2009 Mazda6
Mazda6 makes itself at home
LOS ANGELES—Like a great many immigrants who, within a generation or two, become citizens of their new country, the second generation of the Mazda6 is exclusively North American.
It has no accent. It feels North American. It looks North American.
First introduced in 2003, it took until 2009 to emerge as a model built strictly for the needs of drivers like us.
The 2009 Mazda6 is bigger than the original in every way. Wheelbase is 115 mm greater; it’s 195 mm lover overall and 60mm wider. That brings large advantages to cabin occupants who get a good deal more legroom and headroom. There’s more room for stuff in the trunk, too.
Wrapped around this newfound space is a truly exotic coat of sheet metal…smooth with long, flowing lines and pronounced fenders. There’s nothing bland about this sedan, it’s a car that looks good from every angle.
To keep things simple, Mazda is offering the mid-size sedan in two trim levels, GS and GT, each available with a new 2.5-litre four cylinder engine that turns out 170 horsepower or 3.7 V6 rated at 272 horsepower. Standard shifting with the four-cylinder is a smooth six-speed manual transmission with a five-speed automatic on the options list. If you decide you want a V6, the only shifter you can get is a six-speed automatic with manual mode.
There aren’t many ways to tell the difference between four and six cylinder models from the outside. There’s the single two-barrel tailpipe in the four and the V6’s ovoid twin tailpipes integrated into the rear fascia. And, there are the wheels: 17 inch alloys on the GS; 18 on the GT; All Mazda6 wheels are alloys – no steel wheels are available – and the GT is the only Japanese car in the segment with 18-inchers.
Mike Collinson, Mazda Canada’s director of marketing said the current car has been doing very well in the under-30 age group, but the rest of the segment, most notably the 45 to 59 group is “where our big opportunity is and why we had to get bigger.
“Our main competitors had increased size and while the intermediate segment has been declining in sales, our core competitors are gaining.”
He said the designers and engineers had a delicate task: make the car bigger without sacrificing the driving dynamics that give a Mazda its “zoom zoom”.
I got to drive both the four-cylinder and V6 iterations this week and both were impressive. The cars were in U.S. trim, which means some of the interior packaging was different than what we will get (that usually means many of their optional features are standard here).
Fit and finish are superb: tight panel gaps, well though-out interior and soft-touch surfaces. Everything is easy to read and easy to reach. Seats are supportive, easy to adjust and comfortably firm.
The coupe-like roofline means you need to be careful not to bang your head getting into the rear seat, but once inside, there’s plenty of room for heads, legs and feet. The 60/40 split folding rear seat (activated by pull straps in the edge of the trunk) is a comfortable environment for two people.
The four-cylinder and V6 models I drove were all equipped with heated seats, moonroof and a terrific upper-end Bose audio system.
First out was a four-cylinder with five-speed automatic transmission which was followed by a V6 model with six-speed automatic.
Initial impression? Migawd this car is quiet. Wind and road noise are practically non-existent. The four-cylinder engine doesn’t get buzzy when it’s busy and you can barely hear the V6 working.
The four is a real rev-hound; it’s nice at low revs but push it over 4000 and you discover where the “zoom-zoom” lurks. The V6 is quick at just about any point in the rev scale.
Neither transmission is at all intrusive. They never need to hunt for gears; in fact, there’s a subtle one-gear downshift if you get into the brakes before cornering.
And, speaking of corners, the drive routes had plenty of them along with a variety of road surfaces from new pavement to crumbling asphalt. That’s where the engineers work on suspension really showed off. Nothing short of driving like a complete idiot will upset this car’s composure. The new front suspension is an independent high-mount double wishbone setup with coil springs and stabilizer bar. The rear support is an independent multi-link system with coil springs and stabilizer.
Then there are the brakes. They make stopping part of the fun! Four-wheel discs with ABS and EBD are standard on both models, as is traction control.
The entry-level GS four-cylinder model gives plenty of bang for your buck with standards like power everything and a full lineup of protective airbags, steering wheel mounted cruise and audio controls, air conditioning, and six-speaker audio system. Opt for the V6 and you get fog lights and LED taillights.
The top-of-the-line GT trim adds a leather interior, power adjustable heated front seats, automatically dimming mirrors, 6-CD changer, Homelink, and indirect illumination from the overhead console.
And then there’s the “zoom zoom”!
Summary:
Strong Points
Weak Points
- - fun to drive
- - terrific styling
- - hard to find any on a first look
Editors Rating:
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