Mazda 6 GH (2008-2012)

My 2008 mazda 6 classic wagon has done 379000 without any issues whatsoever. A fantastic vehicle. Lovely to drive. Very quiet. The car feels solid. It glides and purrs along the highway. The 2.5l engine has plenty of power. A very comfortable car. The boot , fold down seats and blind mechanism is extremely practical. My vehicle has been used to… Read more

transport two dogs in the boot. Plenty of room for all our luggage as well. Great sounding stereo. I find the controls on the stereo very handy. Cruise control is great on long trips. There is sufficient leg room in the back seat for passengers.

This car has travelled 60km each day through very heavy, stop/start city traffic and has also done lots of country running. Fuel consumption is 8.8l/100km. I have always used premium unleaded and has never missed a 10000 service interval.

This car is currently being replaced with yet another Mazda 6. 16 years old and it looks like new. No issues with paintwork either.

I have looked at other makes and models over the years with the intention of replacing this car. I have hung onto it as i have never found anything else to be as practical. News of this model being discontinued prompted me to rush down to the dealer and order yet another Mazda 6 which I hope will provide me with many more years of happy motoring. An amazing vehicle. I simply can not fault this vehicle.

Best car I've owned – I bought my Mazda6 GH luxury sports back in 2017. The engine was gone due to overheating (blown radiator) and they drive it until it stopped. I bought it with 460000km that's right... 460000km! I put a low KM engine in it with the matching gearbox (only because the original one was noisy) and just drove it. I have the full service history on it.… Read more

The only issues I've had apart from routine service is tyres getting a bit noisy at the towards the end of their life and I have replaced the bose amp twice. I have now upgraded the head unit and done away with the factory system. Fuel economy is great. I average 7- 8lp100 km city driving and 6.5-7 on the highway (cruse control at 110kmh) I still use it every day and it's now got 560000km on it and it's going strong apart from 2nd gear gets a bit crunchy if u change gears quickly. This has been and still is the best car I have had and I've owned i have had alot of vehicles over the years. Sure it's not the fastest but it's zippy and u do need 2 keep ur eye on the speedo as it creeps up on you and comfortably will sit on high speeds and that feels like 80kmh. All in all its a great comfortable, well balanced, great handling, good performance and a safe car that looks good.

Faulty auto gear box – My Mazda 6 Classic S/W has been the best car we ahve ever owned, dood on petrol, comfortable and still stylish today. Except the auto started to make juddering noises at 1,500 revs ay 60klms while trying to down or up change. I had it looked at a reputable auto gear box firm and I was informed the problem was a glaze that had formed on the front… Read more

plate and when the when it was trying to change gear it was bouncing on and off the plate trying bind. That was Xmas 2021 so I had to waih unti Jan 2022 to have it repaired. Drove around in manualy mode until then. Now having had the repair done and $4,200.00 later I picked it up and after driving it home it was ok. The next day not so good, as the vibration came back, it thumped into gear, and for some reason in cruise mode at 80klm a very loud screaching whistle like 1,000,00 crickets filled the car. Turned it off. Then it started to thump in the gear while driving, needless to say it is back at the workshop and they can't find what is wrong with it? Everything was repalce in the rebuild is it as simple as a computer malfunction and needs to be reprogrammed?

Best car I've driven to date – I bought this as my second car mainly for commuting. Man, this car is so smooth when you accelerate, you can hardly feel the gears changing. The quality of the interior is very good. Better than a Mazda 3 which has more plasticky materials and more stylish than a Toyota Camry which I found quite simple. Nice chrome highlights inside. Very spacious… Read more

interior including the boot. Sound quality of the radio and CD player is excellent, better than a Honda Civic. The ride is comfortable but a seat cushion does help.

The exterior has a sporty look with twin exhausts. The downside of the exterior is that the paint is not good. It chips easily as compared to a Toyota. Stone chips can make the car look ugly so I bought myself a Dr color chip kit to fix them up. Avoid driving behind trucks with this car. Another downside is that the rear view mirrors (both door mirrors and interior mirror) are too much zoomed in and this can become a hazard while driving. I had to buy a round blind spot mirror for the door mirror and a wide view mirror for the interior as I was kept on getting blinded by other cars headlights.

I service this car regularly so haven't had any major issues. I am getting around 8.5L/100km fuel economy. I would say it is not that cheap to run overall as it is a fast car.

But overall I am very satisfied with this car and do not regret my purchase.

Way too much Ford "quality" in this car – Bought secondhand 2 years ago with 80k on clock and a full service history. Country car, used for daily commuting. No unsealed roads. Now done 110k and every service has needed non service items. The good: Comfortable and economical on long journeys Looks good Strong 2.5L engine Smooth and responsive auto box Long load area The bad: Steering… Read more

strangely heavy at low speed Abrupt, unpredictable throttle response when taking off New engine mounting required at 90k service New rear shocks required at 100k service (leaking) Noisy rear wheel bearing at 110k service Now has various "clunks" from front suspension Inconvenient 10k service intervals Costing way too much to run - we expect regular service items only at this mileage

Our previous three cars (2 x Mitsubishis, 1 x Lexus) did a combined 800k+ with fewer problems e.g. we haven't replaced a wheel bearing in over 20 years.

This car does not have Mitsubishi or Toyota type durability and is not what we expect from a Japanese car. The Ford design and manufacturing input shows.

Still beats newer cars – Own 2011 Mazda 6 luxury sports, bought cheap in 2017, has sat nav, Bluetooth. Great looks too. Unique headlight, added light bar too for country road driving. Outruns newer car of similar range Show details

Long term durability was not there – Disappointing sums up the 2010 Mazda6 classic. A great car to drive but was let down by three major items that went at once. They were clutch, gearbox (2nd started to crunch even with clutch pushed in) and the air conditioning unit stopped working. Even my 17 year old 626 was better than this and my original 323 is still going after 250ks. As I… Read more

said the car was great to drive but the headlights and the Bluetooth were poor. The headlights were an easy fix but the Bluetooth system was not good in dialling numbers which could take five to six goes.

Thank goodness I sold the car and my current 2010 Mazda3 SP25 has been faultless and a great drive and reclaims my faith in Mazda's products.

Have a 2008 Mazda 6 wagon since new. Needs new sas module – Have a 2008 Mazda 6 wagon since new. 121230 kms. Air bag light now comes on and off continuously. Mazda service department in Taree attended to this yesterday. But light came on before I had left their building. Flashes on and off continuously. Mazda Taree stated a new module is needed. Cost including labour is $1170. Do I need this. Vehicle runs perfectly except for this. Show details

Affordable luxury – I chose the Touring model. Highly recommend. Love the leather interior and the little things that make it such a joy to drive. Bought it 2nd hand with 70,000kms on the clock. Now at 120,000 and it's no different. A smooth running car with low running costs and no mechanical issues thus far.  Show details

Practical yet fun to drive family hatch (GH) – Bought the 2011 Mazda6 Touring hatch new from Tom Kerr Mazda (now Ryde Mazda). Powertrain: average MZR (L5-VE) 2.5L NA engine mated with 5AT (with manual mode) delivers 125kw @ 6000rpm / 226Nm @ 4000rpm does the job, fuel consumption is relatively high in stop/start traffic condition (~13L/100km running 91 unleaded) but OK once we get out of… Read more

Sydney metropolitan area (>30km/h average speed).

Exterior: The front looks OK, pre kodo design (a low creeping predator), the front wheel arch is great but it doesn't translate into the body and rear well (3rd gen has the same problem). Side profile is probably the best to look at. Rear (boot) looks chunky and bulky, the dual exhaust looks sporty but needs a better diffuser to cover the muffler (fat but not squat enough...)...

Interior: Leather (synthetic) quality is good, overall interior is black and sporty, works well, no complaints.

Handling: Best of its class, don't need to repeat what is already known.

Steering: Towards the heavy side, it even has some hydraulic feedback feeling (like the 2nd gen Focus). Great! No paddles on the steering wheel for Touring, sigh...

Ride: Ride quality is good due to front double-wishbone suspension and rear multi-link suspension, it is very comfortable for medium to long trip with kids at the back.

Safety: front / rear parking sensors do the job, 6 air bags (side curtain air bags)

Practicality: The hatch is really the gem / sweet spot of the Mazda6 model. Wagon looks awful for 2nd gen. The hatch has a huge boot, with back seats folded down, I fitted a LG wash machine in it and took it back home from The Good Guys ;-) It's probably even bigger than the F25 LCI X3's boot (except the height). Really love the hatch, it's a pity that the 3rd gen does not offer Hatch any more. I'll wait for the 4th gen to upgrade if Mazda offers hatch again.

It was sold with 6 months service interval but I've never done it (use Castrol Edge Titanium 5w-30 full synthetic once every 10-12 months at my trusted mechanic workshop)). Later on (2013 or so) Mazda Australia moved to 12 months service interval anyway for the 3rd gen Mazda6 (and others), so no problem at all. The car has been very reliable for the past 7 years and I am going to keep it for a big longer.

NOTE: Cabin air con filter can be easily changed; same as intake air filter.

Cons: ground clearance is a bit low so be very careful when driving thru uneven surface, the front lip...

Love My Car – Bought 2nd hand at the start of the year, so 5 years old when we got it and it feels like a brand new car (we were driving a 20 year old car before though...). Touring model with leather seats really takes it up a notch from the fabric seats in other models we'd tested. Love the feel of the car, love the sounds, very spacious, the wagon boot is… Read more

perfect for life with a dog. Love that the back seats can fold completely flat. The drivers seat has pre-set seat placement - perfect for a shared car.

Only thing I absolutely cannot stand is the intermittent wiper function is only available in Auto mode, so the car decides when there is too much water on the windscreen before it will trigger. No matter how sensitive I set it, it will not go when you need it to, totally unnecessary auto feature.

Good spacious car – The car is cool to drive and I enjoy it . It has sufficient airbags to protect ALL passengers. The cabin height of drivers seat could have been bit more spacious. It is tough to perform head checks if you have decent height as the head touches the top even with the seat at it lowest position.  Show details

love at first drive :) – love this car. Dreamy to drive - makes long trips enjoyable. Sufficient airbags to protect ALL passengers. Rides well. Can sometimes have excess road nose but have nite this is a tyre choice not car. Will defiantly sucking with Mazda And tell all of my mates about it. Next car will be a MAZDA.  Show details

The perfect workhorse! – This car is the perfect work horse for a growing family. Extremely spacious, very fuel efficient and very good power for a 2.5 liter. Have left many v6 rivals biting my dust at the lights :D And the manual gearbox model is a rare gem which can actually handle the power of the engine without any problems. We've had a recall for the Takata airbag… Read more ·  1

problem, which went very smoothly. We've had our car since new and not planning to sell it for a long time coz there are no more manual gearbox option and my better half and I love a manual gearbox. The Bose sound system was good, but have replaced the factory head unit and amp and now it sounds even better. Have no complaints about the car.

Be ware of the dealers though. I often wonder if they do the things they say they do at a service. I've often found that they mention tire rotation in the service tax invoice but I know they haven't rotated the tires coz I always mark them to see if they have been rotated and they have not (Offending dealer here is airport Mazda). So if they say they do the tire rotation and they actually don't, what else are they claiming to do and charge for but don't do? I have complained about this to the service manager a few times. He of course apologizes for this every time but the tire rotation doesn't happen. I do the tire rotation at home by myself.

Nothing but problems – I had a Mazda 6 09 model and have had nothing but problems. My car has been affected by the original Taka airbag recall. Another unofficial recall because the drivers seat would fall backwards into the back seat this took 6 months fighting with Mazda Australia and my local service centre to get fixed. The Service centre then told me I had a number… Read more

of things that needed fixing such as CV joints and we’re going to charge me $1500 for reconditioned joints plus labour.

I took the car to my mechanic who told me that the joints were fine and had in fact been replaced with the gear box 1yr ago. Other minor things Mazda told me needed fixing my mechanic disagreed. To top it all off I wake up to find my car had spontaneously combusted after sitting cold for over 12 hours and is now a write off.

I will never purchase a Mazda again. This was my first newish car. In the two years I had it I had more problems then any of the earlier models i had previously. Don’t waste your money and watch it literally go up in smoke.

Great car terrible customer service – Melting dashboard issues were rejected for a number of years blaming the owners - this may be getting resolved soon but Mazda are poor with communications. Safety issue with drivers seat collapsing will become a safety recall but until then it's up to the owner! Airbag control module failure has prompted a safety recall in USA but over here not a murmer. As I said great car despite those problems but I'd hardly call that great service.  Show details

Excellent fun to drive car which doesn’t break the bank with fuel economy – Upgrading from a Toyota Camry this car was an entire league ahead in terms of features and performance. The handling is excellent, it turns around corners with excellent traction, the dashboard is very clear and easy to read, the seats are superbly comfortable, the maintenance is very affordable and there’s plenty of room in the boot. This is a… Read more

car which is well made, fun to drive and surprisingly fuel efficient. The only complaint I would have is that the classic is a little low to the ground, so ocasionally it hiccups over large speed bumps. But apart from that, it’s an exceptional car and well worth buying.

Best car owned – Love this car, first car bought new that has absolutely no faults, now done over 90000 klms, only trouble is that the car has been so good that my wife refuses to trade up to another car. Like the pin point steering, changed the multimedia unit in the first week of ownership that provided reverse camera, Sat Nav, DVD player etc, which I recommend.  Show details

Great vehicle. Reliable and looks great too – I bought this vehicle as I had only heard good things about it and because it looks great too. The driving experience is really nice, I feel like it's more than a standard family vehicle. It feels sporty with a dash board that looks like it was made for a racing vehicle (still easy to use but a great look and feel). Only issue I've had is with the… Read more

Blue Tooth. Worked fine with my iPhone 6 but the iPhone 7 Blue Tooth isn't fully compatible so I haven't been able to use it anymore. Other than that it has a great engine, great feel, and is super reliable packed with all the features you'd expect from a modern vehicle.

Brilliant value – Bought brand new in 2008, has 186,000kms on the clock. Avg fuel consumption is showing 7.8l/per 100kms. Only ever used E10 except when I used Prem 98 for about 3 months when it was cheap. Made no difference to economy and I did not notice any performance benefits. Serviced by Mazda for first 5 years. Only problems have been leaking rear shock… Read more

absorber which started after a service and a distorting rear door speaker. Both fixed under warranty without a problem.

Good quality finish, quiet, safe and powerful. Manual 6 speed is easy to use. Huge load space, comfortable seats with good legroom, good air con and sound system.

Air bag light issue – I have a 2008 Mazda 6 Luxury sport and have had the airbag light off and on for last 6 years. The car now on the recall list for airbag issue. In the last year of the warranty period I took the car into the dealer twice when the light would come on and they would reconnect connectors uder the driver's seat and the light would go out for a little… Read more

bit but not record this on their system as it was not done during scheduled service.

Once they could no longer fix the issue by pushing the plugs back in and warranty was over, all of a sudden Mazda service diagnosed a failed airbag SAS module!

I had no chance of getting them to replace under warranty due to the lack of history from the dealer, who when confronted said that it was done as a quick "favour" no parts replaced and they did not have to record this??

Anyway we forked out over $1000 to make the light go away…very unhappy!

It's just over a year now I'm back again fighting to get this system diagnosed as the light came back on a few days ago. I am now very skeptical that the module is the only reason the system light comes on could this be related to airbag fault?? Sorry for the rant, although we loved the car now very frustrated with the experience.

I love my Mazda 6 hatchback – I had wanted one since 2010 when considering my next car, being single female. When I found one in 2013, silver, hatchback low kms, I purchased day before starting new job. I live in rural location so do drive 40kms each way to work. Has just clicked over 140,000 however in 2014 it wasn't driven much as I cared for my mother with terminal illness… Read more

who has since passed. Still love my Mazda 6, love hatchback and I am thinking of upgrading only because our rural roads are in poor state and I'm considering a mid size SUV for this reason only. Only regularly service and tyres, I appreciate it is a little thirsty but it is zippy and safe, so that doesn't concern me. I would recommend this model and it will have to be a great SUV to get me out of it!

Best Car Ever – I am driving a Mazda 6 2010 model, we recently thought about upgrading to the newest model but found our vehicle to be just as good, still looks like new and drives fantastic it is very comfortable has plenty of room and is very quiet. We have had the car for almost 5 years and it has never once let us down I would highly recommend Mazda to anyone Their Service department is great also.  Show details

engine mounts – hi bought a mazda 6 with 33.000 .I have had it for 4 years and have complained to the mazda dealership for 4 years about a noise ... well guess what I no what the noise is now. its the engine mounts. car had warranty and they didn't no what the noise was now with no warranty left mazda dealership as now found the problem and charges me over 500… Read more

dollars to replace only 2 engine mounts the car has done 105.000 thousand and I needed new engine mounts what a joke, the other two engine mounts could go at anytime ....and guess what they wouldn't give me not even 1.00 dollar to help with the expense ..so my warning to other mazda drivers is keep a eye on your engine mounts my hole engine moved back and forth when I put it in gear...the mazda3 also has the same problem ....

Classy, Reliable Car – Car has done 105,000 k's and have not had any problems with it. Set of brake pads (front and rear) at 90,000 and everything else has been scheduled maintenance. Good controls, voice recognition works really well, bluetooth streaming the same. Has the best climate air I have ever owned, significantly better than my previous Honda and Subaru. Fuel… Read more

sits on 9.5 l/100k's with a mix of city and a little bit of higher speed running. Nice steering, ride and handling (for a family car)

Would recommend a Mazda 6 to anyone looking for reliable mid sized car.

Diesel has a defective timing chain – Our Mazda 6 2009 luxury sports diesel had a recall in Europe for a defective timing chain. Australia did not, its case by case with Mazda. Just wished we could have had the option to replace the timing chain, that was maybe a $2000 fix, then to lose a car that cost $46,000, religiously serviced with only 146,000k's, was heart breaking. Mazda… Read more

Australia wanted no part of it. We were not given the option to even fix it because we were unaware the timing chain was rubbish. Any one with a Mazda 6 MZR diesel, please google problems with them. If it saves one person our heart ache then I'll be happy. We sold it for $1500, and has since been fixed, so I know for certainty the timing chain was the problem.

Poorly Made – We have owned our Mazda 6 luxury sport for 3 years and have had nothing but problems from a major engine recall to start that Mazda took weeks to fix.I would recommend anyone that drives a Mazda to check paint on roof on car as soon as there is one paint chip it starts to cob web and like ours over time will start rusting away we tried to get this… Read more

fixed under new car warranty but executive from Mazda couldn't have cared less.At normal highway speed there is horrible road noise stick your head under side of car insulation is like supermarket cardboard,on the latest trip we found engine to be gutless with most other cars zooming past because of a gear box that has mind of its own .We have just encountered last problem and that is dashboard melts in the heat nice stay well clear of Mazda you would be better in a pensioners Camry than one of these.

i think Mazdas are the best small cars on the road. They are safe and easy to control. i wouldn't bu – Mazda takes care of comfort, they are easy to manoeuvre and light enough for a women to feel comfortable driving them. I have always been happy with the space and legroom in the interior of the car. Every Mazda I have had has been reliable in difficult weather and terrain. They are very competitive with their running costs. Especially on cruise control.  Show details

Excellent allrounder, a car that keeps you smiling – The car has great performance with excellent handling. The gearbox shifts smoothly and the clutch is light in its operation. The interior has a quality feel with everything falling easily to hand. The quality of the radio and other controls together with the ease of operation is equated to cars costing twice as much. Well done, it is a car that continually puts a smile on your face. As a used or new car I would recommend it.  Show details

Excellent car with no issues – This is easily the best car I ever owned. Never had any issues and serviced it semi regularly. One thing I noticed was it is real quiet from the inside. Driving on the highway I never heard outside sounds. Might sound bizarre but I found driving real peaceful. Highly recommend.  Show details

Nice classy sedan – Purchased new in 2011 I did over 110,000 kms in my Mazda 6 luxury sedan. Just loved the way this car drove, it was such a great drive. The inside was big enough for 4 adults and everything had a really nice Mazda quality about it. This was my 4th Mazda (3 x Mazda 3's previously)! 4 years on it was time for this car to go, it developed a strange… Read more

knocking noise in the front end and it took 4 x dealers, various independent suspension specialists and my persistence to get this noise fixed which turned out to be a simple lubricant issue in the shock absorbers which the dealer I used for 10 years should have picked up. Another major downside is the costs of servicing - I have genuine receipts for over $13,000 in Mazda servicing costs - just terrible! I have put the Mazda 6 out of service now, purchased a European SUV- the Mazda is a distant memory and the euro SUV is cheaper to service, how about that.. Mazda need to be worried, Hyundai and Kia have some pretty good products now and I can assure you they will be much cheaper to maintain.

Best Car I've Ever Owned! Would Definitely Recommend – Just a plain awesome car. I bought my 2010 Mazda 6 luxury sports in 2015 with 83,000kms on the clock. Performed like a brand new car, so comfortable, smooth, quiet, and just brilliant! Only down fall is for me it is a little thirsty. Other than that great. If you're thinking about getting one do it! You will not regret the decision.  Show details

Great car – I have a 2011 Mazda 6 luxury sports hatchback and I love it very much it's a beautiful car very reliable and comfortable I will say the headroom in the back seat is not good if you are tall it is a problem because you don't have a lot of leg space either and there are no rear air vents but the air conditioning is powerful especially if you have… Read more

climate control 2 zone like my Mazda does. I will say I had an issue with the front headlight washer nozzle cover I had 2 parts missing and wasn't simple to get them from Mazda because one of the parts isn't even Mazda made it took about 4 weeks until the parts were available and now it seems to be not so easy to install myself so I needed to contact a smash repair who did not help me at all luckily my mechanic helped me with the parts.overall the 2011 Mazda 6 is a very good car it looks good and drives very well I will never go back to Holden I am truly a Mazda fan love that zoom zoom feeling.

A great car!!! – Purchased this car new when in run out in 2012 (one of the last made) First time owning a diesel car and I'm having no regrets. Selected this car over the ford mondeo (had owned an earlier model previously) Hyundai i40 and Holden Commodore sportswagon. The fact that it came only as a manual didn't faze me and it turned out to be one of the best… Read more

manual cars I have ever driven! In the three years I have had it I do not regret having selected this car. It handles well (the zoom zoom tagline is appropriate!) well appointed with a good number of toys, such as auto headlights and wipers, leather seats, nice sound system, dual zone aircon, power adjustable seats and front and rear parking sensors (but no rear camera). It also has good safety with 6 airbags, ABS, stability control, full size spare wheel and ISOFIX for child seats.

I get an average of 6.5 liters to 100 km in my drive to work and back (open space driving, but little freeway) around 7.5 in town and 5.5 on the freeway. The figures improved after getting around 20,000 km on the clock (the engine seems to need some time to get worn in) I can get over 1000km on a tank of diesel on the freeway (that is in a fully laden car with the family on board). It is a comfortable cruiser and will swallow up the distance with ease and the torque in the engine make overtaking a breeze! (as well as going up hills!)

I've had it serviced with the dealer up until now (the warranty is about to run out) but will be looking to see if I can find somewhere closer to home who maybe a little cheaper. The dealer wasn't too bad with it's price and with it's service.

I haven't had any issues with the car, no rattles of bits falling off and everything is holding up to general wear and tear. Mazda has ongoing issue with road noise, it may not be the quietest in it's class, but it isn't as bad as others make out. I did have to replace the original tires after 37,000 km due to uneven wear (caused by an accident) New tires helped with the road noise, but something to watch for is that the tyres on a 6 aren't as common size as others, so they will be a little harder to get and cost a little more.

That said, still love this car and it has coped with my growing family (no.2 child arrived just over a week ago) and will hope to see much more happy motoring in the years ahead