Rarely does anyone walk out of a motor show like the one that recently opened its doors in Geneva without some degree of lust for the beautiful metal gathered inside. Even rarer, however, is that sensation being met with a realistic aim to own it for yourself. That’s the central conceit of both motor shows and concept cars. For all intents and purposes, they aren’t real.
This is what made the Mazda6’s appearance in Geneva something refreshing. It isn’t an automotive unicorn that will exist as one (or a few) example(s), nor is it really painting a idealised, futuristic vision of self-driving, wheeled autonomy. It’s just a car, but in wagon form is one that’s rather fetching.
It isn’t even an all-new model, but rather a facelift of the current 3rd-generation 6 that’s been in production since 2012, And nearly every significant facet of this car has been explored when Mazda announced it at the Los Angeles Motor show in late 2017, the only point of differentiation being the a D-pillar and its entailments.
Armed with a new turbocharged 2.5-litre SkyActiv mill that outputs 170kW and 420Nm, the new 6, in either sedan or wagon form, will have much more usable firepower over the outgoing car. The wagon also retains the same interior design refinements, improvements in NVH, and overall better aesthetics that came with the facelift.
Besides the updated engine, which is also available in lieu of a 2.2-litre turbodiesel and subtly new looks, Mazda has optimised the 6’s dynamic package to make the car a better handler all-round with new dampers, retuned spring and rebound rates, stabiliser bars, and new bushings, aiding the already standard G-Vectoring Control system.
Mazda will also be rolling out a more comprehensive i-ACTIVESENSE safety suite with the new 6, adding features such as radar-based adaptive cruise control and a 360-degree camera. The new Mazda6 should be arriving on local shores by the end of the year, hopefully in both body styles.
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