2012 Mazda Mazda6 Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Mazda 6 review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 Mazda 6, and includes Mazda 6 safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

Too often overlooked, the 2012 Mazda 6 is a stylish midsize sedan providing plenty of room for the family and lots of driving entertainment. It competes in one of the largest segments of the market, against mega-volume models like the Chevrolet Malibu, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Nissan Altima, and Toyota Camry.

Mazda is hoping that five new colors will help make the 2012 Mazda 6 more appealing to midsize sedan shoppers. In addition to the carryover hues of Ebony Black and Ingot Silver, the 2012 Mazda 6 can be painted Steel Blue, Polished Slate, Autumn Bronze, Fireglow Red, and White Platinum Pearl. Also, ambient lighting is dropped from all models this year.

Before discussing the different models and features for the 2012 Mazda6, a lesson in the car’s nomenclature is in order. The Mazda 6 i is equipped with a four-cylinder engine, while the Mazda6 s has a V6 engine under its hood. With that understanding, the Mazda 6 i lineup includes Sport, Touring, Touring Plus, and Grand Touring models, while the Mazda 6 s is available only in Touring Plus and Grand Touring trim levels.

Standard equipment for the Mazda 6 i Sport includes expected amenities such as air conditioning, power side mirrors, power door locks with remote keyless entry, power windows, cruise control, a tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, floor mats, and a stereo with a CD/MP3 player and an auxiliary audio input jack. Unexpected features include an air pollen filter, one-touch operation for the driver’s window, auto-off headlights, an outside temperature indicator, sliding sunvisor extensions, and a trunk mat. The Mazda 6 i Sport also has cloth seats with a manual driver’s seat height adjuster, illuminated visor vanity mirrors, and an overhead sunglasses holder. That all sounds pretty good, but this model is equipped with 16-inch steel wheels and plastic wheel covers, which make it look pretty cheap on the outside. Plus, it comes with a manual transmission. You’ll pay extra for a five-speed automatic.

For these reasons, the Mazda 6 i Touring is the model you ought to seriously consider. In addition to having an automatic transmission and 17-inch alloy wheels as standard equipment, the Mazda 6 i Touring comes with Bluetooth hands-free connectivity, an eight-way power driver’s seat, a sliding center console armrest, a trip computer, and leather wrapped around the steering wheel and shift knob. Fog lights and upgraded interior trim also set this model apart. And if you still carry a CD case, this version of the Mazda6 is equipped with a CD changer.

If that level of equipment still doesn’t cut it, Mazda offers the 6 i Touring Plus, which adds a power moonroof, an anti-theft security system, and a Blind Spot Monitoring system. Electroluminescent gauges are also standard, along with side mirrors that include turn signal indicators and exterior ground illumination.

Finally, there’s the Mazda 6 s Grand Touring, which comes with leather seats that are heated in front, an automatic climate control system, a Bose premium audio system, cabin welcome lighting, and a color multi-information display with a rearview camera system.

If you’d like the added power and performance that a V6 engine provides, the Mazda 6 s Touring Plus and Grand Touring models are available. They’re equipped exactly like the Mazda6 i Touring Plus and Grand Touring, except that they have a V6 engine, a six-speed automatic, and dual exhaust outlets with chrome tips. The Mazda6 s Grand Touring also includes a handsome set of 18-inch alloy wheels.

Choosing the Grand Touring trim level is also the path to upgrading a Mazda 6 in a couple of significant ways. First, there’s an optional Technology Package that adds Mazda Advanced Keyless Entry and Start, automatic Xenon headlights, LED taillights, rain-sensing wipers, and heated side mirrors with auto-dimming glass on the driver’s side. This option package also includes a power front passenger’s seat, memory for the driver’s seat, an auto-dimming rearview mirror with a HomeLink remote control, and four free months of satellite radio service. The Grand Touring models are also available with a Navigation Package that adds a touch-screen navigation system with real-time traffic and a reversing camera.

The Grand Touring models aren’t the only ones that can be upgraded with extras. Options for all models included extra-cost White Platinum Pearl and Fireglow Red paint, and dealers can install a variety of accessories including satellite radio, remote engine starting, a portable Garmin navigation system, an iPod integration kit, fog lights, a cargo net, an auto-dimming rearview mirror with a compass and HomeLink, and more.

If a Mazda 6 wears an “i” designation, it’s equipped with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder making 170 horsepower (168 in Partial Zero Emission Vehicle trim). A six-speed manual gearbox is standard on the Mazda6 i Sport. All others are equipped with a five-speed automatic that’s optional on the Sport model. Fuel economy ratings are 21 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway with the manual gearbox. With the automatic, you’ll do better. This powertrain returns 22-city/31-highway.

If a Mazda6 wears an “s” designation – or a V6 badge – it is equipped with a 3.7-liter V6 engine that generates a healthy 272 horsepower. A six-speed automatic transmission delivers the power to the front wheels, and the Mazda 6 s is rated to get 18-city/27-highway.

Mazda installs a fairly basic set of safety features on the Mazda 6. In addition to six airbags, this car comes with traction and stability control, and a four-wheel-disc antilock braking system with electronic brake-force distribution. Get the Touring Plus or Grand Touring model, and a Blind Spot Monitoring system is included. Additionally, the Grand Touring can be outfitted with a reversing camera and rain-sensing wipers.

In terms of crashworthiness, it appears that the Mazda 6’s front seats require a redesign. In a rear-impact collision, they provide Marginal protection from injury according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Otherwise, the Mazda 6 is a safe place to be, with an Acceptable roof crush strength rating, and Good ratings for frontal- and side-impact protection. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not crash-tested the Mazda 6, but the NHTSA does give the sedan an excellent 5-Star rollover resistance rating.

Reliability predictions are also favorable. Though J.D. Power and Associates has most recently given the car an average rating for predicted reliability, Consumer Reports says the Mazda6 can be expected to provide better than average reliability over time.

That’s good, because the standard warranty coverage is merely average at three years/36,000 miles for the entire car, and five years/60,000 miles for the powertrain. Roadside assistance is included for the first three years of ownership.

The 2012 Mazda 6 has a 16.6 cubic-foot trunk, which is generous for a midsize sedan. The interior is roomy, too, falling just 1.5 cu-ft short of full-size sedan classification by the EPA.

Mazda uses traditional hydraulic steering for the Mazda 6, which typically provides better feel than increasingly common electric assist systems.

According to Mazda, the Mazda6 i tops out at 121 mph, while the Mazda 6 s can go 131 mph.

The 2012 Mazda 6 is built in Flat Rock, Michigan, in the same manufacturing facility that churns out Ford Mustangs.

Vehix drove a Mazda6 i Touring, a rental with 2,000 miles on the odometer. With plenty of room for the kids and a week’s worth of luggage and beach gear easily placed inside the cavernous trunk, the Mazda6 i Touring was a perfect partner for a family vacation. And with a window sticker of $23,920, this model might be a perfect partner for daily family life.

For starters, the Mazda6 is comfortable, and the i Touring model includes an eight-way power driver’s seat, a leather-wrapped tilt and telescopic steering wheel, a sliding center console armrest, and softly padded upper door panels where you might rest your elbow. The control layout is simple and easy to understand, and everything is clearly labeled. We particularly like the gauges, serious displays designed to convey information rather than attitude.

We mentioned that the Mazda6 falls just short of full-size EPA classification, and as such there’s plenty of room in the spacious rear seat. And that 16.6 cu-ft trunk is not only generously sized and well shaped, the strut-supported lid means your stuff doesn’t get crunched when you slam the lid closed.

If there’s a downside to the Mazda6 i, at least in our experience while hauling two adults, two kids, and about 150 pounds of luggage, fuel economy isn’t what the EPA says it should be. The 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine is rated 22-city/30-highway, but we got just 21.7 mpg in mixed driving.

The Mazda6 i also wasn’t as much fun to drive as we expected it to be, given it’s a Mazda and Mazda is the “zoom-zoom” company. Acceleration was tepid with more than the driver aboard, especially off the line. The all-season tires mounted to the Touring’s standard 17-inch aluminum wheels limited handling more than we anticipated. The brakes proved a bit grabby in traffic. And we’re not fans of Mazda’s counterintuitive manual shift gate for the automatic transmission. The Mazda6’s hydraulic steering, however, was excellent.

Based on our previous experience with the Mazda6 s V6, that’s the number to call if you’re looking for a good time. Especially in Grand Touring trim with meatier rubber mounted to 18-inch wheels.

There’s little reason to cross a Mazda 6 off your midsize sedan shopping list – if it makes the list in the first place. This shapely family hauler is one of the wallflowers of the midsize sedan class, and for no good reason. It is priced and sized right, offers decent safety and reliability ratings, and it’s made in America. The warranty could stand improvement, and some safety features ought to be made available on less expensive models, but our opinion is that the Mazda 6 is one of the best-kept secrets in the family sedan class.

By Christian Wardlaw