The 2018 Mazda 6 range has arrived in Australia sporting chassis changes, an updated interior and revised powertrains including a 2.5-litre turbo petrol engine.
Headlining the changes is the introduction of the 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine from the CX-9 which will be available in the higher-spec GT and Atenza models. It will improve the 6’s performance credentials with 170kW of power and 420Nm of torque available.
The turbo-petrol utilises Mazda's industry-first Dynamic Pressure Turbo which builds boost nearly instantaneously by using a small inlet port in conjunction with a secondary valve that opens at higher RPM for increased airflow and maximum power. A pulse-scavenging 4-3-1 manifold is also used to prevent exhaust backpressure and assist the engine to breathe freely.
The familiar 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated 140kW/252Nm petrol engine will power the Sport and Touring grades, but will now feature cylinder deactivation to shut down two cylinders when cruising.
The updated Mazda 6 will also use the revised version of the 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine most recently seen in the CX-5. The diesel unit now utilises a new two-stage twin turbocharger with variable turbine geometry, rapid multi-stage combustion with a reworked combustion chamber and new piezo injectors which raises the engine’s compression ratio increases from 14.0:1 to 14.4:1.
The benefit of all this engineering is an increase in maximum power output from 129kW to 140W and in maximum torque from 420Nm to 450Nm.
All engine options and paired with a traditional six-speed automatic transmission that sends power to the front wheels.
Mazda claims chassis engineers have increased overall rigidity while the suspension has been retuned for improved ride quality.
The brand also points out the efforts to improve the car’s refinement by lowering the cabin noise level. Thicker sheet metal in the rear wheel-wells, trailing link mounts and extra chassis bracing are said to have enhanced NVH levels.
On the outside, there’s a new grille with the bottom edge sitting lower than before and the fog lamps are now integrated into the LED headlamps.
Down the back, painted surfaces now extend further down the body, the sedan features a new design for the boot lid’s rear-facing section, exhaust pipes have been repositioned toward the outer edges of the bumper and there are new 17 and 19-inch alloy wheel designs.
The interior is heading upmarket, the top-spec Atenza model new gets Walnut Brown nappa leather, paired with Sen wood accents and suede on the dashboard and doors.
All trim levels get an 8.0-inch infotainment screen and a head-up display.
Safety kit includes autonomous emergency braking that works up to 160km/h, lane departure alert, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, driver-attention alert, rear cross-traffic alert, high-beam control and adaptive cruise control with stop & go.
2018 Mazda 6 pricing (excludes on-road costs):
Sport sedan 2.5 petrol - $32,490
Sport wagon 2.5 petrol - $33,790
Touring sedan 2.5 petrol - $36,690
Touring sedan 2.2 turbo diesel - $39,690
Touring wagon 2.5 petrol - $37,990
Touring wagon 2.2 turbo diesel - $40,990
GT sedan 2.5 turbo petrol - $43,990
GT sedan 2.2 turbo diesel - $45,090
GT wagon 2.5 turbo petrol - $45,290
GT wagon 2.2 turbo diesel - $46,390
Atenza sedan 2.5 turbo petrol - $47,690
Atenza sedan 2.2 turbo diesel - $48,790
Atenza wagon 2.5 turbo petrol - $48,990
Atenza wagon 2.2 turbo diesel - $50,090
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