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Mazda 6 GH, all grown up now. Is it tho? It may look more serious on the outside, but inside it is still one of the sportiest sedans you can buy in Europe.

Arriving in 2008 to retire the first generation, the Mazda 6 GH realized that it is not enough to come only with some sports creds in the competitive saloon segment. Mazda 6 GH realized that it had to come with some looks that would convince people to throw a few tens of thousands of greens for a new car, given that in 2008 we were right before the crisis and people were throwing money out the window, usually out the window of a Cayenne.

Built on the Ford platform, you could say that the Mazda 6 GH is a more fun Mondeo IV. But it's not, because the original recipe was kept: many reliable and sporty petrol engines but they didn't bother with diesel engines and carried over the old one. What was in their mind? Since you see that everyone buys diesel in this segment, you insist on coming up with a sports sedan, without making a minimal effort for a better diesel and going all-in on petrol? They worked on the looks department, they worked on the quality department, but they didn't work on the most important weak point: the diesel engine.

You don't have to be street smart to realize that the Mazda 6 GH was not a commercial success in Europe. However, the good thing is that the Mazda 6 GH remained a car for petrolheads. Just like the Honda Accord VIII, the Mazda 6 GH is aimed at people who had a Mazda MX-5 in their youth and who now need something for the family, but who don't want to give up their inner hoonigan. 

Mazda 6 GH Engines

Petrol

• 1.8 MZR L8 of 125 horsepower – The same 1.8 MZR carried over from the previous generation because it is that good. Japanese reliability and lots of fun. Anyway, no one bought this engine because all the fun is with the bigger engines. Yes, somewhere late in life these engines begin to develop a chronic dependence on oil.


• 2.0 MZR LF with 147 horsepower – This 2.0 MZR also runs on oil late in its life, but the rest of its reliability and excellent performance make this chain-driven engine the most balanced choice for the Mazda 6 GH.


• 2.5 MZR L5 of 170 horsepower – Out with the old 2.3 and hello the 2.5 MZR L5. Built mostly for the North American market, this engine was the basis for the Ford hybrid offensive, powering the Fusion, the Escape and so on. And yes, it's somewhat competing with Toyota's 2.4 litre 2AZ-FE. And yes, it's the gutless Fusion engine, which needs to be revved constantly in order to understand anything from it. But that's the whole point of the Mazda, make it sing!


• 3.7 V6 Duratec 37 of 272 horsepower – Released only for America, this engine was also put on the 2011 Mustang. Just wanted to write this. Sure, the americans will laugh at the entry-level engine for the Mustang, but this engine also powered the Taurus and Explorer police interceptors and somehow powered the Mazda 6 aswell. 

Diesel

• 2.0 MZR-CD 140 horsepower – The old engine was kidnapped in the middle of the night, parts were stolen from the Ford dumpster and modifications were made so that this diesel is no longer as bad as Michael Jackson's hit. A decent diesel, but not impressive at all. It suffers from the general issue that we discuss below, but overall it is the sort of engine which is "there". Attention, this is not the 2.0 diesel used on the Mondeo, this is Mazda.


• 2.2 MZR-CD of 130, 163 and 180 horsepower – This is where the fun begins. In particular, the injectors and the the issue shared with the other diesel. Also, the timing chain will wreck yourself before you check yourself.

Mazda 6 GH Reliability Issues

• Not much changed in the diesel department from the previous generation, so there's issues with the particulate filter and it's failing regenerations. If you are an average balkan enjoyer, you probably got rid of the particulate filter a long time ago, so you can move on. For the others, on the other hand, you should know that many times the regeneration fails and the engine oil gets contamited with diesel. If it accumulates too much, the engine swims in oil like in an episode of Spongebob and your mechanic swims in money. It is extremely important to constantly check the oil level in these engines, and I don't mean if it has too little oil, but on the contrary, it must be checked if it has too much oil.


• As with the BMW E90, Mazda considered that a Mazda 6 GH does not need a spare wheel, so it was not included in the standard equipment and you received a complementary repair kit instead.


• Petrol engines work only at high revs, so many people complain about their lack of power. They are not lazy, they just need to be revved constantly. If you don't like revving your engine, go buy a Altima.


• The manual gearbox needs oil changed regularly, more regularly than what you'd normally expect. Don't wait for the 90,000 miles mark, do it at 60,000 miles.

Mazda 6 GH Verdict

Maybe if Mazda worked abit more and made the diesel engines reliable, it most certainly would have been more successful. Or maybe the Mazda 6 GH didn't need a bigger success. Because it's already a car with an established fanbase and for those two people who want something other than a Mondeo or a Passat, it's not worth the financial effort. Or maybe this will convince them to buy a petrol powered Mazda 6 and live the full Mazda experience. As for me, this remains one of my favorite cars. Mazda 6 GH, chapeau.

Which engines do I recommend? If you live in Europe, then the 2.0 147 horsepower petrol is the stuff of dreams. If you live in North America or Australia, then the 2.5 lump is the one to go for. The other engines cannot compare with this engine that offers everything you want: reliability, sportiness, low taxes and relatively low maintenance costs