Mazda takes the high road with the new 6

Friday, 29 June 2018

**MAZDA6

Price range:** $45,995-$56,995

Powertrains: 2.5-litre petrol four (138kW/250Nm), 2.2-litre turbo diesel four (140kW/450Nm), 2.5-litre turbo petrol four(170kW/420Nm). Six-speed automatic, FWD.

The CX-5 gets upgraded engines across the range, but no external changes.

Body styles: Sedan, wagon.

On sale: Now.

**MAZDA CX-5

Price range:** $39,995-$57,995

Powertrains: 2.0-litre petrol four (115kW/200Nm), 2.5-litre petrol four (138kW/250Nm), 2.2-litre turbo diesel four (140kW/450Nm). Six-speed automatic, FWD or AWD.

Body styles: SUV.

On sale: Now.

The Mazda6 has traditionally been one of the mainstays of the Japanese manufacturer's line up, but the rise of the SUV has seen it displaced by the CX-5. So it is fitting that they both receive subtle, but significant upgrades for 2018.

Make me an instant expert: what do I need to know?

The CX-5 is Mazda's volume seller in these parts of the world and the company only introduced the new model a little over a year ago, so it was never going to mess with the formula too much.

The only diesel option in the Mazda6 range is now the wagon, and it is still a deeply impressive thing.

And it hasn't, with the CX-5 pretty much only getting the engine upgrades that the more extensively (but still not all that extensive) upgraded Mazda6 sedan and wagon get.

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The Mazda6 Takami gets high grade leather and genuine wood inside and a 170kW turbo engine under the bonnet.

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That means the 2.0-litre petrol engine (GLX and GSX) and the 2.5-litre petrol engine (GSX and Limited) get a number of refinements to improve fuel economy (redesigned injectors, reshaped intake ports, a new piston crown design, etc) while the 2.5 also gets a cylinder deactivation system that drops down to two cylinders under light load, which Mazda says improves economy by 20 per cent at 40km/h.

The 2.2-litre diesel engine (GSX and Limited) comes in for the most improvement, however, with adoption of rapid multi-stage combustion and a new variable turbine geometry turbo that bumps power and torque up to 140kW and 450Nm respectively.

The GLX and GSX also get NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) improvements, while the GSX now gets a windscreen-projected head-up display.

The Mazda6 also gets the engine upgrades, but with a few external visual tweaks and some interior updates for good measure.

On the outside, the main changes are a new mesh grille and LED headlights, while the inside gets some fantastic - and insanely comfortable - new front seats, as well as new and upgraded safety tech across the range.

The CX-5 was only released a year ago, so Mazda wasn't going to make huge changes. But increased fuel efficiency is always a good thing.

But the biggest change to the 6 is the deletion of the entry level GLX model and the addition of a new, range-topping model called the Takami with a new 2.5-litre turbo petrol engine, first seen in the CX-9.

The Takami is available as a sedan only and the engine produces a healthy 170kW of power and 420Nm of torque. It also adds a number of premium features over and above Limited spec, including Nappa leather seat trim with 'Ultrasuede' inserts, Japanese Sen wood trim, ventilated seats and a 360 degree surround camera system.

Where did you drive it?

Mazda held the launch of the refreshed 6 and CX-5 at the Hampton Downs race track in the north Waikato.

While race track launches are usually great fun, they often do little to tell you anything meaningful about what the car is like in the real world. Except this time Mazda was using the race track to demonstrate the new speed limiter function in the 6 that works with the road sign recognition system. Once the system has recognised the speed sign, it will ready itself to readjust the speed limiter if the driver so desires.

It's all rather clever tech and would no doubt be handy for all those people who complain about getting speeding tickets in Auckland's Waterview tunnel…

We did, however, get a chance for a few quicker laps later in the event, although by that time the rain had well and truly set in.

We did learn a few things from this, however, like the fact that the 2.5-litre turbo engine in the Mazda6 Takami is a wonderfully refined and pleasingly powerful unit that is wildly different in character from the previous turbocharged Mazda6 - the MPS - but thoroughly in keeping with its pretensions of being a luxury car, as are its superb seats.

What's the pick of the range?

The Takami was easily the pick of the range on the day, although it was also a stark reminder of just how good the diesel Mazda6 wagon actually is as well.

But the Takami's silky engine and beautifully appointed interior won the day, with those utterly superb seats (I really can't stress enough just how good they are…) that are standard across the 6 range becoming particularly special when encased in soft Nappa leather.

Mazda New Zealand has confirmed that it will be doing Takami models on some of its other cars, so we would imagine a Takami CX-5 would be a no-brainer. Which would be an exceptionally good thing as well.

Why would I buy it?

You would buy the the CX-5 because everybody seems to want medium SUVs theses days and, quite frankly, the CX-5 is still one of the best of them even before its engine upgrades.

And the same applies to the Mazda6 - that is that it is still one of the best in its segment, that is. Hardly anybody actually wants a medium/large sedan, sadly…

Of course, the Takami does make a wonderfully robust argument against this sad fact, and you would buy that because it is a fantastic luxo-upgrade on what is a thoroughly excellent basic package to begin with.

Why wouldn't I buy it?

You don't like Mazda's styling? As strange as it seems to someone who does, Mazda's 'Kodo' styling doesn't appeal to everyone.

Or maybe you were hoping a new Mazda6 turbo would be less Euro luxury and more MPS madness. Sorry to disappoint, but that ain't the case with the Takami, but it is actually all the better for it.