2017 Honda Civic vs Mazda 6

What's the difference?

If you know your performance machinery, you know that Honda’s Type R badge is deservedly held in high esteem. Sure, the NSX is the pinnacle of Honda, but the Type R has long shown the company can also bring performance to the people.

After a prolonged gestation period, the Type R badge has resurfaced in Australia, affixed to the rear end of the 10th-generation Civic. Does it hold true to the values of the Type R philosophy of a ‘well engineered but exciting driving experience’, or has it morphed into something different?

So, you’re thinking about a wagon? Wow, you’d be one of the very few people left in the world yet to be convinced that SUVs are the answer to everything. That’s what I like about you; you’ve always been your own person, sticking to your guns, not following the crowd.

Problem is, most car makers do follow the crowd. Because crowds equal money. And because everybody has gone crazy for SUVs, the manufacturers have given them what they want. And mostly that means no more wagons.

But there are a few brands who have kept wagons in the lineup. There’s the Ford Mondeo, the Volkswagen Passat, the Skoda Superb, the Subaru Levorg.

And the car we’re testing in this review; the Mazda6 wagon. The version we tested was the GT grade with the petrol engine and an automatic transmission. 

So, is a model that’s been around almost six years starting to show its age? And is that boot going to be big enough? I found out when the Mazda6 GT wagon came to live with my family for a week.