Although some people still pine for the smaller, more nimble previous-generation Mazda 6, that car's tight rear seat was no doubt an issue for many family sedan buyers. To see how the upsized new Mazda 6 fares, I sat in back of our long-termer for about an hour-long trip.
There's plenty of legroom and decent thigh support. Toe room should be fine as long as you're not wearing hiking boots or something bulky like that. Headroom was suitable for me (5-feet, 10-inches), though I could imagine someone of taller stature having more of an issue with this. There a suitable rake to the seatback, making it a little easier to relax.
The only thing I didn't like was that the door's armrest seemed too far away -- I couldn't easily rest my forearm on it. Overall, though, the new 6 is very competitive in terms of rear-seat comfort.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor @ 17,160 miles
jaeger1 says:
10:26 AM, 09/15/09
A vehicle this large certainly SHOULD provide a spacious and comfortable back seat. It remains a live question as to whether it needed to get quite THIS big to accomplish that goal.
eidolways says:
10:59 AM, 09/15/09
I don't even have a family and the small backseat of my old 2004 Mazda6 was an issue. I haul friends around occasionally and cramming them into that backseat was always a practice in cruelty. That said, I still prefer the lines of the previous generation. It just looked smooth and sporty. Some visual aspects of the new car look overwrought.
barich1 says:
01:16 PM, 09/15/09
I love contrasting interiors like that.
cx7lover says:
02:07 PM, 09/15/09
I like this interior color the most too. It has black where it's needed the most (carpet, lower seat/door) but it's beige right above to offset some of the black.
gharry says:
03:02 PM, 09/15/09
I've never had complaints about my 2003 Mazda6's back seat. We usually use it for the workplace lunch crowd, even. The only comments I've gotten were about how comfortable and roomy! it is.
hondacura4 says:
03:13 PM, 09/15/09
Love the color contrast.
bodyblue says:
07:47 AM, 09/16/09
This is a great post....how about actually using the back seat for comfort tests in the entire fleet? Actually have the drivers who post take a decent ride in the back then post about it.
lbeaulieu says:
02:23 PM, 09/18/09
Your note about the armrest being too far away from your body..... I'm finding that alot lately. Every Chrysler I try (except Jeep), the arm rests, front and rear, are too far away to use. Seems everyone is making their cars for big, really big people. Someone needs to invent adjustable armrests for us little guys...