First drive: Mazda hits another Six

MAZDA will match its main medium-segment rivals by launching the exciting new Mazda6 range in March 2008 – one month earlier than expected – with prices starting from below $30,000.

That means there is no price increase for what is a bigger, more refined, more powerful, more dynamic and better-equipped second-generation car compared with the current model.

The new Six will also keep on a par with parent company Ford’s recently-launched Mondeo.

However, while the Mazda6 will match the Mondeo’s standard electronic stability control and come with six airbags (against seven), it has a bigger and more powerful engine as well as standard cruise control and free metallic paint. Mazda will not match Ford’s free automatic transmission (it will cost about $2200), but at least offers a manual gearbox version, unlike the base Mondeo.

The current entry-level model Mazda6 Limited was priced at $29,990 but this has been dropped by $500 in its run-out phase.

Mazda Australia will not reveal full specifications until closer to the local launch, but confirmed at this week’s European press launch that it will largely mirror the existing three-body, four-level model line-up.

But there will be only one engine offering – a new 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine – until a new 2.2-litre diesel engine is offered late in the year.



There will be no turbocharged MPS model for the foreseeable future as Mazda has yet to mount a business case for the high-performance version. However, there is plenty of room in the engine bay for a turbo.

The stylish new Mazda6 will again come in sedan, hatchback and wagon body variants, but not at all four spec levels.

The entry-level Limited, which accounts for only about 10 per cent of sales, will be available only in a sedan and come with ESC for the first time, ABS brakes with EBD and brake assist, cruise control and 16-inch steel wheels.

Moving up to the Classic (available in all three body styles and accounting for about 40 per cent of sales) will add 17-inch alloys, dual-zone automatic climate control and steering wheel functions.

The almost-as-popular Luxury model (sedan, hatch and possibly wagon) will get leather upholstery, electric seats, steering wheel gearshift paddles and Xenon headlights while the range-topping hatchback-only Luxury Sport will come with 18-inch alloys. These two models together account for about half of Mazda6 sales.

All wheels are an inch bigger than the current model while the front disc brakes are 16mm larger at 299mm (280mm at the rear).

One sore point with Mazda Australia officials is that satellite-navigation will not be available for some time after the launch, but they would not reveal the reason.

Hatchback models come standard with a swish motor-driven soft-shut hatch function while the wagon gets a handy cargo cover that automatically covers the load area when the tailgate is closed.

With sharp styling the immediately links it to the Mazda2 and even the RX-8, the new Mazda6 is 65mm longer (at 4735mm), 15mm wider (at 1795mm) and 5mm taller (at 1440mm) than the first-generation. The sedan also rides on a 50mm longer wheelbase (2725mm).

The hatchback shares the sedan’s dimensions, but the wagon is longer (up by 75mm to 4765mm) and higher at 1490mm.

This dimensional increase has resulted in a useful 20mm increase in rear seat legroom and an extra 9mm across the shoulders.

Aware of criticism of the current car’s noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) levels, Mazda targeted this area in the new model’s development and claims that it is much more solid, with interior noise levels down from 70dB to 67.5dB at 60km/h on a coarse road.

Mazda claims this is lower than the benchmark VW Passat, as well as European market rivals such as the Opel Vectra and Toyota Avensis. The previous model was higher than all three.

As well as using more high-strength steel and introducing a six-bolt (versus four) front subframe, the new MZR 2.5-litre engine provides additional refinement as it features a dual-mass damper and a flexible flywheel.

This new engine is a development of the current 2.3-litre unit and, while it produces slightly more power (125kW versus 122kW) and torque (226Nm versus 207Nm), the big gains have been in terms of refinement and power delivery characteristics.

While overseas models are up to 35kg lighter than before, the Australian-spec models are about the same as before, but program manager Ryuichi Umeshita said that it would have been 110kg heavier had it not been for an intense weight-saving program.

Fuel consumption has been reduced from 8.8L/100km on the Australian measure to an impressive 8.4L/100km. This is well ahead of the less powerful (118kW and 208Nm) 2.3-litre Mondeo auto, which returns 9.5L/100km, and the Toyota Camry (9.9L/100km).

One new fuel-saving development on the new Six is the use of electric as opposed to mechanical steering, with an electric motor driving the steering rack (rather than the cheaper but less effective powered steering column system used by at least one rival).

Aerodynamic work – including innovative horseshoe-shaped tyre deflectors under the car in front of each wheel – has resulted in a very low co-efficient of drag figure of 0.27 for the sedan and hatchback (down from 0.30 for the current model). The wagon is down from 0.32 to 0.28.

Interior features include a 60/40 split-fold rear seat and (on all but the base model) a new multi-function steering wheel that includes Mazda’s CF-Net system of controlling the audio, SatNav, trip computer, climate control and Bluetooth phone systems.

Euro NCAP testing is not expected to take place until the middle of next year, but Mr Umeshita is confident the car will score a five-star rating.

Drive impressions:

OFTEN in the automotive world a new model comes along with great looks that flatter to deceive, but the new Mazda6 promises plenty and delivers the goods in spades.

We knew from the first photos that we loved the look of this car – which takes Mazda’s design language and makes it work just as well on a mid-size family car as it does on the funky little Mazda2 runabout.

What we didn’t necessarily expect in our first on-road taste of the car in the south of France, but nevertheless hoped for, was that the driving experience would be every bit as good, whether trundling around town, cruising down the freeway or punting along winding mountain roads.

This is a car that walks the automotive tightrope like a veteran, balancing sport and luxury, handling and ride, performance and comfort. You could just as easily recommend it to your motor racing mate as your 80 year-old grandad.

Unfortunately, we only drove a single specification sedan model, so we cannot say if Mazda has resolved the interior noise problem that afflicts the current hatchback version, but we can say that the new sedan is very refined and quiet. Even the wipers are quiet.

At freeway speeds, there is little to hear apart from a pleasant buzz from the engine, so you don’t even need to raise your voice to talk, but the real test will be on our own coarse bitumen roads at home.

The new 2.5-litre petrol engine produces little more power and torque than the outgoing 2.3-litre four, but it is a willing performer provided you don’t let it labour at low revs.

It is also extremely smooth, pulling effortlessly all the way to the rev-limiter (the redline is not marked), accompanied by a pleasing engine note.

The manual gearbox – accompanied by a light and progressive clutch – was faultless. Each shift was light and precise so shifting through the six speeds was a delight. And there were no hanging revs to spoil the party, as with so many vehicles these days (are you listening, Toyota?).

We did not get to try the five-speed auto, but it is a development of the current unit so we expect it to be just as pleasing to use.

As with everything else, the handling was progressive and satisfying. There’s not huge grip, but hunt along and everything is lively and sharp push to the limit and understeer feeds in progressively, without losing composure.

There was little obvious intervention from the standard electronic stability control, which quietly and effectively did its job of keeping the car pointed in the right direction, even with spirited driving on wet roads. It was only when we turned it off that we became fully aware of how much it had been working.

The engineers have done a top job with the ESC and it is a far cry from some of Mazda’s other models (the MX-5 would be dragged to a near-standstill on occasions where the Six simply glided along with barely a flicker of the indicator light on the dash).

Ride quality was very good, even though the cars we drove were fitted with the Luxury Sport’s models 18-inch alloys, so we think Mazda has struck a nice balance between a comfortable ride and sporty handling.

We are not great fans of electric steering, but the new Mazda system provided a better feel than most others and is both light and progressive. Our only complaint is a certain lack of self-centring feel at straight-ahead.

The brakes are also very good, light at first but not grabby, then firm and precise with heavier application.

Inside, the seats are not as cosseting as we would have liked, allowing too much lateral movement for a sporty car, and the steering wheel is not this writer’s favourite aspect of the car’s design, but all the other controls and functions are hard to fault (with reservations on the “human interface” feature).

Rear-seat passengers get plenty of room – even a six-footer sitting behind another six-footer will have legroom to spare – and the centre rear position is reasonably comfortable, if only a short-trip proposition.

Overall fit and finish seemed very good, the trim is tasteful, you get a decent-sized glovebox and the seatbelt sash height adjustment is a breeze.

Judging by the door shut quality, this is a car that is well-built, and that feeling is underlined with the hatchback model, which has a nice motor-driven soft-shut function for the hatch.

As far as looks go, if the Mazda6 was a pop group, it would be The Corrs. You’d be happy to take any one of them home.

In our humble opinion, the hatchback looks a little cleaner around the C-pillar than the sedan, but we reckon the real looker in the family is – wait for it – the wagon, which has really graceful lines and a certain presence that is hard to describe. Hopefully, it will win over some SUV buyers and help save our planet.

You must realise by now that we really like the new Mazda6. Most cars have a fatal flaw, but not this one. It does everything well and you can’t expect much more than that from a car with a starting price under $30,000. Is Mazda on a roll, or what?