The article was originally produced on April 20, 2013, some facts and prices may have changed since then.

Mazda6

With its new technology, Skyactive, and the design language Kodo, the Japanese car company has now released its third generation Mazda 6. On paper and in its appearance, this estate car is a hit and Cars Collection went to Lisbon to get a closer look at the new model.

In 2002, the Mazda 6 replaced the previous model with the designation 626. The new 6 shared a base plate with a number of other models within the Ford group. The Mazda 6 was the first car to use the design language "Zoom-Zoom", which has been a slogan in the brand's model program for the past ten years. So now the third generation 6 is here, the new design language is now called Kodo and stands for "Soul of Motion". The first car to go into production with this identity was the CX5. Let's come back later to what Kodo means and where to find your inspiration. What also unites the CX5 and the new 6 is the new Skyactive technology. This technology includes Mazda's way of making its models more efficient through a range of techniques. Among these we find extensive use of high-strength steel to reduce weight but at the same time increase safety and obtain a more torsionally rigid construction.

On arrival in a slightly gray Lisbon, the pulse still comes to life when the eyes fall on the blood-red Mazda 6 Wagon. Even the shapes of this traditional family station wagon also add increased pulse. The design language of Koda is very well thought out and almost no parts of the car have been left untouched. If we start with the front, it has the strong features of a cheetah. When a picture of a cheetah is later shown during the press conference, the lines are strikingly similar. It's easy to see the cheetah face of the Mazda 6 after that. Even the sides of the car have a line choice that brings to mind an animal in the middle of a leap with a taut and athletic body. That is exactly what Kodo, Soul of Motion, or translated into Swedish, the Sense of Movement, stands for. The design is neat and really appeals to the eye.

When you jump into the car, the pulse cools down a bit. Not because it is a boring interior, but because it is calmer than the exterior design. But the fact that it feels this way seems completely logical because calmness is preferable when you're behind the wheel. Since the previous version, the new one has become more mature and the colorful instrument lighting has been relegated to the archives of memories. Although it is incredibly delicious, the white leather upholstery on the seats may not be preferable if you have children and animals that will share the cabin.

The version that Domestic chose to test was the one with the big diesel engine and automatic transmission. A fantastic combination of a silky smooth engine and smooth 6-speed automatic transmission. In terms of performance, the Mazda 6 offers numbers that absolutely should not tire anyone. 0-100 is completed in 7.9 seconds and the top speed is around 220 km/h. One thing that is very interesting about the new Mazda 6 is the so-called i-Eloop system that recycles braking power. Similar technology is found in many other cars, but what differs here is how the power is collected and can be recycled. Mazda uses a supercapacitor that can be charged and discharged more efficiently and faster than other systems. The electricity that is recycled is then used for the car's power consumption, e.g. AC, stereo.

Previous models of the Mazda 6 have suffered from a lot of tire noise. This has obviously been taken to heart, because the new Mazda 6 has a very comfortable sound level in the cabin. The test drive around Lisbon offers several different road conditions and even when it is at its worst, you are not significantly disturbed by noise. When the speed crosses our Swedish borders, the level of wind noise and road noise is within a reasonable level. The character of the car at these speeds also feels very stable and very safe.

The new model has not increased in price since its predecessor, something that can be seen as unusual in today's car world. What has happened, however, and which is also part of the norm, is that the car has grown since the previous model. Eleven centimeters have been added to the length and the wheelbase has increased by three centimeters. This means better legroom in the back seat and a more spacious luggage compartment.

After a couple of days in the driver's seat of the new Mazda 6 Wagon, it's hard not to like this car very much. It is incredibly stylish, it is comfortable and it has lots of modern technology that makes it both economical and safe. So with hindsight, we can safely state that the new Mazda 6 also hits the spot in real life!