The IT Nerd

This is the 2.5L SkyActiv engine that powers the 2016 Mazda6 GT. It’s a 4 cylinder engine that puts out 184 horsepower and 185 pound feet of torque and it’s mated to a six speed transmission that can be shifted manually either from the gear shift or the paddle shifters. And quite frankly, it’s all the engine you need. It has plenty of torque to move you forward from a dead stop as well as get you around transport trucks on the highway. After driving the Mazda6, you will not feel the need to have a V6 in a mid sized car. When it comes to fuel economy, I’m averaging exactly 9 L/100KM’s. I expect that to drop throughout the week. One thing to note is that this trim level comes with Mazda’s i-Eloop which promises additional fuel savings. I’ll let you know at the end of the week what I get.

Handling of the Mazda6 is exceptional. Mazda has the steering dialed in perfectly as it’s well weighted and it has just the right amount of feedback. Plus the suspension is also dialed in perfectly so you know exactly what the car is doing as you drive it. As a result driving this car gives you the feeling that you are one with it. That fits in with Mazda’s desire to make sure that when you drive one of their cars you have a  “Jinba Ittai” feeling. That’s a Japanese phrase that means “horse and rider becoming one.” Or in this case, car and driver becoming one. Take it from me, when you drive the Mazda6, you are one with it. And that is the prime reason why I made it my Best Car Under $40K last year. When it comes to the all important noise, vibration and harshness, there’s no wind noise below 120 KM/h and slightly less tire noise versus the 2015 model. That’s a big improvement. If you really want to have some fun, hit the Sport Mode switch and find some twisty back roads. That switch takes a car that handles well and turns it into a car that you can really, really, have some fun with by making the shifts crisper and the throttle response sharper.

The next area for me to look at is the interior. Mazda pretty much blew it up and started from scratch and the results are good. Check back tomorrow to see why.

This entry was posted on March 31, 2015 at 8:46 am and is filed under Products with tags Mazda. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.