Lest one thinks the new Mazda6 hasn’t received the technology to match its upscale interior, there’s more in store.
Mazda6’s front seats have been fully redesigned. They are wider, with high-density, vibration-absorbing urethane foam that creates a firm, supportive seating surface. Yet, they’re supple enough to keep the driver and passengers comfortable for long trips. Introducing next-generation seat materials and concepts, first seen at August 2017’s Mazda Frankfurt Technology Forum, Mazda6’s seats are designed to help keep front passengers’ spines in the natural S-shape humans use when standing.
Available ventilated front seats in Mazda6 are a first for the brand, and wick away warm air from the front passenger and driver’s backs to keep them cool. Rear seats have also been redesigned with high-density urethane foam, enabling greater comfort.
In addition to the seats, new technology comes by way of available features:
- 360⁰ View Monitor
- A reconfigurable 7.0-inch TFT gauge display in higher-trim models
- A new 8.0-inch MAZDA CONNECT infotainment display with sharper color contrast
- Available full-speed Mazda Radar Cruise Control with Stop & Go
- Windshield wiper de-icer
- Windshield-projected Active Driving Display head-up unit
ENGINES TO SUIT CUSTOMERS’ TASTES
Mazda6 offers two powertrain options in the U.S., starting with the torquey, fuel-efficient SKYACTIV-G 2.5 naturally aspirated engine. Mazda6’s 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine comes with a host of upgrades to reduce internal friction and improve efficiency across all RPM, and it adds a greater level of refinement. A new technology that is unique to Mazda in North America is cylinder deactivation in a four-cylinder engine. The outside two cylinders can shut down when the vehicle is operated at steady speeds between 25 and 50 mph, but all four cylinders work instantaneously when needed for maximum performance. A centrifugal pendulum has been adopted in the torque converter of the six-speed SKYACTIV-DRIVE automatic transmission, counterbalancing any vibration that might otherwise be felt when running on two cylinders. The result is an imperceptible switchover between two- and four-cylinder modes, yet with very tangible real-world efficiency benefits.
Higher-grade models will also be available with Mazda’s award-winning turbocharged SKYACTIV-G 2.5T engine. First available in the current-generation Mazda CX-9 midsize crossover SUV, the SKYACTIV-G 2.5T is a technological tour de force that produces 310 lb-ft of torque from just 2,000 RPM and 250 horsepower on 93-octane fuel (227 horsepower with 87-octane gasoline).
Mazda’s industry-first Dynamic Pressure Turbo builds boost nearly instantaneously by using a small inlet port to force air into its turbocharger, akin to how water velocity increases when one holds his or her thumb over a hose. From there, a secondary valve can open up at higher RPM for increased airflow and maximum horsepower. A pulse-scavenging 4-3-1 manifold that prevents exhaust backpressure and helps the engine breathe freely.
Cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is used to reduce combustion temperatures, preventing knocking and therefore reducing the need for fuel-enrichment (when extra fuel is dumped into the cylinders as a means to cool the engine). Many times when turbocharged engines fail to achieve EPA-estimated fuel-efficiency numbers in the real world, it is because laboratory tests don’t replicate the higher-load driving styles that necessitate fuel-enrichment.
In too many instances, turbocharged engines are mated to continuously variable automatic transmissions (CVT), operating in a narrow band of efficiency, sacrificing a connectedness between driver and car—a valued characteristic of all Mazda vehicles called Jinba Ittai. Mazda’s six-speed SKYACTIV-DRIVE automatic transmission, paired as standard to the SKYACTIV-G 2.5T engine, keeps its torque converter locked through most of its operation, giving a more connected sense of controllability than many other automatic transmissions.
Both engines complement Mazda6, with the naturally aspirated engine serving as an all-around efficient, responsive powertrain and its turbocharged sibling amplifying the driving performance for which Mazdas are known.
Finally, as a champion of the manual transmission, Mazda6 will continue to offer the SKYACTIV-MT, paired with the SKYACTIV-G 2.5 engine.
BUT WHAT’S AN ENGINE WITHOUT A CHASSIS?
In this latest round of thoughtful improvements, engineers have revisited every aspect of Mazda6’s chassis, with its suspension offering a smoother, more linear ride quality and greater NVH refinement similar to the ultra-quiet CX-9. Its steering rack is now rigid-mounted to the chassis, offering greater steering response and feel, and its SKYACTIV-CHASSIS has been stiffened in complement with the revised suspension to offer both a smoother ride and to improve outright dynamic performance.
Enabling this more comfortable ride without compromising the Mazda6’s handling, the suspension geometry has been revised, with roll-steer changes that promote more neutral handling.
Additionally, body reinforcements, thicker sheet metal in the rear wheel-wells, reinforced chassis bracing and even thicker suspension trailing link mounts help improve interior conversation sound quality, putting Mazda6 into rarified air when it comes to quietness, refinement and capabilities.
IN PURSUIT OF PREMIUM
In pursuit of premium, an engine isn’t enough. A chassis isn’t enough. An elegant interior and world-renowned design aren’t enough. Refinement and technology aren’t enough.
But together, they complete what Mazda expects to be yet another step to elevate the brand beyond the realm of mainstream vehicles, offering a “Mazda Premium” experience that will delight customers. As with its predecessor, the new Mazda6 will land among the world’s best cars, for those who love to drive. But it will aim higher, moving Mazda’s consideration with customers to a new, class-above place, because Mazda never stops challenging.
The re-engineered, refined Mazda6 is expected to go on sale in spring 2018.
