Mazda deletes diesel from Mazda6 line-up

MAZDA Australia has removed diesel as an option for its Mazda6 mid-size car due to low demand, instead opting for an all-petrol line-up that has increased its pricing and standard equipment as part of a model-year update.

The 140kW/450Nm 2.2-litre SkyActiv-D turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine was available on three of Mazda6’s four grades but has only accounted for 4.2 per cent of its sales in the year to date.

Comparatively, the 170kW/420Nm 2.5-litre turbocharged SkyActiv-G four-cylinder petrol engine has a 44.5 per cent share during the same period. It became available on the higher-specification GT and Atenza grades when Mazda6 was facelifted in May last year.

The third and final engine option, the 140kW/252Nm 2.5-litre naturally aspirated SkyActiv-G four-cylinder petrol, has a year-to-date slice of 51.3 per cent. It remains available on the available on the entry-level Sport and Touring grades.

Pricing-wise, the Sport, Touring and GT grades have all risen by $1000, while the flagship Atenza grade is now $1200 dearer. Each is available with the choice between sedan and wagon body styles, with the latter attracting a $1300 premium.

As such, the Mazda6 range now starts with the Sport sedan from $34,490 plus on-road costs and ends with the Atenza wagon from $51,190. All variants come with a six-speed torque-converter automatic transmission as standard.

The Japanese brand has compensated Mazda6 buyers for the cost increases with the introduction of new technologies, including the long-awaited introduction of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support.

Tyre pressure monitoring and G-Vectoring Control Plus (GVC Plus) have also been added to the list of standard equipment for every grade.

The latter is an enhancement of the previous GVC vehicle dynamics system, with it adding “yaw moment control for better stability and composure when cornering”, according to Mazda.

The marque has also sought to improve the sound clarity of Mazda6’s FM radio by adding a second antenna to the vehicle that expands its overall reception range and cancels out noise created by secondary wave interference.

Mazda says the latter “occurs when radio waves from the broadcasting station are reflected by solid objects like buildings”.

Meanwhile, the Atenza grade justifies its slightly larger price bump by also picking up a heated steering wheel in the update.

“The 2018 redesign of Mazda6 saw significant improvements and equipment upgrades,” said Mazda Australia managing director Vinesh Bhindi. “This update is about fine-tuning our flagship passenger car by adding the most advanced technologies available to us.”

Sales of Mazda6 have been steady this year, with 1015 examples sold to the end of April – a 4.3 per cent improvement over the 973 deliveries made during the same period in 2018.

As a result, Mazda6 has maintained its position as the second best-selling model in the sub-$60,000 mid-size-car segment, trailing the Toyota Camry (5065 units) but ahead of the Skoda Octavia (417), Hyundai Sonata (370), Subaru Liberty (348) and Volkswagen Passat (347), among others.

2019 Mazda6 pricing*

*Excludes on-road costs