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Since its debut in 2002, the Mazda6 is the alternative family sedan, the counterpoint to hot handling, like the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord. But what happens when you become the alternative to the alternative? Nowadays, almost all the sedans you can name – the Accord models, BMW 3 Series, General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler series models that are being put to pasture – are submerged in the market by SUVs. Mazda having trouble attracting consumers attention on the consumer radar in the best conditions, the worst could seem.
Mazda
Mazda Credit for not letting go: I still hope Detroit regains its spirits and understands that it's essential to stay in the sedan game and not to fully sell this ever-huge sales segment to its Japanese, Korean rivals and European. Still, if Mazda does not give up, it gives in a little to the desires of sedan consumers. Mazda has compromised some of the 6's pure athleticism, in favor of the plush sensation, premium feel and fuel economy that these buyers tend to favor.
The operation was successful: the Mazda, once very hectic, is suddenly one of the quietest and most luxurious sedans of its kind, especially in the more expensive versions like the Signature model that I drove. , whose cabin exudes the luxurious lobby atmosphere of a Genesis or Acura. Even an Audi A4 driver could be impressed by the brown-stitched Nappa leather and its ultra-rugged Mazda coating, or by the precision snicks knurled metal controls from Mazda. The gray-brown Sen wood, a wood used in Japanese drums and furniture, also matched a $ 36,400 Signature Mazda6, up slightly from the $ 35,645 base price. (A basic Mazda6 Sport, however, costs only $ 22,845.)
The good news is that under the new layers of insulation, the Mazda remains a driver's car. This includes the model's first turbocharged engine since the mid-2000's Mazdaspeed6. Fill the 6 with top-grade 93 unleaded gasoline and the 2.5-liter Skyactiv engine generates 250 horsepower and torque. powerful 310 lb-ft of torque that rises to only 2,000 rpm. (Mazda quotes 227 horses with 87 octane fuel). This four-cylinder engine can work imperceptibly on two cylinders in order to save fuel. Indeed, the Mazda reached the speed of 34 mpg when cruising a highway, surpbading both its EPA ratings of 31 mpg highway and 23 mpg in the city. But the beefier engine is relegated to the highest trims; The Sport and Touring versions are proven with a naturally aspirated 2.5 liter engine with 187 horsepower and 186 feet. And only the Sport model offers an optional six-speed manual transmission.
Mazda
This 2018 Mazda is not "quite new", as the outside suggests, but still pretty. The 6 was still reworked generously, including an interior in which only the steering wheel and some finishing elements were carried over from the previous version. I guess Mazda does not count on its "Commander" infotainment system, which was relatively smooth in 2012, but whose somewhat awkward graphics and operations lag behind the curve here. A new, very horizontal dashboard seems very traditional. its slightly inclined surfaces catch your eye.
Like specialized librarians, Mazda engineers really tackled undesirable disturbances by applying more than 70 noise reduction modifications to the latest model. Soundproofing has been added to about 20 body panels, the firewall and the doors. The door sills have their own seals, with acoustic laminated glbad for the front side windows on the higher level versions. Exterior pillars B have been refitted to reduce wind noise. Engineers re-tuned the floor, chbadis subframes and front struts to prevent bad harmonics from entering the cabin. And as part of a Miata fan-friendly compromise, Mazda will equip most vehicles with 19-inch 19-inch Falken tires originally designed for crossover SUVs; It is a tire that is both soft and quiet, but with less grip than some high performance tires. (Sports models get a 17-inch Yokohama all-season). A Mazda representative said the company plans to offer an optional high performance summer tire for the 6.
Mazda
The result is a Mazda that does not look like a Mazda that I've ever driven. Independent tests have confirmed Mazda's claim that the 6 is even quieter than the Honda Accord Touring 2.0, its undisputed rival, its main rival in the high-end family transport sector. The barely audible buzz of the Mazda's engine and exhaust note, remember, do not laugh, made me think of a junior Bentley, at least in the lower range registers of the 6's.
This unobtrusive engine strategy is intentional: engineers choose an effortless throttle response and seamless acceleration from Mazda's thrills. Skyactiv's "Dynamic Pressure" turbocharger reduces the use of a small inlet port to force air into the turbo at low speeds, reducing the traditional offset. (Mazda uses the badogy of holding his thumb over a watering hose to increase pressure.) The engine is nothing special for hobbyists, with a line red worker barely looking like 6,000 rpm. Yet, this turbo four does the job in another way: it's stuffed with rich, low and medium couples. Combine that with a "simple" six-speed transmission, gear selector – but an excellent six-speed, engineered internally by Mazda – and the Mazda produces power comparable to that of an old German station wagon. Whether you're driving at 30 or 60 km / h, just squeeze the throttle for the Mazda to advance, without it being necessary to switch to the lower gear. The gear changes themselves are more direct and decisive than most automatisms of this breed of sedans, either via the console lever or the paddles driving.
The Honda Accord Touring 2.0 is the fastest car in the range, recording 0 to 100 km / h in 5.5 seconds, against 6.4 seconds for the Mazda. Even if the Honda, with 252 horses and 273 pounds, yields 37 pounds. feet to the Mazda. It is thanks to the efficiency of the Accord's 10-speed automatic transmission and its ability to start the line almost without skating that the performance advantage is a stable start. But do not overlook the punch of Mazda's real world; once the 6 is rolling, the fleshy torque facilitates maneuvering or merging.
Fortunately, while the Mazda feels less sporty than before, its traditional strengths are not altered. This includes the driver's most natural, clbad-leading ride, including progressive weight gain as you bend around corners. This rack is now attached to the body, without any pad that hinders the driving sensation; throwing the wheel of the Mazda in a tight bend or a sweeper fast, and this car answer. The reworked shock absorbers add springs of relaxation to keep the body wonderfully flat in the corners, thus avoiding the need for more squat anti-tilt bars.
Mazda
The key word for this redesigned model is' sophistication ', perhaps with a little less of the old Mazda'Zoom Zoom "-but the result is a more complete saloon. This holistic approach was adopted during a long drive from New York to the wilderness of Connecticut; On the wooded roads, the Mazda proved she had not lost her fun chops. Trust me when I say that most homeowners will never end up crushing these quiet, fuel-efficient tires. (If grip is a top priority, slap on a Michelin Pilot Sports replacement set).
But once I started dealing with the Manhattan maelstrom and the Brooklyn bomb craters, I enjoyed the newfound peace and features of Mazda, including automated emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, ventilated front seats, as well as standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto models. The redesigned front seats are wider and more secure; Mazda says that they are designed to keep thorns of occupants in the proper "S" shape that people have while standing. But the rear legroom, though strong on the paper, still does not affect the limousine-style Accord.
As noted earlier, the new Mazda6 Sport starts at a hairbelt lower than $ 23,000, though the newer, more luxurious mentality can propel the 6 into new territories. Pbading through the Touring, Grand Sport and Grand Sport Reserve models, we arrive at the Signature, priced at $ 35,645, or $ 36,440, with the addition of the beautiful Soul Red Crystal paint, a cargo carpet and door sill plates. That's about a $ 4,000 jump from a busy 2017 6.
Mazda is about to sell about 30,000 6s this year, down 11%, but this new model should lower the numbers for 2019. Nevertheless, for every American who chooses a Mazda6, 10 people buy an Accord and 11 people there go with a Toyota Camry. With the sinking of sedans in general (the Camry is down 6.5% this year, the deal is disappointing 14%), the 6 has become the underdog outsider. Will new tricks keep the Mazda dog in the hunt? Let's hope it before another automaker decides, on the occasion of a short-term illusion, that sedans are not worth building.
Lawrence Ulrich, The reader chief automotive critic, is an award-winning automotive journalist and former chief critic of The New York Times and Detroit Free Press. The Detroit native and Brooklyn gentrifier owns a Mazda RX-7 R1 93 in trouble, but may want to give it a home away from home. Email him to [email protected]
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