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By
EWAN KENNEDY
18 February 2008
Mazda's first all-new ‘6 in almost six years is quite
different from the model it supersedes. Though technically still in the
same class as before, it is significantly larger and has a bigger engine
developing more power. Greater refinement is a very obvious part of the
package.
Fans of the mid-sized Mazda may be a trifle disappointed in the
styling, but it would have been all but impossible to equal the
original, let alone improve on it. The 2002 Mazda6 was something
very special in its shape and really put the Japanese company on
the map in Australia. To the extent that it, and its smaller
brother the Mazda3, took the company to the position of number one
importer to Australia. Along the way, Mazda even managed to push
aside one of the local makers, Mitsubishi, something that would
have been unthinkable only a few years ago.
In any case, the new shape is far from being untidy, it
contains an elegant look and the refinement of the body is a
foretaste of what's to come when you drive the new ‘6.
There's a feeling of smoothness and quietness inside that could
have come from a car a size (and a price group) larger than this
Mazda. The ride has been nicely sorted out to provide good
comfort, yet the Mazda6 has handling that’s safe and secure with
a touch of sportiness that will appeal to previous owners of the
car.
Interior space is good, with significant increases in headroom
and shoulder width, so the new ‘6 can certainly be used as a
family car by those downsizing to reduce their fuel costs, and to
cut environmental hazards.
As before, the Mazda6 comes with five-door hatchback, four-door
sedan and five-door station wagon bodies. Very few companies,
either local or overseas provide all three options. Note that not
all bodies are available with varying equipment levels.
Pleasingly, Mazda Australia continues its push on the safety
front, providing ESP to try and prevent a crash, and six airbags
on all models should the collision become inevitable. The new
Mazda6 is yet to be tested to NCAP standards, but Mazda engineers
are confident it will achieve the maximum stars when crashed
against that big concrete barrier.
Power now comes from one of the biggest four-cylinder petrol
engines on the car market, a 2.5-litre unit that manages 125 kW
and 226 Nm. Performance figures provided my Mazda show the car
runs the zero to 100 km/h sprint in just 8.0 seconds when fitted
with the six-speed manual gearbox. That’s the sort of time that
would once have needed a big six-cylinder engine in a family car.
Yet the fuel consumption measured to Australian Standard 81/01
has been trimmed by almost five per cent compared with the
outgoing car. Exhaust emissions have been reduced by a
corresponding amount.
Mazda has performed an excellent feat in not only giving us a
car that’s larger, quieter, faster and more economical than
before, but also cheaper than the outgoing ‘6. The range-leading
$29,740 Mazda6 Limited sedan comes in at $250 below the model it
supersedes. Other trim and equipment choices are Classic, Luxury
and Luxury Sports.
The complete Mazda6 range, with prices (excluding on-road
costs) is:
Limited sedan: $29,740 (manual), $31,800 (automatic)
Classic sedan: $33,880 (manual), $35,940 (automatic)
Luxury sedan: $43,610 (automatic)
Classic hatch: $34,910 (manual), $36,970 (automatic)
Luxury hatch: $44,640 (automatic)
Luxury Sports hatch: $44,650 (manual), $46,910 (automatic)
Classic wagon: $37,520 (automatic)
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Marque Publishing Company
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