Facelift (What's New)
G-Vectoring Control
Advanced Smart City Brake Support
Smart City Brake Support (Reverse)
Driver Attention Alert
Active Driving Display in colour
Mazda's trademark Jinba-ittai - the unity between horse and rider - brings about updates in driving dynamics and safety, as well as minor cosmetic changes, to the new Mazda6.
Going up against the likes of the Subaru Legacy, the Toyota Camry and the Volkswagen Passat, the Mazda6 that you see here has been tweaked a tad to ensure its freshness has been retained in order to keep up with the competition.
Control over power
The previous generation Mazda6 handled itself admirably but the latest generation offers more in terms of driving dynamics. It tackles corners assuredly, with agility that rivals smaller, more nimble cars.
The subtle improvement in steering performance is the product of Mazda's G-Vectoring Control (GVC). In a nutshell, GVC monitors three parameters - vehicle speed, throttle position and rate of steering wheel rotation - to maintain an increased vertical load on the front tyres, which helps the car corner more naturally.
In order to achieve that, GVC adjusts engine torque according to the driver's steering inputs to optimise the front tyres' vertical load.
Safety for slip-ups
Besides improving the 6's chassis performance, Mazda also incorporated a couple of safety features for good measure.
These include Advanced Smart City Brake Support that monitors what's in front of the car via a forward sensing camera, Smart City Brake Support (Reverse) as well as Driver Attention Alert that monitors various factors and compares them to learned data on the driver's habits to determine whether the driver is fatigued and suggests a rest break when a significant difference is detected.
We didn't dare to put these systems to the test but it does put our minds at ease knowing they're there for when all hell breaks loose.
Going up against the likes of the Subaru Legacy, the Toyota Camry and the Volkswagen Passat, the Mazda6 that you see here has been tweaked a tad to ensure its freshness has been retained in order to keep up with the competition.
Control over power
The previous generation Mazda6 handled itself admirably but the latest generation offers more in terms of driving dynamics. It tackles corners assuredly, with agility that rivals smaller, more nimble cars.
The subtle improvement in steering performance is the product of Mazda's G-Vectoring Control (GVC). In a nutshell, GVC monitors three parameters - vehicle speed, throttle position and rate of steering wheel rotation - to maintain an increased vertical load on the front tyres, which helps the car corner more naturally.
In order to achieve that, GVC adjusts engine torque according to the driver's steering inputs to optimise the front tyres' vertical load.
Safety for slip-ups
Besides improving the 6's chassis performance, Mazda also incorporated a couple of safety features for good measure.
These include Advanced Smart City Brake Support that monitors what's in front of the car via a forward sensing camera, Smart City Brake Support (Reverse) as well as Driver Attention Alert that monitors various factors and compares them to learned data on the driver's habits to determine whether the driver is fatigued and suggests a rest break when a significant difference is detected.
We didn't dare to put these systems to the test but it does put our minds at ease knowing they're there for when all hell breaks loose.
What's new in terms of styling?
Besides a few minor tweaks to the design and placement of the side mirror indicator lights, the Mazda6 is exactly the same as its predecessor from the outside.
Inside, the design of the steering wheel sees a slight change while the Active Driving Display is now available in colour for all variants save for the 2.0-litre Standard, which retains its black and white form.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it
Mazda's minimal update to its flagship family sedan affirms the old adage 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'.
It retains its nimble handling and smooth-revving powerplant, classy exterior styling, as well as luxurious and refined interior while adding a few driver-centric systems and safety equipment.
At $151,800 (as of 17th March 2017), the top-of-the-line Mazda6 2.5 Super Luxury gets a leg up on its rivals, thanks to improved driving dynamics and added safety features, which made this car great in the first place.
More relevantly and importantly, Mazda has done well in preserving the car's characteristics, ensuring that its Jinba-ittai trademark isn't lost in the Mazda6.
Besides a few minor tweaks to the design and placement of the side mirror indicator lights, the Mazda6 is exactly the same as its predecessor from the outside.
Inside, the design of the steering wheel sees a slight change while the Active Driving Display is now available in colour for all variants save for the 2.0-litre Standard, which retains its black and white form.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it
Mazda's minimal update to its flagship family sedan affirms the old adage 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'.
It retains its nimble handling and smooth-revving powerplant, classy exterior styling, as well as luxurious and refined interior while adding a few driver-centric systems and safety equipment.
At $151,800 (as of 17th March 2017), the top-of-the-line Mazda6 2.5 Super Luxury gets a leg up on its rivals, thanks to improved driving dynamics and added safety features, which made this car great in the first place.
More relevantly and importantly, Mazda has done well in preserving the car's characteristics, ensuring that its Jinba-ittai trademark isn't lost in the Mazda6.
