2012 CDTi Pricing and Specs |
1.4 Sports Tourer | 1.4L, PULP, 6 SP AUTO | $7,260 – 10,230 | 2012 Opel Astra 2012 1.4 Sports Tourer Pricing and Specs |
CDTi Sports Tourer | 2.0L, Diesel, 6 SP AUTO | $7,810 – 11,000 | 2012 Opel Astra 2012 CDTi Sports Tourer Pricing and Specs |
1.4 | 1.4L, PULP, 6 SP MAN | $5,830 – 8,250 | 2012 Opel Astra 2012 1.4 Pricing and Specs |
$7,260
Lowest price, based on third party pricing data