This is the all-new Mazda 6, which goes on sale in the UK early next year. It features Mazda’s new weight-saving and fuel-saving SkyActiv technology and aims to make serious sales headway in a global market dominated by rivals such as the Toyota Camry and Volkswagen Passat. It has been shown for the first time at the Moscow motor show this week.
However, some Mazda sources believe the 6’s striking looks and advanced technology could allow it to steal sales from established premium models such as the BMW 3-series.
In Europe, most attention will focus on the 148bhp version of the all-new 2.2-litre diesel engine, which could deliver CO2 levels as low as 105g/km.
Launched as a 4.8m-long saloon at this today's Moscow motor show and set to be followed by an estate at next month’s Paris motor show, the Mazda 6 is built around the company’s all-new scalable steel platform.
The floor structure is built from continuous steel box sections for greater strength and rigidity and the upper body is attached directly to the floor, creating a single structure. Compared with the current car, the platform is eight per cent lighter and 30 per cent more rigid, in line with Mazda’s Sky Activ technology goals.
Hiroshi Kajiyama, program manager for the Mazda 6, revealed that his engineers initially managed to save 100kg on average before putting more weight back in to improve other areas of the car. "The initial concept showed a greater weight saving, but after that we added some safety technology, lengthened the wheelbase and bit and added some other improvements. That added 50kg, but the weight saving and overall efficiency package is still best in class."
The new 6’s 2830mm wheelbase is 105mm longer than the current car, allowing 43mm more knee room. The windscreen and A-pillars have been moved forward by 100mm; Mazda says this helps to give the 20mm wider cabin a much airier feel.
The suspension mounting points are part of the structure’s most rigid section, which should improve ride and handling and the accuracy of the new electric steering set-up. The next 6 gets MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link design at the rear. Mazda says it has aimed to make all aspects of the car’s handling and driver feedback smooth and linear.
To that end, Mazda engineers say they have worked hard on making all the controls, including the brakes and manual gearshift, operate with a fluid efficiency. Refinement characteristics have been specially tuned to please Western ears.
