Mazda6 facelift leaked

The Mazda6's mid-life update due in Australia in 2015 has been outed in what appear to be the first official images, leaked by French forum WorldScoop.

Mazda will unveil the updated medium car at the 2014 Los Angeles motor show in mid-November alongside the all-new CX-3 and facelifted CX-5 SUVs. The Mazda6 reveal will take place ahead of local prototype drives in December, while production versions of the new '6' are likely to be in local dealerships sometime in 2015 says Mazda, as will the CX-3.

From the slightly fuzzy brochure scans of the Japanese Mazda6 (badged Atenza in that country) it's clear the updated Mazda6 will get a subtle new exterior design, complete with rounder, smaller headlight clusters and more chrome work around the grille and fog lights. The latter also appear to be smaller and could sport LEDs now.

The image scans of the rear end are sketchy and it's difficult to tell if there's been any changes.

But the biggest changes have been implemented in the cabin, which now mirrors the upmarket décor seen in the new Mazda2 and Mazda3 models. The interior pictured is finished in white leather with matching two-tone dashpad, which has been more elegantly finished thanks to the concise heating/cooling controls and a tablet-style infotainment screen.

The latter can be seen displaying the higher quality current generation MZD Connect infotainment system, which is superior to the current Mazda6's system in terms of visuals and user interface. Changes have also been made to the air vents which again add more balance to the interior design.

Other minor changes include a slightly different gear knob, the MZD connect control dial, an electronic park brake and a large sliding cover that conceals cup holders and the central storage bin.

There's been no word on powertrain updates to the new Mazda6 but part of the text on one of the scans reads "BIG CHANGE" so there could be a new engine type or perhaps a new SKYACTIV technology. The current 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine pumps out 138kW/250Nm. The 2.2-litre turbo-diesel is worth 129kW/420Nm.