Six in the City

I was happily tooling around town one fine Monday afternoon when my mobile phone rang. "Hey, Lester!" It was a friend and former slalom racer, Jojo Mercado. "I heard you’re evaluating the new Mazda6. Would you mind letting me try it out? You see, I’m about to get a new company car and I was thinking of getting the Mazda. It would be nice if you could come around the office today so my boss can see it, too."

Good news travels fast.

I got the Mazda6 on a Saturday afternoon after Tonette Lee, former colleague and now Mazda’s affable AVP, treated me out to lunch near Mazda Quezon Avenue. After exchanging pleasantries and business views with Tonette, I drove to the garage of a friend, Frank Koh, to check out a restoration job his staff is doing on a vintage limousine, which I’ll be writing about. Frank checked out the Mazda and was impressed by it. I found out later that his cousin, Jojo Mercado, was asking for suggestions on which car he should pick for his company plan, and Frank recommended the Mazda6.

And that’s how he knew I was driving the Mazda6. Anyway, to make a long story short, I drove to Jojo’s office at Beneficial-PNB Life in Intramuros, gave him and his boss (Mr. Fernandez) a ride, and allowed Jojo to drive the car around for a short spell. He was visibly exhilarated by the car. "This car adapts to my driving style, which is fast and smooth. It has powerful acceleration, great handling and excellent brakes like a sports car but rewards you with a comfortable ride, superior ergonomics and impeccable fit and finish like a luxury sedan. The car seems to me like an extension of my personality."

Couldn’t have said it any better.

A week spent driving the Mazda6 around the Metro introduced me to the ups and downs of the latest and most potent M-class contender. Its engine and body size puts it squarely in the territory of the Honda Accord and the Nissan Cefiro, its sporty "zoom-zoom" nature aims at the Mitsubishi Galant while its build quality rivals that of Toyota’s Camry. At P1,105,000, the Mazda6 represents substantial savings over its competitors and an enormous equation on its value-for-money characteristic.

The body is a modern take on the swooping curve, much like the new Audi A4. In fact when you move back a little, squint your eyes, and hide the large gaping grill of the 6 with your hand, the projector headlamps and the side bulges of the front fender can fool you into thinking that you’re looking at an A4. The overall styling of the Mazda6 projects expensive quality and sporty elegance save for the rear wing and the tail lamp treatment. Some may find it modern while I find the rear too racer boy-ish, although, I must confess that lately, I’ve been showing that rear to many racer boys.

But it’s because I can. The computer-controlled fuel-injected 2.0-liter double overhead cam (DOHC) 16-valve engine pumps out 134PS@6000rpm while it dishes out 180Nm of torque at 4,500rpm. The majority of the torque is pumped out at low engine speeds, blessing the Mazda6 with a strong yet graceful acceleration that will leave others choking on its dust. At 100kph, the engine is just getting into its groove and will rocket willingly up to 160kph with the same thrust (measured by our seat-of-the-pants feel) as its zero-to-sixty escape velocity. However, the needle begins to climb slowly after 160kph and wheezes out at 185kph. Perhaps owing to the relative newness of the car, and to maintain my friendship with the Mazda bosses, I inhibited myself from exploring its top end any further.

The four disc brakes at each corner, aided by ABS, willingly and safely reined the car in from speed in a predictable and controlled manner. The last time I liked brakes like this, they were attached to a BMW 530d that I took to 240kph. Handling was likewise impeccable, with the car following my steering inputs precisely and tracking straight and true as if it was running on rails. The interior’s a good place to be, fitting me perfectly and allowing me to reach the controls effortlessly, much like the Teutonic driving machine I was beginning to compare it with. But then again, the sun maybe baking my brain through the Mazda6’s large moon roof.

Because while this car is no BMW, nor does it pretend to be, the Mazda6 is worthy of being called a "driving machine", although to call it "ultimate" may be invoking the wrath of the Bavarian gods. While its overall appearance connotes wealth and power, it doesn’t delve out excesses like those suggested by the other more prestigious car brand. Instead, it speaks of youthful energy unleashed beneath a distinguished and rich persona. And while it isn’t really a scorcher, over time, the engine may uncork a little bit more, unleashing some additional power, but the torque’s just right for doing battle in the city.

And it is in the city is where the Mazda6 shines. With its attractive looks, comfortable interior and usable power, Mazda has hit drivers where they live. And priced just right so they could live with it, too. – Lester Dizon

The last time this writer sat behind the wheel of a Mazda, it was during the sad parting for me and my Mazdaspeed. My pretty little package was a sleek white number with all the trimmings of a special edition release — she had skirts, Eibach springs, a stabilizer bar, 15-inch stock magwheels mated to fat low profile tires — everything. Driving around in that car at times made me feel like a freaking matinee idol! Unfortunately, at that time, she didn’t have a service center anymore. Which is why I decided to let her go. Pity. Because now, Mazda is back. And now, Mazda is more determined to stay in the Philippines over the long haul. Proof is the release of an impressive new sedan that still carries the "zoom-zoom" spirit of my late, lamented Speed — albeit on a more impressive scale.

The Mazda6 is Mazda’s way of saying "We’re back, and we’re here to stay". Why? Because it‘s a downright impressive way to get back in the scene. Blessed with a fascia that can make believers our of even the most jaded of skeptics, the 6 is a sight to behold. It’s shaped like a (dare I say it?) European sedan (shades of an Opel Vectra, if you ask us, and yes, perhaps an Audi A4 as Lester has argued), and has multi-reflector lamps written all over it, from the front to the back. Just like the Mazdaspeed, it also has beautiful stock tires and mags — the five spoke 16-inch, 55/205 variety to be exact. What this translates to is a drive akin to that of a sports sedan. (And no, contrary to popular belief, the words "sports sedan" do not necessarily mean speed on the sound barrier level) What we mean is that it has a grip on the road like that of more hallowed pedigrees (like perhaps a BMW 3-series). The 6’s braking capabilities are also worth mentioning. Huge four wheels discs and ABS (and a driver’s side airbag — just in case) assure the 6 driver that, barring any irresponsible driving, all will be well when you’re behind the wheel of a Mazda6.

In local automotive parlance, the feel of the wheel in a Mazda6 is closer to that of the Honda Accord than that of the Toyota Camry or the Nissan Cefiro (three of the other Japanese models currently in the market competing in the segment that the 6 finds itself in). Sleek and muscular as opposed to refined and regal. The 6’s acceleration is at par (not obscenely more responsive, just at par) with the other Japanese M-class contenders, though the car’s more inviting interior ergonomics makes one feel more in command. Speaking of the car’s interiors, it’s quite safe to say that the head- and leg-room of the 6 is good enough for the longer-legged amongst us.

Is the Mazda6 as good or even better than the above mentioned competitors, then? Let’s put it this way, the Mazda6 will undoubtedly attract its fair share of followers because in many ways it is just as good as the next Japanese M-class sedan available in the Philippine market. Where it scores the biggest — at least in this writer’s mind — is in how it achieves its goal in terms of positioning. The Mazda6 is currently being marketed as "the sedan with the soul of a sports car". With killer, head-turning looks like that, it’s quite easy to imagine how that can be made possible. And at P1,105,000, it’s priced reasonably well, too. Value for money, this car has got to rank way up there. In Mazda’s history in the Philippines, the 6 is undoubtedly tops where getting your money’s worth is concerned — past affairs with a fantastic dressed up 1600 in the Mazdaspeed and imaginary trysts with the always sexy Mazda Miata notwithstanding. – Dong Magsajo