Firstly why can't Honda come up with adds like that!? So classy even with Kinky music included. [Great song that!]
It's a very nice design, so much more elegant than the Hyundai but once again I wonder how it will age? And Man and Machine?? I thought that was Honda's catch phrase??
Lastly, is it going to be rear wheel drive? In the promo they showed it in a drift - which could be done with FWD but not easily? Are they trying to fool the "un-washed" into thinking it can drift like a RWD car??
I can't deny it. No one can. This is a design slam dunk. We can pick and prod at the little things that didn't carry from the concept, but Mazda's new design language is (IMO) the best in the market segment. Better looking than that whale of a Ford Fusion. And definitely better than the new Accord. Understated classic lines are all fine and well, but when things like this come along, it really shows how far we've come in the automotive field. Lighter, more fuel efficient, bigger interior, BETTER TO DRIVE (presumably), and brilliant execution of both the interior and exterior. All the 2013 Accord really says to me is "I'm still here after a 5 year freshening up in the powder room."
At the same time, it pains me to see the "new" Accord be so vastly over-blown by a competitor released in the SAME MONTH. The Accord shines in a few areas, but I just don't see it stacking up well against the competition anymore. Time will tell.
sadlerau wrote: is it going to be rear wheel drive? In the promo they showed it in a drift - which could be done with FWD but not easily? Are they trying to fool the "un-washed" into thinking it can drift like a RWD car??
The Accord had a promotional spot similar to this with the coupe drifting along an dry lake bed of sorts a year or two ago. Had the same effect. I think companies just like to showcase how optimal fun conditions can unleash abnormally fun driving aspects. The 6 is a FWD car.
Mazda is already talking about a MazdaSpeed version with AWD and possibly a coupe too.
Powertrain is usually the achilles heel of a Mazda, so it will be interesting to see what powerplants the US gets. The 2.0L Sky-Activ is not powerful enough, the 2.5L Sky-Activ is a good entry motor at 189 hp, but will they have a range topper to compete against the V6 and turbo 4's of Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Ford?
Car & Driver had some details I havent seen before.
The weight it dropped is quite amazing --almost getting down to
Mazda3 territory. And very aero too!
Sounds like the 6 is not getting hot motors to begin with...
Mazda’s estimates for the 6’s weight are similarly impressive. Depending on the engine, the new car is 220 to 375 pounds lighter than a four-cylinder second-gen Mazda 6. A fully equipped Russian-market version of the new 6 is said to weigh just 3109 pounds,which not only makes it lighter than its classmates, but leaves it just slightly heavier than a Porsche Boxster S. Whoa. Thanks, high-strength steel.
Details are thin on the 6’s platform, but Mazda says that torsional rigidity is up 30 percent, and that noise, vibration, and harshness levels are improved. The suspension will use struts in the front and a multilink setup in the rear. The sheetmetal doesn’t just look good, it’s got a claimed drag coefficient of a low 0.26.
Not getting "hot" motors? The 2.0L is NOT coming to NA. Only the 2.5L and the 2.2L diesel later in the year.
The 2.5L seems to be more powerful than what Honda and Nissan are offering. Only question is what FE will it obtain? The Altima is the current benchmark....
sadlerau wrote: Firstly why can't Honda come up with adds like that!? So classy even with Kinky music included. [Great song that!]
It's a very nice design, so much more elegant than the Hyundai but once again I wonder how it will age? And Man and Machine?? I thought that was Honda's catch phrase??
Lastly, is it going to be rear wheel drive? In the promo they showed it in a drift - which could be done with FWD but not easily? Are they trying to fool the "un-washed" into thinking it can drift like a RWD car??
Honda's not a catch phrase, but a design principle, and it's not "Man and Machine", but "Man maximum Machine Minimum". You can tell that this Maza (like so many others) is designed from the outside, which helps making stunning designs which are beautiful to look at (like this one), while making cramped interiors not many like to spend time in.
PS: Still love the looks of this car, but personally the side profile/view has lost a lot on my book. I don't know exactly what it is, but it feels a bit too bulky (specially around the door handles), stopping to some extent the otherwise pleasant "flowing shape" coming from the front.
PS2: If this car was going to be RWD Mazda would have emphasized it like hell from day1, which they have not, so I don't think will be. Fancy drifts always do well alongside emotional designs to attract buyers. It is not about what anyone would do at the wheel, but about what the buyer's imagination and self portrait may be attracted to.
Damn, the concept and PROD vehicles are nearly identical except for a few details: bigger "eyes", lower front bumper cover, door mirrors, the rear door glass. Love the wheels.... wish the PROD versions had the "black out" centers.
Wow, VERY nice! Thanks for posting. If Mazda does not offer a V6 in this sleek new sedan, they are making a big mistake, imo. It's their "flagship", after all so I hope they do. I think Ford and Chevy will lose a good number of sales by not offering a V6 option in the new Fusion and Malibu. Buyers are not likely going to move up to the super-sized Taurus and next Impala to get a V6, if that is their plan. Seems it'll be if you want a midsize car with a V6, you are gonna be stuck with - and let's admit it - the relatively boring designs of the Accord and Camry or the dreadful CVT in the stylish Altima.
From a design perspective, this makes the new Accord look like it was designed in about 20 minutes in Microsoft Paint starting with an image of the 2011 Accord.
Hopefully Mazda can carry this language down to the 3 as well, because that little smiley robot face thing needs to go.
DCR wrote: From a design perspective, this makes the new Accord look like it was designed in about 20 minutes in Microsoft Paint starting with an image of the 2011 Accord.
Mazda's volume is much lower than the big 3 in Japan, so I don't see the benefit of a V6 Mazda6.
Mazda will likely offer the diesel as an option 173 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque and 40 mpg to compete against the hybrids.
MazdaSpeed6 with AWD and turbo seems like a possibility for the enthusiasts.
I applaud that a little player like Mazda is aiming big and is willing to invest heavily in new technologies. It benefits all of us and prompts others to innovate.
sadlerau wrote: Lastly, is it going to be rear wheel drive? In the promo they showed it in a drift - which could be done with FWD but not easily? Are they trying to fool the "un-washed" into thinking it can drift like a RWD car??
The thing is, Mazda came out this week and announced the video for the 2014 Mazda6 was filmed without a 2014 Mazda6. As Mazda explains in this photoset on their official Facebook page, filming began months ago before the actual new car was available.
So the clever folks at Mazda took two red 2012 models, did one of them up with special tracking markers, then used computer graphics and editing to make it look like a 2014 model.
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