The “Soul of Motion” KODO by Mazda 6 2014

In 2012, Mazda sold just 33,756 units of its midsize 6 sedan. Or, in other words, about 8 percent as many Camrys as Toyota hocked. Will the all-new 2014 Mazda6, replete with a bold, new design and fuel-sipping Skyactiv technology, help the Hiroshima-based brand reel in Toyota’s sales behemoth?  Of course not. Truth is, Mazda will never catch Toyota, or Honda, or Nissan, or even Hyundai, when it comes to midsize-sedan sales.

For that matter, it’s not aiming to. It’s content taking a small slice of the pie, making sure that sliver of sales is fully zoom-zoom satisfied. Still, Mazda wouldn’t mind seeing that slice grow a bit bigger — say, to 50,000 units annually — and hopes to get there with a little help from the Mazda3. You see, the 3 is Mazda’s bestseller — 123,361 sold in 2012 — and Mazda knows that with every passing year come more 3 owners (and, for that matter, the 6’s targeted Gen Y professionals) who have either outgrown their compact four-door or are simply aspiring for a fancier ride. Given that the 6 makes use of the full suite of Skyactiv goodies, which helped boost sales of the 3 about 20 percent, it’s a plan that just might work.

On sale as you read this, the 2014 Mazda6 utilizes a 2.5-liter Skyactiv I-4 that employs direct injection and an unusually high 13.0:1 compression ratio to produce 184 horsepower at 5700 rpm and 185 lb-ft of torque at 3250. Compared with the previous 6’s 2.5-liter MZR unit, the Skyactiv boasts bumps of 14 horsepower at 300 rpm sooner and 18 lb-ft at 750 rpm sooner. More notable, though, are the increases in fuel economy. The Skyactiv, which runs on good ol’ 87 octane, achieves 26/38 mpg city/highway with the six-speed auto and 25/37 with the six-speed manual, while the MZR could only muster 21/30 with either the five-speed auto or six-speed manual. So, the new 6 looks pretty golden. But let’s inspect it in light of the new Honda Accord Sport. With a 2.4-liter I-4 making 189 horsepower at 6400 and 182 lb-ft at 3900, the Honda nets 24/34 with the six-speed manual and 26/35 with the CVT auto. Still pretty golden. But how does the new 6 drive?

To answer that question, Mazda invited us to Austin, Texas, to sample the 6 on some of the Lone Star State’s best roads. I got to experience two variants: a base $21,675 Sport with the manual and a top-of-the-line $30,290 Grand Touring with the automatic. Let’s start with the GT. Loaded with such niceties as leather, paddle shifters, navigation, power front seats, 11-speaker Bose audio, and bi-xenon headlamps with LED DRLs, the GT easily lived up to its Grand Touring designation. Power is class-competitive (read: adequate but not thrilling), and the six-speed auto is a model of smoothness, never hiccupping, lurching, or hunting for gears. Below 2000 rpm, the 2.5 feels a little lazy, but rev it past 3000, and it comes alive, emitting a high-pitched song befitting a refined I-4. The ride is typical Mazda — taut, responsive, and well-dampened – and the quick steering, whose 15.5:1 ratio is nearly as quick as the Miata’s 15.0:1, is one of the best electric units to date, though still not as direct or communicative as, say, the 3’s hydraulic setup. Inside, the feel is akin to a snazzier CX-5 (dash layout and ergonomics are conspicuously similar), with the two-tone black/sand (Sport, Touring) and black/almond (GT) treatments giving the cabin a cheerier, more upscale feel than the all-black interior.

As is sometimes the case, the base model proved the most impressive, thanks in large part to the Sport’s standard six-speed manual — it transforms this car. Throttle response is more direct and lively, and the gearbox is so engaging and rewarding that I began to wonder if it were pulled directly out of a Miata. (It wasn’t, but Mazda says its shift action and short throws were inspired by the little roadster’s.) Further, riding on 17-inch alloys wearing 225/55 Yokohama ADVANs (versus 19s with 225/45 Dunlops for the Touring and Grand Touring), the Sport serves up a smoother ride without any noticeable loss of feedback. At less than $22,000, the Sport manual is a standout buy, especially given its standard kit: variable intermittent wipers, auto-off headlamps, keyless entry with push-button start, 60/40 split folding rear seat, steering wheel-mounted audio and cruise controls, and power windows, mirrors, and door locks. For those looking for more luxury with their manual, Mazda announced that the midgrade Touring (dual-zone A/C, power driver seat, leatherette, backseat air vents, blind-spot system, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Bluetooth, HD radio) will offer the shift-it-yourself option later this year.