MSRP: $18,550 - $28,260
Invoice: $17,601 - $26,099
MPG: 20 City / 29 Hwy
Get local dealer price quotes:

U.S.News Scores

Overall:8.3
Performance:8.7
Exterior:9.2
Interior:8.4
Safety:8.8
Reliability:4.0
Research we analyzed for this review
Pros and Cons

 

  • Bold new styling has a lot of sex appeal for a family car
  • Sporty handling and brisk acceleration
  • Spacious cabin with cavernous trunk

 

  • Prices start low, but stretch very high
  • Mediocre fuel economy, especially from V6 models
  • Some cheap cabin materials

Prices

See what others recently paid in your area for the Mazda6.

Shop around for the best deal by getting price quotes from local dealers.

Mazda Mazda6 - What the Auto Press Says

The Mazda6 is entirely new for 2009, and the automotive press is impressed. The new 6 is one of the top cars in its class.  It is sportier than most midsize cars, and looks far more exciting, but retains usable space for five and, in higher trim levels, a refined passenger cabin.

The 2009 Mazda6 has leapt from the middle of the midsize car pack into the top tier.

The new car has more space than the car it replaces, a more upscale cabin, more power and one of the most curvaceous bodies seen outside the sports sedan market. It offers sportier handling than many peers -- it might even wrest the canyon-carving title in this crowded class from the Nissan Altima.

Overall, it challenges the class leaders in many respects.  Reviewers are seduced by its flowing lines and balanced handling.

But the 6 isn't perfect. Fuel economy is a problem.  The EPA says four-cylinder Mazda6 models will manage 20 mpg city/29 mpg highway, and V6 models just 17/25. 

The Ford Fusion provides an excellent domestic alternative, with excellent handling balance and strong safety scores to match the 6 -- and in the current economy, the Fusion is available at significant discounts - see our best car deals page for details.

  • "6 and the city--With more room and more style, it's Mazda's next big thing." -- AutoWeek
  • "The new 2009 Mazda6 combines a contemporary new exterior with a solid driveline, good handling, spacious interior for five and nearly 30 mpg on the highway." -- Chicago Sun-Times
  • "It's bigger, it comes in three trim levels, and it's still got our favorite quality: The Mazda6 is a hoot to drive, unlike its less sporty foes in the marketplace."  - Popular Mechanics
  • "Clearly the 2009 Mazda6's pricing, power, and features place it head-to-head against the current champions of the midsize sedan segment. And if the car offers enough of Mazda's trademark 'zoom zoom' fun to drive quotient, it should put up an excellent fight." -- Motor Trend
  • "The new 2009 -- the firewall is the only piece of metal carried over, Mazda says -- is bigger, better built, quieter, better equipped. And significantly more powerful." -- USA Today
  • "Bottom line: The Mazda 6 was never like this. Think Mazda 7."-- Car and Driver

 

Mazda6 Performance - 8.7 (Very Good)

Previous versions of the Mazda6 were energetic for daily drivers, and the 2009 model has even more zoom-zoom. "What the new 6 offers is the coveted combination of American-style size and power, along with above-average handling for those who care about that sort of thing," writes Edmunds.  Some reviewers have compared the balance of the Mazda6 to that of a rear-wheel-drive sport sedan -- and there is no danger of a reviewers saying that about the Toyota Camry. Read More

Mazda6 Exterior - 9.2 (Excellent)

The 2009 Mazda6 is now the most curvaceous, aggressive-looking thing in the midsize class. The Detroit Free Press says the 6's "styling emphasizes flared fenders and a fluid profile that borrows elements from Mazda's RX-8 and MX-5 sporty cars."   Read More

Mazda6 Interior - 8.4 (Very Good)

Mazda attempted to take the 6's cabin upscale for 2009, but reviewers are split on if they succeeded.  Less expensive trim levels stil feel a bit cheap, while the top-of-the-line Grand Touring edition feels decidedly upscale.  The more upscale trim levels are so expensive, however, that the new 6 bumps up against entry-level luxury cars. Read More

Mazda6 Safety - 8.8 (Very Good)

The 2009 Mazda6 aced government crash tests, earning a maximum five stars in every test, including rollover resistance. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the new 6 a top score of "Good" in a frontal-impact crash test, and hasn't yet performed any other tests on the car. Read More

Mazda6 Reliability - 4.0 (Mediocre)

The 2009 Mazda Mazda6 reliability score shown is the Predicted Reliability rating provided by J.D. Power and Associates. This score is based on trending the past three years of historical initial quality and dependability data from J.D. Power's automotive studies, specifically the Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) and the Initial Quality Study (IQS). The 6 is protected by a three-year or 36,000-mile limited warranty. Read More

Review Last Updated: 7/22/09