2016 Mazda6 Wagon 2.2D

The accepted Mazda6 is admired for its Skyactiv by itself aspirated gasoline engines and nimble, agile handling. Replacing one of the endure abundant N/A engines in its chic with a turbo-diesel seems a bit like heresy Japanese Car Dealer in Dubai. Opting for an automated chiral and four-wheel drive is mutiny. But, will those choices accomplish a abundant driver’s car boring? Or will they in actuality accomplish it better?

Being arrive to the columnist barrage of a agglomeration of facelifted models isn’t abundant acumen to bless for a lot of automotive journos. But, if I got a adventitious to appear a contempo Mazda columnist conference, I jumped at the chance; not to prove there’s such a affair as a chargeless lunch, nor because it was – calmly – about three afar from my house. I was acquisitive to go because, amid the end of my gig at the Czech copy of Top Gear and the point if my own website absolutely got going, I managed to absence a accomplished bearing of Mazdas.

From what I’d heard and apprehend – both from my colleagues at home and on TTAC – the new crop of Mazdas was absolutely good. So I wasn’t in it for the deer with buttery booze (although it was delicious). I was in it because I capital to drive the cars.

First, I collection the Mazda3, which wasn’t even new. It was great, but you already apperceive that. Derek admired one so abundant he bought it.

Then it was time for the facelifted Mazda6. I went for the best one: gasoline auto with chiral transmission; lightest of the agglomeration with an engine that’s allegorical (easy to do, accepting a large, by itself aspirated 2.0-liter four in a apple of downsized turbo plants) and a admirable chiral gearbox.

It was as acceptable as I expected. For a ample auto – in Europe, non-premium sedans don’t get abundant bigger than this – it shows a abundant dosage of sportiness and provides an abnormal bulk of fun. You have, abnormally with the facelifted version, all the accretion and whistles to which you’re accustomed. At the above time, there’s a aroma of jinba ittai (a horse and a addition as one) from the Miata. It’s simple to acquisition a able active position; council caster abutting to your chest, bench low and the backrest at about vertical feels comfortable. The gearshift is advantageously absolute with a deliciously abbreviate throw. The abeyance works absolutely as you want; adjustable if presented with ruts and potholes and still abiding and resists cycle appreciably well.

Nissan used cars isn’t traveling to blemish the fun, either. It’s athirst for revs. With its above agreeable gearshift forth with accurately placed and spaced pedals, the Mazda6, abnormally with the European-spec 2.0 engine, just begs to be revved. Rev-matching downshifts are a breeze. For abounding buyers, the engine will be the capital acumen for affairs the Mazda’s ancestors auto – added so than the suspension, and maybe even added so than all those new, agleam and able things they told us about at the columnist accident (and which I wasn’t able or accommodating to try out on my abbreviate drive). A lot of competitors use touchscreens, which can be annoying and even dangerous, but the Mazda6 uses an iDrive-esque ascendancy that’s added to my liking.

Then – something aberrant happened. 

With no abundant expectations, I jumped abaft the caster of a CX-5 crossover with a agent engine. I wasn’t absolutely abashed that casting it about my favourite backroad (conveniently amid some two afar from the accident venue) was abundant added fun than any ancestors crossover has the appropriate to be. Yet, what absolutely got me absorbed was its engine.

I’m abashed that I will be accursed by JDM fans, purists and petrolheads all about the world, but I enjoyed the agent adaptation even bigger than the Endure Mohican of the N/A gasoline engines. That ability be acquired by my affection to ample engines with their abysmal bankrupt notes, animosity for revs, and lots of balance low down, but I activate the agent engine’s bark added affable than the blare of its gasoline counterpart. While revving the N/A four was fun, the turbodiesel was absolutely blessed in the high allotment of the rev adverse as able-bodied – acceptance for airy active after accepting to about-face all the time.
Thinking about this on the way back, I got a hunch. If the CX-5 is still fun and if the agent engine can complete added affable (to my ears) than the gasoline one…could the agent Mazda6 in actuality be the bigger option? Maybe the anew alien AWD could, in fact, advance the active experience.

With that in apperception aloft abiding the CX-5, I requested a agent wagon with AWD with the automatic. All the antecedent cars were manuals (yes, in our allotment of the world, the accepted chiral is still that – standard). If the agent is so acceptable in a CUV, it should be even bigger in a wagon, right? And AWD should help, too. The avant-garde part-time AWD systems are acceptable abundant to be advantageous even on dry pavement – a allegory a few years aback of a accepted Passat with one able with 4Motion accepted that.

After accepting the keys, I set off with abundant anticipation. This should, in theory, be the best car of the lot. But it didn’t activate well. While the FWD, gasoline auto was admirably adjustable and comfortable, the agent AWD wagon wasn’t. For some reason, the ride was acutely added inclement and even baby imperfections of the alley were transmitted into cabin. I doubtable the wheels, but both cars were adapted with 19s.

It has to be something else. There are two capital suspects. The AWD arrangement may accept something to do with it, but I angular appear blaming it on weight. The wagon itself is a bit added than its trunked counterpart, and the agent engine is apparently abundant added than gasoline one. I’ve apparent several cars bankrupt by a abundant engine and the stiffer springs/shocks that go with it.
On my admired aback road, though, the account was abundant added positive. As in the CX-5, the agent engine is accidentally affable – in its sound, ache for revs or lots of torque everywhere. I wouldn’t say it’s absolutely bigger from a driver’s perspective, but it’s not worse, either. I can brainstorm drivers that would adopt anniversary one of them.

Mazda6-Wagon-2013-2 

 

Next big aberration is the AWD. It was advantageous from the beginning, allowance me to barrage from the ancillary alley after foreground tires abrading for traction. And it fabricated itself advantageous on the accessible alley as well. You apparently won’t apprehension it in across-the-board curves, but in tighter ones, no added spinning of the close wheel; just lots of nice, apple-pie traction. It even helps abate the understeer a bit.

So, is this the best accessible Mazda6? Of advance not. It’s not a agent chiral wagon. While that may complete like a cliché (at atomic in North America – in Europe, it’s a appealing accepted and arid approach of transportation), the chiral chiral would absolutely enhance the active experience. While the automated isn’t absolutely bad, it’s far too apathetic for anyone baby with DSGs and avant-garde automatics, like the all-over 8-speed ZF. A bang of the paddle appropriate afore the corner, if you would just breeze in a lower cog with a nice burke blip, usually produces annihilation added than advice on the displey in the dash. Something like “we’re alive on it“.

Expecting an automated in a agent ancestors wagon to act “sporty“ is a bit unrealistic, abnormally from a small-ish automaker like Mazda. But if anyone buys it for the active experience, they would apparently aces the chiral and can blow assured that even by allotment the arid admixture of agent wagon with AWD, he didn’t cede abundant of the admirable administration for which this car is synonymous.

@VojtaDobes is motoring announcer from Czech Republic, who ahead formed for bounded editions of Autocar and TopGear magazines. Today, he runs his own website, www.Autickar.cz and writes for assorted added Czech outlets. After a bootless chance with importing archetypal American cars to Europe, he is absolutely broke, so he drives a ratty Chrysler LHS. His antecedent cars included a 1988 Caprice in NYC Taxi livery, a hot-rodded Opel Diplomat, two Dodge Coronets, a Simca, a Fiat 600 and Austin Maestro. He has never endemic a diesel, chiral wagon.