Mazda 6 Advice

Like music and fashion, the types of cars we drive tend to evolve with each generation. We are currently living in the age of the SUV, but for much of the 20th century, Australians loved the sedan.

Mazda offers a capped-price servicing program for all of its current models, and it falls under the company’s ownership program known as Mazda Service Select.

The full run-down of Apple CarPlay and Android auto when it comes to Mazda's cars.

There’s long been a bit of a stench around diesel, but with the Volkswagen scandal and big cities in Europe now considering banning them, it seems to be a fuel source that’s more on the nose than ever

Does the Mazda6 have a timing belt or a timing chain and does it really matter?  The current Mazda6 has a timing chain and yes, it certainly matters. Got two minutes? Let me explain.First up, the current Mazda6 has a choice of two engines: a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and a 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol. Both use a chain and so does the 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel which used to be offered on this model.Now, a timing chain or belt has the important job in an engine of connecting the crankshaft to the camshaft(s) and controls the opening and closing of the valves which let the air-fuel mixture into the cylinder and the exhaust gas out.Timing chains have been used in engines longer than belts, and they're considered to be better because of their strength and durability. Rubber belts are cheaper than chains to make, but they stretch and deteriorate over time, and need to be replaced.In the case of the latest Mazda6 the chain is designed to be used for the lifetime of the engine – there is no periodic maintenance or replacement needed.So, there you have it: the Mazda6 has a timing chain and that’s something to be pleased about.

Australia’s love affair with Mazda is so passionate, and so unique, that even the car company itself can’t really explain it. Nowhere in the known universe is Mazda quite as popular, or as successful, per capita, as it is in this country, and in the most recent sales charts, it maintained its place as our second most popular brand, after mega-global giant Toyota. In the US, Mazda didn’t have a single car in the top-10 selling vehicles in 2018, globally it is ranked 16th in production numbers, behind every other Japanese brand, including Suzuki, and in Japan itself it came in sixth in sales last year.But in Australia, we can’t get enough of them, so obviously there’s a lot of excitement about what new Mazda cars are on the way, what new Mazda sports car might be in the offing and which of Mazda’s latest models are about to updated. Here, then, for those many new Mazda fans out there, is a complete list of what’s out there in 2019 and what’s coming up for the future.New Mazda uteWhile its twin-under-the-skin, the Ford Ranger, is kicking sales goals, Mazda’s slightly lumpen-looking BT-50 has been one of the brand’s slightly less-stellar offerings.Mazda gave the BT-50 an Australian-designed facelift in 2018, which brought a squarer bumper and made it slightly less disturbing to look at.For now, though, ute buyers will have to either put up with the current look, go and buy a Ranger or wait for the new BT-50, which is around two years away.Mazda Australia says the design for the new car is already locked in and that it’s “very happy” with the way it’s looking, so you can bet it will be quite different to the current one.While today’s BT-50 is a joint venture with Ford, its replacement will be something new as it’s a co-development with Isuzu and will share its architecture with the rugged and reliable D-MAX ute. We can expect to see the new vehicle in around 2021, and Mazda Australia managing director, Vinesh Bhindi, knows just how vital its success will be. For Toyota and Ford, utes are their biggest sellers in Australia, while for Mazda it’s still very much the 3, so a successful BT-50 replacement could push Mazda even further up the sales charts.“For Mazda Australia the BT-50 is critical,” Bhindi says. “Our focus will be private buyers even for the ute.”New Mazda SUVYou might not be able to see much space between a Mazda CX-3 and a CX-5, but perhaps you’re just not looking hard enough, because Mazda has found a gap in there, which it’s going to plug with a Goldilocks model known as the CX-30, which will arrive in Australia later this year.The CX-30 is longer and wider than a CX-3 (4395mm and and 1795mm versus 4275mm and 1765mm), yet smaller than the CX-5, which measures 4545mm in length and 1840mm in width.The big news, particularly for young parents who love the CX-3’s styling but wish it could fit a standard pram in the boot is that the CX-30 can do just that, with 430 litres of luggage space, up from just 264 in the CX-3.Engine offerings should include the Skyactiv G 2.0-litre petrol and the exciting new Skactiv X petrol engine.New Mazda sports carSome brands need halo model, and some brands, like Mazda, already have one, like the MX-5, which is arguably the most successful, and widely loved, sports car the world has ever seen. Speculation that there would be a new Mazda RX-7 or RX-8, or some other new Mazda rotary, to cash in on those glorious cars of yore with their screaming rev limits has been quashed of late, with Mazda repeatedly saying no such vehicle is in planning, nor required.The company is not giving up on the Wankel rotary technology it did so much to make famous, however, and says that it will form part of a special range-extender platform, basically a rotary hybrid.The “flexible rotary hybrid platform”, which combines a rotary-based range extender with a battery-powered EV driveline, is tipped to be so fuel efficient that it will help Mazda to compete even in countries with the stricter emissions requirements. At this stage, the rotary project is called XEV, and Mazda spokes people have said that it will come to Australia, at some point.New Mazda 2One of the best little city cars around, and one of the best looking, the current Mazda 2, which dates back to 2015, still looks fresh and isn’t due for replacement until 2021, so you won’t find too many run-out deals on it yet at your local dealership if you’re keen to buy one.It may not end up being a new version of itself, of course, because if the current trend for making SUVs out of every single segment on the market continues, the 2 might morph into something else entirely.Indeed, Mazda has hinted that it is watching trends to see just what shape the next 2 might be, and that it could become a very small SUV indeed, slotting in under the CX-3, rather than its current, traditional hatchback shape.Watch out, then, for the CX-2 to show its face on a motor show concept stand in the next couple of years.New Mazda 3New cars don’t get much more important for a brand than the 3 is for Mazda. While many buyers are moving away from traditional hatches and small sedans - and the new 3 offers both - the Mazda 3 somehow maintains its popularity.The new, and truly wonderful looking version, will do nothing to hurt those sales numbers and should instead give them a boost, with its improved interior, lower levels of NVH and the arrival of the epoch-shifting Skactiv X petrol engine.The new 3 also sets the benchmark for safety in this category, as you can read here.New Mazda 6Those rare families who aren’t tempted by the lure of a new SUV would find the Mazda 6 sedan and wagon hard to go past. Indeed, its appeal is such that Mazda was still tipping the 6 to sell 3700 units over its first 12 months when the latest facelift arrived, in May last year.The big change for that update was the addition of turbocharged variants, to add some spice to the range.There were also structural changes made to the 6 to help reduce noise and improve comfort, including thicker floor panels. Cosmetic changes included a new grille and headlights, and 17 or 19-inch wheels.There was also a bit of love shown to the interior, with comfier seats, a new dash and an Active Driving Display (a head-up display, in other words).Once again, in a shrinking market place, the future of the 6 is hard to deduce, but for now it’s a family car with a low centre of gravity that’s well worth considering.New Mazda CX-3A new, or at least updated, Mazda CX-3 was launched to an already adoring public late last year, with the 2019 modeller upgrade including minor cosmetic tweaks, a nicer interior and some engine fettling. The original CX-3 was only launched in 2015, and yet it feels like it’s been a feature on our roads for longer, so enthusiastically have Australians taken to it.The interior is noticeable better and has more oddment storage, thanks to Mazda’s decision to replace the old-school hand brake with an electronic one. You can read all about it here.New Mazda CX-5It’s hard to overstate just what an enormous success the CX-5 has been in Australia. It’s been our number-one selling SUV for the past seven years, which is pretty impressive when you consider that it’s a mid-sizer and not particularly off-road capable. What it is, however, is pretty much the perfect sized family car for city dwellers, and attractive and good to drive to boot.It is, for now, still behind the 3 on Mazda’s own sales charts, but even with the arrival of the sexy new version of that car, Mazda is tipping that the CX-5 will become the brand’s top seller over the next year or two.The CX-5 was most recently updated in May, 2018, with Mazda adding cylinder-deactivation technology and slashing prices across the range. You can read all about it here.New Mazda CX-6Yes, there does seem to be one more gap in the Mazda line-up that could be filled by yet another sleek SUV, and that would be the CX-6, tipped to arrive around 2021.Destined to sit between the big-selling CX-5 and the twin-sister CX-8 and CX-9, the CX-6 would be a coupe-styled SUV, following in the footsteps of some very popular efforts from the European SUV makers (think BMW X4 for example).Sure enough, speculation has it that this will be a more premium model with smooth and futuristic lines. As the so-called CX-6 will be aimed at the premium end of the market, it will likely be powered by a the 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine from the CX-9 large SUV and Mazda6 mid-size sedan.New Mazda CX-8Yes, the CX-8 does sit very close to the CX-9 in the Mazda range, but that doesn’t mean it’s not unique, and clever. Initially a Japan-only model, Mazda Australia begged to bring it here, and managed to do so in June last year. It has the long wheelbase and the seven-seat layout of the CX-9, but also the narrower width dimensions of a CX-5, making it just that bit easier to park. It also looks different, not a lot, but enough, with the headlights from the CX-9 and the taillights from the CX-5.The idea seems to be to give Mazda a foot in both the mid-size and large SUV camps at the same time, for those people who aren’t quite sure which they want to go, and end up coming down right in the middle.You can read all about it here.New Mazda CX-9The big daddy of the Mazda range, the CX-9 has won many plaudits, and plenty of fans, for is stylish design, driveability, clever use of space and the fact that it’s a seven-seat SUV you might actually desire to own.Most recently updated in September last year - with new tech, better safety, improved handling and a touch of interior classiness - the CX-9 also bumped up its price slightly.You can read about the updated versions here.New Mazda MX-5The car that puts the Zoom Zoom in Mazda, the MX-5 is a sporty, two-door roadster that puts a smile on the face of anyone who drives it. Enormously successful and seemingly getting both better looking, and better to drive, with each new generation, Mazda recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of the MX-5 with a special edition in bright Racing Orange.Just 3000 examples of the 30th Anniversary edition will be sold worldwide, with a choice of either soft-top or hard-top, and such is the love for this car that you can bet they’ll all become collector’s items.

You can’t help but feel for the poor folks at Holden. All that obligatory patriotism aside, they produced a genuine world-beater in the VFII Commodore.

The rise and rise of the SUV doesn't add up when yousee what's available in the medium car segment. Flashback 2007: the first iPhone goes on sale, the TGV clocks 575km/h, Vladimir Putin is TIME's Person of The Year and medium car sales almost nudge 100,000 as the Australian new car market cracks a million sales.Since then the iPhone has skyrocketed in popularity, the high-speed train swooshes on (at a more sedate 300km/h)- and the medium segment has headed south, retailing just over 77,000 last year despite a growing number of models.European, Korean and Japanese rivals in the medium segment can only dream of the sales tallies racked up by Toyota's all-conquering Camry, abetted by heavy fleet sales. The numbers suggest the segment is full of underdone machinery but the reality is far from that.The forgotten middle child of the passenger car market has spacious and viable family car choices - not just the Camry - for those looking for value and not keen on an SUV. The segment is littered with family-sized choices.KEY PLAYERS The Camry, Mazda6, Ford's Mondeo, Holden's Malibu, Hyundai i40 and its Kia Optima second-cousin, as well as the VW-derived Skoda Octavia are worthwhile contenders and all are at least as big as Holden's first (VB) Commodore. Locally built (for now), the Camry is sedan-only but its 515L boot can take plenty of paraphernalia.Cheap capped-price servicing (although for not as long as some of the opposition, also the case for its warranty) and hybrid variants (that are far too good to be taxis) go in the Camry's favour, as do the four-cylinder petrol engine and conventional six-speed auto.The runner-up in sales is the Mazda6, more aesthetically appealing than the Camry and with sedan and wagon variants. We lament the demise of the pretty hatchback. There's no hybrid but the Mazda has the quickest and smoothest stop-start fuel-saver and energy recovery setup.It also has one of the best turbo diesels this side of a BMW six-cylinder oil-burner. Quiet, smooth and frugal, it has plenty of the shove from 420Nm of torque and, from behind the wheel, enjoyable dynamics.Bootspace is not as big as the Toyota but the Mazda does offer a wagon alternative that isn't offensive to the eye either.More recently arrived, the Octavia from VW-owned Czech brand Skoda has petrol and diesel engines that are hard to resist.Steep capped servicing costs offset the sharp purchase prices. Built on the same modular platform as the new (and impressive) VW Golf, the Octavia delivers a good drive, ample occupant room and a good-sized boot, whether as a wagon or hatch (which masquerades as a sedan until you pop the tailgate).Holden's Korean-built Malibu has been in the shadows of locally built siblings. The almost-large sedan has petrol or diesel options. The latter has the torque you'll need to get anywhere in short order but the petrol engine doesn't suffer the diesel's lag.Space for four average adults and a good boot are among the Malibu's highlights but the styling isn't to all tastes.NEXT ECHELON Also hailing from South Korea is the Hyundai i40, in sedan or wagon form, with petrol and diesel power. There's no manual. Its styling has some appeal.The i40 has one of the longer warranties around and the maker recently brought in lifetime capped price servicing, which puts it well ahead of the pack on maintenance.Kia's Optima sedan is petrol-only but the aesthetic appeal is broader than many in this segment.Cabin and cargo space are up to the task and the drivetrain backs up the sportier styling - it's had plenty of local input in terms of steering and suspension, to good effect.The Ford Mondeo rounds out the favourites list, with a replacement due next year. The current example is spacious, whether in hatch form or wagon - the former (like the Skoda) looking more like a sedan but has a flexible interior and the latter has a cavernous tail.The petrol engines include a worthy EcoBoost turbo and there is a turbodiesel. It can't match the warranties of the Hyundai or Kia but capped-price servicing is among the better-value propositions.SALES IN THE SUNSET The decline in medium sales can be sheeted home to the increasing popularity of SUVs as well as "bracket creep", in which small cars grow in size to give customers more cabin and cargo space but outgrow the segment.Glass's Information Services marketing and sales manager Nick Adamidis believes that trend - or the need for more space pushing people into SUVs - has put the brakes on medium sales volumes."It was never a dominant segment but it was growing at one point. Looking back over the numbers it's dropped right off - quite a bit of that was Honda, Mazda6 was down slightly as well, that whole segment is being squeezed a bit," he says."There are very good cars in that segment ... but small cars have grown in size over the last few years. Mazda3 and Golf are larger inside. (If buyers) want more than a small car, they are going to an SUV." Further causes are the increases in the range of small cars and the relative lack of new models in the medium segment, he says.THE REST There's a solid choice of 18 sedans, hatches and more than a few wagons. Citroen has the C5 sedan and wagon and pseudo-sporty DS5 hatch with underdone diesel.Honda Accord and Euro, once yardsticks for the segment, are still good but somewhat outgunned.Nissan Altima, Thai-built, better than expected but bland styling didn't help. Opel Insignia - there are still plenty in Holden dealers' stocks if you're looking for something different.Renault Latitude is Korean-built, is highly competent and comfortable but is in the upper price bracket and doesn't stack up against segment leaders.Subaru Liberty has lost its way in styling and the use of CVTs instead of a conventional auto. Clever safety gear and solid mechanical package.Suzuki Kizashi, once a Carsguide COTY finalist, is a competent chassis crying out for a drivetrain with grunt.VW Jetta and Passat have peppy engines and plenty of space in the conservative cabins and pricing is (for the Jetta anyway) in the ballpark. THE SALES LEADER - TOYOTA CAMRY PRICE From $30,490 WARRANTY 3 years/100,000km CAPPED SERVICING 5 services , $130 ea, 4 years/75,000km SERVICE INTERVAL 9 months/15,000km RESALE 37 per cent ENGINE 2.5-litre 4-cyl, 133kW/231Nm TRANS 6-spd auto; FWD THIRST 7.8L/100km DIMENSIONS 4.8m (L), 1.8m (W), 1.5m (H) WEIGHT 1465kg-1505kg SPARE Full-size  THE CUT-PRICE KING - SKODA OCTAVIA PRICE From $21,690 WARRANTY 3 years/unlimited km CAPPED SERVICING 6 years/90,000km $286-$518 SERVICE INTERVAL 12 months/15,000km RESALE 45 per cent ENGINE 1.4-litre 4-cyl turbo, 103kW/250Nm; 1.8-litre 4-cyl turbo, 132kW/250Nm; 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo diesel, 110kW/320Nm TRANS 6-speed man, 6 or 7-speed DSG; FWD THIRST 4.9L-6.1L/100km DIMENSIONS 4.7m (L), 1.8m (W), 1.5m (H) WEIGHT 1302kg-1435kg SPARE Full-size  THE "LOCAL" - HOLDEN MALIBU PRICE From $28,890 WARRANTY 3 years/100,000km CAPPED SERVICING 3 years/60,000km, petrol $185, diesel $335 SERVICE INTERVAL 9 months/15, 000km RESALE 37 per cent ENGINE 2.4-litre 4-cyl, 123kW/225Nm; 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo diesel, 117kW/350Nm TRANS 6-spd auto; FWD THIRST 6.4L-8.0L/100km DIMENSIONS 4.9m (L), 1.9m (W), 1.5m (H) WEIGHT 1583kg-1684kg SPARE None; puncture repair kit THE UNDERSTUDY MAZDA6 PRICE From $33,460 WARRANTY 3 years/unlimited km CAPPED SERVICING 10 years/160,000km $296-$383 SERVICE INTERVAL 12 months/10,000km RESALE 46 per cent ENGINE 2.5-litre 4-cyl, 138kW/250Nm; 2.2-litre 4cyl turbo diesel, 129kW/420Nm TRANS 6-speed auto; FWD THIRST 5.4L-6.6L/100km DIMENSIONS 4.9m (L), 1.8m (W), 1.5m (H) WEIGHT 1462kg-1593kg SPARE Spacesaver HYUNDAI i40 PRICE From $31,990 WARRANTY 5 years/unlimited km CAPPED SERVICING Lifetime capped servicing, $310-$500 SERVICE INTERVAL 12 months/10,000km RESALE 43 per cent ENGINE 130kW/213Nm 2-litre 4-cyl petrol, 100kW/320Nm;1.7-litre 4-cyl turbo diesel TRANS 6-speed auto; FWD THIRST 5.6-7.7L/100kmDIMENSIONS 4.7m (L), 1.8m (W), 1.5m (H) WEIGHT 1441kg-1659kg SPARE Full-size  KIA OPTIMA PRICE From $30,990 WARRANTY 5 years/unlimited km CAPPED SERVICING 5 years/75,000km capped servicing, $294-$485, SERVICE INTERVAL 12 months/15,000km RESALE 43 per cent ENGINE 2.4-litre 4-cyl, 148kW/250Nm TRANS 6-speed auto; FWD THIRST 7.9L/100kmDIMENSIONS 4.8m (L), 1.8m (W), 1.5m (H) WEIGHT 1591kg SPARE Full-size  FORD MONDEO PRICE From $31,490 WARRANTY 3 years/100,000km CAPPED SERVICING 7 years/135,000km $290 SERVICE INTERVAL 12 months/15,000km RESALE 35 per cent ENGINE 2.3-litre 4-cyl, 118kW/208Nm; 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo, 149kW/300Nm; 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo diesel, 120kW/340NmTRANS 6-speed auto; FWDTHIRST 5.9L-9.5L/100kmDIMENSIONS 4.8m (L), 1.9m (W), 1.5m (H) WEIGHT 1505kg-1649kg SPARE Spacesaver

Mazda’s lifetime capped-price servicing plan now applies to all new models.