Khanty-Mansi-Mazda6 / Mazda test drives

Indeed, back in October I tested pre-production samples of this car on the Euro-ring race track near Budapest, and just a couple of months later, the inventive Russian representative office of Mazda arranged a test of the already production new "six" on snowy Siberian roads along the route Surgut – Nefteyugansk – Khanty-Mansiysk. For many who have nothing to do with oil production, these places are unknown exotic. And knowledge about the same Khanty-Mansiysk is mainly limited to the famous monologue by Mikhail Zadornov about a tourist from this city who, buying Versace ties somewhere abroad, pays with a wad of hundred-dollar oil dollars held together with a rubber band...

I'm afraid that even the capital's journalists, despite their overall awareness, knew little more – after all, tests are usually conducted in warm foreign lands. So it was all the more interesting, instead of the usual Parises, Malgas, and Los Angeleses, to go on a magical mysterious journey into the very heart of Russia, to where the great Russian rivers Ob and Irtysh merge, and to test the new car not in "sterile" Euro-American conditions, but in quite harsh domestic ones. Here the landscapes are distinguished by a special, severe beauty: endless taiga expanses stretching beyond the horizon, with strict spruces, pines, and cedars covered in snow at this time of year, alternate with vast swamps and sedge meadows. And here and there – oil derricks of various sizes, which, on the whole, do not spoil but rather uniquely "decorate" nature and organically emphasize its severity. And if you live among concrete urban blocks and spend your vacation on sandy sea beaches, then the "endless sea of taiga" captivates almost hypnotically...

Finding herself amid this splendor, the beautiful Mazda6 looks even more impressive and attractive than against the faceless backdrop of the race track, justifying the "Kizuna" concept embedded in its design (MOTOR, November 2007), which implies, among other things, harmony with nature. The author of this idea and design is Yoichi Sato, who once "drew" such distinctive and globally recognized models as the MX-5, the third-generation RX-7, and the RX-Evolv concept, which became the forerunner of the RX-8. And he managed to successfully transplant the most striking features, energy, and emotionality of these sports models into a mass-market family-class sedan. A brief glance at the characteristic sharpened line of the front fenders is enough for the silhouette of the delightful RX-8 to immediately come to mind. Maestro Sato himself draws attention to the similarity of this line to the shape and sharp edge of a classic Japanese sword.

Well, it's time to find out how this sword strikes in places much closer to the Land of the Rising Sun than distant European Hungary. Especially since the first, track test (taking into account its specifics and the organizers' request not to forget that the Mazda6, despite its swift appearance and the brand's overall sporty image, is still a standard road car, not a racing one) was, again, quite "sterile," and here – the most everyday, that is, "combat" conditions for a road car. Although on snowy roads you can't really let loose either, unless a bad idea comes to mind to play Eric Carlsson, Tommi Mäkinen, and Marcus Grönholm all at once, without having the appropriate skills and car...

And yet there is a certain unique charm in driving along a snow-dusted highway when the car moves cat-like softly and silently, and the Mazda6 is especially good at this – the Japanese have worked well on sound insulation, significantly strengthening it compared to cars of the previous generation, and the smoothness of the ride attracts attention even without snow. But snow is everywhere here, and the road, although cleared, is quite demanding on the driver. All-wheel drive would come in handy here, but the front-wheel-drive "six" on good winter tires holds such a road quite confidently. The stability control system also knows its job: it works effectively but correctly – its intervention can often be judged by the flashing indicator rather than by sensations. The new Mazda, as befits a good family sedan, generally demonstrates its friendliness to the person behind the wheel: the average driver in their daily trips can quite rely on its predictable character and confident manners.

The version with the 147-horsepower two-liter engine is the most optimal choice in this regard: the car is powerful and dynamic enough, but not aggressive. An increase of 23 hp for a fairly large and heavy car is not such a big deal in absolute terms, but the 2.5-liter engine that provides it, along with 40 additional Nm, gives the new "six" quite noticeable aggression and a noticeable gain in acceleration dynamics. Compared to the most powerful predecessor (equipped with a 2.3-liter engine), it also accelerates to 100 km/h a noticeable 0.9 seconds faster and consumes 0.6 liters less fuel in the combined cycle. And, in fact, this version is, ideally, intended to demonstrate and emphasize the sporty ambitions in the character of the new sedan.

However, for an experienced, advanced "driver" who wants not only to drive themselves, beloved, to work, their wife for shopping, children to their mother-in-law, and mother-in-law to the dacha, but also to enjoy active, sporty driving, the least powerful version with the 120-horsepower 1.8-liter engine will suit better, oddly enough. In urban traffic, these indicators are quite sufficient, but on winding suburban highways, thanks to smaller-diameter wheels (but also alloy in standard configuration!), fitted with taller and narrower tires, it is much more compliant and allows, especially with the stability control turned off, to "play" with the rear axle quite effectively. This was noticeable even at the race track in Hungary, and on the snowy roads of Siberia it became even more obvious – both in sensations and in the spectacular snow "fireworks" behind the wheels.

Moreover, the new "six" is caught – if you basically have the appropriate basic skills – quite easily and effortlessly. However, with this style of driving, as is known, there is no such thing as excessive resistance to body roll and a driver's seat that provides effective lateral support for the body. In Hungary, both were a complete disaster, and this caused annoyance even considering that the intended purpose of the "six" does not imply its participation in races. However, in conditions of more restrained and careful driving on ordinary highways, rather than on a race track, both of these shortcomings manifest themselves less critically, and sometimes are completely unnoticeable.

But let's return to the less "playful" but more powerful top version, which, by the way, is offered in trims not only with the self-explanatory name Luxury, but also the equally telling Sport. What's the matter? Did the designers and marketers really miscalculate in positioning the versions? Not at all. It's all about recent trends and a very radical "revision" of the concept of sportiness in the mass consciousness – and the Mazda6, let's not forget, is a mass-market, extremely popular car. No matter how you turn it (including the steering wheel), such signs of a car's sporty behavior as its sharpened interactivity and responsiveness to "provocations" from the driver are becoming less and less in demand.

Too narrow is the circle of those who cannot live a day without taking corners in a controlled drift and other antics. But there are more and more of those who simply do not have such skills and value the ability to drive comfortably and safely, who prefer linearity and predictability in the car's manners, its ability to help the driver and correct their mistakes. And this majority imagines "sportiness" roughly like this (in addition to the exterior): "I floored it – it took off." So from this point of view, the 2.5-liter top version of the new Mazda6 (given that it is a very good family sedan) is a 100% bull's-eye. And the other two versions almost completely cover the remaining space in their class niche. For those who do not crave victories in "races" from traffic light to traffic light or who like to "play" with the car, with its rear axle, the version with the 1.8 engine will suit. And for everyone else – the golden mean with the 2.0 engine.

However, all these behavioral nuances in the case of a car of this class are from the evil one. The bottom line remains the same: the car is modernly dynamic and at the same time not extreme, its reactions to work with all controls (thanks both to the controls themselves and to the excellent chassis) are pleasantly transparent and precise, but do not frighten with nervous sharpness. The "Cross-Functional Net," which remained underestimated in race track conditions and turned out to be very convenient in everyday operation, performed excellently – an auxiliary system that allows you to easily and quickly control eight parameters of the infotainment and climate systems, practically without taking your eyes off the road and without taking your hands off the steering wheel – using a combination of just two buttons and one lever on it.

An elementary situation for winter Russia: you are driving along a narrow snowy highway (just like the one leading from Surgut to Khanty-Mansiysk), vigilantly controlling the movement with both hands on the steering wheel, you don't want to or can't stop, but you need to view the readings of the on-board computer, find the desired radio station, or, say, change the temperature of the air entering the cabin or the airflow mode. One wrong move, too long a distraction of the gaze to the necessary buttons in the area of the central console, and a delayed reaction in such conditions is enough to instantly end up in a ditch on the roadside, if not in the oncoming lane! And behind the wheel of the new Mazda6, you just touch, without looking, one of the CF Net buttons, slightly lower your eyes to the information display, which shows only what you need at the moment – and that's it.

In a word, by starting world sales of its new "six" precisely in Russia, Mazda did not make a mistake with the test location: the car showed itself in all its external and functional glory – stylish, attractive, convenient, reliable, "frost-resistant," with quite reasonable "pretensions" to a higher class and with a certain sportiness in character, no matter how anyone understands it. Well, the Siberian winter, the picturesque taiga nature, the friendly local residents – the Khanty and Mansi, the hypnotically affecting pyramid – a monument to the peoples of the North, the 70-ton monument "Mammoths" dedicated to these cute furry mammals that once roamed here along with prehistoric nomads, the stunningly beautiful grandiose suspension bridge across the great Russian river Ob, indescribably delicious stroganina, and much more – all this left a very bright and warm, despite the cold, impression. And the Mazda6 did not disappoint in this series.