APRIL 2019 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 135Our cars
nicer place to spend a journey – it’s
quieter, looks smarter, and I find it
easier to get comfortable in the A6.’
To drive? ‘Both cars are pretty
undynamic and gutless,’ he
observed, damning both with no
praise at all.
And so I found myself in the
Mazda 6. I like the Mazda’s design,
with its muscular haunches and
poised stance. Inside, though, I’m
definitely on the same page as Alex –
the Mazda’s back in the mircrofilm
era where the Audi’s gone full iPad.
Not that it’s all bad. I don’t mind
the analogue dash instruments at
all, because even though they’re
not as flashy as the Audi’s digi
dash, they’re easier to process at a
glance. Which is the point. And I
appreciate the minimalist feel. But
the infotainment looks a couple of
generations out of date after the
Audi’s, and in general you don’t get
the same sense of slick execution or
chunky quality.
On the go, you notice there’s
much more road noise fizzing
through the Mazda’s cabin than
the Audi’s, but then the Mazda
is almost 100kg lighter, and the
payback seems to be a sharper
feel dynamically – there’s a bit
of ants-in-its-pants fidgeting
over small imperfections, but
mostly you notice the generous,
comfortable stroke of the dampers.
This makes the 6 flow quite sweetly
over a twisty backroad, and you
can play with the bodyroll to
make it feel quite responsive and
adjustable where the Audi is more
one-dimensional. I also prefer the
Mazda’s steering – nice and light,
but accurate and responsive too.
But, yes, Alex is right about the
Mazda feeling gutless – if you took
the plunge and opted for a 2.5-litre
naturally-aspirated petrol rather
than the default four-cylinder
diesel, you’d probably feel a bit
excited. Instead, the Mazda is
lethargic in the midrange and quite
thrashy when stretched – the Audi
2.0 TDI is no peach, but I missed its
generous low- and midrange punch.
Having 105lb ft extra is just a better
fit for a big estate.As you can see from our mpg,
though, the two are closer than
you’d think – the petrol Mazda is
typically averaging around 34mpg
where the diesel Audi is only just
making 40mpg. With diesel often
10p a litre pricier than petrol, that
means on today’s prices you’ll pay
around £56 to go 350 miles in the
Mazda, but £52 in the Audi. Notwhat you’d expect if you looked at
the stats.
Meeting up a week later, Alex
seemed to like the Audi a bit more
than I do, and I think I liked the
Mazda a bit more than he does. He
said he’d prefer to stick in the Audi.
I said I’d prefer him to give it back.
But it’s a decent car, that Mazda.
@IamBenBarryOur rarely-seen Mazda is £14k
cheaper than our default Audi.
Are UK buyers missing a trick?Audi runs rings
around the Mazda
for prestige, but
practical realities
aren’t so clear-cutBigger A6 has
handy extra
luggage capacity.
It’s quieter tooSteering is a win
for the Mazda,
while heavier
A6 is solid but
Mazda 6 Tourer uninspired
Month 6
The story so far
A family car with a sports car’s
powertrain, on a good day
+Tidy handling; lag-free
engine; no SUV nonsense
- Slow and a bit dull
Price £31,695 (£32,495 as
tested) Performance 2488cc
4-cyl, 192bhp, 8.1sec 0-62mph,
139mph Efficiency 41.5mpg
(official), 33.8mpg (tested),
156g/km C02 Energy cost
18.5p per mile Miles this
month 1346 Total miles 8983
LogbookAlex Tapley