Mazda 6e Atenza review

Mazda Australia’s first foray into electrification with the short-lived MX-30 wasn’t exactly a high-water mark.  

Over-priced and with barely adequate range, the MX-30 was launched in mid-2021 but discontinued less than three years later, leaving the Hiroshima-based car maker to ruminate on its next steps in the booming EV space. 

That next step is now here in the form of the much more impressive Mazda 6e sedan which the company describes somewhat euphemistically as its “first mainstream electric vehicle”.  

Positioned as a Tesla Model 3 fighter the new model carries the familiar nameplate of the long-established Mazda 6, which itself was discontinued in early 2025 due to declining sales.  

Unlike the three generations of Japanese-made internal-combustion Mazda 6 sedans and wagons sold here over a 22-year run, the battery-electric Mazda 6e is manufactured in China under a decades-long joint venture between Mazda and the Chongqing Changan Automobile Co. 

The car launched in China in 2024, followed by Europe in early 2025 and the right-hand drive UK market just ahead of its July ’26 Australian release. 

The sedan will be joined here shortly by an SUV equivalent, the CX-6e, giving Mazda a much-needed electrified presence in that booming segment. 

How much does a Mazda 6e Atenza cost? 

There are two variants, starting with the Mazda 6e GT at $49,990 and culminating with the Mazda 6e Atenza which costs $52,990 (MLRP).  

Both are generously equipped with the key difference being the GT gets black synthetic leather on its seats and dash where the Atenza swaps that for genuine leather and lovely quilted synthetic suede on the seats, doors and dash.

Tell me about the Mazda 6e Atenza’s standard features? 

Both variants are generously equipped, with standard features including:  

• Keyless entry with push button start 
• 10.2-inch TFT LCD driver display
• 14.6-inch centre touchscreen display 
• 360-degree monitor 
• Satellite navigation 
• Wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto 
• Wireless phone charger 
• 14-speaker Sony audio system 
• 64-colour ambient lighting 
• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror 
• Dual-zone climate control 
• Heated steering wheel 
• Heated and ventilated front seats 
• Panoramic sunroof with electric sunshade 
• Front and rear parking sensors 
• 19-inch alloy wheels 
• Electric rear spoiler 
• Power tailgate
• Vehicle to load (V2L) via adaptor.  

Over and above the GT, the Atenza adds: 

• Tan-coloured quilted leather and synthetic suede seats 
• A two-tone black-and-tan leather steering wheel 
• Synthetic suede dashboard panel and side door trims. 

What about the Mazda 6e Atenza’s exterior design 

The stylish and contemporary-looking five-door lift-back sedan puts its best foot forward with an elegant exterior design that incorporates the deft styling and detailing we’ve come to expect form Mazda. 

The design of Mazda’s version of the car – a version of which is also sold in China as a Deepal – was overseen by Yoshito Iwauchi, a veteran Mazda designer whose CV includes the likes of the Mazda CX-30, MX-5, CX-3 and three generations of Mazda 6. 

Mr Iwauchi says he set out to create an authentic modern sports sedan with refined aesthetics that looks more and expensive than it is.

He appears to have achieved that handsomely, with the 6e’s long bonnet, swooping roofline, and attractive detailing lending it the timeless aesthetic of a classic sports sedan  

Highlights include: 

• 19-inch machine-finished alloy wheels 
• Frameless doors 
• Flush-fit door handles 
• Short coupe style rear deck 
• Swooping roofline that sees the C-Pillar finishing behind the rear wheels.  

Black cladding and garnishes in the lower body help break up the side profile and take some of the visual weight out of the body. 

The look is strong and modern, with a sleek and flowing design that minimises perception of height and looks to be thrusting forward. 

At the rear, a quartet of round lamps reminded us of certain Alfa Romeo designs but Mr Iwauchi says it’s homage to Mazda’s own RX-7 and Mazda 3.   

A powered active rear spoiler deploys at speeds above 90km/h and there are dynamic front and rear lighting signatures that create an interesting visual display when locking, unlocking and charging.

What is the Mazda 6e Atenza like inside? 

The interior is nicely designed and kitted out with lovely textured tan leather in the Atenza grade and black Maztek or optional Warm Beige on the GT.  

The Atenza is certainly the more upmarket-looking cabin, thanks to the suede-like material on its pillars and headlining, along with its quilted leather seats and attractive satin-chrome accents which create a sense of craftmanship and quality  

There are minimal switches on display with most vehicle functions accessed via the large central touchscreen, which is not demonstrably better or worse than the proliferation of such devices across virtually every make of car these days.  

The screen is relatively easy to use but with even the climate controls embedded it does take some getting used to.  

Ahead of the driver is smaller digital driver display with speedo and other information and there’s also a high-resolution head-up display. 

The shapely and supportive seats feature integrated headrests and electric adjustment for the driver, but taller drivers will find the driving position a little high due to the placement of the battery underfloor.  

A high central armrest sits above a good-sized console bin, with a wireless charging pad on the console tray, which is a clear space thanks to the shift lever being located on the steering column.  

Rear-seat passengers sit lower than front and enjoy a comfortable amount of legroom, plus a small touchscreen integrated into the rear of the centre console to adjust the temperature, open and close the sunshade and adjust the front passenger seat for more legroom. 

Further to the rear the luggage bay is accessed via an electric hatch that offers 337-litres of storage, expanding to 1,074 litres with the 60/40 split rear seats folded.  

There’s an additional 72 litres in the front-trunk meaning there’s a decent amount of carrying space but the higher rear floor of the Mazda means it trails the boot capacity of its rival the Telsa Model 3 (682 litres), while its ‘frunk’ is also smaller than the Tesla’s 88 litres.  

Unsurprisingly, there’s no spare wheel, something most EVs avoid in their quest to maximise driving range.  

This means using the supplied emergency inflation kit, aka ‘can of goo’, or calling RACQ Roadside Assist are your options if you’re unlucky enough to get a flat.  

What’s under the skin of the Mazda 6e Atenza? 

Both variants feature a 78kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery and a single rear-axle electric motor delivering 190kW/290Nm to the rear wheels, making this Mazda’s first rear-drive sedan since the 929 was discontinued in 2000.   

The combination is enough to fire the 2015kg Mazda 6e from 0-100km/h in a brisk 7.4 seconds which is quick but not quick enough to startle the entry level entry-level Tesla Model 3 RWD which covers the distance in 5.2 seconds.  

The Mazda does have the base-model Tesla covered for range however, with an impressive 560km on the WLTP standard versus its rival’s 520km. Charging from 10-80 per cent takes around 24 minutes at the maximum 194kW DC charging rate. 

The 6e also boasts a handy Vehicle to Load (V2L) function with maximum rated output of 3.5kW, allowing it to be used as a short-term emergency generator to run standard household appliances, outdoor equipment, and power tools, among other things.    

Is the Mazda 6e Atenza good to drive? 

Out on the road the 6e exhibits the typically smooth, strong and silent acceleration of an EV, refinement is good and the handling feels confident and sure-footed.  

The fact it’s a rear-wheel drive bodes well for steering and handling, being the long-preferred setup of premium ICE-powered sports sedans from the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz, and EVs including the Tesla Model 3.  

The rear-drive configuration offers the dynamic benefits of directing drive away from the steered wheels, meaning the steering is not affected by torque steer, and it also allowed engineers to achieve a better-balanced 47:53 front-to-rear weight distribution. 

Mazda says its new EV has been tuned to suit the tastes of Australian drivers, with heavier steering weight and less of the sharp acceleration feel that is preferred by Chinese buyers. 

Despite this, the steering is a bit too quick off-centre and there’s not much in the way of steering feel which takes a little getting used to, but once you adjust for this it’s easy to get comfortable with the car which turns-in and tracks well.   

The driving position – and that of the front passenger for that matter – feels a little unnatural, being a tad too high for the car’s otherwise sporty persona.  

Once again, it’s relatively easy to get accustomed to but it would feel better lower. 

Visibility is mostly good and aided when parking by an array of sensors and a 360-degree surround-view camera, but the steeply raked rear windscreen offers a narrow, letterbox style view.  

The suspension, featuring Macpherson struts up front and multilinks at the rear, can feel a little floaty at times, something not helped by the lightness and quickness of the steering, but the dynamic fundamentals are sound, with confidence-inspiring grip and good body control when cornering.  

Ride comfort and bump isolation are also impressive for the most part, comfortably handling a drive route that threw up some reasonably challenging backroads, with plenty of humps, bumps, twists and turns.  

Larger bumps and potholes occasionally catch out the suspension, allowing crash-through to the cabin but this is more the exception than the norm, even despite the low-profile 245/45 R19 wheel and tyre combination.  

There’s a bit of tyre rumble on coarser chip bitumen from the Michelin E-Primacy rubber, but this is probably highlighted by the fact the drivetrain is so quiet and the cabin otherwise well insulated.  

The brakes, featuring ventilated discs up front and solid discs at rear, lack the progressive pedal feel that allows for precise modulation, but there’s nothing wrong with their stopping power. 

Finally, the ADAS systems are well tuned so as to not be over-interventionist, a fact offset by annoyingly hectoring sat nav voice control system that warned of “sharp turn ahead” dozens of times during our run through the twisting hinterland roads behind the Gold Coast and into Northern NSW. Mazda later assured us the feature can be disabled.  

What technology does the Mazda 6e Atenza offer?  

Aside from its fully electric drivetrain, advanced ADAS safety systems, V2G capability and largely up-to-the-minute operating and infotainment systems, the Mazda 6e includes complimentary five-years of Mazda Connected Services. 

Using the dedicated Mazda 6e app via a smartphone allows the operator to remotely start the car, lock and unlock doors, open the boot or windows, pre-condition the cabin check battery status and more. 

Unfortunately, the system doesn’t support emergency services connectivity such as automatic collision notification, unlike some other ICE-powered Mazda models.   

What safety features does a Mazda 6e Atenza have?  

The Mazda 6e achieved maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating when tested in 2025, albeit to the 2023-25 assessment criteria which are less stringent than the new 2026 regime.  

Standard safety equipment includes dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting airbags, along with a centre airbag, which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes. 

Other notable safety technologies include: 

• Autonomous Emergency Braking (Car-to-Car, Vulnerable Road User, Junction & Crossing, Backover and Head-On)
• Lane Support System with Lane Keep Assist (LKA) 
• Lane Departure Warning (LDW) 
• Emergency lane keeping (ELK) 
• Advanced Speed Assistance System (SAS) with speed sign recognition. 

The Mazda sedan scored 93% for both Adult and Child Occupant Protection, 74% for Vulnerable Road User Protection, and 79% for its Safety Assist system.  

What vehicles are key rivals for the Mazda 6e Atenza   

Mazda Australia itself has cited the Tesla Model 3 as one of its new electric sedan’s key rivals, but other competitors include the BYD Seal and the Polestar 2 which are similar-sized electric lift backs.  

The Mazda’s $49,990 (MRLP) starting price is strategically designed to undercut that of the base Tesla Model 3 RWD which starts at $54,900, as well as the Polestar 2 Long Range which costs $66,400 (MRLP).  

That’s not entirely surprising, given Mazda is late to the EV party and needs to establish a competitive position against these established rivals, but what is perhaps surprising is that the Mazda even manages to undercut the BYD Seal Premium EV which starts at $52,990 (MRLP). 

The Mazda’s 560km (WLTP) range is also competitive against the Tesla (520km), and BYD Seal Premium (570km), but trails the Polestar 2 Long Range’s impressive (659km).  

Performance-wise, the Mazda’s 7.4 second 0-100km/h sprint trails the Tesla Model 3’s rapid 5.2 seconds, the BYD Seal Premium’s 5.9 seconds, and the Polestar’s 6.2 seconds.  

That said, the Mazda’s acceleration is still pretty brisk, and matches the likes of the ICE-powered Mini Countryman S All4, and the Volvo EX40 single motor EV.  

 Dimensionally, the Mazda 6e is longer (+200mm), wider (+40mm) and taller (+45mm) and ride on a longer wheelbase (+20mm) than the benchmark Tesla Model 3.  

Should I buy a Mazda 6e Atenza? 

After a misstep with its first electric vehicle Mazda’s new electric sedan presents as a much more compelling offer. It’s a good-looking vehicle, that’s nicely finished and very well equipped.   

Most importantly, it delivers strong performance, competent driving dynamics and, in this Atenza guise a premium fit out, while offering competitive range and pricing to key rivals like the Tesla Model 3, Polestar 2 and BYD Seal.  

Mazda is also a well-established and trusted brand with around 150 dealers Australia-wide.  

While there’s no technical benefit in spending the extra $3000 on the Atenza over the GT, the former’s combination of leather and faux suede lends it a decidedly more upmarket feel and it’s the variant we’d stretch for if we could.     

Mazda 6e Atenza MY26 specifications 

• PRICE: $52,990 (MLRP) (MRLP)
• POWERTRAIN: Rear-mounted electric motor, rear-wheel drive, 190kW/290Nm 
• BATTERY: 78kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP)  
• MAXIMUM DC CHARGE: 194kW  
• RANGE: 560km (WLTP)   
• ENERGY CONSUMPTION: 15.9kWh/100km (WLTP) 
• ANCAP SAFETY RATING: Five stars (2025)   
• WARRANTY: Five years, unlimited km (vehicle); eight years, 160,000 km (battery)  
• FOR: Attractive design; well equipped; competitive range and pricing; good performance and dynamics; generous stowage.   
• AGAINST: High driver’s seat position; limited rear visibility through narrow windscreen; unnatural steering feel and response; no spare wheel (inflation kit).