Mazda 6 2006 News

A softer 2-litre diesel engine is available now but has less power and torque than the current 105kW oil-burner that arrived for the Mazda 6 last year.

In an age where hot hatches have staged a revival on the new car landscape, the MPS makes the list because of its point-and-squirt capability. Point because it steers as though it has German blood, and squirt because it is the hottest four-potter in production at Hiroshima. The MPS is raw, mean and keen. It offers enormous bang for your buck, with this $43,000-odd package delivering stunning performance. It has the tricky differential - torque management keeping a lid on the MPS's boost in first and second. The MPS is tough and practical and has the attributes for those seeking track day enjoyment. But some judges found it too pricey and too hard-edged for a day-to-day ride, and there were questions about the look for hot-hatch buyers.

It is, in its way, the best show for ages, with a quotient of concept vehicles and exotica balanced by real world stuff you'd actually consider buying.Highlights?It's hard to walk past Audi's R8, a fully-fledged supercar likely to come in with a "bargain" tag of substantially less than $300,000. Next to it is the second generation Audi TT, mightily improved and not screamingly unaffordable from $68,500 the entry model and about $20K more for its 3.2 V6 quattro sibling. We drove both of these through the Austrian Alps in June 2006, and will hazard the guess that Audi will struggle to meet demand for this superbly executed coupe.And, just for show, is a model of the R10 – the amazing V12 diesel that took first and third at this year's Le Mans.The great thing about concept cars is that they needn't conform to such tiresome criteria as Australian Design Rules - hence the lack of an A pillar on Saab's Aero Concept X. The lack of any pillars for that matter. Slightly more tangible is the 9-5 bio ethanol-powered wagon - a car to gladden the hearts of sugar cane growers.Lotus has revived an iconic brand name with the Europa S, a car that should affirm two-seater motoring can still be an unadulterated and largely unconstrained experience. When the product of mainstream manufacturers seems to keep getting fatter, like a choc-addicted neurotic, the mere existence of Lotus serves to remind us of (hard) core driving verities.Mazda's Kabura sports compact - with its cute 3+1 seating arrangement - is a concept from which the theme and shape of Mazdas to come can be divined. Ditto Honda's Sports 4 Concept for that marque. Or so we hope. While Honda's SH-AWD system is damn clever, it'd be neat to see it attached to something a little more athletic than the globulous Legend.A few metres away from the Kabura is the CX-7 - the crossover SUV with much of the Mazda 6 MPS's drivetrain - which you'll be seeing on our streets soon. It's one of two vehicles that perfectly defines what marketing types like to call the "zeitgeist" of the Australian buyer at the moment.The other, you may or may not choose to believe, is a Volvo. The S80 all-wheel-drive V8 luxury sedan might be the Swedish marque's new hero model, but their decidedly groovy 2+2, the C30, could be the car that finally puts paid to those ancient "bloody Volvo driver" cliches.It also points firmly in the direction that Australian private buyers are going ie: those of us not enamoured of soft road SUVs are downsizing but up-speccing.And speaking of good things in small packages, those who have queued long for the Volkswagen Golf GTI will be delighted to see that not only is demand being addressed, but the new to Australia three door-model starts $1500 under the five door at $38,490. VeeWee's highly desirable Eos CC, the big drawer at last year's Frankfurt motor show, finally made its Australian debut ahead of its release early in 2007.And yes, that's a turbo diesel variant you see parked near the turbo petrol. If diesel seems anomalous in a (part-time) open top car, it works.Given the mudslide of Holden hype this year, it comes almost as relief not to see some lurid concept jobbie from them for once, although unveiling the Hummer H3 did at least provide comic relief.With the pomp and circumstance we've come to expect from Holden on the opening day of the show, the covers were hauled off to anything but the reception they've come to expect.Far from the rapturous and somewhat sycophantic applause that greeted their Torana and Efijy creations, there was … well, the sound of no hands clapping. In fact, the silence that greeted this spectacularly pointless and ugly apparition could best be described as stoney.Nissan's Foria is a concept car we’d very much like to see come into fruition. Apart form the corporate grille, this is an elegant Lancia-like coupe intended as an MX-5-like alternative. 

New to these shores, that is. Oilers have been part of the European 6 line-up since 2002 - a la the taxi we caught in Dresden a couple of years ago.

Where once the big front-engined, rear-drive sedans and wagons ruled the roost, other styles have made inroads with a view to heading off-road.Industry pundits muse over the rise of light and small cars – blamed on petrol prices and the age of the present crop of large cars – but the latter stages of 2006 will see a refreshing change.The present crop of medium and large family cars is considerable, with words such as boring, bland and banal not often applicable to the bulk of these segments any more.While it might not be the segment leader, Mitsubishi's make-or-break 380 sedan has been the focus of intense attention, as the future of the company's Tonsley Park manufacturing facility hangs in the balance. With some awards to back it, the 380 is undergoing a major revamp and is slowly gathering momentum, thanks to decent looks, a strong on-road package and local patriotism among the positives going its way.Holden's VZ Commodore has been updated with a new six-litre V8 in the sports and luxury models, fi ghting on in the face of renewed competition from its other locally built opposition.The potential for a segment resurgence at the end of the year will rest largely with the VE, an all-new model that replaces the VZ.Ford’s Falcon received a minor facelift and plenty of underbody work with the introduction of the BF, but the main claim to fame for the new big sedan from Broadmeadows was the addition of a six-speed automatic.The new transmission pips Holden's latest auto by one ratio, or two if you include V8 availability, and the Ford six-speeder has a background that includes applications in big names such as BMW, Jaguar and Land Rover.The BF Falcon also introduced some changes to safety equipment – traction and stability control on much of its range – as well as improvements in body sealing and sound insulation.The brand everyone wants to beat is Toyota, but the Japanese-owned Melbourne-based car maker is not relieving any pressure on the market. In fact, the foot on the throat of its opposition, if anything, will have more force behind it. The manufacturer has long been held as a yardstick for build quality, reliability and longevity, but was equally well known for building "white goods on wheels".Toyota Australia boss John Conomos has promised no more appliances on wheels and the new Camry speaks volumes for the modern design credo. Unveiled earlier this year at the Detroit Motor Show, the new Camry has lost its V6 power plant but gained styling to match the quality.Bold predictions of Avalon sales to rival Holden and Ford in the then-booming large-car segment soon came back to haunt Toyota, which has learnt much (by its own admission) from the Avalon experience and has put the knowledge to use with Aurion. The new Camry-based big car from Toyota has been styled to please the eye, and has also had much design and engineering input from Australia.The medium segment is growing and it's in no small part due to the rise of Honda's Accord Euro, the Mazda6 and Subaru's continued success with the Liberty. Mazda revived the medium segment with a sparkling fi ve-door four-cylinder range that offered decent dynamics, attractive styling and a bit of vigour beneath the bonnet.Honda has followed suit and the Accord Euro – albeit only in a sedan model – also has an enthusiastic demeanour on the road, plenty of features and a sharp price tag.Subaru has been the quiet achiever but the Liberty's fans are plentiful – the new look has introduced more room, more features and a wide choice of four and six-cylinder power plants.Subaru also offers a wagon – another point of difference to the other top-selling mediums. Only the Accord (a step up in size from the Euro) offers a V6 and Mazda offers a wagon. Never before have Australians been so spoilt for choice.