Autoblog

Mazda6 Skyactiv-D racecar gets first win at Road Atlanta

Seyth Miersma — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:27:00 EST

Mazda has a long motorsports history, and one that is peppered with fascinating cars. The latest chapter in Mazda's racing story has just been written, as Joel Miller and Andrew Carbonell have driven the Visit Florida Racing Mazda6 Skyactiv-D to the car's first ever victory at the Rolex Grand-Am GX race at Road Atlanta. The win marks the first ever for Mazda's diesel-burning, production-car based Skyactiv-D racer, and the first win for a diesel-powered car in a Grand-Am event.

In fact, it was a particularly good day for the Mazda Motorsports team, as a Mazda6 also picked up the third finishing spot at Road Atlanta. Director of Mazda Motorsports, John M. Doonan, said of the racecar, "We've always said that the best street cars make the best racecars, and, with more than half of the components in the race engine being shared with the street engine, this program is a solid proof-point."

SpeedSource Engineering, which helped to build the Mazda6 racer, was greatly heartened by the car's performance in just it's fourth-ever race. Owner Sylvain Tremblay called the victory, "a tribute to the thousands of hours of hard work over many months," continuing, "The normal plan with a new car is to spend the first year in development, the second year seeking race wins, and challenging for a championship in year three. We are already at our year-two status after four races. We can't wait to get to the Belle Isle course in Detroit for round five."

Continue reading Mazda6 Skyactiv-D racecar gets first win at Road Atlanta

Mazda6 Skyactiv-D racecar gets first win at Road Atlanta originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mazda announces diesel engine for Mazda6, larger 2.5L for CX-5

Zach Bowman — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Sedan, Crossover, Mazda, Diesel

As we reported earlier, Mazda is making some waves at the 2012 LA Auto Show by announcing the 2014 Mazda6 sedan will bow with a 2.2-liter clean-diesel engine under its hood in North America. The Skyactiv-D engine will show up on the option sheet after the Mazda6 sedan goes on sale in January with its 2.5-liter gasoline four-cylinder engine. The move makes Mazda the first Japanese manufacturer to offer a diesel engine in the mid-sized segment in the US (the Volkswagen Passat also offers one), and the company says the Skyactiv-D-powered Mazda6 will also benefit from the manufacturer's brake energy regeneration system, i-Eloop.

The vehicle will be available with either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission, and Environmental Protection Agency fuel economy estimates are still pending, as are official power figures. Expect to hear more solid details once the the vehicle launches in January.

Meanwhile, the 2014 CX-5 will offer buyers a larger 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine in Touring and Grand Touring models, in addition to the current 2.0-liter four-cylinder offered across its entire range of trim levels. The new engine delivers 184 horsepower and 185 pound-feet of torque (up from 155 hp and 150 lb/ft for the 2.0-liter) and shuttles power to the ground via a six-speed automatic transmission. The EPA expects to see 25 mpg city and 32 mpg highway from front-wheel-drive models. Those numbers slip to 24 mpg city and 30 mpg highway on all-wheel-drive models.

Continue reading Mazda announces diesel engine for Mazda6, larger 2.5L for CX-5

Mazda announces diesel engine for Mazda6, larger 2.5L for CX-5 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Nov 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2014 Mazda6 to spawn coupe and Mazdaspeed variants?

Zach Bowman — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Japan, Mazda, Russia

Word has it Mazda may be mulling a return to the coupe market with a two-door version of its shapely new Mazda6. Auto Express cites unnamed sources as saying the car will bow at the Moscow Motor Show next year and will likely feature the 2.2-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder engine found in the sedan. Good for 173 horsepower, that mill can hustle the four-door to 60 mph in under 7.8 seconds. But Mazda may also turn out a quicker MPS trim (read: Mazdaspeed) when it comes to the coupe, complete with a turbocharged gasoline four cylinder with upwards of 260 hp.

According to the report, there's also some indication the MPS version of the coupe will bow with an all-wheel drive system borrowed from the CX-5 crossover. Both products share basic architecture, theoretically making it easier to swap parts between the two. Auto Express says the two door could bow as early as 2014 with the high-performance variant following along shortly thereafter. Stay tuned.

2014 Mazda6 to spawn coupe and Mazdaspeed variants? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Mazda6 teased yet again, full profile revealed [w/video]

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 12:59:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Mazda, Design/Style

The painfully slow striptease of the next Mazda6 continues unabated. Fortunately for us, the Japanese automaker has seen fit to reveal the car's full profile, albeit in a video that never shows the car in its entirety.

We've gone ahead and created a composite image based on screen captures - it's far from perfect, but hopefully it gives us an idea of how Mazda's swoopy new family sedan is shaping up. Click on the image above to see it in high resolution.

As before, we see clear evidence that Mazda is using the Kodo "Soul of Motion" design language of its Takeri Concept as the starting point for the 6's shape, and that's a good thing. We're expecting four-cylinder power relying heavily on Mazda's Skyactiv fuel-saving technology.

Fell free to have a gander at teasers one, two and three, then satiate your voyeuristic notions by scrolling down below for the latest video.

Continue reading New Mazda6 teased yet again, full profile revealed [w/video]

New Mazda6 teased yet again, full profile revealed [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Jul 2012 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Third Mazda6 teaser released, has us seeing red

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Videos, Mazda, Design/Style

Mazda is only giving us tapas-sized video bites of its upcoming Mazda6, but at least each bite comes quickly. Just days after the second teaser came out, our third view of the sedan reveals some unexpected inspiration from the Takeri concept: its paint. The Takeri show car was a deep, lustrous red; the Mazda6 in the videos is called Soul Red, said by Mazda to use "an innovative new paint process... to capture both the deepness and vividness of the colour, highlighting the cars sleek design."

Its color and its shape are still looking good. Have a look for yourself in the 27 seconds of teasing in the video below.

Continue reading Third Mazda6 teaser released, has us seeing red

Third Mazda6 teaser released, has us seeing red originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Second Mazda6 teaser shows even less

Jonathon Ramsey — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 14:01:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Videos, Mazda, Design/Style

Since the first 21-second teaser was obviously too much for you, Mazda has lopped a whole second off the second video tease for the Mazda6. This one shows some seriously swaged sheetmetal leading up to and running through the A-pillar. And that's really about it.

We know there will be influence from the handsome Takeri Concept Car and four-cylinder power, and after about 68 more of these teaser videos, we should know what the car itself looks like. Have a gander at the promo below.

Continue reading Second Mazda6 teaser shows even less

Second Mazda6 teaser shows even less originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Jul 2012 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Mazda6 teaser is out

Zach Bowman — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 13:29:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Etc., Japan, Videos, Mazda, Design/Style

Don't blink, or you might just miss the first teaser for the next-generation Mazda6. Mazda has released a 21-second spot designed to give the world a glimpse of the company's new sedan. From the look of things, the Mazda6 will borrow heavily from the Takeri Concept Car we saw debut at the Tokyo Motor Show last year. While details remain scarce about the upcoming model, rumor has it the four-door may bow with nothing but four-cylinder engines under the hood. Automakers like Chevrolet, Hyundai and Kia have already embraced that move for their family sedans, resulting in lighter, more efficient platforms.

Whether or not Mazda does eschew a traditional V6 engine engine for a four-pot, odds are buyers will find a Skyactiv mill behind the headlights. That means direct injection will make a showing on the car for the first time in the model's history. Currently, the most powerful Skyactiv four-cylinder in the Mazda stable tops out at 155 horsepower, which would be low for an entry-level model in this segment. We expect a more powerful tune of the 2.0-liter Skyactiv engine in the Mazda3 to be the base powerplant, but we imagine the technology will need to be mated with either a larger-displacement block or forced induction if Mazda intends to stay competitive with other automakers' higher-power engine options. Check out the teaser video below.

Continue reading First Mazda6 teaser is out

First Mazda6 teaser is out originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mazda6 coupe coming?

Zach Bowman — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 09:57:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Mazda, Rumormill

The web has fired up an interesting bit of rumor concerning the next-generation Mazda6. British auto magazine WhatCar? reports that a shadowy senior official within the Japanese automaker has confirmed that a coupe version will bow after the current sedan's successor debuts in a little over a year.

The 2013 Mazda6 is set to hit the market in January 2013, and WhatCar? reports that the coupe version may not touch down until 2014 or later. That's a long, long way off, and there's no guarantee that, even if the model becomes a reality, it will be sold in the States. All of which means we're taking this one with a Mazda6-sized grain of salt.

Still, WhatCar? reports the coupe version of the Mazda6 will make use of the same SkyActiv tech found in the four-door, including a weight-saving design, small displacement engines with forced-induction and new transmissions. Still, we like the sound of an attractive two-door designed to give the Honda Accord Coupe and Nissan Altima two-door some competition, especially if it comes packing excellent fuel economy.

Mazda6 coupe coming? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Dec 2011 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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