Mazda6 Atenza 2016 Review

Mazda 6 Atenza
Australian Launch Review
Mazda HQ, Victoria

Japanese brands love 'Kaizen' – the art of continuous improvement. Mazda is no exception, and its Mazda 6 range is an excellent example of the process in action. The latest update for the highly regarded mid-size model has arrived barely 18 months after the last update and you could be excused for missing the differences.

But the refreshed Mazda 6 introduces significant changes such as G-Vectoring Control (GVC) and a quieter diesel engine, along with digital radio (DAB+) as standard across the range.

Of those changes, the domestication of the diesel is easily the most profound. A clever counter-vibrating damper in each gudgeon pin cancels out the pulsing combustion impact on the piston during the power stroke. This simple but innovative concept has had a major effect on engine NVH in the 3.5kHz range, according to Mazda. Named the 'Natural Sound Smoother', this system is complemented by Natural Sound Frequency Control to reduce diesel NVH in three other bands: 1.3, 1.7 and 2.5kHz. This involves timing injection so that sound waves from pre-combustion, main combustion and after-combustion cancel each out.

The upshot is this: the engine runs under load with the same refinement as a typical petrol four-cylinder of around the same capacity. In the rain, the only real tell-tale was the car's power delivery, which felt slightly doughy when the traffic light turned green.

Across a range of engine speeds and loads the Mazda 6 diesel is supernaturally subdued. At 5000rpm (you read that right), it even sounds sporty – and it’s still pulling hard right up to that speed. About the only time the diesel betrays its true nature is on start-up from cold... and only briefly even then.

The work Mazda has done in respect of driveline NVH suppression has to be experienced personally to be believed. With the automatic transmission manually locked in fifth gear at 70km/h the diesel four-cylinder was hovering around 1500rpm, but with just some mild booming evident, such as you would expect in a petrol engine at the same speed. There’s not even the slightest hint of diesel grinding present.

The car's idle-stop system is remarkably quick to restart the engine, and with particular smoothness for a larger-displacement four-cylinder diesel. It aids fuel conservation, which averaged 8.7L/100km after a test loop, according to the trip computer. We've achieved better figures than that in a long-term petrol Mazda 6 in the past, and it's highly likely that most owners will achieve significantly better fuel consumption figures, particularly once the car has travelled a longer distance than 600km.

The six-speed automatic makes a slick partner for the diesel. A contributing factor in the Mazda's fuel efficiency and NVH, it changes gear seamlessly and shifts down on hills unobtrusively for extra engine braking.

Noise suppression across the board seems considerably improved from the long-term petrol model reviewed three years ago. There was some coarse-chip tyre roar noted on a section of country road, but no worse than other cars of similar specification.

Ride quality in the Mazda 6 remains comfortable without wallowing. In fact body control was commendable over some country roads that should have had the Mazda pitching and tossing every which way.

Most of the time the updated model corners much like any previous variant of this generation Mazda 6 – until you turn into a bend on wet bitumen and accelerate hard. Anyone experienced in the ways of large, front-wheel drive sedans with high-torque engines will know what to expect: some torque steer to start, followed by some wheel spin, axle tramp and power-induced understeer. With the refreshed 6’s G-Vectoring Control (GVC) there’s no discernible torque steer, the wheel spin has no appreciable effect on the car’s demeanour, the axle tramp fails to materialise, and you find yourself easing off lock as the car tracks towards the inside of the corner.

At lower speeds, the Mazda 6 still clunks when the steering is turned to full lock in one direction or the other.

Where packaging is concerned the new model is little different from previous iterations, but there are some changes for the update model. It’s still roomy in the rear, with enough headroom for taller occupants, despite the sunroof fitted in the Atenza model tested. There are adjustable vents back there as well.

Mazda has redesigned the steering wheel and the Active Driving Display (head-up display) is now reflected in full colour. It's easily adjusted for the right height to suit drivers of any physique.

The Atenza level of trim, as in the vehicle tested, has gained rear-seat heating and Nappa leather trim with Titanium piping. The black headlining features an overhead console with LEDs and the seat-adjustment controls are chrome plated, as is the glovebox release.

One of the new features is speed limit sign recognition, which worked to specification. And the satellite navigation system readily accepted a destination as a spoken command delivered while the vehicle was on the move.

Mazda has upgraded the Smart City Brake Support (SCBS, or autonomous emergency braking by another name) to include pedestrian recognition. And the ceiling speed for Smart Brake Support has been lifted to 160km/h. Unfortunately the radar-based active cruise control system only operates at speeds down to 15km/h. Once the car slows to that speed, the system will alert you with a chime that it won't come to a complete halt.

There were a couple of issues arising during the time the Mazda 6 was in our possession that could be glitches. The Bluetooth connection infrequently dropped out, which may be a problem with the smartphone used rather than the car itself, but the phone has been dependable in the past.

During a drive on a rainy night, the multi-information display in the right dial of the instrument binnacle conveyed a message that the radar cruise control's operation was affected by fog and the driver attention alert system was malfunctioning. But it only happened on that one occasion [Ed: we’ve had similar issues with Ford’s Mondeo and Subaru’s Liberty].

Other than those issues, the Mazda 6 impressed immensely. It's hard to conceive how this car could have been made substantively better, but Mazda has achieved that nonetheless.

And given Mazda is holding prices steady for its medium passenger-car entrant, the Mazda 6 remains the segment's leading light in the local market.

2016 Mazda 6 Atenza pricing and specifications:
Price: $48,240 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder
Output: 129kW/420Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 141g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star (ANCAP)

Also consider:
>> Ford Mondeo Titanium (from $47,490 plus on-road costs)
>> Hyundai Sonata Premium (from $45,490plus on-road costs)
>> Kia Optima GT (from $43,990 plus on-road costs)