Mazda6 2005 Review

What we liked
>> Balance and roadholding
>> New five-speed auto
>> Prices have gone down!

Not so much
>> Hatch model is a little 'boomy'
>> Console finish flat in Limited and Classic
>> Didn't get to drive the manual

OVERVIEW
Do close to 36,000 happy local customers count for something? What about selling more cars in the first seven months of 2005, than you did in the very first year of on-sale? With booming (or should that be, zooming) sales and high levels of customer satisfaction and demand, Mazda could be forgiven for limiting its mid-life freshen up of the Mazda 6 to minor body tweaks. After all, why fiddle with a good thing.

In reality, though the minor body tweaks have arrived, along with them are a host of more substantial changes.

Aimed at addressing the major criticism of the original 6 - less than class-leading NVH (noise vibration and harshness) attenuation and gearboxes that didn't do the rest of the package justice - the new 6 arrives with better levels of equipment, a choice of a new five speed automatic transmission or short-throw six-speed manual and an upgraded, classier and quieter interior.

Mazda is 'selling' the update as "A great car gets even better". For once, we're going to have to agree with the hype. Along with the Honda Accord Euro, the Mazda 6 has been our 'most recommended' car since its launch in August 2002. The latest incarnation loses none of the vibrancy nor verve of the original car and arrives cheaper, more refined and, if initial impressions are anything to go on, even better to drive.

FEATURES
Mazda claims there have been no fewer than 750 changes made to the new 6. The most obvious, are, at first glance, less than obvious! The new car gets a freshen up front and rear, but to be honest, it'll take a real 6 fan to pick the new model at first sight.

The trademark multi-lens headlamps and tail lamp clusters get dark bezels in the new car, which the maker says emphasizes the technical aspect of the units and in our mind takes away some of the grating glitz of the original. There have been changes to the profiles of the front and rear bumpers and intake infills. The new car also gets a recessed grill designed to highlight the Mazda badge.

The most obvious body changes are reserved for the top of the range Luxury Sports model which gets a redesigned aerokit, unique grill treatment and 17-inch alloys. The end result is a great lloking car.

Across the range, the interior the changes are subtle (see Comfort below). New materials and softer upholstery give door facings a more luxurious feel across the range and the once silver centre console has been refaced to give the car a more upmarket feel. Indeed, the finish on the console now differs depending on trim level. Luxury and Luxury Sport buyers get a 'titanium look' console with metallic accents on the HVAC dials and 'piano black' audio controls. Classic and Limited variants get a flat graphite console.

It indeed these and other changes have been made to reinforce or differentiate the models offered. That said. model variants remain unchanged, namely Limited, Classic, Luxury and Luxury Sport, and three body styles (Sedan, Hatch and Wagon) continue.

Mazda has been keen with it's pricing too. For the record the range now starts at $28,240 with the Limited Sedan manual ($30 less than at its '02 launch!) and tops out at $42,910 for the Luxury Sports Hatch Activematic five-speed automatic. This too is cheaper than the equivalent launch model.

COMFORT
Key to the new 6's upgrade is the substantial work that's been undertaken to improve the car's NVH attenuation.

Though hardly a noisy car, the original 6 came in for criticism in some conditions. Tyre and road noise ingress, especially on coarse surfaces, was a common theme and some pundits critcised the car for its levels of wind noise.

Measures taken to improve refinement have gone right back to first principles. The new car's monocoque has been reinforced in key areas such as the B pillar and front subframe. Aspects of the suspension retune have been noise related and in addition sound insulation has been added in 18 locations. The end result is a noticeably quieter cabin although incongruously during the launch drive route we found one hatch we drove particularly boomy. The refinement on the sedan we drove however was commendable.

Specification levels have generally been lifted with the top spec models getting the lions share of added goodies. All 6s now feature tilt and reach adjustable steering wheels and as noted above changes have been made

to interior treatments such as console colour and door trims, etc.

The full run down of three trim levels (and seven variants) are thus:

Limited: available as a sedan only, both manual and automatic (opt). Includes airconditioning, power windows and mirrors, remote central locking, driver's seat height adjust, tilt and reach adjustable steering

column and single disc CD player. Front and side driver and passenger airbags, metallic/mica paint and 15-inch steel wheels and tyres are fitted standard.

Classic: available as a sedan (manual and optional auto), hatch (manual and optional auto) and wagon (auto only), the Classic adds interior upgrade, climate control aircon, 16-inch alloy wheels, trip computer,

six-disc in-dash CD player, cruise control and leather-wrapped steering wheel with stereo controls. Front fog lamps and speed sensing wipers nd standard. The wagon also has a retractable cargo net and rear spoiler.

Luxury: available in sedan and hatch with automatic transmission only, the Luxury adds 17-inch alloy wheels, power sunroof, reprofiled leather seats with driver power adjustment and memory, 200W seven-speaker Bose sound system.

Luxury Sports: available in Hatch only, the Sports is available with either manual or optional automatic transmission. New aerokit with redesigned spoiler and skirts and drilled alloy pedals set it apart from the Luxury spec.

A departure for the 6 is the availability of an alternate trim on the volume Classic models. Accounting for more than half the 6's sold Down Under, the Classic will now be available with a lighter 'Sand' interior on certain

exterior colours, in addition to the up-grade black/grey introduced with the 2005 model.

Two new colours have been introduced with this upgrade -- Phantom Blue mica and Brilliant Carbon Grey mica. This takes the number of colours offered to 12. Mazda does not charge extra for metallic or mica paints - other manufacturers please take note.

SAFETY
Mazda trumpeted the level of safety equipment on the 6 at its 2002 release and continues to do the same today.

The latest model has received further body strengthen to A and B pillars and front subframe while all 6s are equipped with six airbags as standard - dual front, front side for driver and passenger as well as curtain bags.

In the area of Active Safety the 6 has excelled, being recognised as the inaugural winner of Wheels Active Safety Program (WASP). The test saw Wheels magazine put Australia's 15 best-selling automotive models through their paces in a series of exercises designed to gauge active safety - a vehicle's ability to avoid a crash. The Mazda6, top scored with 97.5 per cent. Scores were expressed as a percentage of the top performer in each of seven categories.

The seven Wheels tests involved dry braking from 100km/h, wet braking from 70km/h, dry lateral G (maximum cornering ability before loss of control on a dry surface), wet lateral G (maximum cornering ability before loss of control on a wet surface), dry transient G (maximum ability to continuously change direction on a dry surface), wet transient G (absolute ability to swerve and recover on a wet surface), overtaking exposure (maximum on-the-move acceleration 60-120km/h for peak overtaking performance).

MECHANICAL
The 2.3lt MZR-series DOHC inline four-cylinder which powers the entire 6 range returns with peak power and torque outputs unchanged at 122kW at 6500rpm and 207Nm at 4000rpm respectively. That doesn't mean it hasn't seen its fair share of attention. Still on a PULP diet, the MZR has been fitted with an electronic fly-by-wire throttle and is now Euro IV emission compliant.

Careful attention to engine mapping and further development has smoothed out the power deliver, says Mazda, and fattened up some glitches in the torque curve.

A vibrant powerplant that loves to be revved, the key benefit to drivers the new car delivers is the mating of the MZR to all-new manual and automatic gearboxes.

The new six-speed manual replaces the at times notchy five-speeder of the original car. Overall gearing is unchanged (Sixth in the new box matches fifth in the outgoing transmission and final drive gearing is unchanged) so the nett result is a closer ratio set which should bring out the best of the upgraded powerplant in sporty going. Official fuel consumption figures show a scant 0.1lt/100km improvement in fuel consumption reflecting the bias of the mods towards flexibility and drivability rather than an overall economy drive.

With manuals thin on the ground at the Canberra launch of the new car we can't comment directly on the operation of the new box expect to say those that did sample the new six-speeder were positive with their comments.

Economy and drivability are both foci of the changes to the Activematic automatic transmission. Final drive and internal ratios have been completely revised in the development of the five-speed box and new software promises smoother changes and reduce torque converter losses. Lower gearing in the first four gears delivers better

acceleration (a 0.3sec reduction in 0-100km/h sprint was spoken of at the launch though no official numbers have been released) and a higher overdriven fifth gear drops revs for highway cruising.

Significant fuel economy improvements are claimed for the auto 6s, from 9.5lt/100km to a manual-matching (almost) 8.9lt/100km in the case of the sedan and hatch.

Other key mechanical changes include the revision of suspension settings and componentry. Dampers, springs, antiroll bars and suspension bushes have all been revised to further sharpen the 6's performance in the twisties.

Mission accomplished is our estimate!

COMPETITORS
Far from fading away, the medium car segment, in which the 6 holds court, is arguable the most vibrant Down Under. Honda's Accord Euro and Accord VTi, Subaru Liberty, Toyota Camry, Holden Vectra, Hyundai's revitalized

Sonata and Volkswagen's more competitively priced Passat are all in there punching. Add the French brands, Alfa and the lower-spec Audi A4 and it's easy to see we're spoiled for choice.

In our mind the closest battle lies between the Euro and 6 - these two great cars are line-ball in many aspects.

Even more so with this latest upgraded 6. Honda fans will talk about the Euro's 20kW advantage under the bonnet, however, on the road the margin narrows.

CarPoint compared a number of these rivals in 2004. It's required reading if you're in the market for a car in this segment.

ON THE ROAD
We stand by the comments we made earlier this year that the likes of Audi should compare the dynamics of its front wheel drive models with the 6 and Accord Euro. In fact, with the latest 6, the gap's widened again.

It would take a back-to-back drive over a whole range of conditions to separate the two best in this class - the 6 and the Euro. Indeed, at this point in time only one thing's for certain -- with the latest 6 the competition is hotter than ever.

This is a delightful drive, even in auto form. Steering is precise and body control and roadholding first class.

Mazda's chassis boffins have managed to improve on the original's blend of real sporting ability and jar-free and cosseting ride. If anything the new car's turn-in is even sharper and only the hamfisted could argue otherwise.

The new five-speed auto allows the powerplant to shine through, though our pick (even without driving it) would still be the six-speed manual. The 6's engine has an engaging timbre higher up in the rev range and as good as the auto is, that sort of character can only be brought to the full with a manual box.

Our test route including a variety of surfaces and road types (from super smooth freeway to fire-damaged twisty two-laners) and the 6 was more than capable across the spectrum. There's no doubt the new car is quieter, though there remains a question mark on the boomy nature of both the hatches we drove. (As noted above one was noticeable worse that the other, and the sedan better than both). We'll look out for this when we get a car on familiar roads in the next month or so.