Best Motorbuys: February 01, 2019

Price: Mazda6 Takami, $56,995
Dimensions: Length, 4865mm; width,
1840mm; height, 1450mm
Configuration: Four-cylinder, frontwheel-drive,
2488cc, 170kW, 420Nm,
six-speed automatic
Performance: 0-100km/h, 8.1sec
Fuel usage: 7.6l/100km
Mazda6
Takami
By Ross Kiddie
I'VE OWNED a long succession of sport
sedans, there’s something about the
concept which really appeals to me.
One of them was a 1970s Mazda 808,
a conventional four-cylinder car which
shared its body shell with the rotaryengined
RX3.
My 808 was warmed a little, which is
why I considered it to be a sports sedan,
it had a mild camshaft, extractors and
a carburettor re-jetted to get more fuel
into the engine. It was a cool car and one
which I enjoyed immensely, however, I
always hankered after a rotary and after a
while the 808 was sold.
With changing fortunes, that was the
only Mazda I ever owned, unless you take
into account the investment I’ve made
keeping my son’s RX7 mobile.
Today, Mazda doesn’t really classify
its Mazda6 as a sports sedan, it is a
sedan (and wagon), but it fits into the
mainstream, albeit a purposeful car
in the first instance. However, there is
something about the new Mazda6 range
that is different to what we have seen in
the past. The range-topping Takami has
a turbocharger attached to the 2.5-litre
four-cylinder engine, bearing in mind,
though, the normally-aspirated Mazda6 is
still in the books and it is the solid seller it
has always been.
The Takami, though, is a step above
that, the turbo boost adds around
30kW and 168Nm above the standard
outputs, its power and torque figures
register at 170kW and 420Nm, the latter
available from just 2000rpm. It’s only a
low pressure boost, but it is enough to
provide stimulating performance and
it does so in an understated way. The
Mazda6 as a series is a car which today
sits on the outer periphery of the luxury
car class, yet its price is still the bargain
which lures buyers.
The Takami sits at $56,995, while the
range starts at $45,995. Take into
account, too, that there are also diesel
options.
As with all the series, the Takami
drives through a traditional six-speed
automatic transmission; other than a
driver-selectable sport mode and paddleshifters,
the transmission is pretty much
standard fare. I like that, there are no
surprises and no gimmicks, just clever
engineering that still provides spirited
performance and ease of use amidst the
challenges of our daily commute.
When given some freedom, the engine
develops a moderate thunder from under
the bonnet, it’s not loud, but it is a throb
which lets you know the turbo is boosting
well and acceleration is being ushered in
vividly. The Takami will reach 100km/h
from standstill in 8.1sec, and will lunge
quickly through a highway overtake
(80km/h to 120km/h in 5.5sec).
I didn’t use sport mode often, the Takami
is still very responsive in normal mode
and has an instant feel beneath the
accelerator. There are many quicker
sedans of this type, but for my money
there are few that are more civilised
nor refined. That is a Mazda strength,
and if you look at any model out of
the Mazda stable today, you will find
a huge emphasis on build quality and
sophistication.
One of the things that does need to be
remembered if you look at the Takami
as a sport sedan, is that drive goes to
the road through the front wheels. In a
perfect world, my definition of the sport
concept is rear-drive, but the Takami
needn’t be discounted, it has fabulous
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handling, and a balance between power
and handling that is perfectly matched.
Of course, the Mazda6 has a fully
independent front-strut/rear-multilink
suspension, and the spring and
damper rates are set for a quality
ride with just moderate firming. That
doesn’t compromise handling when
those tricky corners arrive. At just 1.4m
tall, the Mazda6 sits low and, therefore,
gravitational force over the suspension
isn’t huge, there is little body lean and
suspension control, and balance, is
beautifully engineered.
I took the test car on a Scenic Highway
72 loop, thoroughly enjoying its precision
in the corners and quiet highway motion.
The evaluation car was trimmed in
white leather, with that you get a feeling
of absolute opulence. There’s a high
specification level as can be expected
in a $57k car, but it’s the myriad of little
things that combine in the Mazda6 to
give you that special car feeling.
If you think the turbocharger is going
to burn through your fuel, and money,
unnecessarily, that’s not the case. Mazda
claim a 7.6-litre per 100km (37mpg)
combined cycle fuel usage rating for
the Takami. The evaluation car’s trip
computer was constantly listing a
9l/100km (31mpg) average figure, along
with a 5l/100km (56mpg) instantaneous
readout at 100km/h (engine speed
1900rpm).
These are good figures that combine to
provide a very satisfying drive.
The Takami is certainly my kind of car; if
finances allowed, it may well have been
the model that gets me into my second
Mazda.