• First Drive: Mazda6

    by  • January 30, 2013 • Car Reviews, First Drives

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    2013 Mazda6 range Saloon Tourer

    Both the Saloon and Tourer variants of the new Mazda6 are handsome looking cars

    The all new Mazda6 has arrived in Ireland and the Japanese car maker is hoping it will become the ‘new benchmark in the large family car segment’, attracting new customers while retaining current drivers.

    We got a chance to take the new Mazda6 for a spin across challenging terrain at its Irish launch in Co Wicklow this week and we were pretty impressed with it.

    The test car was a 2.2-litre 150ps diesel Mazda6 Sport Tourer with a six-speed manual transmission.

    First off, the new Mazda6 is a far more attractive looking car than the outgoing model. Channeling the new design and the distinctive nose of the Mazda CX-5, the Mazda6 Tourer is a beautiful looking estate.

    Inside is roomy, with great leg room back and front.

    The boot in this car, as you’d expect, is absolutely massive – and can be made even bigger by lowering the rear seats.

    The driver-focused cockpit has a premium feel to it. The centre console is segmented, with the touch screen infotainment unit integrated into the dashboard rather than sitting at the top of the centre console column.

    2013 Mazda6 interior cockpit

    The interior of the new Mazda6 looks and feels luxurious

    The all new Mazda6 also features Mazda’s SkyActive technology, which aims to deliver lower emissions and best in class fuel economy without affecting the drive of the car.

    Mazda prides itself as being a driver’s car and the winding backroads around Aughrim in Co Wicklow provided a great test track.

    We drove the car on a woefully wet and miserable day and some of the roads we travelled on were little more than a strip of surface between giant rain filled potholes but in the Mazda6 Tourer we hardly noticed them at all.

    Although many manufacturers are now starting to put quality time into estate cars, for the most part they still haven’t lost their boring and workhorse-like reputation.

    However, in the Mazda6 Tourer you didn’t feel like you were driving an estate, it was fun behind the wheel and some thought had also been put into the interior design.

    I found it had great acceleration and handled even the roughest roads with ease, while gliding along the more civilised national routes.

    I also thought both the engine and the cabin were exceptionally quiet.

    2013 Mazda6 Tourer exterior left side dynamic

    The Mazda6 Tourer is a stylish, slightly muscular looking estate model

    Mazda reckons the mid-range Sport model will be the big seller in both the Tourer and Saloon variants, with a 2.2-litre diesel the engine of choice.

    Cruise control, climate control, Bluetooth, 5.8″ touch screen multimedia system, front and rear parking sensors and low impact collision prevention system Smart City Brake Support are all standard on this trim.

    The Mazda6 is also available in four new colours – Meteor Grey Mica, Blue Reflex Mica, Jet Black Mica and Soul Red Metallic.

    Our first impressions from a short drive in this car were good, and we can’t wait to see what it has to offer on a longer test run.

    Prices for the all new Mazda6 start from €28,745, with the diesel Sport saloon available from €31,795.

    Visit the Mazda Ireland website or its Facebook page for further details.

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