The 2016 Mazda 6 comes in three trim levels - Sport, Touring, and Grand Touring - with the range starting at $21,495 for the Sport and stretching all the way up to $30,195 for the Grand Touring. For the price, the base trim comes loaded with features like a tilt and telescoping steering wheel, cruise control, AC, height-adjustable driver seat, a six-speaker system, and a 60/40-split rear seat. The higher trims add on features like leather upholstery, power-adjustable seats, sunroof, LED lighting, sunroof, and Bose system. 

The Grand Touring trim gets the GT Technology Package which adds on features like adaptive cruise control, lane departure system, frontal collision warning system, and automatic high beam. The system also adds an i-Eloop that adds more MPG which re-captures energy and powers the electronics of the car. 

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Seeing how well the Sport trim is equipped, the Touring trim makes the perfect choice for someone who is looking for all the luxury amenities that one expects from a car of a segment above, while also keeping the price in check. The Touring trim can also be equipped with the Touring Technology package that adds in more features like LED DRLs, LED headlights, heated front seats, auto-dimming rearview and driver-side mirrors, and automatic wipers. 

The 2016 Mazda 6 is powered by a 2.5L inline-4 that powers the front wheels only and manages to produce 184 horsepower and 185 lb-ft of torque which is channeled to the wheels via either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed automatic gearbox. The engine is a very smooth unit and feels under-stressed no matter where the car is driven - in the city or on the highway. The suspension is perfectly set up to deal with all the discrepancies and undulations on the road while the gearbox, either one, ensures a very seamless shifting experience with no jerks whatsoever. The steering is perfectly weighted and feels tailor-made for sporty driving with the precise feedback it offers. The sedan can sprint from 0-60mph in 7.0 seconds and can manage to complete the quarter-mile run in 15.5 seconds.

All the cars have a very similar powertrain on offer and none of them are actually meant to be drag racing or recording times. But for curiosity’s sake, we can surely say that the Mazda’s engine is the quickest of the lot, and has the most top whack, despite being similarly powered to the Accord and the Sonata. While the Mazda does manage to be an entire second quicker than its rivals in the 60 mph run, the Honda Accord picks up speed to finish the quarter-mile in 15.7 seconds- 0.2 seconds behind the 6. 

The 2016 Mazda 6 is powered by a 2.5L inline-4 which is touted to be a very fuel-efficient engine. This claim is backed up by the EPA’s rating of 25 MPG in the city and 37 MPG on the highway, for a combined 29 MPG from its 16.4-gallon fuel tank. The top trim also gets an energy regen system called the i-Eloop which recuperates the energy lost and helps in powering the car’s electricals while also increasing the overall MPGs. 

The Mazda’s powertrain is very fuel-efficient and provides an impressive range as well but the Hyundai Sonata one-ups MPG figures averaging 30 MPG and that coupled with the biggest fuel tank in the segment also helps in the range. The Mazda’s smaller fuel tank of 16.4-gallons further eats up into the estimated range that still remains more than that of the other two. The Honda Accord and Toyota Camry are less efficient than their rivals but have sizable fuel tanks that help improve the range. 

The Mazda 6’s interior had been updated for the 2016 model year with a more handsome dashboard that is covered in premium materials and has a lot of soft-touch treatment done to them all around. The buttons and controls are very intuitively laid out and are not distracting at all for the driver and the occupants while on the road. The interior looks and feels very premium, more than any other car in the segment. 

The seats are covered in cloth for the base trim, which gets upgraded to a leatherette material and further to a leather upholstery in the range-topping trim. The seats are super comfortable and have a very accommodating shape that tugs in the occupants while driving enthusiastically. As for the features, the seats come with height-adjustability as standard and gain power-adjustability, heating, ventilation, power lumbar adjustment, and even memory settings for the driver’s seat in the higher trims. 

The Mazda’s interior is a very well-made and well-crafted one that is covered in luxury all around with all the features on offer and comfortable seating. The cabin is very spacious and doesn’t feel cramped at all even in the rear seats. The only zonk that the car has is the lowest cargo capacity of 14.8 cu.-ft but it still holds a good amount of luggage for a trip. On the other hand, it is the Hyundai that has the maximum trunk volume of 16.3 cu.-ft, while the Toyota and Honda sport commodious cabins like the 6. That said, some of the highlighting features are:

• Leather upholstery
• Steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters
• Eight-way power driver seat with power lumbar support
• Driver memory settings
• Six-way power passenger seat
• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• Sliding console armrest

Infotainment

The infotainment system on the Mazda 6 consists of a 7-inch touchscreen that has crisp graphics and comes equipped with features like Bluetooth for audio and phone connectivity, AM/FM/SiriusXM radio, CD player, USB/iPod interface, and some handy features such as voice commands, internet radio apps, and text message display function that help a lot in keeping the driver’s eyes on the road. The standard speaker system is a six-speaker setup that can be upgraded to an 11-speaker Bose setup for an even better audio experience. Some of the highlighting features are:

• 7-inch touchscreen
• Bluetooth
• SiriusXM
• Six-speaker setup
• Voice commands
• Optional 11-speaker Bose setup

The 2016 Mazda 6 gets an exterior update as well that lends it a new grille design that looks better and fresh than the older model year. The LED headlights on the higher trims add to the handsome looks of the car while the muscular hood complements the overall design well. The sides of the car are simple with clean lines and no design elements whatsoever. The big wheels add to the stance while the chrome surrounds make the car posher. The rear of the car is very beautiful with LED taillights and chrome treatment and two exhaust outlets to finish the look. 

Given the similarities with the other cars in the segment, the Mazda’s weight comes in as no surprise to anyone. The car weighs as much as the competition but packs more punch and comes with a nicer interior which has posher materials inside. It is also bigger in proportions but is, in no way, bulky. That said, some of the highlighting exterior features of this car are:

• 17-/19-inch alloy wheels
• Adaptive LED headlights
• LED taillights
• LED DRLs
• Fog lights
• Automatic wipers

The 2016 Mazda 6 comes equipped with all the latest safety tech that the manufacturer has on offer. It also comes with impressive crash-test scores from both the NHTSA and the IIHS, with the former rating the car with 5 stars while the latter awarding it with Good in most of the parameters. The car comes equipped with ABS, TCS, EBD, and VSM as standard and adds cruise control and a rearview camera as standard. Upgrading to higher trims add features like:

• Blind-spot monitoring
• Auto-dimming rearview 
• Auto-dimming driver-side mirrors
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Adaptive LED headlights
• Frontal collision mitigation system
• Automatic braking

The 2016 Mazda 6 makes a very strong case in a segment that is flocked with capable competitors that provide the best of everything - luxury, performance, fuel economy, and driving experience. The engine is a gem and has a very ideal nature while the gearbox ensures a smooth drive. The fuel economy is impressive and the tank ensures a long-range. The styling is handsome and is made better with the new upgrades while the safety is, as always, top-notch.