The Magnificent Six
1:34pm Friday 18th January 2008
The all-new version of Mazda's flagship saloon, the 6, has arrived in the showrooms.
Completely revised, the new 6 is bigger and roomier than the previous model, itself a big seller both as a family and company car.
The 6 has sold 470,000 since its 2002 launch, 77,000 in the UK, and October sales figures show 3,600 units shifted here - a record for the month.
The company's build quality is now rightly considered as among the best, and so is its ability to provide remarkable value for money.
On top of that the Mazda6 was the top car in its segment for customer satisfaction in the benchmark JD Power reliability survey.
So it would seem a bit of a punt to stop making it and launch a completely new model.
We headed to the south of France to cruise the coast, mooch around the mountains and see whether the new model sits well along the ostentatious Cote d'Azur.
The old 6 is obviously a hard act to follow and it must have been a headache for the Mazda people to update and improve upon.
But it would seem the gamble has paid off - the car's a star, certainly in the 2.5-litre format I drove.
A thorough redesign has made it a stylish, sleek-looking machine, which hints at high quality, and confirms it on closer examination.
There's a good balance between driving stability and comfort - the drive is a smooth pleasure with bright performance and handling, a comfortable, quiet ride with creditably little road noise and an improvement of up to 12 per cent in fuel economy achieved by reduced weight and improved aerodynamics.
In fact, the new 6 has a best-in-class drag coefficient of just 0.27 for both the saloon and hatch, and it weighs up to 35kg less than the previous model - a weight drop is unusual in new cars these days.
The 2.5-litre, 170PS engine is torquier, more powerful and more fuel-efficient than the previous 2.3-litre unit and the cabin is roomier, quieter and more comfortable with better materials, plastics and fabrics.
And there's no question that the new 6 is aimed, and should compete well, towards the upper end of the segment.
The car felt just as much at home in town as it did on the motorways and during a bit of sporty fun round twisty mountain roads. Once again, the instruments and dials are well positioned and easy to use and the keyless entry system with stop/start button add to the rewarding ergonomics.
Among a host of improvements there's a new, very efficient, climate system, Mazda's new "cross-functional network" which basically gives much more control of the car's systems from the steering wheel, and a floor console with sliding leather armrest.
And top marks for engine noise; it's very quiet - in fact, it's hard to hear on tickover - until a subdued growl emanates at around 4,000rpm.
Long-distance fleet users should find their needs well catered for. And their wallets; the new models have significantly lower emissions, with a significant reduction in benefit-in-kind tax banding.
The launch line-up will consist of 16 models, in a selection of nice new colours, with a further nine estate models arriving in February. Prices range from £15,100 for the 1.8 hatchback to £22,040 for a top-of-the-range 2.0-litre diesel estate.
There are three petrol engines and one diesel in five equipment levels, including the new luxury SL grade.
As usual, Mazda is ensuring that at every level, the 6 will be highly-specced for its price band.
The 6 now undoubtedly sits swishly near the top of its sector - and, yes, it did look perfectly comfortable among the fleshpots and gigayachts of St Raphael, St Maxime and St Tropez.
So you'll be looking pretty cool in downtown St Helens then