The 2013 Mazda6 has been revealed in its entire, striking sedan form at the 2012 Moscow motor show.
Mazda’s new range of pictures, which follow previous teaser shots, show the Japanese car maker will have a dynamic-looking vehicle to take on medium-car rivals such as the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord Euro and Ford Mondeo from early 2013.
The third iteration of the Mazda6 since it replaced the 626 in 2002 is the company’s second model to be built from the ground up using its Skyactiv technologies aimed at fuel use reduction.
It follows the CX-5 SUV with which it shares its platform, though the Mazda6 is the brand’s first vehicle to feature a new brake energy recuperation system it calls i-Eloop.
The set-up incorporates a capacitor that stores electrical energy when the driver steps off the accelerator and distributes it to power the car’s electronics.
The 2013 Mazda6 retains the key proportions and elegant shape of the Mazda Takeri concept that previewed the medium car at last November’s 2011 Tokyho motor show. It is 130mm longer and 45mm wider than the outgoing model, moving to an overall length of 4865mm and overall width of 1840mm.
105mm of the body’s extra length is used up in a stretched wheelbase, which helps liberate 37mm more rear legroom. Mazda says the increased body width also increases rear shoulder space by 20mm.
The Mazda6’s interior is a near facsimile of the CX-5’s cabin, including a dash, centre stack and centre console layout that is virtually identical save for subtle differences such as air vent and heating/ventilation panel design.
The multifunction steering wheel and 5-inch colour satellite navigation screen are the same as the CX-5’s.
The Mazda6, however, features a stylish sweep of dark red metallic across the dash, which itself blends more harmoniously with the door trim compared with the CX-5’s cabin design.
Mazda says soft-touch materials have also been placed in key areas where driver and passengers are most likely to interact with, such as the doors and upper dash section.
A wider-opening aperture allows easier access to the 483-litre boot.
In addition to i-Eloop, other technologies in the new Mazda6 will include an intelligent headlight system that will switch from high to main beam if its sensor detects oncoming traffic as well as peering around corners, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, and a Smart City Brake Support system that will autonomously brake the Mazda6 to a standstill from up to 30km/h if the driver hasn’t reacted to an obstruction ahead.
Mazda Australia says it will confirm more details, including drivetrains, for local versions of the Mazda6 closer to its local debut at the 2012 Sydney motor show in mid October.
The company released details of two petrol engines that will power the Mazda6 in the Russian market.
A 110kW/210Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder is mated to either a manual or automatic transmission with six speeds and is available locally in the Mazda CX-5.
The alternative is a 2.5-litre four-cylinder with 141kW of power and 256Nm of torque, teamed with the six-speed only.
Mazda’s i-Stop engine stop-start system is available with the 2.0-litre petrol auto and fractionally improves fuel consumption from 6.1L/100km to 5.9L/100km, according to Mazda’s target data for the all-new 6.
The i-Eloop system is tied with the 2.5-litre petrol that has target combined fuel consumption of 6.4L/100km.
The CX-5’s 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel wasn’t mentioned in the Moscow show release but will also be among the Mazda6’s engine options in other markets.
A wagon version of the Mazda6 will make an appearance at the 2012 Paris motor show. The ‘liftback’ hatch version of the current model has been dropped as predicted by CarAdvice last November.
A four-door coupe version of the new Mazda6 is also rumoured to be in the pipeline, creating a rival for the Volkswagen CC.
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