Mazda 6 MPS 2005 Review

What we liked
>> Stunning engine/gearbox combo
>> Direct, well-weighted steering
>> Seamless drive transfer to rear

Not so much
>> Linear torque reduces engine character
>> Interior undersells performance
>> Power down 5 per cent in Oz spec

OVERVIEW
At the same time, Mazda knows the value of a strong core of products, a lesson learned in its dark and unprofitable days of the 1990s. Three products have led the resurgence of the Hiroshima-based carmarker: first of which was the mid-sized Mazda 6 launched in 2002. It was quickly followed by the popular Mazda 2 compact hatch and then, in 2004, the Mazda 3 small car.

Of course, we can't forget the Wheels Car of the Year winning Mazda RX-8, which not only resurrected the rotary engine in this age of fuel economy and reduced emissions, but also changed the way we look at sportscars with its four-door coupe body.

Now, however, the fun starts in earnest with the launch of Mazda's performance channel. Mazda Performance Series, or MPS, thunders onto the Australian market in June 2005 with the arrival of the Mazda 6 MPS. It's a high performance, turbocharged sedan with all-wheel drive aimed squarely at those who really enjoy their driving.

Pricing has not been set at the time of writing, but you can expect the Mazda 6 MPS to match up closely with Subaru's turbocharged Liberty GT in the mid-$50,000s. High levels of performance will be matched by a long list of equipment and features, positioning the MPS as the sophisticated, understated choice in Japanese sports sedans.

FEATURES
Picking the MPS version of the Mazda 6 from the outside is easy if you know where to look. Most obvious change is that bulging bonnet, which is not purely aesthetic, but channels air to the intercooler. Then there's the deep chin spoiler and 15-spoke alloy wheels wrapped in high-performance 18-inch rubber. Subtle side skirts aid the car's lowered stance, and, if you still haven't picked the MPS, two large oval exhausts and a boot spoiler on the rear will surely tip your radar.

But it's what's under the skin that really endows the Mazda 6 MPS with its reason for being. Beneath that bulging bonnet lies a significantly new turbocharged engine, which produces 190kW/380Nm compared to the basic 6's 122kW/207Nm naturally aspirated engine.

It's mated to one of the sweetest shifting six-speed manual gearboxes we've ever driven: A Mazda speciality as anyone who's driven an MX-5 will know. All four wheels can do the driving on the MPS, via a trick electronic all-wheel drive system which can transfer up to 50 per cent of the engine's output to the rear wheels when it deems necessary.

COMFORT
Inside, the MPS additions are minimal; more heavily bolstered sports front seats, surface changes around the centre control stack, and material changes to better suit the car's performance aspirations.

Unlike 2WD Mazda 6s, the MPS features a tilt and reach adjustable steering wheel for a near perfect driving position. The driver's seat adjusts for height, rake and slide, while passengers get comparably less adjustment on their seat, and will find the door-mounted grab handle very handy when the road twists and turns.

Back seat comfort is identical to a standard 6, which means good leg and head room, and enough width for three adults at a pinch, though two will be far more comfortable. Boot space is unchanged, despite the fitment of extra chassis bracing ahead of the rear bumper bar. Another brace immediately behind the rear seats means those seats can no longer fold forward for added load length.

SAFETY
Australian specifications were not finalised at the time of writing, so we're not sure if the high definition Xenon headlamps fitted to our Us-spec test car will be on Aussie models. We're fairly sure, however, that dual front airbags and front-side airbags will. Curtain airbags are also likely to be standard.

Mazda says the extra body rigidity and additional chassis bracing will not improve the 6's already good crash test rating. It does, however, improve the vehicle's dynamic performance which in turn increases your chances of swerving around a potential danger zone. Mazda's DSC dynamic stability control, which brakes individual wheels to reduce the likelihood of a spin, aids vehicle stability in highly aggressive manoeuvres.

The MPS includes large disc brakes at each corner with single-piston callipers. ABS antilock braking is standard, as is traction control. Disabling the DSC via the dash-mounted button also disables the traction control, but not the ABS.

MECHANICAL
Interestingly, Mazda first looked to the 6 hatchback for an MPS model, but the sedan's higher body rigidity was deemed more appropriate. Even so, a few carefully-placed chassis additions and modifications means the 6 MPS is 50 per cent more rigid than the standard 6 - which ain't no bowl of jelly to begin with.

Why is this extra body rigidity important? Higher performance and higher levels of driver feedback can be handicapped by unwanted body flex, so in this case stiffer is better... All this does not come free; the 6 MPS weighs around 150kg more than a basic 6. Around 115kg of that is due to the all-wheel drive system and the rest is in the body and engine.

Aah, that engine. Essentially based on the 6's 2.3-litre, four-cylinder alloy block, it gets a significant number of additions, not the least is direct injection and a high-pressure turbocharger. Mazda says direct injection offers a number of benefits when teamed with a turbocharger, including a reduction in dreaded turbo-lag (time taken for the turbo to spool up). Mazda also claims this combination reduces emission levels over indirect injection turbos, and provides slightly better fuel economy.

Here's a tip: Expect this engine in naturally aspirated form to power the next generation Mazda 6 lineup sometime after 2005. But for now, back to the engine. The end result of direct injection, turbocharging and intercooling is 190kW and 380Nm, which is a significant increase on the standard 6's engine. Performance enters the realm of the seriously quick, with 0-100km/h at 6.6 seconds.

Mazda has put a lot of effort into the 6 MPS's all-wheel drive system, and it's a real beauty. It uses a bunch of sensors to measure wheel speed, vehicle direction and steering angle to detect slip, and responds by channelling up to 50 percent of engine torque to the rear through a trick electronic differential. A rear limited slip diff ensures both rear wheels pull their weight.

The system automatically selects one of three driving models (Normal, Sports, Snow) that it thinks best suits your driving and the conditions. It then distributes torque front to rear accordingly and continually monitors and finesses as you go.

The 6 MPS's suspension is the same geometry as the basic 6, but with significantly stiffer springs front (+25 per cent) and rear (+37 per cent) to reduce body roll. New monotube dampers in the rear better control the bounce, and the front dampers have also been uprated for higher performance. Larger diameter stabiliser bars have been fitted front and rear.

ON THE ROAD
CarPoint's opportunity to test the 6 MPS came in November 2004; seven months before the vehicle launches in Australia in June 2005. We drove very expensive pre-production test mules, hand-built and worth around $500,000 each. But that didn't stop us testing Mazda's performance claims for the car.

A quiet conversation with Mazda's global head of product development, Joseph Bakaj, and the Paris motor show in September 2004 revealed that the 6 MPS had one extra design criteria to meet that no other car had before it: drifting.

Drifting - the art of controlled sliding - is a sport growing in popularity in Japan, and catching on around the world. Bakaj told CarPoint that the MPS must not only be the best performance sedan Mazda can build, but it must also suit the unique needs of this growing sport.

What that means to you and I is that the Mazda 6 MPS must have levels of grip and adhesion beyond most other cars. But more importantly, when it crosses that threshold it must be extremely easy to control. It must have a high level of driver communication and feedback that allows you to keep control of a car that is, essentially, out of control.

And it does. Everything about the 6 MPS is right on the money. From the firmer, more consistent steering delivered by the suspension modifications and heavier steering oil, to the instantaneous throttle response of that smooth direct-injection engine. Its highly-rigid chassis, minimal levels of body roll, a wonderful, gale-force induction roar, and all-enveloping exhaust scream.

If Mazda set out to build an amazingly quick and competent performance sedan which is addictive in the extreme, then it succeeded. But it's not perfect. The engine's monstrously strong and flat torque curve (peak torque is on tap for most of the rev range) saps the engine of any top-end rush you normally associate with turbocharged engines.

Sure, the engine delivers in spades on low revs, but we'd give a bit of that up for a little more character up top. Revving the engine past 6000rpm is pointless; its best work is done lower so better to change gears and start again. Guess we can never be pleased.

So, does the Mazda 6 MPS drift? Have a look at the photos on the right to find out.

* CarPoint's test opportunity was limited to the TI Circuit AIDA racetrack in Japan. We have not driven it on public roads at this time, and will not have that opportunity until it launches in Australia mid-2005.