WHEN the first Mazda6 broke cover it came at a crucial time for the company. Its immediate success gave Mazda a massive lift. That car has now been extensively revised for the second time and, once again, it comes at a crucial time.
The technology built into it is brilliant; it's also, almost, too much for the average driver to grasp. Whether he needs to is another matter.
A few hundred miles in the snows of Scotland, with dicey road conditions, howling winds driving snow horizontally proved dramatically the Mazda6 credentials.
Saloon and Tourer are on sale now, priced from £19,595 to £28,045 on-the-road. There are four engines, two petrol and two diesel, the star being a quiet and smooth 2.2-litre automatic diesel; there is a choice of six-speed manual or automatic transmissions. Several times I checked instruments to reassure me the engine was still running.
It's the first mass-production Mazda with a unique brake energy regeneration system. Fitted as standard to most models, this innovative system can boost economy by up to ten per cent.
Driven carefully, combined fuel can be as high as 67mpg and, with emissions as low as 108 g/km Mazda6 is the new class leader.
Chassis and bodies are stiffer with more high and ultra-high tensile steels. Steering and suspension improvements bring low-speed agility with high-speed stability and quite noticeable responsiveness. The car is quieter through better aerodynamics, particularly re-siting wing mirrors to the door shoulders.
To help actually avoid accidents, rather than merely mitigating the results, there is a vast array of active safety technologies (depending on model) such as radar-based Rear Vehicle Monitoring, Smart City Brake Support (SCSB) and Lane Departure Warning System.
Increased foot room for the front seats comes from eliminating intrusive edges around the centre console; space at the rear base of front seats has been widened to make more room for the feet of those in the back; the reduction in wheel arch intrusion brings more room around the driving pedals.
The luggage area of the saloon – 483 litres – has a 32mm wider opening, and the boot lid has a single-piece "swan neck" hinge rather than the more intrusive and complex jointed hinge of the previous model. The Tourer loadbay – 506 litres – has a lighter tonneau cover that can be stored beneath the floor of the boot.
Raised and flared wings flow into the A-pillar, which is now 100mm further back. That certainly aids forward vision but brings a problem or two at roundabouts and junctions. compared with the previous model.
Testing cars, I'm not often bothered about colours. But a new bespoke colour – Soul Red Metallic – caught the eye.
Reg Burnard
