The Mazda6 woke up the midsize-sedan field even as it marked the renaissance of the entire company. It did so by offering a distinct advantage: that of delighting the driver more than its competitors could. Never would a trip to the supermarket seem as boring when every lane change was executed with utmost precision. Its major shortcoming then was a lack of horsepower.

Now everything has been set exactly right. The most important change is a heart transplant: a new 2.3-liter inline-4 pumps out 164 hp and 207 Nm. The engine has 16 valves, twin camshafts, sequential valve timing, and a variable intake system. It mates to a 5-speed automatic transmission with a separate gate for manual shifting.         

Inside and out, the 6, a good-looking car to begin with, was thoroughly reworked. The striking 17-inch alloys look well-proportioned to the 6’s rakish profile. Deeper front and rear bumpers, tail spoiler, side skirts, and dual exhaust pipes announce its sporting intentions. Under the cat’s eye front lenses are eight separate lamps, the outer pair housing HID headlamps.

Interior details are also impressive. Black perforated leather seats hug the driver and front passenger. The 8-way power driver’s seat with 3-memory setting and fat-rimmed tilt-telescope steering wheel allow for the perfect driving position. Secondary controls like the audio and aircon knobs now have an expensive, precision feel to them. The center console and dash surrounds are finished in metal under a durable-looking clear layer. Thankfully, not a single piece of tree bark, genuine or otherwise, is in sight.

Carving up a twisty road with a fairly competent car can elicit a small grin from any driver who still has a pulse. Blasting our way up and down the mountainous hairpins of Tagaytay behind the wheel of the 6 left us with an ear-to-ear smile, even as they had to pry us out of the driver’s seat after our turn. 

The engine is quiet and provides satisfying acceleration at part-throttle. Hammer it, and it becomes a different beast. It delivers bags of torque and power, and revs delightfully all the way to its 7000 rpm redline. As the tach’s red needle sweeps past 3000 rpm, the engine note is spot-on, like the old Honda VTECs’: hard and growling, with a sharp exhaust bark. Just as in the Mazda3, the manual mode of the gearbox allows you to spin the engine to redline without shifting up. Still, we didn’t really need to shift the gearbox into manual-override mode; the autobox’s brain was smart enough for nearly all conditions. 

Handling is still best in class, enhanced with the with 45-series tires on the 17-inch alloys. The car is utterly obedient to steering wheel inputs, and feels balanced. Even on twisty, narrow mountain roads, during a heavy downpour, the car felt predicable and controllable. Traction control helps prevent the front wheels from spinning, although even in torrential conditions the car had plenty of grip. Brakes are powerful and linear in response.

Mazda hasn’t forgotten the flipside of the equation: the luxury-comfort part. The 6 comes with plenty of space for the rear passengers; noise and bumps are well-suppressed.  Moonroof, a 6-CD in-dash changer with 4 speakers, steering-wheel audio controls, and auto headlamps and wipers are all standard. The enormous trunk can swallow several large suitcases.  

This car also ranks high on safety, with a 5-star Euro NCAP rating. Dual front and side bags are standard, as is a curtain airbag that drops across the length of the side windows—this particularly improves side-impact safety. There are built-in Isofix latches too, for child seats. 

In a very competitive field of 54 cars vying for the Car of the Year title, the 6 bested all other contenders to bag the coveted trophy. That was not an easy task, with everything from high-performance hatchbacks to giant luxury SUVs trying to snatch votes away from the traditional sedan. In the end, the 6’s perfect cocktail of performance and luxury, served up at a palatable price, sealed the victory.

The Mazda3 2.0 had been such a performance bargain that it had been overlapping the appeal of the 6. Now that the 6 has been to the gym and the tailor, Mazda once again has a proper flagship sedan. Mazda’s promise is that after driving the 6, you’ll send your chauffeur on a vacation. Forget that—permanently reassign him somewhere else. In this car, you won’t want to leave the driving to anyone but yourself.

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