Mazda 6e Takami review: Do Ya Think I'm 6e?

I have always had a rather big soft spot for the Mazda6, not only because they have traditionally been very good cars, but also because my first car was a 1979 Mazda 626.

It, however, was a truly awful car - slow, unreliable and old, but not old enough to be a classic - but it was still my first car, which means something more than just mere transport when you are 16.

The second-gen Mazda6 was one of the earliest car launches I attended as a fresh motoring journalist and, being held at Auckland’s Pukukohe Park Raceway, was also the first time I ever drove on a race track. It also happened to be a very, very good car. So, yeah, I have fond memories of Mazda's mid-size sedans.

So the all-electric revival of sorts of the 6 here in the form of the new Mazda 6e was always something that was on my personal radar.

But beyond my personal interest, the 6e arrives with the weight of expectation on its elegantly sculpted shoulders - after the clever-but-compromised MX-30 EV, Mazda needed a mainstream electric liftback that could carry the brand’s reputation for driver engagement into the battery age.

The 6e is built on a platform shared with the upcoming CX-6e SUV and, while it wears a Mazda badge, it’s a product of Mazda’s Chinese-market collaboration with Changan Automobile, slotting into a space where sleek sedans are beginning to make a quiet comeback.

Mazda’s recent electrification efforts have been measured and often unconventional, with the MX-30’s small battery pitched for urban purity rather than long-range touring, and Mazda’s partnerships in China are something of a pathway to accelerate its EV development and scale. The 6e, then, is Mazda stepping into a more globalised EV future while aiming to retain a sense of its brand DNA.

On the outside: what are the Mazda 6e Takami's main design features?

While my Mazda 626 was an upsetting shade of yellow and had all the square-with-slightly-rounded-edges style of a slightly damp cardboard box, the 6e is an undeniable head-turner in the metal: low, wide, and sleek, the kind of handsome three-box liftback shape that feels both modern and refreshingly unfussy.

In a world crowded with SUVs, the 6e’s confident sedan proportions give it presence and a quietly sporting demeanour.

There are unmistakable Mazda cues - most notably that familiar grille framing and the smooth surfacing that flows cleanly from nose to tail - it looks premium without looking like it’s trying too hard, and it’s distinctive enough that people notice and take a second look.

In a world crowded with SUVs, the 6e’s confident sedan proportions give it presence and a quietly sporting demeanour, yet its overall aesthetic leans heavily toward contemporary Chinese-market sensibilities, with a slightly more extroverted stance and a coupe-ish silhouette.

Viewed from rear ¾ it could be any number of Chinese EVs if there weren’t any badging to give it away, however this doesn’t detract from the fact that it is a great looking sedan in a sea of generic SUVs.

OVERVIEW

On the inside: what's the Mazda 6e Takami's cabin like?

While on the outside my 626 was in a particularly egregious shade of yellow, it managed to add insult to injury with a spectacularly brown and beige vinyl interior that must have been intentional, but you wouldn’t have thought so.

Performance won’t pin you to the seat, even in Sport - it’s brisk enough rather than thrilling - but the rear-wheel drive platform brings balance and predictable manners.

In a remarkably appropriate twist of fate, our test 6e also has a brown interior, but one that just goes to show how far cars have come since the industry vomited out my 626 in 1979.

The 6e impresses with quality that sits a notch above many mainstream offerings, even those coming from the same home market - and that’s notable given how far Chinese-built interiors have come.

Materials feel rich and well-assembled, and a large central touchscreen dominates the dashboard, with minimal physical switchgear, another sign of its Chinese origins.

While the lack of physical controls may be off-putting to some, the touchscreen interface is responsive and mostly intuitive, and core functions are easy to access, though a few market-specific quirks creep in, like the stereo audio quality, which is excellent, but only if you use an EQ app on your phone to fully adjust the sound settings given the on-board EQ adjustments are frustratingly bare bones.

Seating is a highlight, with excellent comfort and support, and the overall ambiance is calming and premium, and, yes, the brown upholstery is superb.

Driver assistance is a standout: subtle, smart, and commendably non-intrusive. Alerts are gentle and timely, lane guidance is more a nudge than a nag, and you rarely feel compelled to switch off the systems.

If you’re coming from the last-generation Mazda6, the technology and refinement leap will be striking; compared to Mazda’s latest CX-5, the 6e isn’t quite as cohesively “Mazda” in its user experience, but it’s close, and the perceived quality is very high.

INTERIOR

On the road: what's the Mazda 6e Takami like to drive?

The 6e is composed, capable, and reassuringly tidy on the move. Ride quality has a firm edge - common for EVs thanks to battery mass - but it’s well controlled and comes across as sporty, rather than harsh.

Performance won’t pin you to the seat, even in Sport - it’s brisk enough rather than thrilling - but the rear-wheel drive platform brings balance and predictable manners, and the chassis tucks in neatly when asked, feeling agile through a sequence of bends.

Steering is accurate with a touch of weight, but there’s limited feedback, which nudges the driving character toward “very good modern EV” rather than “quintessentially Mazda.”

That classic Mazda layer of engagement - the edge of communication through the wheel and seat - is muted. Still, it’s enjoyable to hustle, stable at speed, and easy to place on a winding road.

The 6e is an extremely good EV - handsome, comfortable, and polished, with a cabin that feels premium and a driving experience that’s satisfyingly tidy.

Driver assistance is a standout: subtle, smart, and commendably non-intrusive. Alerts are gentle and timely, lane guidance is more a nudge than a nag, and you rarely feel compelled to switch off the systems. In day-to-day motoring, that restraint makes the 6e feel thoughtfully calibrated.

My 1979 626 on the other hand was actually a surprisingly competent handler with a predictable and well-sorted RWD chassis that genuinely taught me a lot about car dynamics during my early years with it. But as smart as the 6e is, the old 626 possessed a form of intelligence that was far and away more spiteful and vindictive than anything the modern electric incarnation can admit to.

It seemed, for all intents and purposes, truly sentient. And it hated me. It had a supernatural ability to break down at exactly the most awkward and inconvenient moments, with a particular favourite for it was to blow its radiator cap off into the underside of the bonnet at the exact moment the most people were around.

The startlingly loud bang as the cap hit the bonnet, followed by the hissing of a thousand disapproving snakes and SO much steam was always a fun thing in a crowd. No amount of flushing ever fixed it for long, and even a complete reconditioning of the radiator only reduced the effects. It was, in three simple words mentioned earlier, an awful car.

SPECIFICATIONS

On ownership: what's the Mazda 6e Takami's warranty and servicing situation?

The 6 comes with Mazda's 5 year/unlimited kilometre warranty, with an 8 year/160,000km warranty on the high voltage battery. Mazda's warranty also includes 5 years/100,000km of free servicing and 5 years of roadside assist.

On the whole: what do we think of the Mazda 6e Takami?

The 6e is an extremely good EV - handsome, comfortable, and polished, with a cabin that feels premium and a driving experience that’s satisfyingly tidy. It nails the day-to-day stuff: quiet refinement, friendly tech, and driver assists that behave themselves, all while looking sensational.

The 6e feels like an excellent Chinese EV wearing a Mazda suit, rather than a Mazda engineered from the driver’s seat outward.

What it doesn’t quite deliver is that last five percent of Mazda magic - the communicative steering and inherent playfulness that makes even a Mazda family SUV feel special. Hell, even my spiteful 626 possessed an agile playfulness from its RWD chassis and hydraulic power steering beyond that of its standard 70s fleet car rivals.

In truth, the 6e feels like an excellent Chinese EV wearing a Mazda suit, rather than a Mazda engineered from the driver’s seat outward. That said, if you’ve pined for the return of a well-executed Mazda-badged sedan (okay, so it's a liftback, but the 626 presented in both forms before the 6 came along) and can live without the brand’s classic dynamic sparkle, the 6e makes a strong case for itself, particularly when you consider its price.

Come for the elegance and ease, stay for the quality and calm - and appreciate that, in the EV era, Mazda’s 6 is back in a form that’s convincingly modern.

Mazda 6e Takami FAQs

What kind of car is the Mazda 6e Takami?

A five-door liftback.

Does the Mazda 6e Takami have hybrid or EV technology?

The Mazda 6e is a fully-electric vehicle with a 78kWh battery.

What’s the energy economy of the Mazda 6e Takami?

Mazda says the 6e has a combined average energy consumption of 16.1kWh/100km.

Is the Mazda 6e Takami safe? 

The Mazda 6e has a 5 Star safety rating from ANCAP and has 7 airbags, including dual front, side and curtain airbags, and a "far side" driver's airbag.

What safety and assistance features does the Mazda 6e Takami have?

What are the Mazda 6e Takami main rivals?

• Tesla Model 3 RWD ($54,900): Better tech and sharper handling, but build quality nowhere near as high.
• Dongfeng 007 Performance ($59,990): Massively faster, but dynamically unpolished. 
• Kia EV4 Light ($63,990): Bold, quirky styling and brilliant handling, but expensive.
• Toyota bZ4X Pure ($58,990): Not exactly a sedan, but still a superbly good alternative from Japan.
• BYD Seal Dynamic ($59,990): Underappreciated, but still an excellent option.