[shauryadabas]

Hi everyone! I am writing this ownership review for my pre-owned 2017 Mazda 6 which I bought in Nov 2020.
The car had 41k miles when I got hands on it, and today it stands at 74k miles. So, I have covered around 33k miles (~53000 kms) in 21 months.

Looks too good for it's age I must say:



Why and how I bought it:

I came in USA in Aug 2019 to start my PhD at the University of Florida. Due to negligible transport facilities, I started my car search somewhere around early 2020 but it got postponed due to Covid. During the quarantine, I literally browsed through every used car available for my budget. After seeing some Mazda 6's reviews and learning about how sorted these are to drive, my heart stuck on this sedan. It was like no other car for me other than a red Mazda 6.

So, I kept on postponing till I found this red Mazda 6 at 41k miles in great condition only for 16k USD, that's correct, 15k USD, just ~12lac rupees for this beautifully well kept large sedan. This was the short period post Covid-1st wave when car deals were like a steal in US. (I feel so lucky when I see the prices of similar models these days, the same 15k USD cars I saw at that time are demanding more than 20k USD, even being 2 years older!!!)

Till now, I have driven it a lot in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Louisiana. It's proper fun to drive car with good cruising abilities. I have not spent on it much apart from regular oil/filter changes and front brake pads/disc replacement once.

Following are my observations over the time:

The Pro's

1. A very very beautiful sedan compared to it's rivals (Accord/Camry/Sonata).
2. Steering feedback and handling is exceptional
3. Interior quality and practicality
4. 19-inch wheels (look attractive)
5. 12-speaker BOSE system sounds crisp.
6. Reliable (similar league as Toyota)
7. Blind spot monitoring is a boon on expressways
8. Adaptive full-LED headlamps are great!
9. Fuel efficiency considering 2.5L NA petrol is decent.

The Con's

1. 19-inch wheels and low-profile tires (harsh ride on undulations)
2. Missing Adaptive Cruise Control (almost standard on every car sold in US 2018 onwards)
3. Acceleration is nothing to boast about, but fast enough
4. 6-speed torque convertor is smooth but gets confused few times.
5. No Apple-Carplay/Android-Auto

I have posted some pictures along with few details on each:


Interior looks premium. Quality, fit and finish are great.


Side-profile looks clean with those lines and curves.


19-inch wheels and low-profile rubber look enticing


Has sport mode which makes the drive more engaging but consumes ~2-3% more fuel. You can also see the electronic parking brake.
The infotainment controller looks and operates just like BMW's IDrive.


Climate control switchgear is intuitive to use and feels robust.
The screen gives 2013-2016 BMW vibes.



In-built Navigation shows useful info. On long drives, I mount my phone for the main navigation and also run this in-built navi as an additional assist.


My best numbers till date, this was a 2hr drive. 41.5 mpg equates to ~17.6kmpl !


Chilling in it's unnatural habitat


Final pic for this post.

All in all, it has been great experience with this car and I so much wish that Mazda comes to India soon. I am sure their SUV line-up, namely, CX-30, CX-5, CX-50 will be hit here if priced well.

I will be active with new posts about my Mazda 6. Thanks!

[maddy42]

Originally Posted by shauryadabas

Hi everyone! I am writing this ownership review for my pre-owned 2017 Mazda 6 which I bought in Nov 2020.


I came in USA in Aug 2019 to start my PhD at the University of Florida. Due to negligible transport facilities, I started my car search somewhere around early 2020 but it got postponed due to Covid. During the quarantine, I literally browsed through every used car available for my budget. After seeing some Mazda 6's reviews and learning about how sorted these are to drive, my heart stuck on this sedan. It was like no other car for me other than a red Mazda 6.

So, I kept on postponing till I found this red Mazda 6 at 41k miles in great condition only for 16k USD, that's correct, 15k USD, just ~12lac rupees for this beautifully well kept large sedan.

Yay Gators! Congrats on your purchase, for a second i was like - holdup, dude bought a M6 as a Phd student and then realised you did hunt for a good deal.

Good looking interiors and only recommendation is maybe switch the tires to get a better comfort on the long florida highways. You could maybe have a look at the tuning scene if you are into it or even different exhaust for some gains or just enjoy the current setup.

Good luck on your Phd. Also do travel while you are there.

[Jeroen]

I have always like the Mazda 6 in all its incarnations. I think it is a highly underrated and underappreciated car. Often seems as just another Japanese bland car.


Which is reflected in their second hand market prices. All the better for those of us, whom understand and appreciate this gem of a car!

I always thought they looked good inside and outside. I like those sort of unassuming slightly sleeky visuals. Drives really well and to boot it all you get ultra reliable Japanese technology well screwed together!

Enjoy it as much as you can
Jeroen

[GForceEnjoyer]

Mazda's soul red is easily one of the most beautiful shades of red out there according to me. Great choice of car followed by an equally great review!

P.S: Mazda's paint is supposedly quite thin, making it prone to scratches. You might want to look into this in the near future if you plan to keep it for a while. Good luck with your PhD!

[UncleSam]

Beautiful car you've got there shauryadabas!
Wish Mazda would setup base here and sell all these wonderful machines.

Mazda's exude european characteristics with the added reliability of japanese manufacturers!

Keep updating the thread as and when you can

[karavadi143]

I would say you were lucky to get the car at that price point, I have seen the color demanding $1-2K premium in the used market space recently.

Soul red is undoubtedly the best color in the Mazda range. That said, it is prone to chips and dings during the normal driving conditions. I would suggest buying a paint pen from Mazda, it definitely helped me keep my CX5 in pristine shape. Model number of the product would be 46V Soul Red crystal

Also, I added CarPlay functions by upgrading the hardware (bought it off Amazon) and software (Free download available). Let me know if you want to go down that route

Adding a couple of pictures for my 2018 CX5 in soul red.

[Livnletcarsliv]

Congratulations on this beauty!
I always wish Mazda to open shops in India.
Mazda is such an awesome enthusiasts car, especially in the handling and driving dynamics department.

[infotech58]

The Con's
5. No Apple-Carplay/Android-Auto

You can get Carplay/AA retrofitted at a Mazda dealer (OEM upgrade parts). Should cost around $500 and I am pretty certain that 2017 Mazda 6 is eligible (all 2014+ Mazdas with connect system can get this retrofit).

[shauryadabas]

Hi Fellow members. Thanks a lot for your valuable replies and posts on this thread.

Originally Posted by maddy42

Yay Gators! Congrats on your purchase, for a second i was like - holdup, dude bought a M6 as a Phd student and then realised you did hunt for a good deal ... Good luck on your Phd. Also do travel while you are there.

Hi maddy42, Thanks mate! Yes, I did got a great deal which justifies my purchase as a PhD student . I am thinking to replace the tires only when these DUNLOP SP sport give up (these were fitted new by the Toyota dealership I got my car from). Will go for Michelin's Pilot Sport at the time of replacement. I am thinking to enjoy the current setup without any mods till I finish my PhD. I am thinking to keep this car for long and maybe try some modifications once I graduate and get some stable job.
Thanks again! And yes, I will travel whenever I get time and post my experiences here.

Originally Posted by Jeroen

I have always like the Mazda 6 in all its incarnations. .. All the better for those of us, whom understand and appreciate this gem of a car! .. Enjoy it as much as you can
Jeroen

Thanks Jeroen!! Mazda 6 is indeed very underrated car, which is also an advantage adding up to it's exclusivity. I am waiting for the 2023 all new model to see what it packs in.
Yes, I am thinking to keep this for as long as I can, and enjoy it to the core!

Originally Posted by GForceEnjoyer

Mazda's soul red is easily one of the most beautiful shades of red out there according to me. Great choice of car followed by an equally great review! P.S: Mazda's paint is supposedly quite thin, making it prone to scratches. You might want to look into this in the near future if you plan to keep it for a while. Good luck with your PhD!

Thanks GForceEnjoyer! Yes, Soul Red shade is quite a looker. I agree on your observation on the paint, I also feel that Mazda have made the outermost coat too thin (maybe for the perfect shine and depth) but it does chip easily and is prone to scratches. I am planning to keep it for long, you can probably recommend any solution to keep the paint relatively scratch free? Thanks again!

Originally Posted by UncleSam

Beautiful car you've got there shauryadabas!
Wish Mazda would setup base here and sell all these wonderful machines. Mazda's exude european characteristics with the added reliability of japanese manufacturers! Keep updating the thread as and when you can

Thanks a lot UncleSam! I also wish they come to India soon, I am not sure about their sedans but the SUVs will be successful if priced well. Sure, I will keep updating the thread as much as I can.

Originally Posted by karavadi143

I would say you were lucky to get the car at that price point, I have seen the color demanding $1-2K premium in the used market space recently .. I would suggest buying a paint pen from Mazda, it definitely helped me keep my CX5 in pristine shape. Model number of the product would be 46V Soul Red crystal ... Also, I added CarPlay functions by upgrading the hardware (bought it off Amazon) and software (Free download available). Let me know if you want to go down that route .. Adding a couple of pictures for my 2018 CX5 in soul red.

Thanks karavadi143!! Yes this color demands premium in used market. Even in new cars, Mazda demands a 500USD premium for this shade and the Metallic Grey shade. Thank you for the paint pen recommendation, it's very useful. I would love to add the Carplay. How much did this setup cost you? I would like if you can share more details. You CX5 looks great! Congrats! Which trim is it?

Originally Posted by Livnletcarsliv

Congratulations on this beauty!
I always wish Mazda to open shops in India.
Mazda is such an awesome enthusiasts car, especially in the handling and driving dynamics department.

Thanks Livnletcarsliv! Mazda is indeed a driving enthusiast's car, especially the current iterations. I so wish about their India entry but don't know when.

Thank you all fellow members again. I also want to share some points that I missed in my short review:
1. My exact trim is Mazda 6 Touring (Premium Package). The premium package includes a Sunroof, 11-speaker Bose, Heated Seats, Adaptive LED Headlamps, Auto-Dim Mirror and Auto-Dim+heated ORVMs.
This is just one step below the top-end Grand Touring Trim which gets LED Fog lamps, memory seats, electric passenger seats, adaptive cruise control, trunk lid spoiler, dark gray finished alloys as standard.

2. Since this car is near 75k miles mark, I am planning to replace the spark plugs as per the owner's manual recommendation.

I will keep updating this thread.

[GForceEnjoyer]

Originally Posted by shauryadabas

Thanks GForceEnjoyer! Yes, Soul Red shade is quite a looker. I agree on your observation on the paint, I also feel that Mazda have made the outermost coat too thin (maybe for the perfect shine and depth) but it does chip easily and is prone to scratches. I am planning to keep it for long, you can probably recommend any solution to keep the paint relatively scratch free? Thanks again!

As someone pointed out above, the paint pen solution seems like the most practical idea. If you want to go for something more permanent, you could look into ceramic coating + PPF. I'm no detailing expert though, so take this with a grain of salt.

[carthick1000]

Mazda is the most underrated brand for what it offers, interior, exterior and esp. the driving dynamics. These cars hitting the used market is like always the sweetest deals, as usually only those who know and appreciate the brand will choose for them. Also, the people who bought them in the first place know about Mazda, and always took good care of them which cannot be said for other brands.

I really understood and started to appreciate the brand and it's ethos, when I got a Mazda 3 sedan as a rental during my solo 5000km road trip in the eastern parts of Canada. It was so functional, enjoyable and a very well put together car, inspite of it having driven 20000kms as a rental.

Somewhere in Cape Breton Islands:



Knowing the brand helped me to get one of my all time favorite cars - MX-5 ND here in NL. I had taken it to several European countries, rain or shine, snow or storm. It was fun and I really enjoyed my time I had a Mazda.

Somewhere in Germany:

[terra85]

Hi , welcome to the club i recently brought a mazda 6 myself 2.0 litres in Oman(deep crystal blue), awesome car looks like a jaguar from some angles. they are extremely smooth. all the best. Is yours the 4 cylinder or the 6 cylinder model?

[shauryadabas]

Originally Posted by carthick1000

These cars hitting the used market is like always the sweetest deals, as usually only those who know and appreciate the brand will choose for them. I really understood and started to appreciate the brand and it's ethos, when I got a Mazda 3 sedan as a rental during my solo 5000km road trip in the eastern parts of Canada.

Absolutely agree carthick1000. They are great as used cars but unfortunately currently all used car prices are at peak. I can say Mazda 3 is even more fun than the 6 due to its compact dimensions.

Originally Posted by carthick1000

Knowing the brand helped me to get one of my all time favorite cars - MX-5 ND here in NL.

Wow, congratulations! Your MX-5 looks phenomenal.

Originally Posted by terra85

Hi , welcome to the club i recently brought a mazda 6 myself 2.0 litres in Oman(deep crystal blue), awesome car looks like a jaguar from some angles. they are extremely smooth. all the best. Is yours the 4 cylinder or the 6 cylinder model?

Thanks terra85, congratulations for your M6, the deep crystal blue looks very elegant. 2.0 is not available in the US, yours is turbo petrol?
Mine is the 2.5L 4-cylinder NA non-turbo petrol (2.5 Turbo petrol was available from 2018 onwards).

[ravib]

Wow ! You made me to feel nostalgic
Of course, i don't live in US or own a Mazda 6, but when i traveled to Boston/New Hampshire area back in Sep 2009 (13 years ago), i hired a Mazda 6 from Hertz and used it for over a month.

Attaching few pictures of "that Mazda 6", so that you can feel better how much it improved over time now.


-Ravi

[shauryadabas]

Originally Posted by ravib

Wow ! You made me to feel nostalgic
Of course, i don't live in US or own a Mazda 6, but when i traveled to Boston/New Hampshire area back in Sep 2009 (13 years ago), i hired a Mazda 6 from Hertz and used it for over a month.

Thanks Ravi! It's interesting to see the small navigation device provided by Hertz . In those days, it must have been really useful.

Originally Posted by ravib

Attaching few pictures of "that Mazda 6", so that you can feel better how much it improved over time now.

Looks great, this one even had an option of V6 which is unfortunately not offered in the current ones.