New Mazda6 vs B7 Passat

[Buzy_Robot]

Thought it might be interesting after a test drive to post my views on the new Mazda6 in comparison to one of its competitors, the B7 Passat. There's no denying Mazda have produced a very impressive vehicle. On road dynamics are first class and the exterior is strikingly good with its purposeful stance. The Passat looks more conservative, but looks are a subjective opinion. I like them both in this regard. Both petrol and diesel variants make for rewarding drives, but the Passat is just as accomplished in this regard and the new Mazda6 isn't dramatically better to drive. Having said that, the 420nm of torque available on the Mazda diesel is potent. In terms of fuel economy, the Mazda6 might just have the edge as well according to the specs.

Mazda comes with an i-Stop system which is equivalent to the Passat's stat-stop system. It's standard across the range in the Mazda6 whilst only available on the diesel Passat. The two systems are similar in operation, albeit with some differences. Mazda's unit is regulated by both the brake pedal and the steering wheel. The Passat relies on the brake pedal only; however, there's a very interesting catch here. For those of you with a 125TDI Passat like mine, you'll know that if you lift your foot of the brake and reactivate the engine and then put your foot down on the brake - without having moved the vehicle - the engine will keep running. Not so, with the Mazda6 - as soon as you press the brake it will deactivate the engine regardless of vehicle movement. I didn’t really notice much difference in the time it takes for either unit to reactivate the engine. Of course, both systems are on by default, but both can be deactivated, which in some ways is a blessing!

Features and options make for an interesting comparison. The top spec Mazda6 Atenza is loaded with kit and includes some formidable safety aids that put the Passat to shame. At $51,000 for the Mazda6 Atenza there's a premium Bose stereo system, heated electric leather seats, sunroof, 19 inch wheels and matching alloys, sunroof, blind spot monitoring, collision detection, adaptive cruise control, rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning, high beam control, Bi-Xenon headlamps with adaptive front-lighting etc. The Mazda6 Atenza doesn't offer park assist like the Passat, but even if all of these aforementioned features were optional on the regular Passat sedan one would baulk at Volkswagen's option pricelist. A 125TDI Passat sedan that retails at $48, 500 optioned up with equivalent features would soon hit $59,000.

Nevertheless, the devil is in the detail, as they say. What does my current B7 125TDI Passat sedan offer that's missing or isn't as appealing in the new Mazda6? Given the high profile and imposing dash, coupled with high window sills, it's strange there's no height adjustment for the front passenger. People of shorter stature could find this problematic as they can sit quite low in the Mazda6 and see much less outside the vehicle. Given the size and the shape of the dash, more foot well space is lost in the Mazda6 compared to the Passat. The Audio Unit/Sat-Nav/RVC screen is rather small and looks tacked on in the Mazda6. Everything looks like it’s seamlessly integrated into the Passat dash. Both vehicles come with front and rear parking sensors, but whereas the Passat provides both an acoustic and visual guide, the Mazda6 is acoustic only. Furthermore, the Passat comes with both a DVD drive and SD card slot whereas the Mazda6 provides a single CD player slot. Both come with USB/iPod connectivity, but on first go, the Mazda6 can take a while to load music content from an iPod whereas on the Passat this happens instantaneously. Although controls fall to place quite logically, the Passat's dash is superior in terms of its layout, functionality, as well as size and shape. There's also no cooled glove box in the Mazda6.

On the exterior, I would suggest that the paintwork on the Passat is better than that on the Mazda6. Not sure why, but it seems the Passat would stand up better to paint chips and scratches. Purely subjective on my part and I could be wrong. Not something I could test in a showroom! When it comes to the interior, there's soft touch plastics in both vehicles, but it seems to me that the leather seats in the Mazda6 are softer when compared to those in the Passat. Long term, they could very well crease and possibly tear more readily than those in the Passat. Again, being purely subjective here as I can't go on any evidence and this sort of durability testing could only happen through ownership of the vehicles.

With the Passat I can open and raise the boot and lower all the windows as I'm approaching the vehicle which is not available on the Mazda6. I believe that if the Passat is optioned with electric seats, the passenger mirror will dip when reversing and neither is this available on the Mazda6, but it does come with heated side mirrors like the Passat, albeit no puddle lamps. Although wide and long, the boot is definitely shallower in the Mazda6 and there are no hooks for shopping bags. Indeed, there's a space saver spare in the Mazda6 as opposed to a full size spare in the Passat.

Both are great cars and neither is a bad choice. Having owned a Mazda6 before my current Passat would I consider going back to the Mazda brand? Tough call. Both are great to drive and offer impressive fuel economy, but I still prefer the interior of the Passat. Given how much time one spends inside a vehicle, this could very well be the deciding factor. Then again, the interior of the new Mazda6 isn't that bad and all those features being standard as opposed to optional on the Passat would have a strong sway as well.

Yes, I know I need to get a life, but I'm still on holidays, so I can afford to indulge myself in these sorts of comparisons! Oh, I haven't tried out the CC .... check in later. Cheers!

[kleung]

Nice, detailed review. Enjoyed the read, thanks. It'd be interesting to hear from someone who has also driven the other logical competitor, the Subaru Liberty.

[dubjay]

Great review - thanks for taking the time. I tend to agree that the 6 looks "stuck together" inside, but i may be a little bias.

[Buzy_Robot]

Funny you should mention the Liberty, kleung - I've driven it too! The AWD is awesome, but that's where it stops for me. The Boxer engine just doesn't have the zippy get up and go of the Passat or Mazda6 either. The styling is too wacky for my taste. Interior space is very good and offers the most head room out of all three vehicles. No fold down rear seats is downright silly. No start-stop system either. There are no front parking sensors available and rear parking sensors are optional. I'm not sold on Subaru's Eyesight system either. Radar is more accurate in more adverse weather and night time driving conditions. I also doubt the Liberty can match the fuel economy of either the Passat or Mazda6. You might be interested in the following comparison between the two by following this link:

Head to head: Mazda6 v Subaru Liberty 2.5i

[VAG newbie]

I'll add a few more points, as I'm considering the two as well.

For Mazda6, it is definitely more for the look than practicality. You get more bright color choices compare to the uniform funeral colors with the Passat. With Mazda6's design, it can be easily mistaken for some prestige Euro machines, whereas the Passat can sometimes be mistaken as a Camry. Despite the sporty look, the rear passenger headroom and leg room are still quite generous for the Mazda6, (although the wagon is smaller than the sedan) whereas for the CC, you'll find the rear seat passenger struggle for headroom.

One of the other equipment that was not mentioned is the keyless / proximity entry (KESSY in VAG talk) that's standard in Atenza, but not even optional for Passat. It's a very important safety feature so you won't accidentally lock your baby inside the car.

But then here comes the Mazda6's shortcomings. Because of its sporty "Kodo" design, you do sacrifice a lot in boot space. Even the wagon is barely adequate for a family. You will struggle to get more than 2 big suitcases in. As a family wagon, this is not acceptable. Comparatively, Passat wagon has one of the biggest boot on the market, which makes it very practical.

The Passat's RVC comes with guideline that moves with steering, the Mazda6 only comes with fixed guidelines. And yes, I was quite annoyed that Mazda's parking sensors are only acoustic with no OPS. They could have used that monitor which shows that useless I-Eloop recharge thingy to show OPS, which is far more practical.

In terms of safety feature. Mazda has deleted one of the i-Activsense safety feature for the Australian model. That is, Smart City Brake Support (SCBS) The Passat equivalent is the City Emergency Brake. Some of you may say "hang on! It does come with Smart Brake Support (SBS) as stated in the brochure!" Well, SBS and SCBS is actually different. The former is only active between 15-200kph, and is designed to minimize the damage by applying and strengthening the brake in an event of an emergency. It will not stop the car in time. Where as the SCBS is like the Volvo's City Safety, VW's City EB and Subaru's eyesight, it works at speed of 0-30kph and will stop the car in time. So if you get the Atenza and thinks that it will stop by itself in the shopping mall, you will run over the pedestrian like crazy. So there is a reason why it is cheaper than Passat, Mazda Australia had played cheap and cut corner.

Also another thing to consider with the Atenza is the 19' wheel with only space saver spare. It looks nice but is very hard to come by! only Bridgestone and Pirelli has the same tyre spec and each costs $350-400 to replace. I don't think it comes with tyre pressure monitoring, so you better check your tire all the time. If you have a flat tyre, you are in trouble.

Lastly, in terms of price. VW is actually more negotiable than you think. So at the end of the day, the Passat could be roughly the same price as the similarly equipped Mazda6. Passat will have a bit more upmarket image.

Like the OP said, it is a hard call to choose between the two. At the end of the day, it depends on what you really need and what your priority is.

My wife has already set her eyes on the mazda6 (it's for the look, she is a woman! For her, she called the Passat "cleaner's car". She doesn't mind the smaller boot space with the Mazda 6. "Why do I need all that extra space for? Its disigned to put more buckets and mops!" No offense to all Passat Wagon owner.....) Well, I'll just have to keep a couple of spare tire in my garage.

[Dutch77]

I sat in the new 6 just before xmas (never got around to going back for a test drive so thanks for the commentary above), the design both exterior (with hints of Aston/Jag out back and BMW 3 up front) and interior seems to be a cut above the rest of the Jap crowd.. but I'd still give the nod to the Passat.. although I am biased - but did own a CX7 previously so have no issue with Mazda.

[kleung]

I sat in the new 6 just before xmas
...
interior seems to be a cut above the rest of the Jap crowd.

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.

I particularly remember the steering wheel button pods on the GG flexed quite badly when you pressed the buttons.

the Passat can sometimes be mistaken as a Camry

Not surprising, especially with the new more conservative look of the B7-series. It's not uncommon to hear the Passat being described as a German Camry, but I think few would argue that the Passat isn't a substantially better drive than the Camry.

[Twin_Dad]

Thanks for the review of the Mazda6 as I was regretting a little not having it on my short list. The more I look at it (both inside and out) I'm not sure it has the same appeal as the Passat (or Superb, which is what I have ended up with). Really at the end of the day, for me though, it was between the Liberty GT and the Superb but I just didn't find anything special about the GT.

[VAG newbie]

Thanks for the review of the Mazda6 as I was regretting a little not having it on my short list. The more I look at it (both inside and out) I'm not sure it has the same appeal as the Passat (or Superb, which is what I have ended up with). Really at the end of the day, for me though, it was between the Liberty GT and the Superb but I just didn't find anything special about the GT.

Good choice. That's what I have too.

But I must admit that at the moment, Superb is not a great buy as it used to be. I'm hoping that with the 2013/14 facelift they would add more equipments into the Superb. At least RVC is a must (ideally the RVC plus like the Passat would be great) Then maybe add park assist as standard on the sedan, and power tailgate to the wagon. Also add KESSY, MDI, LED daytime running lights, stop/start and paddle shift standard across the Elegance range. Add leather and GPS to Ambition, and keep at current RRP. Then offer ACC + City EB, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning as options. That should make Superb competitive again.

I'm dreaming, I know....

[Buzy_Robot]

I took yet another look at the Mazda6 and came away unconvinced that I could live with the interior on a daily basis. It’s just not as upmarket as the Passat. For example, there’s soft touch plastic on the top part of the Mazda6 dash, but underneath it’s all hard plastic. Check out the glove box and door bins in the Mazda6 – no material trim like Passat, just hard plastic. Not to mention the door bins are very small on the Mazda6.

More importantly, Passat has more airbags then the Mazda6. Furthermore, in terms of emissions, the Passat is Euro 5 compliant whereas the Mazda6 is Euro 4 compliant.

From what VAGNewbie and I have uncovered, the new Mazda6 is dynamically assured, but there’s also evidence of cost cutting.

I also took a look at the Volkswagen CC - what a classy beast! Still, the low roof line and relatively poor rear window visibility did not appeal to me.

Anyway, I’ve decided to go for a 125TDI Highline Passat with the Sport Package. Currently on the high seas and should be in my driveway within a month.

Thanks for the conversation guys – has helped me clarify my thoughts and guide my purchasing decision to stay with the Volkswagen brand.