Production Models

Every car enthusiast loves a wagon. Whether or not he'll admit that in public is another matter, but ask him what comprises his dream garage and 100 percent of the time, there will be a wagon in that list. Usually people see them as something dorky, but it's undeniable that the wagon is essentially the best all-rounder in the automotive world. It's a car with all the benefits and none of the side effects. Today, we look at one of the most beautiful wagons on sale today, the Mazda6 Sports Wagon.

Contrary to what most people think, the Mazda6 Sports Wagon isn't just a case of automotive cut-and-paste. The dimensions alone tell the story: the wagon is marginally shorter in both length and wheelbase. It's also slightly taller, but because of the roof rails. Of course, without looking at the spec sheet or brochure, there's no way of telling. The Mazda6, even in its wagon form, is every bit as sexy. In fact, you can go as far as saying that it's the better looking of the two. The best part of the transformation is actually the 6's wagon-exclusive grille. It may not look that different from the sedan, but at night, an LED strip outlines the grille creating an unmistakable presence. As such in this class, it's the little things that matter.

Despite the reduced wheelbase, there's no discernable difference to the interior room. It's the same experience you get in the sedan with generous shoulder, hip, and knee room. Since this is a car made to be driven, not to be ridden, the front seats offer the best experience with a great balance between comfort and support. The seats don't look as plush or wide in pictures, but it manages to make short work of long-distance driving. The rear ones are less stellar, but they're good nonetheless. The biggest difference between the sedan and the wagon is found in the headroom. While going in and out of the front seats will ruin gel-affixed hipster hair, there's more headroom at the back simply because of the roofline. It doesn't feel as claustrophobic. As a wagon, it offers a much larger cargo hold.

Creature comfort features are the same for both the sedan and wagon. And this equates to a fully-loaded interior with stuff like push-button start/stop, passive entry, powered front seats, a moon roof, and even a Bose sound system all as standard equipment.

Sharing its mechanicals with the sedan, the Mazda6 Sports Wagon gets the same 2.5-liter Skyactiv-G engine putting out 188 horsepower and 250 Nm of torque. It's slightly heavier though, weighing at 1,491 kilograms versus 1,444 kilograms. Behind the wheel though, the experience is pretty much the same. There's no shortage of power whatever situation you find yourself in. Whether you're just puttering in the city or driving high-speed on the expressway, the drivetrain is so well tuned that you never need to reach for the paddle shifters or even the Driver Selector (Sport) mode. Like the sedan, the wagon is largely quiet.

Now equipped with G-Vectoring Control or GVC, the Mazda6 Sports Wagon feels like a well-sorted machine. It rightfully deserves the 'Sport' in its name with a steering that's noticeably quicker and a body that feels nimbler with much less understeer even when compared to the sedan.