2018 Mazda 6 facelift arrives in Australia

After initially being revealed in November (sedan) and March (wagon), the 2018 Mazda 6 is finally on sale in Australia. Ushering in a raft of changes both mechanically and aesthetically, the 2018 Mazda 6 is the third update in the third generation of the nameplate. The car has also been given significantly more equipment than before, especially the entry Sport and top spec Atenza grades.

Priced from a $32,490 plus on-road costs, the 2018 Mazda 6 is offered in the same grades as before – the entry-level Sport, the mid-spec Touring, the sports luxury GT and the upper luxury Atenza. Like the recently updated CX-5, the 2.5-litre petrol and 2.2-litre turbo diesel engines have been upgraded, and for the first time, the 2.5-litre turbo petrol engine from the CX-9 is available in the Mazda 6.

Managing Director of Mazda Australia, Vinesh Bhindi, said New Mazda6 sets a new standard for the segment, taking a step up in class and refinement.

“Mazda6 has long been a firm favourite with discerning drivers and these latest upgrades take it above the mainstream sedan fray, changing the idea of what an affordable, value-packed midsize sedan or wagon can and should be,” he said.

Actually the second stylistic update of the third generation of Mazda’s successful mid-sizer, the 2018 Mazda 6 ushers in a more premium and more aggressive look than before. Shaper headlights are now all-LED across the whole range, and now feature integrated LED indicators and LED front foglamps. A larger mesh grille now features at the front with a mesh indent – the horizontal strips of the old model are no longer. New alloy wheel designs are available in 17- and 19-inch sizes, whilst redesigned bumpers and sedan tailights now feature at the rear.

The interior of the 2018 Mazda 6 has been completely redesigned, with a sleeker and more horizontal design attempting to emphasise the car’s width. The interior uses higher-quality materials than before with a new brown nappa leather option on the Atenza replacing black, whilst pure white nappa (Atenza), pure white and black leather (GT and Touring) and black cloth (Sport) are also available. A new Real Sen wood and suede finish option is standard on Atenza for a more upmarket feel. The car’s seats have been redesigned for a more comfortable seating position, whilst even the door trims have been redesigned to be more ergonomic and luxurious.

Along with the stylistic changes, Mazda has also updated the 2018 Mazda 6’s mechnicals with a new turbo petrol engine, as well as retuned suspension and improvements to the car’s noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) levels.

The 2.5-litre turbo petrol features in GT and Atenza grades, and replaces the naturally aspirated 2.5-litre engine that still features in Sport and Touring grades. Producing 170kW of power at 5,000rpm and 420Nm at just 2,000rpm, the turbo improves the 2.5-litre engine’s outputs by 30kW and 168Nm. Both petrol engines are capable of running on 91RON fuel, though fill the turbo with 95 or 98 and its power output increases to 184kW. As before, all 2018 Mazda 6 models are matched to a six-speed automatic transmission with a sport mode on petrol models.

Like the CX-5, the 2.5-litre petrol engine now features cylinder deactivation and 2 more kW of power and 2 more Nm of torque (140kW/252Nm) whist the optional 2.2-litre turbo diesel has undergone a raft of changes and now makes 140kW and 450Nm. Mazda Australia lists fuel consumption as 7.0L/100km for the 2.5-litre petrol, 7.6L/100km for the 2.5-litre turbo petrol and 5.3L/100km for the 2.2-litre turbo diesel – an increase of 0.4L/100km in the 2.5-litre petrol, whilst the diesel has improved by 0.1L/100km.

Mazda Australia has also updated the 2018 Mazda 6 with added standard equipment across the range. The entry level Sport (priced from $32,490 plus on-road costs) is now equipped with all-LED lighting, a larger 8.0-inch touchscreen with inbuilt satellite navigation and DAB+ digital radio, automatic door locking, a new design of 17-inch wheels with a gunmetal finish.

Active safety equipment is strong with the 2018 Mazda 6, with the full suite of Mazda’s i-Activsense active safety as standard equipment, including driver attention alert, automatic high beam, intelligent speed assist, lane departure warning, lane-keep assist and radar cruise control in addition to the autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring and rear traffic alert, as well as dual-zone climate control, rear parking sensors, electric-folding mirrors and push button start of the 2017 Mazda 6.

Step up to the Mazda 6 Touring (from $36,690 plus on-road costs) and a whole heap of equipment is added, including LED daytime running lights, black leather upholstery with 10-way electric driver’s seat adjustment with memory functionality, 6-way front passenger seat adjustment, keyless entry and start with auto-folding mirrors, front and rear parking sensors and a 231-watt 11-speaker Bose sound system. Unlike the 2018 Mazda 6 Sport, the Touring is available with both 2.5-litre petrol and 2.2-litre turbo diesel engines.

Above the Touring sits the GT (from $43,990 plus on-road costs) and Atenza (from $47,690 plus on-road costs), which are available with the 2.5-litre turbo petrol or 2.2-litre diesel engines. The GT adds 19-inch alloy wheels, heated front and rear seats, leather upholstery in either black or white and cornering headlights. The Atenza then adds white or brown nappa leather upholstery, suede and wood interior trimmings, a sunroof, ventilated front seats, a frameless auto-dimming rear view mirror, a 7.0-inch driver’s information display, LED interior ambience lighting, a 360-degree parking camera and adaptive LED headlights that shield their beam to not brighten oncoming traffic.

In its first year of sales in Australia, Mazda Australia is predicting 3,700 sales for the 2018 Mazda 6 – a slight improvement on the 2017 car’s 3,647 sales. The sales split between bodystyles is expected to be 69 percent sedan, and 31 percent wagon, whilst the split between model grades is expected to be 23 percent Sport, 35 percent Touring, 22 percent GT and 20 percent for the Atenza. The 2.5-litre petrol engine is expected to grab 55.9 percent of sales, whilst the turbo petrol engine 39.8 percent. The excellent diesel? Just 4.3 percent – we hope that improves.

2018 Mazda 6 pricing (plus on-road costs):
Sport 2.5-litre petrol sedan: $32,490
Sport 2.5-litre petrol wagon: $33,790
Touring 2.5-litre petrol sedan: $36,690
Touring 2.5-litre petrol wagon: $37,990
Touring 2.2-litre turbo diesel sedan: $39,690
Touring 2.2-litre turbo diesel wagon: $40,990
GT 2.5-litre turbo petrol sedan: $43,990
GT 2.5-litre turbo petrol wagon: $45,290
GT 2.2-litre turbo diesel sedan: $45,090
GT 2.2-litre turbo diesel wagon: $46,390
Atenza 2.5-litre turbo petrol sedan: $47,690
Atenza 2.5-litre turbo petrol wagon: $48,990
Atenza 2.2-litre turbo diesel sedan: $48,790
Atenza 2.2-litre turbo diesel wagon: $50,090

Options:
Soul Red Crystal or Machine Grey premium paint: $300