Suddenly Serious: Mazda6 2.3L

Forgive us for saying this, but this is the car that Mazda Philippines should have rolled out when they first introduced the "6"-series in February 2004. For the Mazda6 is conceptually the sports sedan for the masses, if a P1.3-million (and change) car can be called something for the mass market.

See, when we’re thinking of the things that endear a car to driving nuts, err, enthusiasts, we’re so often used to associating zoom-y adjectives to sedans like "dynamic handling" and "razor-sharp steering" to such high-rolling badges as BMW and Audi because, hell, they wrote the book on sports sedans: Bimmers for rear-wheel drive, Audis for come-what-may all-wheel drive.

So, you’ll understand why we kept our Thesauri in the drawer when we first came across the Mazda6, why we stopped short of telling you this is the car you should buy if you crave sport sedan dynamics but are a few mill short of that dream Bimmer.

When the car was first unveiled, we loved its svelte lines, its unabashedly sporty demeanor, the way its chassis came alive whenever the road turned twisty. What we didn’t love was the power, or more correctly, the lack of. C’mon, 131 horsepower? Even base models of the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry offered more thrust. And a 4-speed automatic, with no manual override? Aahhh, good luck, Mazda.

Fast forward to more than a year later and it’s obvious that the product had limited appeal to all but a few buyers, while Honda and Toyota (okay, Nissan too…) dominated the already-limited market for such cars. Meanwhile, Mazda concentrated on the 3, a car so packed with value-added features in a body so desirable that, until now, we’re hard-pressed to think of anything really serious to complain about.

But times change. People come around, and whatever was the reason for why Mazda couldn’t give the market what it really wanted in the 6, we’re glad to say that it’s finally the car that should have first bowed to the public not so long ago. This time around, we won’t be afraid to tell you that the car rocks the boat when it comes to executive sedan performance.

This time, the Mazda6 coming up fast in your rear-view mirror might just blow you away. Chief among the car’s improvements is, obviously, the engine. Although it’s still not a contender to the horsepower and displacement wars when you compare it to the top-of-the-line Accord (3.0 V6: 240 HP) and Camry (3.0 V6:212 HP), it does rule the roost, albeit narrowly, when comparing the 4-cylinder models. The 2.3-liter of the Mazda is a state-of-the-art, MZR-series, DOHC 16-valve design with Sequential Valve Timing and a Variable Intake System. Maximum power is 164 HP at 6,500 rpm, 4 more than the Accord 2.4-liter, and 7 more than the Camry 2.4-liter.

More to the point, it has the best power-to-weight ratio among the three, the motor having to pull only 8.79 kilos per horse while the Camry must propel 8.98 and the Accord 9.21 kilos of curb weight, respectively. Making things even more interesting, Mazda now equips the 6 with a better transmission: a 5-speed automatic with the nifty "Activematic" manual override. With relatively short throttle pedal travel and a light flywheel, the motor now zings to the redline with gusto, emitting a mellifluous snarl past 4,000 rpm. Not quite as macho as a V6’s, but almost as satisfying. We’re talking serious driving stuff now, people.

Just to keep things interesting for those who might actually find such technical discussions academic (but irrelevant, if one is condemned to merely driving in the city), the car also sports some aesthetic refinements, as well as some hedonistic concessions. The most obvious change has to do with the front, with its "smoked" High Intensity Discharge headlamps flanking a revised grille, which when combined with more sculpted front bumper, creates a streamlined look that might have come out of Audi’s design studios a few years back. The wheels are now 17-inch, 10-spokers wearing 45-series rubber. The overly ambitious rear wing of before is gone, replaced by a much more subtle ducktail capping a neat rear end punctuated by similarly smoked-effect taillamps. Oh, and it has dual tailpipes. Very nice.

Inside, there was little to fault about the cockpit when we first rode it last year, but a few refinements make it even better. Plush, black leather upholstery is now standard, the dash now has gloss black and chrome accents for that elegant touch, and the driver now gets an 8-way power adjustable driver’s seat. The Mazda6 is ostensibly a 5-passenger sedan, but really, if you’re not planning to do your own driving, you’ll never understand what all the hullabaloo is about. Just so we can put down the Mazda literature already, it now has a total of 6 airbags (front, side, and curtain), has a 5-star rating with Euro NCAP crash safety standards, and arguably the best cockpit in its class.

Yes, it has a power moonroof. Yes, it has steering-wheel mounted stereo controls, and automatic climate control. But what should make you care is that, from the moment you plant your bum in the left-front seat, everything related to driving fast just works. The steering column is tilt and telescopic adjustable, and it is perfectly aligned with the seat as a sport sedan’s should be. The dead pedal is right where you’d like to rest your left foot, the throttle and brake pedals are practically telepathic in responsiveness, and the whole chassis-powertrain combination is so dialed-in that it will make even the most inept driver look good. Not that we are inept, of course.

Let us explain. Contrary to what you might think, we are not Horsepower Snobs. Rather, we love cars that are just as fast in a straight line as they are in the curves. All too often a car will be good in one aspect but not so good in another. Powerful front-wheel drive cars will often be quick in a drag race, but pit them against comparatively weaker (but better-balanced) rear-wheel drivers in the mountains and the latter will win. Or if it doesn’t, at least it will deliver a much more satisfying, controllable experience.

The Mazda6 is the rare car that is good in both aspects. Although it’s not an overwhelmingly powerful front-wheel driver, it possesses the most balanced and responsive chassis we’ve come across in years. Almost like a BMW’s, actually, and we all know that BMW’s are renowned rear-wheel drivers.

Credit the Mazda’s chassis prowess to a combination of sophisticated suspension design, tuning, and low center of gravity. The front uses a high-mount double wishbone setup, while the back uses an E-type multi-link. It’s the same design adapted for the smaller Mazda3, and we all know how well that car drives.

With the sharpest steering we’ve ever come across to point the front end with and a 5-speed shifter to do the rowing, the Mazda6 attacked the zigzagging road of Tagaytay Highlands in our preview drive with gusto. Downhill and uphill, the initial understeer gave way to near-neutral handling at the limit. Body roll and dive are extremely modest for the class, and only the shrieking of the tires (and your passengers) at the limit of adhesion tell you that you’re going faster than you’d expect of a car in its category.

The chassis is also remarkably forgiving of "uh-oh" maneuvers, such as deep, mid-corner braking. Stab the brakes in the middle of a fast sweeper and the tail does its level best to keep from spinning out, the tires telling you just when they’re really about to let go of the road. Keep standing on the brakes and the ABS finally kicks in, letting you steer away from trouble with little drama. In concert with the better drivetrain, getting from zig to zag is now a highly entertaining, much more satisfying experience than before. All this without sacrificing ride comfort. It still rides as supply as before, firm but not bouncing you around like your kid’s pimped-out compact.

Simply put, if you like how the Mazda3 drives, you’ll finally love the Mazda6. With the new 2.3-liter motor, it now has an almost perfect combination of power and chassis refinement to make driving the adventure that it should be. We held back on the superlatives with the first Mazda6 we got our hands on a year ago, but not anymore. Heck, we probably just about exceeded our quota on adjectives with this one story.