2008 Mazda 6 2.0D TS 2.0 turbo diesel
Summary:
Absolute junk
Faults:
Nothing has gone "wrong" yet, but a very annoying rattle has developed from where the sun blind attaches to the roof, and another even more annoying rattle coming from the boot.
The driver seat has started to squeak at an embarrassing level, and it's only covered 25000 miles.
General Comments:
Absolute junk. For a car that gets 4 out of 5 in every review I read, the build quality is horrendous. This isn't the Japanese build that I remember. It's below a French car for build quality. It feels like a really cheap Ford.
Performance... what can I say? This is supposed to be 138BHP, but it feels more like 90, and is sluggish. Torque does not exist anywhere through the rev range, and the engine sounds exactly like a Ford. Very disappointing.
The driving position is a disaster. The seat doesn't go low enough, and no matter what you do, you'll get a pain in your lower back as the seat is too cheap and spongy. The lumbar adjust is also cheap, and doesn't ease the pain in your back. The problem is the seat itself, as it needed to be harder.
Handling is OK, but nothing to write home about, like all the car media would lead you to believe.
Listening to the provided stereo was a shock to the system. They are like iPhone speakers, and have zero bass. They distort as soon as they play any form of bass, and are nowhere near loud enough. The sound quality is awful.
And finally, as a final nail in the coffin, I'm not heavy footed and I get absolutely nowhere near 50MPG. More like 39. My old W reg Passat still managed 46MPG, and it had 130,000 miles on it.
If you are upgrading your car, and your old car was German, do not touch this. You will be in for a shock.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 21st April, 2012
22nd Apr 2012, 08:52
Most of the items you mentioned would have been apparent on a test drive before purchase.
22nd Apr 2012, 13:52
I'm the original poster of this review. On paper you would think that all the issues I mentioned would be picked up during a test drive, but this isn't always the case. We all have busy lives, and sometimes a 15 to 20 minute test drive with the salesman next to you doesn't give an accurate representation of the car. I only had about a day to look for cars due to my workload and family commitments. I did read the reviews on the Mazda 6 however.
There's a lot to take in during a test drive. For example, performance may initially appear adequate during a test drive, but it may only reveal its true self when you've owned the car for a week, and you've covered your usual daily routes.
Similarly, one may not pay too much attention to the stereo, and I didn't at the time. I took it for granted that Mazda, being a major car player, would have provided a stereo with some sort of reasonable quality.
Squeaks, rattles and poor build quality may also only become evident after you've owned the car for a while (as they did in my car), and fuel economy is more or less impossible to determine during a test drive.
My opinion remains the same. This car is junk.
2nd Mar 2022, 21:51
I agree. Mazda from this time period are not great. The 6 from 2013 onwards is a much more sorted car for the long term however.
22nd Apr 2012, 06:56
The Mazda 6 and Ford Mondeo share a lot of components, as do the Mazda 3 and Focus. The Ford Probe was pure Mazda, as is the Ranger pick up.