Mazda6 Luxury Sports 2008 Review

We take it for granted these days that each new product coming down the Mazda pipeline is a home-run. No surprise, then, that expectations for the second-gen 6, already fuelled by Mike McCarthy's first drive in France, were somewhat elevated.

Why keep you in suspense? Predictably, the new 6 surpasses the old - already best-in-class - model in virtually every area, correcting any obvious faults while introducing a couple of odd anomalies.

The 6 is slightly bigger in all major dimensions: the wheelbase grows 50mm to 2725mm. But where the 1.8-litre 6 sold in Europe follows Mazda's traditional Weight Watchers program and is 35kg lighter than the outgoing model, the better-equipped 2.5-litre models sold here weigh between 50-85kg more. Our test car, a range-topping Luxury Sports Hatch automatic, tips the scales at 1513kg (106kg over the base manual). In part, that's the price of retaining the full-sized spare wheel (22-25kg depending on size) that Europeans go without.

The 6 is a beautifully resolved, if evolutionary styling development of the original. All three body styles - sedan, hatchback and wagon - are good-looking cars, best suited to light colours that show off the subtleties of the detail surfacing and aerodynamic aids. Sharply creased front wheelarches visually link the 6 to the RX-8, slashed headlights follow the line of the grille, a high waistline, shallow glass and deep body sides, and perceptibly tapered nose and tail, are all typically Mazda.

Standards have risen since the 2002 arrival of the first 6. We're happy to report that Mazda has stayed ahead of the game. A stiffer body - up by 30 percent in the hatchback - allowed bigger and softer suspension and engine bushes, together with improved sound deadening, to virtually eliminate the old Mazda 6 flaw of excessive road and tyre noise. Refinement is now a 6 virtue, not least because the new 2.5-litre MZR four is velvet smooth and a serene cruiser; amazingly so for a four-pot engine with an old-fashioned 100mm-long stroke. Power is up by 3kW to 125kW and torque by 19Nm to 226Nm over the 2.3, yet Mazda claims a marginal improvement in both acceleration and class-leading fuel economy (8.4L/100km for the manual, 8.7 for the auto).

In combination with a (still) five-speed automatic, the 6 performs eagerly and is happy to rev to the 6500rpm cutout, but there is a perception that the crank needs to be spinning above 3000rpm if the engine is to feel responsive. Wheel-mounted paddle shifters compliment the selector on upper models but, disappointingly, tapping a paddle doesn't instantly take the trannie into manual mode. Instead, the selector must be shifted into manual. Only then are the paddles activated.

Still, the new 6 happily plays relaxed transport, and is just as effective as a sports sedan. The handling is agile and responsive, understeer is contained and the stability control superbly judged, even on the teeming wet roads of our drive. Only at parking speeds is an artificiality to the electric power steering around the straight-ahead position obvious. On an entertaining slice of road, the 6 is a precise and enthusiastic drive, with plenty of grip, excellent body control and a supple ride. Over crude potholes taken at low speeds the suspension can feel excessively firm, but it is a compromise we're happy to excuse, given the car's accomplished dynamics.

The interior, too, breathes quality and logical thinking; it works brilliantly and feels premium. We love the driving position, the steering wheel, the seats, the blue instrument/console lighting and, especially, the clever controls that allow the audio, A/C and trip computer to be operated from the steering wheel, as well as the conventional console switches.

This new 6 is a credible rival for the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and even the COTY-winning Mercedes C-Class. Intelligent, handsome, with terrific handling, an attractive interior and close to class-leading refinement, we'll be surprised if the 6 doesn't retain its best-in-class ranking.

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