2018 Mazda6 Signature | Truly “MAZDA PREMIUM" 

Nolan, excellent review. Or at least it matches my own evaluation of the Mazda6. Several months ago I looked seriously at several midsize sedans, all with top level trims: the Accord 2.0L Turbo Touring, the Camry v6 XSE, the Mazda6 Signature, and the Ford Fusion 2.7L V6 Turbo with AWD. For me, as for you, the Honda came out in first place with the Mazda6 slightly behind, the Camry in third place and the Fusion trailing the field. In terms of exterior styling the Mazda6 was, imo, the best. The Accord and especially the Camry seemed to take their design inspiration from a 1930's Flash Gordon spaceship. I could get used to the Accord but the Camry was (again imo) simply awful. The Ford, unfortunately, looked somewhat tired, no doubt because it is. On the interior it was a "pick 'em" between the Mazda and the Accord. Each had its strengths. The Mazda is clearly designed to look and feel near-luxury. The Mazda scored in terms of materials (though I had some doubts about their durability) while the Accord has better interior space. The "6" has standard rear seat usb ports (a big deal with the teenager in the family) that are extra cost options on the Accord. On the other hand, the Accord has a significantly superior infotainment system including cameras, screen, and navigation. The Camry's panoramic sunroof didn't make up for the fact that it carried the "Flash Gordon" design scheme to the interior and compared to the Ford and Mazda was simply cheap looking and feeling in the back seat. The Ford's interior was functional but the 50 shades of gray theme was just too boring. As far as handling and driveability the Mazda continues to shine. But both the Accord and the Camry have seriously upped the ante in the new models. Even if the Mazda was the best, it was by a very small margin. The Fusion, despite AWD, couldn't mask its weight. It was easily the quickest in a straight line but relatively ponderous when the road turned curvy. It was in the engine/drivetrain department where the Honda was the clear winner for me. I had high hopes for the 2.5L Turbo in the Mazda but I was surprised to find it felt more like the naturally aspirated V6 Camry than the turbo 4 in the Honda. Anyone expecting that 300+ ft lbs of torque to yield the "kick" of a turbo is going to be disappointed. Power is more than adequate but while the Honda approaches the feel of a sport sedan, the "6" seems to be tuned to deliver smooth rather than exciting performance. It's not necessarily a bad choice considering the market Mazda hopes to capture but it fades compared to the marvelous Honda engine. Likewise, the six speed automatic in the Mazda is a step behind Honda's ten speed AT. On the other hand, those who prefer to drive in a manual mode may find the Mazda more convenient than trying to manage 10 separate gear ratios, themselves. The Camry's eight speed AT splits the difference. With the larger V6 and eight speeds it's as quick as the Honda (and perhaps more durable in the long run) but it's just not as much fun. As for the Fusion, if you're looking for a hot rod masquerading as a family sedan, it comes the closest but I found the 2.7L V6 twin scroll turbo better suited to the Ford Edge Sport than to the Fusion. Finally, it's worth mentioning that a sleeper in this category worth considering is the VW Passat GT. It wasn't available when I was in the market but at a real world price of $25K-$27K, with a 290HP V6, class leading interior room, classic styling, and handling that more closely approximates a European GT than any of the options mentioned here, it's worth a look.

Thanks for watching! Mazda did a great job making this feel like a higher class car. Even though the turbo wasn’t quite as peppy as I was expecting, it still made for a fun drive and had tons of pull without having to floor it. Subscribe for weekly reviews and leave your thoughts below! 👍

Hey, Just bought a Jet Black Mazda 6 Signature. After 2 weeks I STILL love the car. It has the interior of a BMW without the price tag. Back up camera is pretty bad though. It definitely turn heads and has people say... "WHOA.. that's a Mazda? I thought it was a jaguar!" (That was yesterday)

Now this is what I call an immaculate car review! Keep up the excellent work, Nolan!

The heated portions of the steering wheel are where the driver's hands should be. Kudos, Mazda.

The start button located high is NOT odd - it makes perfect sense because it is out of the way so that you cannot accidentally hit it while stopping at a traffic light and turn off the car. My friend had a SAAB and they put the ignition key right at the center console where my friend always accidentally bumped into it and turned off the engine. Mazda did it right by placing it high at that location.

Still love my 2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring!

Yay! Thanks for the great review! I love this car, Mazda has really done a great job, I kind of want this car lol. I like the range test

Love this car! Great video, really enjoyed it!

I like your vids & this can be my first car 1 day.

Hey man great review! I did get the Mazda 6 GT in crystal blue and black interior just a couple of months ago. It looks black at night and dark blue during the day. It is really fun to drive. And it is a head turner sometimes.

That’s the elementary I grew up at. Wow that’s weird, knew I recognized it. I live in the neighborhood and just got my first car. Mazda 6 gt

I’ve been waiting for a turbo model since they stopped offering it with a v6, my current 2009 3.7L V6 is so much fun to drive, you forget it’s such a big car.

I own a black grand Touring. I love the look and feel of the Mazda very premium. I deffinetley love the fuel efficiency and the seats are great for smaller drivers!! I feel Mazda makes engaging vehicles to drive..I’ve always been a Mazda fan but the technology such as auto brake and lane departure and blind spot sold me. I think I’m a Mazda person lol!!😂

Great review ! Keep up the good work!

As always great job 👍😁 I'm really curious to see the redesign.

Sport mode is irrelevant in manual mode. Sport mode makes the transmission shift at higher rpms and keeps it a bit higher so you can accelerate for passing. Also, the navigation from the stock nav app goes to the heads up display. I bought mine at the end of June. I have the exact same car you test drove. Signature in Soul Red Crystal. I have gotten tons of compliments on both the exterior and interior of the car. I have about 10k miles on mine already and absolutely love it. Very fun to drive. I'm 6"3' and haven't hit my head once getting in and out. The steering feels a bit heavy to me, but I've grown accustomed to it. The auto dimming high beams can get a bit annoying at times by flipping off and on from stoplights and occasionally street lights but the can be defeated (if you really want to do that) by putting the headlight switch in on mode instead of auto mode. Additionally, you can leave it in that position and they will still shut off when the car is turned off. I find the straight line traction a bit underwhelming but that may be a function more of the 301 lb/ft of torque rather than a failing of the tires. I can't quite decide on that one. Overall average fuel economy since I bought it is about 26.5 mpg. I too find the placement of the Mazda Connect controls directly in front of the cup holders a bit awkward. Overall, I love the car. Anyway, thanx for your review confirming most of my experience since buying it. Great video and keep up the good work!

Nice review! Love the Mazda 6. It’s always been one of my favorites. I had a 2013. I think for the most part, Mazda has nailed it. By far the prettiest sedan in the class. The interior is very nice. Wish it was available with a stick shift/turbo combo and a panoramic moon roof would be nice as well.

i like the 6 more than the cx5😍

i like the range test

Amazing 😀 😀 Mazda 6 review .

Great Review Nolan. I agree with your assessments on this car. I think Mazda should have offered AWD. However, I just heard that the 19 CX-5 will be getting this engine so maybe that is why this one does not offer AWD. Oh well.

How about throwing the Hyundai sonata into the mix?

That cup holders isn’t matter if you want use controllers

Handsome man

I believe that glovebox is lined with felt 😉

So this has auto start stop radar cruise? My 2014 limited Mazda 6 shits off cruise control when car goes under 30kms/hr and doesn't have auto hold like my 2018 cx5 does which is a shame, love that feature

Panoramic roof in accord ? Not in us. Good review but the problem is there is a lot of complain like there is no audio information in the gage cluster 😁.95 % of people don't need that .Nobody buy a family sedan for sporty drive but for confort some fun quiteness features... The accord and thé camry are good cars but this mazda 6 signature for me compete more with acura tlx infiniti q50 base audi a4.... The fit and finish the quality the look is premium what's why to me at 36000 $ this is the best in class.

The sunglasses holder is small . . . if you're Bono.

Why does the red paint job cost 600 dollars and the others are free?

So basically it sounds like this car is not too exciting but probably serves its purpose for a daily commuter. The fuel economy numbers with the turbo are pretty low, probably because it’s a 6speed automatic and not a more efficient 8 speed. I like the interior look overall on this car more than the exterior. The exterior on this one has always been too ‘swoopy/curvy’ for me. I agree like you said especially on the sides. The Accord has a more modern side profile and I think Mazda just needs the full redesign to fix this. I do think they are trying hard though with the refreshing to keep sales going which is smart. The grille does look nice. Great review overall! (I personally could do without the key fob range test lol)

I’m 5”5

Anybody know how those lights flicker that way?

That infotainment and rear view camera are poo poo..

Prefer this over the Accord, which is just an unforgivably ugly car and I owned a 2013 Sport which was beautiful by comparison. The interior was cheap though and disliked the CVT. The Mazda 18 update resolved all the minor issues with the previous one, especially in refinement, power and seat comfort making this an outstanding car all around. Stylish, refined, efficient, spacious and fast enough for 90%(though it could've been better) and my favorite aspect-the new interior which is outstanding and class leading. Both are great choices though so is the new Altima I'm guessing. The Camry is also very competitive and really like the powertrain combo/V6 option and has the pano roof which is pretty awesome. Still, Mazda 6 for the win!

That rear end is still boring as hell!

I don't care what anyone says. This car along with all the other turbo 4's out there lack power. I get it, fuel economy is the big thing now, but it just doesn't do it for me. I drove this car recently, it feels underpowered, VERY underpowered and has a horrible ride. It's a nice looking car I'll give it that but that's about it.