Mazda 6

Official distributor of Mazda vehicles in Malaysia, Bermaz Motor, has introduced the upgraded Mazda 6 for the 2023 model year. 

Fully-imported (CBU - Japan), the D-segment model comes in two body styles (sedan, estate/wagon) and three variants (2.0L Sedan - MYR 180,359, 2.5L Touring - MYR 230,848, 2.5L High Plus Sedan ‘20th Anniversary Edition’ - MYR 240,848).

Prices (OTR, w/o insurance) include a five-year/100,000 KM manufacturer warranty, and a five-year/100,000 KM free scheduled maintenance.

Ten exterior colours. Soul Red Crystal, Machine Grey, Arctic White, Deep Crystal Blue, Sonic Silver, Jet Black, Rhodium White, Polymetal Grey, Platinum Quartz, and Artisan Red (2.5L High Plus Sedan).

The new Mazda 6 has a tiered dashboard design that is practical and premium-looking, with high levels of craftsmanship. 

Draped in black leather, details are in brown (2.0L Sedan), burgundy (2.5L Touring) and tan (2.5L High Plus Sedan). 

Accentuating the layout are silver trimmings (dashboard, steering wheel, centre console, doors).

Button accessibilities are well put. Seamlessly-integrated, driver-oriented and non-cluttered with easy reachability.

Variant 2.0L Sedan gets a 4.6-Inch TFT-LCD standard instrument cluster.

Variant 2.5L Touring sees a 4.6-Inch colour TFT-LCD Multi-Information Display (MID) instrument cluster.

Variant 2.5L High Plus Sedan with a 7.0-Inch colour TFT-LCD Multi-Information Display (MID) instrument cluster.

Upgrade, variants 2.5L Touring and 2.5L High Plus Sedan feature an Active Driving Display heads-up unit (HUD - colour windshield-projection).

Luxurious, interior of the five-seater (sedan, estate/wagon) comes in variant-specific full leather upholsteries.

Hues are in black (2.0L Sedan), burgundy (2.5L Touring), and tan with front headrests embossed ’20th Anniversary Edition’ logo (2.5L High Plus Sedan).

Standard, the front seats get 10-way (driver) and six-way (passenger) electric-adjustments, with two-position memory (driver) and ventilation functions.

The rear features a bench seat with a 60:40 split-fold configuration, and a fold-out centre armrest.

Complementing the environment is an ambient lighting system, and a glass sunroof (front - electric - tilt, slide).

Cabin space is comfortable. Plenty of head, shoulder and leg rooms, providing front and rear occupants ample mobility.

Overall space is sufficient and borderline generous, for both the sedan and estate/waggon body types.

Mounted is a three-spoke black leather with silver trimming steering wheel.

Incorporated are multi-switches (Bluetooth, hands-free, audio, cruise control), paddle shifters, and column adjustments (tilt, telescopic).

Steering is aided by an Electronic Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) system.

Numerous storage areas. E.g., side door and back seat pockets, glove box, partitioned centre console spaces, and armrest pockets.

Provided are four cup holders (two - front, rear) and four bottle holders (two - front, rear - door pockets). 

Installed are four USB ports (front, rear), one 12 V socket (front), and one wireless charger (front).

Accessing its powered-tailgate (remote-operated - key-fob) opens up to 489-Litres (2.0L Sedan, 2.5L High Plus Sedan) and 522-Litres (2.5L Touring) of boot space. 

Weighing in at 1,515 KG (2.0L Sedan), 1,605 KG (2.5L Touring) and 1,592 KG (2.5L High Plus Sedan), the new Mazda 6 stands at 4,865 MM (2.0L Sedan, 2.5L High Plus Sedan) and 4,800 MM (2.5L Touring) long, 1,840 MM wide, 1,450 MM (2.0L Sedan, 2.5L High Plus Sedan) and 1,480 MM (2.5L Touring) tall, and with a wheelbase spanning 2,830 MM (2.0L Sedan, 2.5L High Plus Sedan) and 2,750 MM (2.5L Touring).

Robustly elegant and sporty, the exterior showcases a prowling-like stance, merging smooth surfaces with sharp creases.

The front-end sees Mazda’s grille finished in black (2.0L Sedan, 2.5L Touring) and gunmetal (2.5L High Plus Sedan).

Cradling it is Mazda’s wing trim finished in silver (2.0L Sedan), black (2.5L Touring) and gunmetal (2.5L High Plus Sedan).

Exclusive fitment, variant 2.5L High Plus Sedan features a 20th Anniversary Edition badging (fender).

Sporty and curvy, the rear-end further complements the refined design with clean and seamless surfaces.

Variants 2.0L Sedan and 2.5L High Plus Sedan see a short-overhang saloon roofline, while variant 2.5L Touring with an estate/wagon roofline.

Featured is a dual-exhaust fitment, and trimmings in silver (2.0L Sedan), black (2.5L Touring) and gunmetal (2.5L High Plus Sedan).

Framed angularly sharp and slim, the headlamps project a focused outlook. Fitted are full LED units with signature illumination.

Features are LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL), and automatic On/Off and levelling functions. 

Wrapped-around, the tail lamps are housed sharply rounded, slim (2.0L Sedan, 2.5L High Plus Sedan) and wide (2.5L Touring). 

Incorporated are LED combination units with signature illumination, and paired to the set are LED fog lamps.

The body-coloured (2.0L Sedan, 2.5L High Plus Sedan) and black-capped (2.5L Touring) side mirrors are electronically-powered (adjust, auto-fold) with turn indicators. 

Variants 2.5L Touring and 2.5L High Plus Sedan, add on blind spot indicators (Blind Spot Monitoring - BSM).

Mounted is a setup of ventilated (front) and solid (rear) brake discs, aided by an Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold system.

Installed are 17-Inch (2.0L Sedan) and 19-Inch (2.5L Touring, 2.5L High Plus Sedan), multi-spoke alloy rims, in silver (2.0L Sedan), black (2.5L Touring) and bright metallic (2.5L High Plus Sedan), rubbered-up in 225/55 R17 (2.0L Sedan) and 225/45 R19 (2.5L Touring, 2.5L High Plus Sedan) tyres.

The new Mazda 6 comes with the Mazda i-ACTIVSENSE suite (2.5L Touring, 2.5L High Plus Sedan) of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). 

Grouped are Adaptive led Headlights (ALH), Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS), Lane-Keep Assist System (LAS), Driver Attention Alert (DAA) with Driver Monitoring, Smart Brake Support (SBS) with Front and Rear, Mazda Radar Cruise Control (MRCC) with Stop/Go, and Cruising and Traffic Support (CTS).

Standard systems include Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Traction Control System (TCS), Emergency Stop Signal (ESS), Hill Launch Assist (HLA), and Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold function.

Passive safety comprises six airbags (driver-passenger, front side, front-rear curtain), seat belts (anchors, reminders, pre-tensioners), ISOFIX (anchors, top tethers), frameless rear-view mirror (interior - auto-dimming), parking sensors (four - front, rear), parking cameras (reverse with guideline - 2.0L Sedan, 360-degree view monitor - 2.5L Touring, 2.5L High Plus Sedan), engine-immobiliser with anti-theft system, auto-door-lock, and walk-away-lock.

Two drive modes available - Normal and Sport.

Standard, installed is an 8.0-Inch Mazda Connect digital touchscreen infotainment system, supporting multi-function commander control, voice recognition, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity (wireless), and navigation. 

The Mazda G-Vectoring Control Plus (GVC Plus) technology helps improve steering response, in turn, making the driving more proficient and intuitive. 

Paired with the Mazda i-ACTIVSENSE suite of ADAS, cruising through the city or speeding through the highway will be a more relaxing experience.

Incorporated is a six-speaker standard (2.0L Sedan) setup, and an 11-speaker Bose audio system (2.5L Touring, 2.5L High Plus Sedan).

Nestled in the new Mazda 6 is Mazda’s SkyActiv-G petrol powertrain, with variant-specific tunings. 

Variant 2.0L Sedan features a SkyActiv-G 2.0-Litre, naturally-aspirated, four-cylinder 16-valve, DOHC with VVT engine, producing 162 HP at 6,000 RPM and 213 NM of torque at 4,000 RPM. 

Variants 2.5L Touring and 2.5L High Plus Sedan get a SkyActiv-G 2.5-Litre, naturally-aspirated, four-cylinder 16-valve, DOHC with VVT engine, producing 192 HP at 6,000 RPM and 258 NM of torque at 4,000 RPM. 

Fitted is a SkyActiv-Drive six-speed automatic with manual shift mode transmission.

Power is sent to the front wheels (2WD). 

Top speed is 205 KM/H (2.0L Sedan), 219 KM/H (2.5L Touring) and 223 KM/H (2.5L High Plus Sedan). 

Standard (sedan, estate/wagon), the fuel tank capacity is 62-Litres.

The new Mazda 6 features the Mazda Advanced Keyless Entry with engine Start/Stop button, automatic walk-away-lock function, Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold, glass sunroof (front - electric - tilt, slide), powered-tailgate (remote-operated, key-fob), dual-zone automatic air-conditioning (rear air-vents), steering wheel (column adjustments, paddle shifters, multi-function, cruise control, EPS), wireless charger, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto (wireless), electronically-powered seats (driver with memory, passenger), auto-dimming interior rear-view mirror (2.0L Sedan, 2.5L Touring, frameless - 2.5L High Plus Sedan), parking sensors (four - front, rear), parking cameras (reverse with guidelines - 2.0L Sedan/360-degree view monitor - 2.5L Touring, 2.5L High Plus Sedan), Blind-Spot Monitor (BSM) (2.5L Touring, 2.5L High Plus Sedan), automatic headlamps (On/Off, levelling), automatic wipers (intermittent, rain sensing), interior illumination (bulb - 2.0L Sedan/LED - 2.5L Touring, 2.5L High Plus Sedan), and an ambient light system.

Rear air-vents are provided.

Spacious and comfortable, both body types’ overall ride quality is good with a handling that is refined and sturdy. 

Installed suspension setup is MacPherson struts (front) and multi-link (rear). Aiding the drive is the Mazda G-Vectoring Control Plus (GVC Plus) technology.

Sound insulation is adequate with all the NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) aspects accounted for. 

The cabin is able to suppress unwanted wind, road and tyre noises well, and make them barely noticeable.

The new 2023 Mazda 6 is well equipped with enhancements. Notably, to its comfort and convenience. 

Quality of equipment installed inside and outside, impresses with the upscale, mature design and restrained detailing. 

Ultimately, it is a pretty decent build, offering advanced safety features, refined ride quality and a stylish body design altogether.