New Mazda6 vs B7 Passat

[hadrami]

I'll contribute by saying that I was in the market for a Mazda 6 GT or Passat, both in Diesel.

While I am a VW fan, the Passat seemed like the ideal car for my wife who will be driving it more often than me with school drop offs, pickups + uni. It had most of the features she wanted, drove very nicely and looked quite decent as well.

Then we thought we'll check out the new Mazda 6 as the commercials looked impressive. I was pretty impressed with the sleek design with an appealing interior + a long list of options as standard which you would find as extras when compared to the Passat.

But when we dissected both cars, we came to the conclusion that the Passat was indeed more refined and practical. While the Mazda 6 would have been a good choice, some of the interior design looked outdated. Firstly, the handbrake. I believe the old style handbrake is a sight for sore eyes. Not only does it look huge, it takes up space that could be used for something else. The electronic park brake is the way to go.

Secondly, the gear shift... It's like Mazda spent so much time elsewhere that they forgot about the design of the gear shift. The thing looks hideous! It doesn't blend with the rest of the interior and again could have been much better. The Passat excels in this area as well.

Thirdly, the nav screen. I'm not a fan of the indented look and the raised dashboard. The Passat again is superior with the sat nav by placing it in a more practical spot, has a larger screen I believe and looks sleek. The resolution of the screen on Passat also looked better.

Another design issue, albeit a small one, was the little digital clock on the Mazda. It just seemed again, old school as the 3 buttons dedicated for the clock looked out of place.

I know tastes are subjective but I personally cannot fault the interior of the Passat. I am a graphic designer, so naturally I have an eye for detail and am very fussy with design and layout. With the Passat, everything is seemless, practical, refined and classy. Everything is right in its spot and they have made excellent use of the space.

So once we decided that the Passat was the right choice, we looked at adding a couple of options... until I saw a sexy CC and took that for a drive. I know it is the same motor and the dashboard is almost identical to the Passat, but it came standard with a few options which would be extras on the Passat. The CC externally simply looks upmarket with the frameless door windows and sloping rear. While some might complain of rear headroom, this isn't a problem for us as it will be occupied by 2 kids under 12 majority of the time. And we can live with the compromised rear visibility due to the coupe styling. Well CC does stand for Comfort Coupe

And at $55900 driveaway with a sunroof as the only extra, there is nothing remotely close to it from competitors with a similar style and price range with all the options given on the CC. Now I am now a couple of weeks away from delivery and look forward to enjoying it

[Dutch77]

I'm interested to know whether Mazda have improved the quality of the build and materials vs the previous two generations of Mazda 6es? The GG series had a pretty nasty interior - funky, but cheap and somewhat flimsy. The GH was better, so hopefully the current one is better again. The photos I've seen of the new interior look pretty good, but then we know that the picture only tells half the story.

My view was it was the best quality interior from Japan (excluding maybe Lexus, Infiniti) with a step up in materials. Definitely from my CX7 which at the time I rated highly but I was coming out of a VE Commodore lol.. having said all of that, as others have pointed out it's still a step down from the VW stuff. Love the Passat interior..

[Lemonskin]

It is really apples and apples though? The Mazda is a fair whack cheaper than a Passat IMO. Compared to its direct rivals (Camry et al) the 6 is a revelation. I'd think for the price difference you could expect the Passat to feel more premium and have more gear.

I'll be test driving the 6 very soon as I reckon in wagon form its one of the best looking cars on the road.

[Buzy_Robot]

That's a fair call, Lemonskin. I can see where you’re coming from and given the number of variants in the new Mazda6 range it can be difficult to draw direct and even exact parallels with the Passat when it comes to features, options and pricing. Nevertheless, Mazda themselves have instructed their dealers that the new Mazda6 is to be marketed in direct competition with Toyota Camry, Honda Accord Euro, Subaru Liberty, Hyundai i40, Hyundai i45, Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat. It certainly seems to me they're trying to covet greater market share and consider themselves capable of taking on a more upmarket competitor in the shape of the Passat. I read elsewhere they bench marked the new Mazda6 against the likes of the Passat and Audi A4. Therefore, I would suggest it's quite credible to make these sorts of comparisons.

Look, it's a good car, the new Mazda6, it really is and I've absolutely no doubt it will put a smile on many an owner's face. It's certainly a marked improvement over the GH Mazda6 I used to own back in 2008 which didn't come close to the Passat in terms of cabin quality and appeal. Mazda have upped the ante and I think it's great for them that we VeeDub fanbois are comparing the two cars.

Do let us know how you go with the test drive as it'll be interesting to hear your thoughts on it.

[kleung]

Mazda have upped the ante and I think it's great for them that we VeeDub fanbois are comparing the two cars.

7 years ago, VW's range was WAY ahead of the Japanese and Korean competition. Back in 2005, Hyundais were typically making do with 4-speed autos, and the Japanese were making do with 4 or 5 speed autos. VW had a 6 speed auto in the MkV Golf, and a 6sp DSG in the B6 Passat, with cabin tech that the competition couldn't come close to.

Now, the competition have definitely upped the ante, probably more in response to the Koreans than anything else, and in terms of features at least, are arguably the equal of VW and the other European competition, at least on the safety and feature fronts. With the Accord Euro due for replacement in the next year or two, it'll be interesting to see what Honda come up with in response to Mazda's new 6.

[WazR36]

in my eyes, the best competitor out there is the volvo s60 r-line
sexy car in sedan or wagon form, AWD, V6 turbo. miles ahead of the mazda 6 too

thoughts on this?

[Diesel_vert]

in my eyes, the best competitor out there is the volvo s60 r-line
sexy car in sedan or wagon form, AWD, V6 turbo. miles ahead of the mazda 6 too

thoughts on this?

At $75k plus on-road costs, it's also miles ahead on price.

[Amalgam]

Hi All,

I just test drove a Mazda6 GT diesel sedan and I have to say it is a worthy competitor.

The diesel is super quiet both from the outside as well as from within the cabin. Standing outside the car at idle there is a slight rattle that could be mistaken for some direct injection petrol. Both around town and at freeway speeds the cabin was almost completely hushed. Very few passengers would pick it for a diesel.

The 6 speed auto was very smooth and it was very difficult to spot the change points. The steering has a more sporting feel / weight than that of the Passat.

The interior plastics are top notch but the indicator stalks were at little below par. The central display / nav unit was a bit small and was recessed to effectively protect it from glare. There was also an iDrive type control knob. The black leather seats had a contrasting double red stitching which enhanced the sporting feel of the interior. The rear leg room in the sedan was enormous, while the centre seat belt arrangement with the rear seats folded down was amateurish connected to and extending from the rear parcel shelf.

To sum up, if you like the prestige Japanese aesthetic, then Mazda6 would certainly tempt you. It is not better or worse, it is a different horse from a different course.

[Cossor]

Before I bought Golf, Test drove Mazda. NOT comfortable re seat compliance and road
potholes. Darned well felt bumpy!
But now I have 125TDI on order, exit Golf. (Goes to a family member)
Hope for a better ride.

[Riker]

Wonder how far new 6 has come re NVH into the cabin. From drives I had, the previous 6 & earlier models were always critisized for poor NVH levels due to less than stellar sound deadening insulation.

I ask passengers that have been in the back of my Passat (young daughter excused) how it was & they all to the last person have said they could have a conversation with front seat passengers without raised voices & found it comfortable.