Mazda
Mazda 6e
Images: Mazda (press kit). Overseas model shown. · Images are indicative only. Confirm details on the dealer website.
The 6e is Mazda's brand new electric sedan, a rear wheel drive five seater and the saloon version of the CX-6e SUV. It pairs a long real world driving range with fast charging, and a quiet cabin built around a big dashboard wide screen and a strong sound system. There are two grades, GT and the flagship Atenza. The 6e arrives in Australia from mid 2026.
/ Overview
Mazda
Mazda 6e
/ Grades
Drive-away · NSWThe entry grade, with the luxury features already standard.
★ Editor's Pick · The AutoFocus Verdict
The GT is the value way into the 6e and barely feels base, with the giant screen, panoramic roof and heated and ventilated seats all standard, and a driving range among the best in the class. For most buyers it's all the car you need, since the Atenza is mainly about a plusher cabin.
The flagship, with a noticeably plusher cabin.
The GT is the value way into the 6e and barely feels base, with the giant screen, panoramic roof and heated and ventilated seats all standard, and a driving range among the best in the class. For most buyers it's all the car you need, since the Atenza is mainly about a plusher cabin.
/ Features
Driving the Mazda 6e Atenza
Driven at a Hornsby Mazda test drive event, on suburban roads up to 70 km/h.
Design and cabin
For a car in the high fifties drive-away, the interior punches above its price. The quilted tan leather and suede look and feel genuinely premium, and against the brown cabin it all comes together nicely. Outside, the frameless door windows, sloping roofline and liftback tailgate give it a sleek, modern shape, and the front grille lights up, which is a nice touch at night.
Screen and controls
The 14.6 inch centre screen is big, sharp and quick, and wireless CarPlay and Android Auto run smoothly. The catch is that Mazda has moved almost everything into the screen, with no separate dials for the climate. That mostly works, but it can trip over itself: when you indicate, the screen switches to the blind spot camera, and while that camera is up you cannot open the climate menu until you turn the camera off. A shortcut button on the steering wheel toggles the cameras and saves you, but it shows how menu heavy the car is. There is a lot to dig through, right down to an option that plays a fake engine sound to mimic a petrol car.
Behind the wheel
The steering wheel is a highlight, wrapped in leather with a nice thickness, real physical buttons rather than touch pads, and two shortcut buttons you can program (handy for muting the speed limit chime). The letdown is the column, which does not extend far enough for my liking, so my hands felt a slight stretch. On the move the 6e drives much like a normal petrol car, which makes it an easy first EV: the regen braking is gentle and feels close to lifting off in an automatic, though I could not find a way to adjust its strength and there are no paddles for it. The steering is lighter than the usually firmer Mazda norm, easy around town. The brakes take getting used to, feeling soft and needing a firm push to pull up fully. You also notice a few quirks from the car's Chinese engineering, mainly a talkative AI voice assistant that pipes up with warnings, which some drivers, myself included, will find wearing.
Space and practicality
The back seat is roomy and comfortable, and unusually well equipped for passengers, with their own climate controls, sunroof controls, and even a button to slide the front passenger seat forward, which makes it a real option for being driven rather than driving. The liftback opens to a large, easy to load boot, though there is no extra storage under the floor, most likely taken by the battery. As with most EVs the rear legroom is trimmed by the battery, so your knees sit a little raised, but it is far from the worst I have sat in and stays comfortable.
Verdict
The 6e Atenza is a lot of car, cabin and technology for the money, and it feels sharply priced against rivals like the Tesla Model 3. If you can live with the menu-driven controls and a chatty assistant, it makes a strong, well finished case for itself.
A first-drive impression from a single session, not a full road test. Confirm details with your dealer.
Mazda Mazda 6e · GT
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