Russian sales of the current generation Mazda6 began on the first day of winter 2007. Since then, this bright and expressive Japanese model has confidently taken its place in our market, adding sporting zest and freshness to its design.
However, two and a half years have passed, and according to the unwritten rules of the genre, it's time for the "six" to visit the beauty salon for a light refreshment, and at the same time check if its "internals" are in order.
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| After the restyling, new fog lights appeared at the front, the bumper, radiator grille and headlights changed. |
You immediately notice the new contours of the recesses for the fog lights, a slightly adjusted radiator grille with a large badge reminiscent of the Zoom-Zoom philosophy, and the fresh "twisted" pattern of the alloy wheels. A little later, you notice that the headlights have become adaptive, and the rear lights have also received a different shape. In addition, the Mazda6 has acquired two completely new shades and two "pearl" colors that were not previously offered for this model.
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| The rear stands out with updated lights. And the main decoration of the exterior is the alloy wheels with a new "twisted" design. |
There are not many changes, but in total they only strengthened the sporty accents in the appearance of the "six". As the deputy commercial director of Mazda Motor Rus, Kirill Luchkin, aptly put it at the presentation, such a car should be like an ideal wife for its owner. And here we absolutely agree with him.
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| In the interior, new black glossy inserts appeared on the audio system panel and on the steering wheel. The sporty seating position and ergonomics remained at the same high level. The best is the enemy of the good. |
Inside, there are even fewer changes: some buttons and elements received a chrome trim, and shiny black decorative overlays were added to the radio panel, climate control unit, and steering wheel spokes. Plus, the seat upholstery became a new textured fabric, pleasant to the touch.
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| On smooth asphalt, the "six" holds like glued. There is no lateral rocking at all. Sharp steering, clear reactions, minimal body roll in corners. Driving pleasure is guaranteed. |
For the press, cars were prepared with an updated 2.5-liter gasoline engine producing 170 hp and a five-speed automatic transmission. Interestingly, such a combination was previously unavailable for the Russian buyer: only the 2.0-liter version came with an automatic, while the 1.8 and 2.5 were exclusively manual. But demand creates supply, so the local Mazda representative office met customers halfway and brought a new modification to the market.
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| Along with the update, the Mazda6 received a new version. In Russia, they got a 2.5-liter car with an automatic transmission. And... they waited! |
The seating position is comfortable, sportily low, front seats with developed lateral support, everything at hand — even during the New Year holidays, when we drove the Mazda6 to Poland, it became clear: even on 18-inch wheels, this driver-oriented car can be quite cozy. Again, speaking of the ideal wife.
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| If on ideal surface the Mazda6 is in its element, then on a broken road the stiff suspension starts to "box" the passengers. And large potholes are better to avoid. |
You turn the key — and under the hood comes to life a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated engine. Lively acceleration, transparent effort on the gas pedal, smooth operation of the automatic transmission — with the "automatic", the updated Mazda has become more comfortable. And this is exactly what was missing for those who wanted the familiar combination for our market of "bigger engine + automatic". Along with comfort, however, came some relaxation: if on a manual you choose the gear yourself, then the kickdown of the "automatic" happens with a pause, which is then compensated by the horsepower of the engine.
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| Trunk — 519 liters. |
The suspension was also slightly refined. At the front, the stabilizer bushings and bridge mounting supports were replaced, at the rear, stiffer hub mounts were installed and the position of the transverse arm bushings was changed. The shock absorbers received new characteristics, and the compression and rebound buffers — a modernized design to improve ride smoothness.
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| Factory acceleration to "hundred" — 8.1 seconds. Even with the automatic, the 2.5-liter engine pleases with dynamics. The gearbox works without jerks and can adapt to driving style. True, slight delays when shifting down have not gone away. |
Result: ride smoothness has improved, the "six" stands even more confidently on a straight line and does not "sail" at speed in crosswinds.
But as soon as the asphalt deteriorates, passengers start to shake, and larger potholes respond with dull thuds from the short-travel suspension. Sound insulation is also not impressive: tires hum, and on dirty roads sand and small pebbles drum on the wheel arches.
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| The main problem of the "six" is sound insulation. On dirty surfaces, sand and pebbles knock on the fender liners. The optional Bose audio system with clean sound and rich bass saves the day. |
The element of the "Mazda" is smooth asphalt. High sensitivity, instant and precise reactions to driver actions, excellent feedback on the steering wheel: on a good road it's a pleasure. In corners, behavior is extremely clear, body roll is insignificant. Handling is excellent. If you overdo the speed in a turn, the front-wheel-drive sedan predictably starts to drift outward. You release the gas — and the "six" goes into a skid. All that remains is to correct the trajectory, and the car screws into the corner with the agility of a broken-in horse.
The restyling brought Mazda6 new safety features. Xenon headlights can now turn the light beam up to 15 degrees to better illuminate corners. A system for warning about emergency braking has appeared, which notifies other road users with a flashing "hazard warning". And for versions with a manual gearbox, assistance is provided when starting on an incline, preventing the car from rolling back.
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| The external changes are not radical, but overall they further emphasize the integral dynamic image of the Mazda6. |
The base updated Mazda6 with a 1.8-liter engine and manual transmission costs from 729 thousand rubles. Also, a new trim level appeared in the lineup — Mazda6 1.8 manual in Touring Plus version, which was not previously available in Russia. It costs 789 thousand rubles.
The version with a 2.5-liter engine and automatic transmission is priced at 1,108,000 rubles. And the top version with leather interior and electric adjustments for the front seats (driver's with memory) will be 65 thousand more expensive.
Of course, here is a revised test drive text in Russian, preserving all facts and impressions, but written anew.
Ruslan Galimov
