2014 Mazda 6 Debuts in Russia, Photos and Info Released

Nice looking car, always thought so....

Good news, everyone! Mazda is just about to launch its third-generation 6, and this time around it’s smaller and much lighter than the car it replaces. The 2014 Mazda 6 could even capture some of the spirit of the delightful first-gen car—at least, that’s what Mazda’s execs want us to believe. The new 6 debuts at the Moscow auto show.

Why Moscow? Mazda sales have been huge in Russia in the past few years, and the company has a new joint venture there to build 6s. In contrast, Mazda just pulled out of its sole U.S. factory, meaning new 6s will be imported from Japan.

Hug Mazda
Few automakers consistently satisfy automotive enthusiasts like Mazda. From living rooms and dorm rooms, we command engineers to make cars lighter and sportier and even a little smaller. “Sure,” says Mazda. The 2014 car is 2.2 inches shorter overall than the outgoing 6, but the wheelbase is 1.6 inches longer, accomplished by moving the front wheels forward relative to the A-pillar.

Mazda’s estimates for the 6’s weight are similarly impressive. Depending on the engine, the new car is 220 to 375 pounds lighter than a four-cylinder second-gen Mazda 6. A fully equipped Russian-market version of the new 6 is said to weigh just 3109 pounds, which not only makes it lighter than its classmates, but leaves it just slightly heavier than a Porsche Boxster S. Whoa. Thanks, high-strength steel.

Details are thin on the 6’s platform, but Mazda says that torsional rigidity is up 30 percent, and that noise, vibration, and harshness levels are improved. The suspension will use struts in the front and a multilink setup in the rear. The sheetmetal doesn’t just look good, it’s got a claimed drag coefficient of a low 0.26.

Powertrain Lineup
Even though Russians get a choice of four-cylinder engines, we’ll probably see only the larger 2.5-liter mill here. This Skyactiv-branded engine is rated at 189 hp and 189 lb-ft of torque, putting it among the leaders for naturally aspirated four-cylinders in the 6’s segment. We should get both a manual and automatic transmission, each with six forward gears.

Helping the fuel-economy mission, the 6 will use electric power steering and an engine stop-start system. Mazda also will minimize demands on the engine by powering some of the car’s electric systems from a supercapacitor that charges during deceleration.

Unfortunately, when we went to Japan for a detailed intro to the Skyactiv family of engines, it seemed clear that they’re not designed to accept turbochargers. With the Ford-sourced 3.7-liter V-6 gone from the 6’s engine arsenal and a turbo out of the question, we’re not thrilled that there won’t be a range-topping powerplant—even if an overwhelming majority of the cars in the family-sedan segment are sold with naturally aspirated fours. A diesel still may be in the cards for the 6, but the CX-5 crossover is slated to receive it first.

It looks like the only way to exceed 189 hp in the new 6 will be opting for the hybrid version. Basic components are licensed from Toyota, but Mazda is setting up the system on its own to ensure Mazdaness. (Sorry, but we won’t toss out the “Zoom-Zoom” tag line for a hybrid until we at least drive the thing.)

Oh, That Interior
The interior is a relatively pleasant—if familiar—scene. The only drawback we can see is that rather than a nicely integrated radio or navigation system, Mazda’s 6 has a rectangular box plugged into the top of the dashboard—it looks old-school and cheap. A horizontal bar housing the air vents stretches across the dash, and below it HVAC controls are housed in the lower part of the center stack. Triple gauge pods with white lettering add a sporty touch.

For Europeans, whose outgoing Mazda 6 is smaller than ours, the new car is touted as being significantly more spacious inside, especially for rear-seat passengers. We’ll need to wait until U.S. specs are released to know whether the space increases compared to our second-gen Mazda 6, but interior space wasn’t a problem in that car. In fact, roominess was the driving force in selling a larger version here.

Russian-market cars get the full array of driver-assistance gadgets on offer from most automakers: adaptive headlights with LEDs, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, and an infrared-based emergency braking system. The only feature we’re not seeing is adaptive cruise control, but perhaps such a system will appear later.

Mazda started production of the new 6 in Japan this month, with deliveries for European and Japanese dealerships beginning very soon. We wait longer because we’re farther from the factory, so we won’t see our 6s in dealer showrooms until early 2013.


Source (with a lot more pix);
http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2014-mazda-6-debuts-in-russia-photos-and-info-released-news