2027 Mazda 6e Atenza review

This is like no Mazda 6 or 626 that came before it.

The Mazda 6e, launched in Australia earlier this year, is the brand’s first rear-wheel drive mid-sizer since the first-generation 626 exited production in 1982.

It’s also the first new Mazda in this segment since the previous Mazda 6 was launched here in 2012.

But more important than any of that, the 6e is electric. Yes, instead of taking on the Toyota Camry and Hyundai Sonata, the 6e’s competition now includes the Tesla Model 3 and BYD Seal.

“Wait,” you may be thinking, “What does Mazda know about building electric vehicles? Wasn’t its last one a flop?”

It sure was. The unloved MX-30 was a distinctively restyled CX-30 small SUV with little range for a lot of money. And that’s why Mazda went back to the drawing board, collaborating with its Chinese joint venture partner, automotive giant Changan.

Changan and Mazda have been involved since 2005, but previously the Changan Mazda joint venture (and its predecessor, which also involved Ford) largely built existing Mazda models.

That changed with this car, launched in China in 2024 as the EZ-6. The Chinese and Japanese companies worked together, creating a mid-sized liftback (no, it’s not a sedan, and Mazda even calls it a hatch) that uses Changan mechanicals but with distinctively Mazda styling inside and out.

As Mazda dithers on its own in-house EV platform, the 6e is heading to markets as wide-ranging as Australia and Europe.

More recently, it has also introduced a crossover SUV sibling, the CX-6e, which is closely related to the Deepal S07 sold here; the Mazda 6e has no such Deepal-badged cousin available in Australia.

The Chinese automakers have embraced EVs and positioned themselves as leaders in this space, so don’t think the 6e’s origins are a liability. Likewise, just because this isn’t an SUV, don’t think it won’t be practical enough for your family.

How much does the Mazda 6e cost?

Mazda Australia surprised and delighted when it announced 6e pricing earlier this year, with a tantalising price of $49,990 before on-road costs for the base GT, and $52,990 plus on-roads for the top-spec Atenza.

Initially, the 6e undercut the base Tesla Model 3 by $4910, with the entry-level GT costing just $800 more than the old turbocharged four-cylinder Mazda 6 GT.

Tesla has since turned things on their head with a new base RWD grade of its Model 3. While it’s not as lavishly appointed as the 6e, even in base GT trim, it’s priced at just $45,900 plus on-roads. Oh well Mazda, you had a good few months.

The 6e still undercuts the BYD Seal Premium ($52,990 plus on-roads), and is priced identically to the Kia EV4 Air ($49,990 plus ORCs).

If you’re happy to forego the Atenza’s tan leather and synthetic suede upholstery across the dashboard, doors and seats, as well as its two-tone steering wheel, you can save $3000 and go for the GT, currently priced at $52,990 drive-away. An extra $1000 gets you a Warm Beige interior, giving it a splash of colour in its cabin – albeit not quite as bold a colour as in the Atenza.

To see how the Mazda 6e lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What is the Mazda 6e like on the inside?

The 6e makes a fabulous first impression, particularly in Atenza trim with its rich tan interior.

It has the upscale look that many Mazda interiors are known for. The dashboard and the sides of the centre console are finished in soft-touch trim with stitching details, while synthetic suede is used across the front of the dash and on the door trims.

Colour-adjustable ambient lighting streams out from the dashboard, the centre console, and even the front seatbacks.

Look closer and you’ll see some harder or scratchier plastics, but they’re typically found in places where you won’t really notice them – for example, the lower reaches of the doors.

They do little to detract from the overall ambience of the interior, which is notably nicer than that of the other new Mazda launched this year: the completely in-house CX-5, which has taken a major dive in terms of interior material quality.

The doors don’t close with as solid a thunk, but blame the use of sportier-looking frameless windows for that.

Like the CX-5, you get a large central touchscreen but virtually no physical controls, with functions controlled via either the screen or a voice assistant.

Key functions like the demisters are located at the base of the screen. Fan speed requires you to press a button and then adjust it on the climate screen, which is a bit cumbersome, whereas pressing the zone temperature brings up a pop-up that’s relatively easy to toggle.

You can also swipe down from the top of the screen, even while you’re using smartphone mirroring, to access additional shortcuts. Weirdly, shortcut buttons for the heated seats are on the anchored footer bar, but toggling the ventilated seats requires you to swipe down from the top of the screen.

There are some more signs that you’re in a Chinese and not Japanese Mazda. We’re talking little details here, like the use of title case for certain messages and the way the voice assistant sounds.

But that Chinese approach to the infotainment system will be familiar to those coming out of a Tesla, with menu after menu of customisable features at your fingertips.

There’s a lot you can tweak and toggle in this car, but the infotainment system makes it easy for you to do so.

There’s a slim digital instrument cluster ahead of the driver – something you won’t find in a Tesla Model 3 – which displays key information like energy consumption and tyre pressure. There’s also a nice, clear head-up display, which again is something you won’t find in a Model 3.

Unlike every other Mazda sold in Australia, the indicators are on the left-hand side of the steering column. This stalk is also used for the wipers, with the button at the end spraying water onto the windscreen.

As with many modern Chinese EVs, you’ve got a wireless charging pad on the centre console, plus a handy shelf below the centre console. This also incorporates both a USB-A outlet, which is capable of data transfer, and a USB-C outlet. These are located on the passenger side.

While you’ll find traditional window switches on the doors and power seat controls on the side of the seat, you won’t find physical switchgear for functions like memory settings or heating and ventilation.

Go to adjust your power seat and a prompt will appear on the screen, asking whether you want to save your setting. Heating and ventilation, meanwhile, are controlled via the touchscreen or voice assistant.

The Sony sound system is decent if not extraordinary, and there are clever speakers in the drivers headrest through which you can hear phone calls, or Siri or Google Assistant.

There are also external speakers if you want to park your 6e and use it as one giant boombox.

Storage includes bottle holders in the doors that can fit 1.5-litre bottles and a deep centre console bin, plus the aforementioned lower level of the centre console.

Step into the back and there’s plenty of legroom, thanks in part to an almost completely flat floor though, depending on the position of the front seats, toe room can be tight. Passengers may also be disturbed by the easy access driver’s seat sliding back if they’re too slow getting out.

One 193cm-tall passenger found headroom to be just a little bit tight, with his head brushing against the headliner.

What appears to be an opening panoramic sunroof is actually a fixed glass roof that is split into two panels with a thick bar in the middle. It’s unclear why Mazda did this.

Rear-seat occupants have access to controls near the air vents at the back of the centre console, which allow them to move the front passenger seat and open and close the sunshade. Surprisingly, there are no heated rear seats, though there are air vents and a single USB-C outlet.

Why bother with an SUV? The 6e is the first 6-badged Mazda with a liftback body style since 2012.

While there’s no wagon forthcoming, there’s plenty of practicality here thanks to the wide-opening rear tailgate and a total of 337 litres of luggage space.

While that doesn’t sound like much, this is a pretty usable space thanks to that liftback, which makes it easier to carry large items than the conventional sedan boots of the Seal and Model 3.

Under the boot floor, you’ll find a tyre repair kit, not a spare wheel. This isn’t surprising for an EV.

But like many EVs, there’s also a second storage space, located underneath the bonnet. It’s a good spot to leave your charging cables and even some groceries or a small carry-on.

To see how the Mazda 6e lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What’s under the bonnet?

While there’s an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) version offered in China, the Mazda 6e is sold here with a single electric powertrain. There’s no dual-motor all-wheel drive option like the rival Model 3 and Seal, and Mazda has no plans to offer one.

To see how the Mazda 6e lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How does the Mazda 6e drive?

How you find the Mazda 6e driving experience depends on what you compare it to. If you’re comparing it to the old Mazda 6, you may be disappointed.

While the prospect of an affordable rear-wheel drive Mazda family car tantalises, the 6e feels out of its depth in more aggressive driving.

In its standard mode, the steering feels overly light and disconnected. Sport mode for the steering does add some weight, although the tiller is still lacking in feel.

Regardless of mode, the steering never really loads up in corners. It’s like giving CPR to a dummy – your inputs are never met with signs of life.

It’s a shame as there’s a balanced chassis here, and the 6e doesn’t feel too heavy and cumbersome.

But you’re more likely to be spending your time commuting in the 6e than chasing hairpins, and that’s where the Mazda shines.

That steering that feels so light on the road makes this easy to park, with a decent 11.2m turning circle.

It doesn’t feel as low-slung as some sedans, but you also don’t feel perched quite as high as in an SUV. It strikes a surprisingly good balance between the two.

You don’t press a button to start the car. As soon as you get inside, it’s on. You simply put your foot on the brake and then move the column-mounted gear shifter into Reverse or Drive. Park is selected using a button at the end of the stalk.

This also means you don’t have a button to press to turn the car off, so the first couple of times you drive it you may be surprised to find your music still playing after you open the door to get out.

While its outputs aren’t staggering in this era of ever-faster EVs, the instant torque you get with an EV means the 6e is plenty zippy off the line.

You can flick between Normal and Sport modes, or customise an Individual mode, which allows you to choose between Medium and Sport power; between Low, Standard, Mid and High levels of regenerative braking intensity (there’s no full one-pedal drive mode); and between Normal and Sport steering.

Regardless of drive mode, given the absence of adaptive dampers, the ride is definitely on the soft side.

On certain road surfaces, we observed the Mazda 6e’s tendency to bob slightly, but it’ll never make you queasy. It also lapped up all manner of craggy urban and rural roads without exhibiting impact harshness or poor body control.

The 6e is both a comfortable cruiser and a quiet one as tyre and wind noise are kept to a minimum on the highway despite the frameless windows.

You can turn off the Mazda 6e’s artificial propulsion sound, which is only really noticeable when you’re speeding up or slowing down, but we found it pleasant and unobtrusive.

If only we could say the same about Mazda’s Cruising and Traffic Support system.

In the new CX-5, it’s superb, keeping the vehicle centred within the lane and making highway driving an absolute breeze. The 6e’s version of Cruising and Traffic Support, however, feels too nervous and hyperactive.

It won’t jerk the steering wheel, but it feels as though it’s constantly nibbling at it. On several occasions, the system warned that it was cancelling itself and that I needed to take over the steering, even though there was no apparent issue.

You can turn off the Cruising and Traffic Support and just use standard adaptive cruise control.

The regular lane-keep assist is well-calibrated and doesn’t annoy, and while an alert will chime if you go over the speed limit – a feature that always turns back on when you restart the vehicle – it at least chimes softly.

There is a driver distraction alert, but it never seemed to turn on once, which is great because some brands simply cannot figure out how to calibrate this without it becoming a complete nuisance.

Occasionally, a voice will play through the speakers saying that the demister has been turned on due to humidity, or that the surround-view camera has been activated because you’ve pulled onto a slope – rather un-Mazda-like touches.

Visibility out the rear window is subpar, with the deployable rear spoiler almost completely obstructing the view out the back. There’s no digital rear-view mirror, although weirdly there is an in-car camera that you can use to take photos and video.

The much more useful surround-view external camera system offers superb resolution.

As with many new Chinese cars, plus Teslas, you push the gear selector stalk, which is mounted on the steering column, down to activate adaptive cruise control. Plus and minus controls on the steering wheel allow you to adjust the set speed.

While we know plenty of drivers are used to stalk-mounted cruise activation by now, it still strikes us as a daft idea, much like making the gear stalk so similar in size to the indicator stalk.

Overall, we think there’s real potential here with the Mazda 6e.

If Mazda engineers gave it a little bit more of that Jinba Ittai by recalibrating the steering and perhaps even tweaking the ride – though hopefully without making it too firm – this could be a more entertaining car to drive, while retuning the Cruising and Traffic Support system would make it more liveable.

As it stands, though, it’s plush, comfortable and pretty pleasant.

To see how the Mazda 6e lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What do you get?

There are two members of the Mazda 6e lineup in Australia.

2027 Mazda 6e GT equipment highlights:

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• Automatic LED headlights
• Panoramic sunroof
• Heated, power-folding exterior mirrors with memory
• Power tailgate
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Keyless entry and start
• Bluetooth key
• Augmented reality head-up display
• 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
• 14.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• DAB+ digital radio
• Tri-zone climate control
• Leatherette-wrapped steering wheel
• Leatherette upholstery
• Heated and ventilated front seats
• 10-way power driver’s seat
• 4-way power passenger seat
• 64-colour ambient lighting
• 14-speaker Sony sound system

The Atenza adds:

• Tan leather and synthetic suede seat trim with quilted stitching
• Tan synthetic suede trim on the dashboard and doors
• Two-tone black and leather steering wheel

While most of the exterior finishes come at no extra cost, including our tester’s Crystal White Pearl Mica, you’ll need to pay an additional $795 for Machine Grey, Polymetal Grey or Soul Red Crystal metallic finishes. Don’t be boring and get white – Soul Red Crystal or Deep Crystal Blue are the picks of the palette.

To see how the Mazda 6e lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

Is the Mazda 6e safe?

The Mazda 6e has a five-star rating from independent safety authority ANCAP, based on testing conducted in 2025.

Standard safety features include:

• Adaptive cruise control with stop/go
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
  • Junction assist
  • Pedestrian and cyclist detection
  • Reverse AEB
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Cruising & Traffic Support
• Driver monitoring system
• Front and rear cross-traffic alert
• Lane-keep assist
• Safe exit warning
• Traffic sign recognition
• Surround-view camera with see-through view
• Front and rear parking sensors
• 9 airbags

To see how the Mazda 6e lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How much does the Mazda 6e cost to run?

As with basically all its rival brands bar Tesla, Mazda expects annual visits to its dealerships, but it offers capped-price servicing for the first seven years.

To see how the Mazda 6e lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

CarExpert’s Take on the Mazda 6e Atenza

We’ve been waiting 14 years for a new generation of Mazda 6. We’ve been waiting even longer – close to three decades – for a rear-wheel drive sedan from the Japanese brand, following the demise of the 929.

The Mazda 6e might not be the turbocharged inline-six, Japanese-built vehicle that many were expecting, but it’s a thoroughly pleasant, sharply styled and sharply priced EV.

It’s comfortable and refined, has a spacious and comfortable cabin, and boasts a long list of standard equipment.

Does it feel like a Mazda? Perhaps not. Not without some more tweaks, at least, including to the steering and some of the safety technology. But what the Mazda 6e is is a bloody good EV at a price that’s not only sharp, but sharp for a Chinese car. And that’s saying something.

Interested in buying a Mazda 6e? Let CarExpert find you the best deal here

Click the images for the full gallery. Photography by Eliot Tsai.

MORE: Explore the Mazda 6e showroom