Enlarge imageThe new Mazda 6 follows in the footsteps of the recently launched lightweight Mazda 2. Its key aims are to be emotional, sporty and fun. And it’s longer, wider and taller, with a longer wheelbase, and has a new fresh design. It needs to be good to compete with the new highly acclaimed Mondeo. But is the new Mazda 6 exceptional in a green sense?
To avoid any gain in weight, which would affect handling and fuel consumption, engineers controlled the weight during development, as was done with the third-generation Mazda MX-5 and the new Mazda 2. The Mazda 6’s all-new body shell has 7 percent more high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel, which results in increases in rigidity for all body styles - without any weight gain. This means that the new Mazda 6 is up to 2.4 percent or 35 kg lighter than the outgoing model, which contributes to better handling and fuel efficiency.
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The electric power assist steering is new and helps save fuel consumption by 2 percent. The car also has improved aerodynamics, all external components were wind optimised to produce a coefficient of drag of only 0.27 for the saloon and hatchback and 0.28 for the estate.The three diesel engine options are obviously the most economical choices, and all of them have been updated to use less fuel than before. The most popular engine of the line-up is carried over, the 2.0-litre common-rail turbo diesel with diesel particulate filter (DPF). It uses 6.7 percent less fuel than the outgoing 2.0-litre turbo diesel version in the saloon and 149g/km CO2.
All the engines are said to be more economical - even the top of the range 2.5-litre petrol which replaces the old 2.3-litre engine, which has reduced exhaust resistance for improved engine efficiency, and produces more power and more torque, but uses 6.9 percent less fuel.
There are also 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre engines. The 2.0-litre uses 10.3 percent less fuel and the 1.8-litre base engine uses 11.7 percent less fuel than the outgoing engine, and emits 161g/km CO2.
There is a choice of three transmissions (according to model) including five-speed and six-speed manual gearboxes for all models. Some models have a five-speed automatic, with fully automatic and manual modes for the 2.0-litre petrol.
New equipment includes Bi-xenon head lamps, adaptive front lighting (AFS), a tyre pressure monitoring system, a Bluetooth mobile phone system (with seven languages), a parking sensor system, a premium BOSE audio system and a navigation system featuring a touch-screen, a voice command and a 7-inch split screen display.
The new Mazda 6 is on sale in January 08, with the 2.0-litre petrol estimated to be around £17,500.
