BOLD FACE: Top, a redesigned five-point grille and a similarly shaped lower grille are new; below left, Bluetooth connectivity for mobile phones is standard; below right, tail lights have been redesigned. Times photos Alistair Davidson.
Here’s a car that’s been the top seller in its segment for the past seven years. It appeals to fleet, user-chooser and private buyers, and it’s fun to drive.
Obviously there’s not a lot wrong with it. So, for twenty-ten, Mazda6 got the new, bold, corporate grille as part of its nip and tuck facelift, new interior fabrics and fascia surfaces, and a mild suspension upgrade.
Engine and transmissions are carried over, albeit with a mild (there’s that word again) recalibration to improve response.
Really, the changes are nothing drastic. Refinement is the key, with better ride quality and steering feel.
Apart from the tangibles such as frontal styling and dark piano-style surfaces on the interior console, the only improvement that’s glaringly obvious is reduced road and mechanical noise.
Because there are no major changes, Times’ week-long road test proved to be more of a reminder as to how good the second generation Mazda6 (which was launched early 2008) really is.
The Limited hatch tested here oozes high-spec goodness and is a delight to drive.
Performance is strong right through the 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine’s rev range, and this willing engine is slotted into a superbly balanced and predictable chassis.
You can only get a manual transmission in the Limited, however, this example had the capable Activematic five-speed auto.
If you want to self-shift you’re spoilt for choice: there’s manual mode on the shift lever, or small paddles on the steering wheel.
I’d like to see the steering wheel paddles override the transmission’s shifts in ‘normal’ drive mode though, as they do in the Mazda3 and RX-8.
The steering wheel is a hive of activity, yet it’s all intuitive and well set out.
There are controls for the audio, trip computer, Bluetooth phone and cruise control, plus the aforementioned gear shifts… crikey, you can even toot the horn and change the car’s direction with it.
This $49,995 Mazda6 Limited goes great, looks good and comes well equipped, but there’s another aspect that deserves a mention: build quality.
The car feels substantial, and the fit and finish is first rate.
Whether you’re eyeballing the even panel gaps or the fit of interior trim, it all says one thing, and that’s ‘quality’.
Yep, when Mazda’s stylists and engineers got together to revise the Mazda6, they would have had to knock off work early on the account of having nothing to do.
