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ar reviewers usually get more cranked up over a new pop-up toaster than a die-cut four-cylinder Japanese sedan. So what’s so exciting about the latest five-door Mazda? Step back from the new Mazda6 and you’re looking at a perfectly neat, unobtrusive, medium-sized car with sweet, clean lines and a mildly sporty profile. So
what? I hear you ask. Well, the cleverest things about the new Mazda6 Diesel are below the surface. Firstly, you’re looking at a minor moment in history. Yes, this is the only Japanese manufacturer to currently offer a diesel passenger car in a market increasingly obsessed with fuel prices and consumption. You’d have to go back a quarter century to the Isuzu-powered
Gemini, a practical but overwhelmingly uninspiring vehicle. This situation will change when other manufacturers inevitably follow suit, but full marks to Mazda for playing the first card in what will become a vigorous game when all Japanese manufacturers attempt to counter the European dominance in small diesel engines. Already a proven hit with petrol car OUTthere 57
ALLtorque
buyers, the svelte Mazda6 is not a styling gamble. Behind the wheel, it drives for all the world like a delightful little car should. Perky performance from the MZR-CD 2.0-litre common-rail turbo diesel sees 100km/h in less than 10 seconds and, with a hefty 360Nm of torque at just 2000 rpm (a standard Falcon has 380Nm), you can choof along confidently without a lead foot. The modest little diesel incorporates many state-of-the-art features for this “born again” engine type, including common rail injection, a variablegeometry turbocharger and ceramic fuel filters. With fuel economy in all conditions well under 6 litres/100kms, you can drive from Sydney to Brisbane 58 OUTthere
on a single 64-litre tank. Emissions, well below EU standards, are almost negligible, so any fears of trailing smokescreens can be quickly dismissed. Other features include a very respectable six-stacker CD system, six airbags and anti-lock, four-wheel ventilated disc brakes. The six-speed manual transmission will appeal to some and deter others, and it may be 12 months before an automatic version is available here. Available in both hatchback and the slightly cheaper wagon, Mazda is not overstating their sales potential, setting a target of just 50 vehicles per month of which 30, it says, will be the hatch. n
We liked: • • • • •
Staggering economy Silent, smooth drive train Elegant styling Confident handling Build quality
Not so keen on: • Manual-only transmission option (for now)