Mazda6 (2021) Review

The last Mazda6 was killed by the market rather than by any failing of its own. It looked better than every rival, in a segment where the competition was competent and anonymous, and the top trims had a cabin with real leather and proper wood that genuinely rivalled entry-level luxury sedans. It drove the way Mazdas do, which is to say with more precision and less isolation than a Camry or an Accord.

The reasons it lost are mostly not about quality. It was old by the end, without the driver assistance and screen technology that buyers had started to expect, and its rear seat was tighter than the class leaders because the roofline took the space. Rear-seat and boot space aside, the significant absence was a hybrid option in the exact years when its rivals were selling nothing else. A used one is now a lot of car for the money and will not break.