Faults:

ABS, exhaust, brakes (seized calipers), tiny oil leak, rear passenger window jammed, cruise control stopped working, and bad subframe rust killed it off in its final year with me (MOT failure - not worth repairs).

General Comments:

A stunning looking car, the Mazda 6 of this generation looks very nice. Mine was silver as a lot of them were.

TS2 model has a tonne of electric features. Nice seats and good driving position. Bit of a bad blind spot when reversing, but easy enough once used to it.

Engaging to drive, and fast for a standard 2.0 petrol car. Did around 34 - 36 mpg. Sounded cool as well when accelerating. Zoom Zoom indeed. Those that remember the annoying adverts will know what I mean by that!

Felt built OK but not as durable as a Toyota.

I drove it hard sometimes, but otherwise looked after it well. It's a shame rust killed it off at only 12 years old - I'd have kept it a while longer, it was a pretty reliable and fun car to own.

Faults:

Ticking noise from the engine got louder very suddenly. The engine gave out and ultimately seized. Numerous blogs suggest problems with cold and stop/start running, and consequently fuel getting dumped into the oil, associated with the dreaded diesel particulate filter (DPF).

Very rusty indeed on the rear wheel arches (common problem). A fault with sandwich construction, which allows water to get inside two layers of metal and slowly 'blow' them apart.

Minor issues like regularly blowing lights were irritating but tolerable.

General Comments:

Very dull cabin.

Very obtrusive road noise.

Remarkably brisk performance and handling for a diesel.

MPG not the best for this size engine/car.

Effective and practical 5 door hatch, especially with the back seats down.

Faults:

Nothing. A vandal kicked off the wing mirror, but that is a sign of our maliciously envious society. It never happened to my old Passat. Maybe the hooligans felt sorry for me when I drove a VW.

This Mazda 6 estate is the first ever zero defect car I have owned in twenty odd years of motoring.

General Comments:

This car is better than the Passat it replaced.

I bought the car from the same salesman who had changed dealerships! This makes it look like VW are losing their loyal supporters. I had driven VWs for twenty years. It took a lot to put me off: waterpumps; waterleaks; ECU failure; and a garage which claimed it did not know how to change ATF fluid! The last straw was when I lost trust in the salesmen... They were taking me for granted and did not think I would go to another garage. Enough is enough.

The Mazda is agile. The Passat was like driving an old fashioned baby buggy with a lurching nose and bouncy rear end. The Mazda sits on the road like a cat and you can throw it through corners. I am not an aggressive driver, but you feel safe driving "adventurously". I think the estate is worth the extra money because it give extra height to the cabin which I need.

The seats worried me for a time because they seemed low down and on the small side, but I have to admit they give good support and show no signs of wear or tear. I would recommend the dark coloured interior rather than the grey.

The sound system is awesome. The air con is superb. Everything is logical. You never have to read the handbook. I did not understand how counter-intuitive the old VW was until I found I could work out everything on the Mazda without looking it up in a handbook.