2002 Mazda 6 Sport from UK and Ireland - Comments

Nothing has gone wrong mechanically, although the clutch will need doing soon at a relatively low 55000 miles.

The rear wheel arches are showing signs of corrosion.

Alloy wheels are corroded, a common problem I gather from reading other reviews on here.

The petrol Mazda 6 shares its engines with the Ford Mondeo; the 2.3 is just an enlarged version of the 2 litre found in both models, but I am happy that it does not share the rear subframe and poor rear brakes of the Mondeo.

The performance is OK, but I would expect a quicker 0-60 than 9 seconds from the alleged 164 bhp motor.

The Mazda has excellent handling for a car of this size, although I do find the power steering a bit light at higher speeds. And there is a lot of road noise.

The interior is a bit dark like most japanese motors, but I like the fact it has an electric sunroof and climate control, the Bose sound system with 6 in dash changer is very good also. I am not impressed with the fuel computer which only reads litres per 100 miles; what's wrong with mpg which we all understand.

Fuel consumption 25-27 urban 34-38 motorway, the car does seem to rev high at motorway speeds, but I understand the later versions have a 6 speed box, which will help quite a lot.

Overall I am very happy; it's just a shame about the minor corrosion issues.

Yes, the current generation models do have a 6 speed manual gearbox indeed. However, in the 2.3 litre models, 6th gear is the same gear ratio as 5th gear in the outgoing Mazda 6 model.

It's the 2 litre model which has a tall 6th gear, at 100 mph, the engine is turning over at 4200 rpm, making for very relaxed cruising indeed.

I speak from experience, as I've had a 6 speed manual Mazda 6 hatchback in England, in November of 2005. I also own the 2.3 litre sedan here in Australia, which is thusly equipped with the 6 speed manual box too. I know that the UK spec 2.3 litre Sport 6 speed manual has the same gear ratios as the Australian spec version.

I sadly traded the mazda in at 57000 miles for a mondeo tdci, it's a 2005 and the mazda drove better, but with the clutch slipping and petrol prices getting silly I had to let it go. Did look at the 6 diesel, but could only get a 53/04 for the same money as the 05 plate mondeo.