My first drive in a Mazda was the launch of the 626 hatchback in May 1983, a particularly exciting event because it was in Houston, Texas, and my first visit to the USA.
Back then the 626 was one of Japan’s top selling cars and quite advanced introducing switchable driving modes, a normal feature these days. The top of the range 2-litre petrol sold for £6,999.
Mazda was not a big player here bound by a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ not to exceed one per cent of UK sales, perhaps we should have imposed a similar restriction on the Chinese a few years ago?
Two decades later the 626 morphed into the Mazda6 and the start of a new chapter of stylish models with sharp handling and the slickest gearboxes on the planet all aimed at putting the fun back into driving.
Here we meet the 6e, Mazda’s first serious electric car, its first, the MX-30, was great to drive but had a poor range and has been dropped. The surprise is that 6e is more Chinese than Japanese. It is not even built at Mazda’s Hiroshima base.
At the moment Mazda has not got the wherewithal to build a competitive electric car so it has turned to the state owned Chinese automotive giant Changan, its partner for 30 years, which has the wherewithal. The 6e is based on that company’s SL03 but it looks every bit a Mazda and is drop dead gorgeous. That’s not just me saying it, the 6e has been voted World Design Car of the Year.
The front, in particular, is an evolution of its elegant predecessor with a spectacular illuminated grille fronting a sloping bonnet, wrap around wafer thin headlights, rising to a coupe roofline. The tailgate and rear wing design loses a little bit of Mazda but we can live with that. Throw in frameless doors, panoramic glass roof and an electric rear spoiler and this becomes an interesting car.
Mazda launched the European model at the end of 2025, a complicated affair with a choice of two motors that defied logic because of the odd power differential but no such problems now. The 6e has a single 78kW electric motor that gives a range of 348 miles. It can take a 200kW DC charge giving it a 10-80 percent ‘fill’ in 24 minutes.
Hardly big figures given that some rivals can manage 400 miles with a faster charge time but not so bad given its competitive price. Okay, we are not talking budget Chinese but a starting price of £38,995 provides some precious sugar coating given that this sits firmly in the premium sector and a big attraction for fleet and company car drivers.
Take a seat and you are transported from Japan to China.There is nothing remotely traditional Mazda here, rather it mimics what we have come to expect from Chinese models: Big screen and a dashboard bereft of switches. You cannot deny it looks luxuriously impressive, colourful with a mixture of quality trims and textures.
Did I like it? Yes, to a certain extent, but from the passenger seat. Once driving I was not comfortable having to think about fiddling with the screen.
Apart from the steering wheel stalk for indicating every function is performed through the 14.6in touchscreen. There is a strip of icons at the base to help make life easier and a couple of customisable steering wheel buttons, one had been tuned to the wipers, I forget what the other was for. Voice control would undoubtedly help but was not activated on our car.
In time (a long time) you would get used to this modern smart phone style way of running a car. I always think a teenager would have it sussed in minutes, this is certainly a car for a well tuned young brain.
That said, I quickly worked out how to adjust the door mirrors before setting off using a screen icon and left and right arrows on the steering wheel. Something that puzzled myself and co driver Fred was where to find the hazard warning switch. We searched, and searched, and in the end had to be directed to a black switch secreted in the black roof lining, alongside the SOS button, so a couple of switches after all.
On a mixture of roads and surfaces on a long drive through Snowdonia the rear wheel drive 6e proved competent and comfortable albeit a tad floaty when bends came thick and fast. Consumption was efficient enough recording 3.6 miles/kWh – anything under four is good.
At all but five metres in length this is a roomy car with acres of space in the back, a decent sized boot and a flat loading area with the seats dropped. There is also a 72 litre storage box under the bonnet.
Setting aside my aversion to cars without switches there is nothing much not to like about Mazda’s 6e. The stunning design has a real feel good factor, it performs well with a decent enough range, and is packed with kit and driver safety aids. The next, and most difficult, task is to prove itself to the public in a very crowded market.
Fast facts
Mazda 6e Takumi Plus
£39,995
78kWh LFP battery
Range: 348 miles
253bhp. 290Nm torque
0-62mph 7.3secs; 109mph
Zero emissions. 1st VED £10
Insurance group 44
Boot: 337-1074 litres
Warranty: 6 years
