The brand new, completely redesigned 2014 Mazda 6 is one of the most exciting car offerings of this model year. Having gained a loyal following over the years with its great handling and exterior style, the newly designed car offers fuel economy better than ever before as well as some fantastic technologies to fill the bill any owner would be looking for in a mid-sized sedan.
Not only is the Mazda 6 completely redesigned and retooled but this car went to the daring by cutting out the six cylinder engine in chasing a vast amount of fuel economy and power combined in one. In addition to creating a great car with a smaller more efficient engine, the Mazda 6 also comes equipped with a ton of great safety technologies to really help keep the occupants as safe as possible. So much are the safety features that the car earned the attention of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and won the award for Top Safety Pick Plus in the Mid-Sized Sedan category when the vehicle is equipped with the optional front crash prevention equipment.
Even with only a four-cylinder engine offering, the Mazda 6 performs expertly in and out of traffic on any drive. By giving the car a stiffer body and more dialed-in suspension the ride and handling are much better than many cars in the class. Handling turns and soaking up the pavement problems like a champ, this vehicle performs very well under any driving conditions. Adding to the suspension is the fully electric power steering that response with severe quickness to any and all steering inputs creating a car that takes corners and handles quick steering with ease and more than enough power to get the job done.
Offering innovative technologies by Mazda called the Skyactiv technologies; the gasoline fueled engine is a 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder engine with the Skyactiv-G technology offering 184 horsepower and 185 lb.-ft. of torque. Allowing two possible transmissions to partner with this great engine the six-speed manual transmission (Skyactiv-MT) offers a fuel economy of 25 city/37 hwy mpg and the six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (Skyactiv-Drive) brings in 26 city/38 hwy mpg. These transmissions really help increase the fuel economy without dragging down the power by being lightweight compared to competitors’ models.
Offering a generous amount of exquisite materials throughout the interior, the car is comfortable and soft to the touch, almost seeming to be a luxury vehicle. With a sweeping dashboard full of easy to use and brightly lit instruments for the driver, the seat resembles a cockpit of a plane much more than just the controls of a family sedan. Comfort is found throughout the car for all passengers, with a wider wheel base than most in the class the car situates three adults easily and comfortably in the backseat as needed, along with a really cool feature of a smaller diameter steering wheel, this car is ready to go from the inside out.
Speaking of the outside, the fully redesigned look of the Mazda 6 offers a sporty, eye-appealing, and speedy look to the exterior that is hard to look away from. Offering excellent lines and curves all over the car along with a sweeping hood and roof angle the car is poetry in motion. The front end features a smiling grill that shows how happy it is to be eating up the road; adding in the wrapped headlights and the curves that reach all the way to the rear of the vehicle have begun. The wheels finish off the great looks of this car with a strong spoke-inspired look to give a flash of brilliance and speed to the car.
Even on the base model the standard features list is very lengthy, giving any owner a lot for their money. The list of standard features includes 17-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, power mirrors, automatic headlight shutoff, push-button start, power windows, a 60/40 split rear fold-down seat, cruise control, a tilt/telescoping steering wheel, audio and cruise controls mounted on the steering wheel, air conditioning with a pollen filter, and a six-speaker audio system with SiriusXM satellite radio.
With that list of standard features, what else could really be added to make it even better? How about a list of optional features that includes such equipment as a 5.8 –inch touch screen infotainments system, Bluetooth connectivity, an 11-speaker Bose Surround Sound System for the Grand Touring model, options text message viewing, the Smart City Brake Support System, and a speech recognition system to send messages while driving. With this list of options a great deal of technology is added to an already technologically advanced vehicle making this a fun, easy, and well-connected car to drive.
Amazingly the Mazda 6 starts at a base price around $21,000 making it one of the most affordable cars in its class for the base model. What’s even more surprising is the amount of standard equipment the car has for this price. At the mid-range for the Touring model the base price starts around $25,000 and includes a great list of features including the dual-zone automatic climate control. At the top end, the Grand Touring model starts just under $30,000 and adds a lot of extras like a power moon roof, 19-inch platinum silver alloy wheels, and steering wheel mounted paddle shifters. At any of these prices the Mazda 6 is a great offering and a very affordable, fuel efficient car to own and drive.
Having been named as an IIHS award winner as well as being a great value for a mid-sized sedan the Mazda 6 comes in redesigned and ready to take over the class. Zooming to the top is what Mazda’s goal is and with this car they are well on their way along with offering a great car at an easy to love price.
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